How To Have It All

On 2021-06-032021-06-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Rewards, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-06-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 10:29-30
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁹Jesus told him:
You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for me and for the good news ³⁰will be rewarded. In this world they will be given a hundred times as many houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and pieces of land, though they will also be mistreated. And in the world to come, they will have eternal life.

APPLICATION: Take a quick look at the rewards in store for the believer in Jesus Christ, and you might wonder what could possibly be concerning to unbelievers when they use the excuse that they would have to give up everything in order to surrender their lives to Jesus! I must share with you the testimony of an old missionary from our church. He shared with the men’s group how, when he was called on mission by Jesus, he started by giving his home and earthly possessions to a local church. He didn’t sell the house, because that was not a part of God’s calling. God told him that if he agreed to go to the mission field, he would take care of him. The gentleman didn’t want the worries of home and property back in the US, and he wanted to take God at His word about caring for him in a foreign land. He stood before us, after retiring from the mission field, and his life was about as rich as one could every expect to be here on earth. He had successfully completed a lot of work overseas, and now the work continues under his wise counsel. He was well cared for, healthy, blessed and living in a home located in a Missionary Camp in our local area. I now wonder if this Scripture was an inspiration to His life’s commitment and story of success? Friends, God is always true to His commitment to us. If He takes us to a situation, He will see us successfully through it. Just look at the blessings in store for those who commit to give up their life, as they know it today, and follow Him into His mission, wherever needed. He has gifts stored up for us here on earth, and He also has a glorious home prepared for us to spend eternity, when we leave this world! Notice that neither of God’s promises are conditional upon the stock market, as those rich on earth are so concerned about. I am convinced that God not only loves us unconditionally today, but praise the Lord He also has a whole new world prepared for us on the other side!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: There is no distinction in God’s Word that specifies which class, color or creed of people His rewards will be awarded to – just children of the Most High God who have chosen to surrender to His call on their life! That includes me – and you, my faithful readers and podcast listeners! Praise to our Almighty God!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for loving even me, and the plans You have for me! Thank You for my readers and listeners of this devotional, together we praise You and look forward to not only enjoying our heavenly home, but just to see you face-to-face and worship at the feet of You and our Mighty God! Please Lord, use us in Your service while here on earth as we prepare for the glorious day when we will transition from earth to heaven! I am convinced that the best is yet to come! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Things That Hinder Our Relationship

On 2021-06-022021-06-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Honest Relationship, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Relationship, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-06-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 10:20-22
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰The man said, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these things since I was a boy.”
²¹Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, “There is one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
²²He was very sad to hear Jesus say this, and he left sorrowfully, because he was rich.

APPLICATION: For a young man who is really into hunting, he may be in shock over his wife feeling alone and unattended to, because his personal needs are being met with things outside of his marriage. The rich young ruler in our story today felt accomplished, because he was able to acquire everything he needed to meet the needs in his life, for there was no shortage of money. In fact, he had convinced himself that he was really a good person, because he always strived to obey the commands taught by His priest. But just as in our case today, Jesus was able to look right through this man’s ideals and wishes, and He was able to see that everything hinged on the idea that the man’s money could buy everything he needed or wanted, so he struggled with the idea of surrendering his life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Friends, before you dismiss this devotional because you don’t have the money to ever feel like it could control you, let me first suggest that anything could really replace the thought that ‘money’ could disrupt our relationship with Jesus Christ. Elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus taught that we must become like a little child. That’s because a child has no money, or anything else that would disrupt, or distract, from an honest relationship with anyone. Imagine for a moment that you followed the instructions that Jesus gave to the rich young ruler. Can you begin to imagine how dependent you would be each day on the Savior – your Provider and giver of all good things in life? My friends, this is how Jesus wants us to be: Humble ourselves before Him; Recognize Him for who He is; Depend on Him as the giver of life itself and every good thing that we truly need; and to respond to Him in honor, praise and thanksgiving for every little thing in life. Are you there yet? Can you see how we are no different to the rich young ruler? Yes, it may not be because we are rich, but we have great parents who respond to every need we have; or we may have a spouse who has a great job; or a friend who looks out for us like a brother; etc, etc. What is it that distracts you from a deep, sincere, undivided relationship with the Master? I believe that Jesus is saying to us today, go and sell, or go and sever those ties, then come and bow at my feet for mercy, love and total dependence. Jesus loves us and longs to be our Savior and our Lord. Do you love Him and long to follow in sincere dependence of Him?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus identified the earthly things that the rich young ruler needed to separate from, but he encouraged him to ‘come then and follow Him’. In spite of who we were, God sees us in love and encourages us to come, follow Him! That’s unconditional love!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for seeing us in our most sinful state, but still assuring us of Your love and inviting us to come and be Your guest. Lord, we are challenged by the things we have come to love in this world, and often we allow these things to blur our vision of You. The world needs to see an honest vision of You without any distraction from us. Please open our eyes and our hearts so that we might willingly sever our ties with anything that misrepresents You, and may our lives be so complete in You, so that You may accomplish Your work in and through us, as You see fit. We love You Lord, please help us to love You without distractions interfering in that commitment. AMEN!

May Onlookers Be Convinced of Jesus

On 2021-06-012021-06-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holiness, Holy, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-06-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Isaiah 48:11–13
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹¹ I will rescue you for my sake – yes, for my own sake! I will not let my reputation be tarnished, and I will not share my glory with idols! ¹² “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last. ¹³ It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth, my right hand that spread out the heavens above. When I call out the stars, they all appear in order.”

APPLICATION: I believe that God spoke to me on two items in these verses this morning, and I wanted to share these thoughts with you:
1. The verses preceding those above spoke about God purifying His people with fire. Then He said something very powerful in verse 11: “I will not let my reputation be tarnished”. Friends, we may claim the name of ‘Christian’ or ‘follower’ or we may have a desire, and a commitment to live like Jesus. However, this may sometimes result in no change in our lives. So we claim to the world that we are ‘Christian’ but we go on living like the world. Based on today’s Scripture, I believe that God will then quickly step in to make sure that His reputation is not tarnished. We hear about Christian leaders being caught in adultery or some other sin, and we may sometimes wonder how did they get caught. We see where sin may have caused the divorce of very good friends. Why? We hear about friends who attend church regularly may no longer attend church, but tend to frequent parties that they never bothered with. These are all awful examples of people who we thought had their act together and were faithful to their Lord, why?? Friends, God said that He will not allow His reputation to be tarnished. I believe that this still very much applies today! Christianity is not a ‘pretend’ thing, it’s a lifelong commitment to the very One who sacrificed His life for our salvation. He’s the One who holds our future in His hands, and may I remind you that He will not allow His reputation to be tarnished!
2. In verses 12 and 13 God reminds us of His awesome power and supremacy. Let’s try to keep in mind that this God that we serve; He who created the universe that we enjoy today; He is the ONLY true God – the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. Let’s also note that it is just not the human race that is under the obligation of obeying our Master, but even to the stars that we enjoy looking at – God also made them and they are obedient to His call. When we think of the awesomeness of our God, do we need to go any further than to simply read His Word and savor the awesome descriptions of our Creator? May I remind you that we serve a strong, awesome God!
Friends, do you know this awesome God of whom I have spoken in this devotional? If you do, please enjoy His presence today and rejoice in the awesome God that He truly is. If you don’t know my God, please allow me to introduce Him to you. There is information in my ‘Footnote’ that might help you, but I would welcome your email asking for my help. It would be my honor to introduce you to the One who will make the difference between eternal life with the Creator of this universe vs endless death in the presence of the Evil One – Satan. You may do a fine job of showing the world that you are a married person, but are they just as convinced that you are truly a son or daughter of the most High God? If not, why not? Strive to have such a relationship with the Master, that He will shine through in your actions and in your words to one another.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: At times we may feel so engrossed in this wicked world that they are bound to see our mistakes and our sinful nature. God said that He will rescue us – but for His own name’s sake. Is He being glorified through the way that you Live?

PRAYER: Praise God, I can rejoice in the joy of my salvation, the Creator of this universe and the One who lives forevermore! Lord, please deal in my heart daily so that I may never misrepresent You or tarnish Your name. Please touch the hearts of my readers today so that they may also commit to a pure, dedicated life that is totally sold out to You – a life that will never sacrifice or tarnish the wonderful name of Jesus. May others see Jesus through our actions and through all areas of our character, for I ask this in the precious and holy name of Jesus, AMEN!

Celebrate The Blessings Of God

On 2021-05-312021-05-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Blessing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-05-31
WRITTEN AT: Lake Wales, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 14:21-23
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²¹But I tell you the truth. As surely as I live and as surely as the Glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, I make you this promise: ²²None of the people I led out of Egypt will ever see the land of Canaan. They saw my glory and the great signs that I did in Egypt and in the desert. But they disobeyed me and tested me ten times. ²³I promised their ancestors that I would give them that land. But none of those people who turned against me will ever enter that land!

APPLICATION: It is so easy to read about the rescue of the Israelites from slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, and to see the miraculous works of God as He led them through years and years of travel through the wilderness. There He saved them from slaughter by approaching armys; provided food for over 1,000,000 people; gave direction and protection to them as they traveled, made a way for them when there appeared like they were doomed for destruction by Pharaoh’s fiercest men, while all the while holding a token out in front of them to their ultimate destination – a land flowing with milk and honey. Isn’t it extremely upsetting to think of them grumbling in the midst of all the awesome things that surrounds this story? Isn’t it awful to think of the Israelites choosing to worship a false god who could never have helped them, even if he tried? Isn’t it good to know that we are so much better at that than they were? BUT wait, are we?? I tried to place a positive spin on the title of today’s devotion, instead of what I was really feeling like God might say to us at times today – can’t you imagine God saying to us: ‘Just quit the griping and complaining’? Just in case you are blinded to really see how little we have changed, let me suggest that not a whole lot has changed. Friends, using the backdrop of the awful complaints by the Israelites, in response to all the awesome provisions and blessings God was showering on them every day, I want us to look inward and turn our eyes to our own lives and our challenges that we deal with each day. From the time that we awaken each day, from our comfortable beds, in super cool air-conditioning, we may start by complaining that it’s so warm outside, and furthermore I have to get off to work. Let’s stop right there for a moment and remind ourselves that many have no choice but to endure that warm/hot air 24 hours per day without the convenience of air conditioning; Some are currently out of their homes because of flooding, tornadoes or simply due to financial problems, and many of these may not be able to return to their homes. So do we truly have room to complain, or do we have something to be very thankful for? Of course our complaining continues into the choice of food we have for breakfast, or the broken down vehicle that we drive to work, or the time of day that we have to report to work. While many others could only wish that they had each of the above. Yesterday many may have chosen alternate gods to worship, just like the Israelites, instead of assembling ourselves together with other believers in thankful praise to our Creator, Provider and King of all kings. Friends, may I suggest to you that we should learn from the Israelites to appreciate all that God provides for us each and every day. Yes, our greed and our selfish desires always tend to want something different and superior to what we have, but as we look into the eyes of our Master, isn’t there unlimited reasons to praise Him instead? Thank You, thank you, thank You Lord for Your mercies and Your kindness to me – Your humble servant. Who am I to deserve such grace, and such love from such an awesome God? Please forgive my readers and I for our ungratefulness Lord. Please help us to always look at all You endured so that we might have eternal life, and a home in glory with You. Your love for us, and Your daily gifts to us are beyond anything we could measure, so may we always find room in our hearts to praise You and rejoice in all Your tender mercies, for You alone are God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We have so many reasons to sing praises to our Lord and King, that it may be challenging to carve out sufficient time to do this. Our priority should lead us to the foot of the cross to meet with our Savior at least daily.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You are so good! We are such a needy people and we cannot do this thing called ‘life’ here on this earth without You. There are so many things that we take for granted, but that we know you have provided for our good. Thank You Lord for Your mercies on us. Mercies that endure day after day! We really have no room to complain, for Your goodness deserves our praise and our daily echo of thanksgiving. We worship You oh Lord, and we long to see You face-to-face in heaven one day. Until that time, please give us grateful hearts that will express your praise at every opportunity. AMEN!

Don’t Limit The Power of God

On 2021-05-302021-05-30 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Power, Power of God, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: May 2, 2019
WRITTEN AT: Sebring, FL

Bible Reference: Numbers 11:21-23
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ²¹Moses said, “There are 600,000 soldiers here, and you say, ‘I will give them enough meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²²If we were to kill all the sheep and cattle, that would still not be enough to feed this many people for a month. And if we caught all the fish in the sea, it would not be enough for them!”
²³But the Lord said to Moses, “Don’t limit my power! You will see that I can do what I say I can do.”

But to top this whole message off, Jesus gave His disciples a few conditions that would generate supreme trust in the Almighty God. I went with a group of missionaries from my church to Mexico for a week. Other than finances, the next greatest challenge was in packing minimally as space would be limited on flights and in the vans used for ground transportation. So can you imagine trying to ‘GO’ under the restrictions ordered by Jesus in (1) noted above in our Scripture? Homes were opened to accommodate the missionaries, as there were no provisions for commercial accommodations, if any existed. This has become a huge problem today, as most church members will refuse to have a missionary or visiting preacher in for a meal, much less opening their home to one. I trust that you can appreciate the difference. Most of us will do everything possible to be accepted by the townspeople in which we minister. But what do you do if you are not accepted? Jesus knew this would happen and probably disappoint His disciples, just as it would impact us, so He prepared us in advance in (3) above for such an unfortunate event. Bible scholars will tell you that Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to go some foreign place and, when you get – tell and heal. But instead, He told them in their language that as they GO, tell and heal. It is so important that we represent God and tell the Good News everywhere we find ourselves, not just at one specific building, street corner, country or city. As you go each day, brothers and sisters, in every way possible, tell the story of Jesus and His love for everyone you meet, God being your helper and guide.

PRAYER: ^! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Responsibility of Parents and Children

On 2021-05-292021-05-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-05-29
WRITTEN AT: Lake Wales, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 6:20-22
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰Obey the teaching
    of your parents—
²¹    always keep it in mind
    and never forget it.
²²Their teaching will guide you
    when you walk,
protect you when you sleep,
    and talk to you
    when you are awake.

APPLICATION: I believe that Solomon gave us awesome advice in these verses, but I see advice here for parents, and for their children. It seems like our family structure has suffered greatly over recent years, so regardless of your religious beliefs, I believe it is worth meditating with me on this today.
FOR PARENTS: We have the joy and privilege of honoring God in not only populating the earth, but ensuring that we provide responsible, respectful and loving individuals to bless others that they come into contact with. This requires teaching our children right from wrong, and in many cases, to correct the areas of life that we feel like we could have done better. But this is a daily task, and it requires our consistent guidance and/or correction. Notice that our little ones who look up to us morning, noon and evening will someday depend on what we taught them as they begin to decide for themselves what pleases God, and what is most acceptable to others. Because of this, it is important that we be strong enough, and big enough, to apologize if necessary and correct any bad advice or action that we realize we gave in error. Our children will soon conclude that we don’t live in a perfect world, but rather one that is very dependent on God and His wisdom.
FOR CHILDREN: It is so sad to hear an adult say that they have bad, or hateful memories of their parents, for that is obviously not what God intended when He created the world and its inhabitants. From our earliest recollection, we will remember how loving and forgiving our parents were, and as we make decisions and approach daily chores, we will often be reminded of how important certain processes were to our parents. I believe these principles become very real when others look at us and say how much we remind them of one of our parents, based on certain actions we take! Mannerisms are continued because of things taught in our homes – good and bad manners! I have a nephew who is constantly complimented on his good manners, and I attribute that to all that was taught to his mom and dad from their parents.
God knew what He was doing when He created the family structure. It’s up to us to trust Him that He is all-knowing; filled with wisdom, and that He created us in His image, for His glory. This is the basis for a perfect world, if only we will do our part as parents and/or children, in recognizing the Creator and His awesome plan for us!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Children are a gift from God, but I believe that good and faithful parents are also an awesome gift of God to their children!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for daily reminders that You are in control of our lives and of our circumstances. Thank You for providing great parents who tried very hard to make sure that we would be the best student, best companion, best worker and best friend to those that we come into contact with. I am eternally grateful for my parents, and I pray for all my readers that they too may be enjoying success and blessings as a result of all that their parents conveyed to them, and practiced in their home. Oh that we may recognize Your goodness to us and practice it daily, so that the world might know that Jesus lives, because they see You living in and through us. AMEN!

If You Obey, I Will… Otherwise I will ….

On 2021-05-282021-05-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-05-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 26:3-16
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ³Faithfully obey my laws, ⁴and I will send rain to make your crops grow and your trees produce fruit.
⁶I will bless your country with peace, and you will rest without fear.
⁷You will chase and destroy your enemies, ⁸even if there are only five of you and a hundred of them, or only a hundred of you and ten thousand of them.
^14-15If you disobey me and my laws, and if you break our agreement, ¹⁶I will punish you terribly, and you will be ruined. You will be struck with incurable diseases and with fever that leads to blindness and depression……

APPLICATION: God provided freedom to His people, the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt. To make the transition, I’m sure God had to lead them in every walk of freedom, including those things that trigger His gifts and generosity. Often as we tune in to the evening news and hear of everything that is creating havoc for our respective families and country, we may be forced to ponder what on earth have we done to deserve all the bad things that occur every day. For the sake of brevity, I only included highlights from Leviticus 26. Let me encourage each reader to click on the Scripture reference above and read the whole chapter. There are things promised by God that I’m sure we would wish to enjoy and flourish in today. However, there are also warnings that God gave about His reaction to our disobedience, and we could only stand back in shock about how real these are even in our current day situation. Notice that God warned about incurable diseases that He will allow to affect us – perhaps cancer, COVID, or other such diseases. Weather conditions that will impact growth of our natural food items. And these forms of punishment will be multiplied as we continue our stubborn and disobedient streak. Friends, I found this extremely interesting as I read this today. Yes, this related how God spoke to the Israelites. But I believe it was placed in His Book of Instruction, so that we might know how He operates. Simply put, I believe God is saying to us that if we recognize Him as our Creator/God and we obey His commands, He will bless us beyond our ability to comprehend. However, beginning in verse 14, God is telling us that if we choose to go our own way, ignore the Almighty God who created us, and live according to the world’s standards and beliefs, then He will release His fury on us. No doubt we will ponder why on earth will anyone choose to be punished. Ever since the very beginning of time, Satan has misled mankind into thinking that they know better than the God who created them. Unfortunately, Satan is still whispering words of deceit to many today, for until some are challenged with unusual or burdensome things that serve to destroy them or their families, they usually opt to continue their rejection of the Great I Am. I believe that it is extremely obvious as to God’s intentions, and His positive reaction to our obedience. But He is strongly against our disobedience, so if it’s up to you, then why would you choose death over life; or evil over goodness; or damnation over the goodness of a loving and caring God? Friends, God has made His decision on the outcome, it’s up to you now to choose your ultimate destination and whether it will be blessings in store for you, or curses. I know you are smart and that you will make the right decision, God being your helper and provider.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of accepting us in a very sinful state, God saved us from the pit of Hell and, as promised to the Israelites in today’s Scripture, He has many, many blessings in store for His children. We serve such an awesome God!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul…. Thank You also for Your promises of ongoing blessings just like You promised the wicked Israelites who stubbornly worshiped idols, even while You provided their food and passage to a new and wonderful, free land. Please Lord, touch Your people once again today so that our eyes might be opened and our hearts refreshed to Your many blessings. Please give us boldness to stay in Your Word and apply it to our lives every day. May the source of our strength and our divine guide be obvious to all those around us, so that they may also seek after You. AMEN!

Actions That God Hates

On 2021-05-272021-05-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Things that make God angry, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-05-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 6:16-19
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶The Lord hates these seven things:
¹⁷    eyes that show pride,
    tongues that tell lies,
    hands that kill innocent people,
¹⁸    hearts that plan evil things to do,
    feet that run to do evil,
¹⁹    witnesses in court who tell lies,
    and anyone who causes family members to fight.

APPLICATION: As a child we learn very quickly to avoid those things that our parents hate, or strongly oppose. In school we tend to do the same in respect to our teachers. And of course, we especially try very hard not to provoke our lifetime partner in life, our spouse, from becoming upset over us doing those things they hate. But what about God? We tend to hear more about His sacrifice; His commands; His direction to His disciples and other Bible saints; and His unconditional love for us. But in the Proverbs today we are given some things that God hates, and I believe it deserves our undivided attention:
~ Eyes that show pride, or prideful eyes, as some translations read. Jesus was the most humble person on earth, and we are to imitate Him, so where might pride come from? Satan reinforces this characteristic in those that He wants to lead astray, so he makes them proud of their personal achievements, and convinces them that they needed no help arriving at their goals. For the Christian, we recognize the source of all good things, and we live in subjection to our King. There is no room for pride, without first recognizing our source of life and all that has been provided for us by Him;
~ A tongue that tells lies – One of the names that Jesus is called in the New Testament is ‘Truth’. So when we seek to know the truth about something, we must first consult Truth – the one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The world is known for its lies as a primary source of deception. If you belong to God, then you listen to Him and act like Him in telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth;
~ Hands that kill innocent people – Murder is never acceptable by God. He taught us to never do this in the Commandments He gave to Moses for the Israelites, and now it is reemphasized by Solomon in the Proverbs. No matter how wrong someone is, and no matter how much we learn to dislike them, we have no right to take the life of an innocent man created by God;
~ Hearts that plan evil deeds – God is in control, and not us. He will revenge the guilty, so there is no need for us to plan evil against anyone. Live like Jesus and seek to do good during your lifetime and love one another, just as Christ loved us;
~ Feet that run to do evil – Just as in the previous point, God despises the looks of evil, so anything we do to create an atmosphere of evil is an abomination to God;
~ Witnesses in court who tell lies – Witnesses in most courts will be sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. How dare us make a sworn promise to God that we will tell the truth, then turn around and lie. I’m surprised that God don’t strike those guilty of this sin down right on the spot, like He did to Ananias and Sapphire;
~ Anyone who causes a family to fight – Many families are struggling to get along today. Often it is caused by at least one of the sins mentioned in this list. However, it takes one member deliberately trying to provoke trouble, arguments, and all sorts of unrest to create disharmony and internal fights among family members. God is not happy with such family members – in fact, He hates the idea of anyone causing fights among His loving family units.
FRIENDS, if you are trying to live a Godly life, then you will make every effort to seek God – His power, His wisdom, and His mercy to help you live like He intended, and not as Satan and his cohorts of this world lives. God will help you do that, if you call on Him to guide you.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God loves us way too much to see His children fail in life. He only hates our actions when He recognizes that we are trying to live life under our own terms. Keep this list handy so that you will quickly recognize when you are guilty of something that God hates!

PRAYER: Oh Lord my God, thank You for creating perfect individuals! Thank You also for not giving up on us when we fail. Today we have learned about the things You hate. Please strengthen us and embolden us to stand firm in our faith, and live lives disciplined to please You in every aspect of life. Many others need the Lord. May they see You so vividly in us that they will be encouraged to seek You while You still may be found. Please bless my readers today with a new invigorating faith and desire to live like You and serve You faithfully until You return to take us home to glory! AMEN!

What It Means To Be A Follower of Jesus Christ

On 2021-05-262021-05-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Cross, Follower of Christ, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-05-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 8:34-36
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ³⁴Then Jesus called the crowd and his followers to him. He said, “Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. ³⁵Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me and for the Good News will save it. ³⁶It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost.

APPLICATION: Some are afraid to get married, because they’re afraid of the freedoms they would lose as a single, unattached person. Some are hesitant to accept Jesus as Savior, because they are hesitant to give up their worldly freedoms. So what does it mean to actually surrender your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ? Some will tell you that it is the only way of getting into heaven when you die, and I agree with that. However, I believe that there are many more reasons for us to consider aligning ourselves with the Creator of the universe. For you see, there is no one else in the history of mankind that ever agreed to give up his/her life to show how much they truly love us. And why was this deep love so important? Well, God saw that mankind was struggling to follow His commands and therefore show themselves worthy of aligning themselves with Him, so He miraculously formed His very own Son to be born of a virgin. The reason for His coming, was that He would live among men, perform many miracles that would help affirm His infinite mercy and power, then die a cruel death on a cross, whereby showing how the sins of His believers would also die and therefore make them holy, just as He is holy. This was so important to God that He declared this would be the only means of sinful man aligning themselves with Him. The only means of forgiveness of sin. But in our Scripture today, we are told that moving from the world to becoming one with Him, would involve sacrifice. Not the kind of sacrifice that Jesus showed on the cross, but God wanted to see the heart of man being willing to sacrifice everything this world has to offer, in order to give up ourselves wholeheartedly to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Carrying that type of guilt and the burden of sin from this world was referred to as our ‘cross’ by Jesus in our Scripture today. So Jesus told His disciples and the crowd gathered, and He still tells His children today, that we are to give up our earthly cross – that burden of sin, and follow Him. In other words, make a 180 degree turn in our lives. In being of this world, we are following the likes and teachings of this world. A way of life in total opposition to that of Jesus Christ. So Jesus said that we must be willing to give that up and take on our new ‘skin’, a life dedicated to God and following the teachings and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. The value for the child of God in giving up our earthly idols, practices and evil desires – our cross, is that we take on a new life fully committed to the life, teachings, unconditional love and forgiveness of a loving and sacrificial Savior as we head towards the place He has already prepared for us in heaven! IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL dear friends! Let’s encourage one another as we give up our cross and follow Jesus!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: There is no greater love than for a man to give up his life for another. Jesus did this for us. Praise be to God for His wondrous acts of love to an undeserving people!

PRAYER: There was a chorus I learned as a very young person – ‘Oh the love of Jesus’! Although very challenging for us to understand that love where You so freely gave of Yourself on Calvary for us Lord, yet I know without a shadow of doubt that You would have it no other way. You created us and I believe that Your ultimate goal is to have us worship You and lift up Your name ever day until we join You in heaven one day soon. Please forgive us for ignoring that love at times and claim that we are enjoying things offered by this world. It is obvious that this world has nothing to offer us that compares to Your amazing love for us. Please continue to be patient with us as we learn to give up this heavy and burdensome cross of this wicked world, and learn to follow You in righteousness, love and concern for one another. We long to be where You are Lord. Please help us to overcome the world and live as children of our awesome God! AMEN!

Who Am I?

On 2021-05-252021-05-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-05-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 8:27-29
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁷Then Jesus and his disciples walked to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he posed this question to his disciples: “Who do the people say that I am?”
²⁸They replied, “Some say John the Baptizer, others say Elijah the prophet, and still others say you must be one of the prophets.”
²⁹He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”…..

APPLICATION: Peter and his fellow disciples had been with Jesus when He did some miraculous wonders. But knowing that the Pharisees wanted Him dead, regardless of the miracles He performed in their communities. Jesus may have wondered if these mixed feelings were getting to the disciples, so He asked Peter a very important question in our Scripture today – ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Jesus could also have asked this question of Peter based on his experience to date with the Master. I wonder how we might answer that today? If we have been committed to a personal, deep relationship with the Master, then we would have rejoiced on many occasions because of His love, because of His miracles, His wisdom, His calm assurance, His wonderful blessings and His direction in helping us lead lives that mirror His example – in spite of the very challenging situations of life here on earth. For the believer who lives this kind of life, I believe that we would rejoice in our King, our Savior and our Lord, even when we are still dealt a challenging hand. I find myself using very complimentary descriptions when responding to questions about my parents, or my spouse, because they have been good to me. But do believers always paint the picture of a perfect God each time that they respond to questions about their God? Unbelievers are expected to give unkind remarks about our God, because they have chosen to turn a blind eye to Him and His unconditional love. So we expect them to respond negatively to someone who means nothing to them. But I believe that our BIG question today is not only to try and understand where Jesus is coming from with this question, but to think about where we are in our relationship with Jesus. This will determine how we respond to the question. If we are in a sweet relationship with Him, then we may be frustrated in trying to get out the many compliments stored up in our hearts. But think about this. We will also boast on our God when we are filled with happiness and the overwhelming appreciation that we feel for who He is, and for all that He has done, and continues to do for you. But I would dare say to you friend, that this same internal relational excitement will win, or convince the unsaved world that your God could be of value to them. So may I encourage you to evaluate on a regular basis ‘Who is God – to you?’ Remember, even when His answer to your prayer is different to what You asked for, He’s still on your side and, I believe that He is still providing way more for us than we deserve. Oh that we may glorify God for who He is to us – in the good times, and in those times that we don’t understand what He is doing for our good. For He is still God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God cares for us and wants to know that we are understanding His love for us, even though His answers to our prayers are way more amazing than we could ever think, imagine or ask for!

PRAYER: Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all thy hands have made! I realized, Lord, that there are things You have made for my good, that I would never have thought to ask for. And so it is with my daily prayers, You don’t always answer my prayers in the way that I asked You to, for You love me way too much to only give me the scraps from Your table. You have way more in store for me than I could ever think or imagine! Lord, there is no God like my God! Please help me to be keenly aware of that, and to openly share Your goodness with those around me, so that they too might catch a glimpse of Your goodness. Lord, You are good and Your mercies are endless. Please help my readers and I to be aware of this, even when You answer our prayers in Your way and for Your glory. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Praise