But God….

On 2021-03-102021-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-03-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 3:9-12
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT:
Eternal One: ⁹The plea of Israel’s children has come before Me, and I have observed the cruel treatment they have suffered by Egyptian hands. ¹⁰So go. I’m sending you back to Egypt as My messenger to the Pharaoh. I want you to gather My people—the children of Israel—and bring them out of Egypt.^[c]
Moses (to God): ¹¹Who am I to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel’s children out of Egypt?
Eternal One: ¹²Do not fear, Moses. I will be with you every step of the way, and this will be the sign to you that I am the One who has sent you……

OBSERVATION: Being around some young people recently and hearing their stories of challenges that kids are dealing with today, it reminded me how easily our minds are swayed by peers. It sounds like kids today are challenged with believing in God, because they are confused why God would do God-like things – such as hating sin; loving everyone – even sinners; disciplining those He loves – as any good father would do; etc. As we meditate on the encounter Moses had with God, and the God-sized task given to him, let’s carefully examine our own lives and especially the times that we question God.

APPLICATION: Allow me to share a few personal experiences that may help me better illustrate what I believe happened in the life of Moses when he encountered God on Mount Horeb. The job I held in the Bahamas took me to several Family Islands. At one of them, I found my way to the house of God on Sunday, as was my custom. I was told that there was no preacher for the following Sunday, so there would either be no church service, or Brother Ed (myself) could volunteer to lead us. Like Moses, I responded in awe and quickly told them that I was not a preacher. BUT GOD in His infinite wisdom, gave me a word to share with His people the following Sunday, and for several Sundays while I was employed on that island. At another island, there was a similar experience with leading the Youth Group at the church we attended. God convinced me to serve there, and He was consistently by my side as the young people were ministered to each week. At yet another island, there was a need in the radio broadcast from the church we attended. Absolutely no experience, BUT GOD led me to help in that work for the years I served on that island. Coming to the USA, there was first a need to teach a Sunday School class. Again, no experience with that, BUT GOD in His wisdom gave me the necessary skills to teach for about 25 years while at that church. Additionally, a need arose for a Music Director. I loved to sing, but had no clue about the different notes or timing or anything else about music, BUT GOD gave me the wisdom to not only lead the congregation, but also the choir, for a number of years. I could go on bragging on God, but I believe you may have gathered from my examples that God is merely looking for our availability and not our abilities. I felt a lot like Moses in that the people knew it had to be God doing the work, because Moses wasn’t qualified in what he was called to do, nor was I. It is natural for us to look at our qualifications and experience when called on to complete a job, but as children of God we must never forget that it’s God who should be credited for the job we do, as we are way too much like Moses – we’re not qualified; we’re just a nobody; the authorities probably have never even heard of us; etc. BUT GOD is infinite in knowledge, wisdom, mercy, and His great love for everyone that He created. I trust that as you meditate on this word today, you will reflect on all that God has proven, promised and completed already, and that you will be reassured that even though you have no personal qualifications for the work needed at your church and in your community, you serve an awesome God who can do all things in and through those who place their trust in Him. He’s a great BIG GOD who can do way more than we could think or imagine. Trust Him today dear friend. Know Him today dear sinner, and experience the love that surpasses all understanding!

PRAYER: From a burning bush You challenged Moses with a task that seemed totally impossible to him. He had no governmental experience nor any passes for the royal palace, yet You chose him to stand in Your stead before the king who was responsible for mistreating Your people. Most readers will probably feel like they would never be asked to take on such a challenge, however we were reminded of the power of our awesome God who used a simple messenger like Moses to not only deal with a wicked king, but also lead a multitude out of Egypt. What a mighty God we serve! 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!

Only God Can

On 2021-03-092021-03-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-03-09
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 19:23-26
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁴I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
²⁵The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
²⁶Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

OBSERVATION: Since Jesus made it clear that the rich can’t save themselves from the pit of hell, we may ponder ‘then what about those who do good? Or those who work endlessly around the church? Or those who habitually attend church every Sunday?’ I believe that as we meditate on the Word of God today, we may be tempted to ask like Peter did: ‘then who in the world can be saved?’.

APPLICATION: I had a good friend who argued that he had no doubt his dad would go to heaven, because he had impeccable character and was overly kind to everyone. Sounds logical, especially if you were in charge of who gets into heaven, right? As suggested in my ‘Observation’, there are other cases where mankind might assume that a dear friend is going to heaven. But in today’s Scripture, our eyes are opened to the fact that since this is God’s kingdom that we are talking about, then we must look to His Word for the answers on who will make it in. The disciples themselves were amazed that Jesus would refuse to allow an influential man who had lots of money into heaven. But the Scriptures are filled with wisdom on every subject that we could think of, especially on the subject of heaven. There is only one way dear friends. God sent His Son in a miraculous way as a baby, and His designed purpose was to minister while on earth, then die a cruel death just like a criminal. His death on the cross gave way to His resurrection three days later, so that Jesus could return to heaven to be with the Father. The death of our Lord was designed to be a sacrifice for the sins of all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. This act of salvation became the one and only way that mankind could be forgiven of their earthly sin and made clean to face the Father when we stand before Him. You see, our money has nothing to do with the act of salvation. No amount of goodness will take the place of seeking salvation in Jesus Christ. And no matter how often we attend church, without surrendering lordship of your life to Jesus Christ, you will not see the glories of heaven. Jesus showed us in today’s Scripture that the rich find it virtually impossible to say ‘no’ to their riches and ‘yes’ to Jesus. I pray that as you meditate on this today, you will allow God to examine your heart to ensure that money, fame, good works or nothing else stands in the way of your surrender to Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice You paid for my sin, and the sin of those who seek Your Kingship. Please help my readers and I to seek You first in our lives and in all humility surrender any and all other allegiance. Nothing in this world is worth us missing the greatest opportunity ever given to mankind. You are my Lord and my everlasting Savior and I look forward to being with You in glory some sweet day. May all who read this devotional be settled in their hearts to make the same commitment to You for the sake of their eternal destiny. AMEN!

Knowing When God’s Commands Overrule

On 2021-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faithful, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-03-07
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 1:15-17
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁵Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, called for some of the Hebrew midwives. Their names were Shiphrah and Puah.
Pharaoh: ¹⁶Listen closely. Whenever you are looking after a Hebrew woman who is in labor and ready to deliver, if she gives birth to a son, then kill the baby. If it is a daughter, then allow her to live.
¹⁷But the midwives respected God more than they feared Pharaoh, so they did not carry out the Egyptian king’s command. Instead, they let all the boys live.

OBSERVATION: My first subject for today read ‘First Abortions Ordered By The King’. I found it satisfying that God ordained it in the minds of Shiphrah and Puah that it is wrong to kill another human whom He created. I could only pray that as we study the Word today, we will gain even more incentive to pray for more people like these two women who chose to obey God, in spite of the commands from the highest authority on earth. Today we know this as abortion and it is exactly that same type of murder. May God grip the hearts of today’s midwives and doctors.

APPLICATION: I know that this is a very controversial issue in today’s society, but one challenge of reading through God’s Word is that you will find a variety of subjects. It is up to us if we choose to skip some and apply the rest, but personally I believe that the Book was provided for our guidance in life to ultimately lead us to the cross of Calvary. As a reminder, sin is not allowed in Heaven, and if we disobey God, it is sin. Praise God, I am looking forward to kneeling at His feet in heaven one day soon, and I pray that each reader of this devotional will be challenged to that same truth each and every day that you are alive. While blessed with life here on earth, we each have a daily challenge to either believe in and obey God’s Word, or follow the crowd in doing what they do, even if it is sin. It is very challenging to obey God, for it often causes one to stand out, for His Word often contradicts what the world feels is OK. I could go on to give loads of examples, but for the child of God, we have access to the playbook. In God’s Word you will find direction, and answers to, every walk of life. Furthermore, God sent a part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, to live inside of the Christian to Help us in determining right from wrong, and also direct us towards the risen Christ – daily. So we would be hard pressed to give the excuse of ‘oops, I didn’t know that’s against God’s will’. There are some funny expressions that arise from movies, but one of them applies here: ‘I knew it was wrong, but I doed it anyway’. This might be because we want to remain ‘cool’ with our peers, or we don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb, etc. Jesus lived a very challenging life while here on earth, and we can’t expect our time here to be much better than His. So yes, living the Christian life comes with its challenges. However, for the person who wants to remain true to the God who sacrificed His only Son for our salvation, then we will seek His help to keep us strong in difficult times; to heal us when hard-pressed with challenging health issues; with giving us the power to say ‘no’ to sin; and the power to overcome evil, even if it appears like ‘fun’ in our worldly eyes. In the verses following our quoted Scripture, we are told that these midwives were blessed richly because of their stance in doing the godly thing, even after being ordered by the king to do otherwise. I can only imagine that there are probably great books written with loads of rich blessings by doctors of today who have stood their Biblical grounds for not doing an abortion, or moms who chose to raise a child under very difficult circumstances, but lived to see that child become a very prominent citizen who she was very proud of. Friends, it’s still wrong to kill an unborn or newly born child, and I believe that there are still multitudes of blessings awaiting for those who overcome the temptation and instead trust in God to help them through the battles of life while obeying His commands.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You sacrificed Your life for our salvation. Thank You! Please give us strength to overcome the feeling that we need everything done our way, even when, at times, we know that may involve actions that do not align with Your Word. You went to the extreme to show Your love for us, please help us to always do our best in living our utmost for Your highest honor. Oh that we may always stay strong like the midwives mentioned in our Scripture today. For there is no greater peace than to be obedient to to You, Faithful God, even when the pressure is terribly on us by the world around us. You blessed the midwives, and I sincerely believe that You will bless us in our faithfulness. Thank You Lord Jesus. AMEN!

Make This The Most Important Thing in Life

On 2021-03-082021-03-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Monday, 2020-03-08

Bible Reference: Psalm 86:11-12
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ¹¹Lord, teach me your ways,
    and I will live and obey your truths.
Help me make worshiping your name
    the most important thing in my life.
¹²My Lord God, I praise you with all my heart.
    I will honor your name forever!

OBSERVATION: Way too often we claim to know more than almost any other person around us, and we are not afraid to let everyone know that! David was a man after God’s own heart, yet in our Scripture today, he asked God to teach him His ways, and to help him center his heart towards praising His holy name. As we meditate on this Scripture today, let us consider what the most important things are in life that we might ask God for.

APPLICATION: Ask anyone what they see in you and you will receive multiple answers. Some may be afraid to ‘crush’ you with the truth, while some may not want to ‘swell your head’ by telling you how great you are, yet others will tell you what they think you want to hear in order to keep the peace! I got the impression from this Psalm that right in the middle of this sweet encounter with God, David may have simply emptied himself of everything one might recognize as a ‘David’ characteristic and instead he asked God to just teach him, fill him, and show him the right way. Friends, I doubt if you are very different to me, so if we are honest with ourselves, we tend to show so much of ourselves, and desire so much attention, that it probably becomes very challenging for anyone to really see where our inspiration, direction and help comes from. I looked at this passage in various translations, so the exact words may differ a little from the version that you have in front of you. Regardless, it is obvious that David acknowledged to God that he preferred knowing what God wanted, over anything that he felt like he already knew to say or do. I believe that a follower of Christ who allows the overflow of Jesus’ love and words to go forth from his/her lips, or through every action, results in family and friends seeing Jesus, instead of the old sinful man who is poisoned every day by the ugliness of this old world. Friends, unsaved people need Jesus, not more of you or me. Lord help us if the world becomes entrenched with more of us, for we are sinners saved only by the grace of God. David’s additional plea from God, was that He might help him to prioritize worshiping Him. Now we might quickly retort that this is not an issue for Christians today, right? Let me just add that I would disagree with you. For I believe that we should pray just like David, that God might instill a desire to make worshiping Him a priority in our lives. Notice I used the word ‘worship’ and not ‘church’. Lord, please help us if we only worship You on those occasions that we go to church. Some of us do that on occasion to satisfy a nagging mom or spouse. Some of us do that as a ritual or habit that we did since childhood. While some of us attend church because our friends, or our political constituents attend a certain church. I believe that when we pray the type prayer that David prayed, we might be asking God to help us recognize Him and worship Him as we start our day, for God gave us a comfortable place to lay our head, and He kept us safe throughout the night. We might worship Him for the food that He provided so that we might stay healthy. We might worship Him for blessing us with a job and a great bunch of people to work with. For all the beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and landscapes that we have always taken for granted, we may be encouraged by the Holy Spirit to give God thanks for these, and just one more reason to worship and praise His holy name. Friends, when we worship God throughout our daily lives, wouldn’t it be natural that we would have a super-charged worship service when we meet together each week with other believers who have made that a habit?

PRAYER: Precious Lord, how patient You must be with Your creation! I thank You for being patient with me. Considering that You created us, provided everything possible for us, and loved us enough that you showed evidence of that on the cross at Calvary, how shameful that we must now ask You in much the same way as David did, to help us make worshiping You a priority in our lives. Please Lord, open our eyes so that we could see the wonder of Your love. Please remove the scales from our eyes so that we might see Your handiwork and be reminded of Your goodness, so that we will have every reason to worship You in everything that we do or see. 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. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God Made It Turn out for the Best

On 2021-03-062021-03-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

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

BIBLE REFERENCE: Genesis 50:16-20
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶So they sent this message to Joseph: …. ¹⁷Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped.
When Joseph heard this, he started crying.
¹⁸Right then, Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, “We are your slaves.”
¹⁹But Joseph told them, “Don’t be afraid! I have no right to change what God has decided. ²⁰You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

OBSERVATION: I believe that most family divisions, murders and in-fighting is caused by revenge seekers, and hatred, that builds up over time because one did not get their own way and because of jealousy. It was no different in Bible days, but in the case of Joseph, we see where the end-result was quite the opposite. Oh that we may use this man of God to help us re-mold our lives into better servants for the most high God.

APPLICATION: If someone steals, we want to cut off their fingers and/or seek revenge through the courts. If someone murders, we want to kill the murderer in revenge, or have the legal system put them to death. If a family member pulls away and has little, to no, contact with parents and siblings, we are ready to disinherit them and cut them off from all family decisions. But is life that ‘cut and dry’? Does it always favor us in the way that others behave or act towards us? In John 3:16 we are told that God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only precious Son. Be reminded that ‘the world’ is not clarified to indicate that He really meant that it was for the rich that He sent His Son, nor the saved, nor just Americans, but that He did this for the world at large. Words from an old children’s song reads: ‘All are precious in His sight’. So as imitators of God; as His children; and as a people committed through salvation, and obeying the commands of God, why are we so different to our Maker? In the story of another child of God – Joesph, we could read in Genesis where his brothers were so jealous of the love his dad had for him, that they thought of killing him, but then decided to just starve him to death by throwing him in a dry well, although they ultimately sold him to passerby travelers, hoping that they nor their dad would ever see him again. But Joseph stayed true to His Maker for he: served the king faithfully; he used every opportunity to give God credit when speaking with others; and he sought God daily for wisdom and direction. This was true in the king’s court, and while in prison (because of false accusations). Jospeh saw God’s word come true through the very dream that caused division between he and his brothers, for they showed themselves before him on bended knees pleading for him to sell grain to them. Friends, God had a plan for Joseph, and He used very unlikely circumstances to get him in position, and to humble the brothers of Joseph who were out to kill him. Is our God still capable of working out His plan in our lives, and in the lives of those that we come into contact with – for His good? I have no doubt that our awesome God is just as powerful, loving, wise and unpredictable (in man’s eyes) as He always was. Joseph said that God worked out His plan for the best of many in the land, so we should not question God when He’s sending us in a different direction than we envisioned for ourselves. God’s plan will turn out for the best, and nothing we can devise could ever beat that. So trust God, be obedient to Him and follow His commands, so that you may be a part of the ‘best’ plan!

PRAYER: Dear God, please forgive us for giving so much credit to ‘happen chance’; to ‘good luck’; to us being deserving of such a blessing; and to any work that we feel like we have done to deserve Your love, wisdom and direction. May Your will be done oh Lord, and may my readers and I be obedient servants so that we may be a part of Your plan. Oh that You may receive honor and glory from everything we are involved in and everything that we share with others. Thank You for reminding us of the awesome work You did in the life of our ancestor, Joseph. I believe You can do it again – even in, and through our lives, as You work out Your plan in our lives. We serve an awesome God, and I praise You for Your goodness and Your plan for us! AMEN!

It’s Not Your Battle – It’s God’s

On 2021-03-052021-03-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-03-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 20:12-15
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹²O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
¹³As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, ¹⁴the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel…..
¹⁵He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

OBSERVATION: King Jehoshaphat was extremely concerned about the large army heading his way, so he had a very serious prayer meeting together with his people, asking God to protect them. However, God spoke through a Levite named Jahaziel, who then went to Jehoshaphat and shared the words in our Scripture today. What a message, and oh how applicable it is to us today!

APPLICATION: Take your time and think about your most urgent prayer request. You’ve shed many tears over the matter, and you’ve made this the top priority in your personal prayer time for days. You’ve asked your pastor to join you in prayer; you may have asked the church elders to anoint you with oil and pray over you; and your family is equally as burdened with you about your worry. What must you do now? Friends, reflect on our Scripture today, and spend some time letting that sink in. Our God’s not dead, and you’ve given your problem to Him. You’ve asked Him to hear your prayer – know your concern; heal your body, take care of the problem you are facing, or guide you into saying the right thing to your relatives in need of the Savior. But wait a moment, don’t we often hear doubt in our minds as we pray? In our Scripture, the king and the people were told that God had responded to their prayers (their pleading), so they needn’t worry any longer, but that the Almighty God now owns the problem and the outcome. What’s different with you? Oh that’s right, God is not doing what you told Him to do. Child of God, may we all be reminded today that our God is not a puppet. Yes, He’s still a prayer answering God; He’s still in control of what our tomorrows will look like, and yes, He is still very capable of guiding us in the right path. But always be reminded that we are asking God for His will to be done. Let me share a story from a friend, that may serve to illustrate my point. He had a relative who had been in a bad wreck. The family prayed endlessly that God would keep this young man alive. They had their church join them in the same request of God. Years later in reflection, my friend questioned if they prayed the right way for this younger family member, as the young adult lived many more years, but was a mere ‘vegetable’. Friends when we plead with God in prayer, let’s please be willing to ask God for His perfect will in the situation, and as His obedient children, let’s respect His decision. It may be right in line with what we are asking, but I believe that the end result will cause us to shout praises to our Lord and King, for He alone is worthy of our praise. Friends, our God created this world; He made the animals and us humans, with all our complexities; He also created a heavenly realm for us to live with Him eternally. Is there anything that He can’t do? Do you suppose that any of our problems are too big for Him? In our Scripture today, we know that God proved Himself to Jahaziel, the king and the people, for He won the battle that they were so worried about, and He did it without them lifting a finger. Why is our faith so small, the battle’s not ours, it’s God’s. Trust Him with your battles today, won’t you?

PRAYER: Oh Lord, please give us the faith to surrender our needs to You at all times. Just like any kid would do to their parent, may we be willing to plead with You for our needs and concerns, and to always return thanks and offer up praises for Your response to our requests. Lord, help us to be so attuned to placing our needs before You, that when we come with the urgent, earth shattering cases, that we would be comfortable in presenting yet another case at Your feet, knowing that You will hear our prayer and respond in Your way and in Your best timing. Please help us to be comfortable in surrendering our battles to You, knowing that You’re in charge of everything that goes on in this world, yet our humble request is a top priority to You, because of Your love for each of us. Thank You Lord for saving my soul! You’re my King! AMEN!

Your Song Of Thanksgiving

On 2021-03-042021-03-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thanksgiving, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-03-04
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 18:1-3
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹Lord, I passionately love you and I’m bonded to you,^[c]
for now you’ve become my power!
²You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet,
like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress,
my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape,
my tower of rescue where none can reach me.
My secret strength and shield around me,
you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside,^[d]
always the champion of my cause.
³All I need to do is to call to you,
singing to you, the praiseworthy God.
When I do, I’m safe and sound in you.

OBSERVATION: Warning – this devotional may be a little different to the ones you are accustomed to reading in Nuggets From God’s Word. To begin with, I would ask that you click on the this song and prayerfully listen to the words. This is where God sent me to after I read this Psalm this morning. It’s a song that has always touched my heart as I sing it. The Psalm is a heartfelt song of praise and thanksgiving to God, by His servant David. Immerse yourself in the blessings of God today, and worship the King of all kings, dear friends.

APPLICATION: David was drawn to the foot of the cross, not only because of his relationship with his God, but especially in a mindset of thanksgiving, because of the miraculous works of God in providing protection, strength and wisdom to him in some very tight and dangerous situations. David realized and acknowledged before the Father that had it not been for the goodness of Almighty God, he would have been captured, punished and killed a long time ago. Friends, our life may not have been nowhere near as dramatic as David’s life, but I am certain that if each one paused for just a few moments today, you could think of multiple situations in your life where you can now reflect back and say without a doubt that, but for the grace of God your life here on earth would have ended from certain accidents, or illnesses, or vendettas where the enemy was in hot pursuit. As you think of those things, praise God for His all powerful hand upon you and your circumstances. Worship Him for being your peace in the midst of the storms of life; for calming the seas of doubt and fear that tend to burden you during troubled times; for giving you a clam assurance in knowing that God’s not dead, because you are constantly reminded of His presence and His power, especially when life seems so overbearing. My dear friends, David was brought to a time where he found the need to worship his Creator because of His awesome works in His life. I trust that you too may be drawn close to God today – close enough to where you are reminded that He’s still God and He still loves and cares for even you. I serve an awesome God, and so do you, dear one. Join me in worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness, that He is so deserving of.

PRAYER: Oh dear God, You are awesome in every way. Who is man, who is this mere man, that You would sacrifice your only Son so that we may enjoy life eternally with You and the Father? Your love is amazing, because I’ve felt Your presence, especially at those times when I’ve needed Your warm embrace, Your healing touch, Your words of wisdom; and Your direction through the troubled times of life. I have been encouraged, protected and overwhelmingly blessed in so many wonderful ways, and I can’t find enough ways to say ‘thank you’ and share my deepest appreciation. Please dear God, touch the hearts of Your children reading this devotional today, and remind them of their Almighty Father. May we all find room in our hearts to worship, praise and adore You today for Your infinite goodness. AMEN!

Tempters Beware

On 2021-03-032021-03-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-03-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 18:7
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷Beware indeed of those in a world filled with obstacles and temptations that cause people to turn away from Me. Those temptations are woven into the fabric of a world not yet redeemed, but beware to anyone who lures righteous women and men off the narrow path.

OBSERVATION: On the heals of Jesus teaching with a young child on his lap, He then went on to warn His disciples and audience about the wicked world in which we live, and that we will face temptations and obstacles throughout our time on earth. I believe this is still true today, but the biggest warning came when Jesus spoke to those who tempt and lure believers into sin. As we meditate today, I hope that we will examine ourselves to determine if there is anything that we may do in this respect that may cause God to sorrow in us.

APPLICATION: I believe that God caused me to stop and ponder this Scripture today, but in all honesty I am struggling with what He is trying to have me share with you. However, I have asked God to open the floodgates of heaven and not only draw to my attention what He wants to teach me in this, but to also share His heart on challenging you. I am reminded of cases where the work of pastors were destroyed, as they were found guilty of sin. I have also seen church members challenged on sinful actions they were caught in. From a humanly perspective, we may think that God may be referring to the individuals who drew these pastors away from their ministries, and also the ones who distracted church members from their respective ministries. But friends, I am always leery of trying to point fingers at what others may have done, for I know that God loves me way too much to see my failures go unchecked. So I believe that before any of you turn your minds towards heaven and seek God’s will for your life, I sincerely believe that my God wants to remind me that daily He places people in my path that He wants me to share His love with. It’s not my duty to seek revenge, for I might place another brother or sister in the path of sin. It’s not my duty to verbally abuse someone that God made perfectly. You see, we often tear into people who are not like us, nor do they speak like us or act like us – you know, we call them less than perfect!!!! But friends, when I love them like God chose to love this imperfect child, they are forced to stop and question my motives and who my Leader/Director might be. God placed us here on earth as equals, for we are all His creation. He provided His Book to teach us all, right from wrong. That’s not just for us who knows Him personally. His Word is for all. So just as He corrects, leads and directs us through His Word, He also does the same for our brothers and sisters. Therefore it’s not in our place to do His job for Him. He is very capable and will discipline, correct, warn and love us all. I believe that we get in the way when we try to do God’s job. I believe our self-righteous words and actions often strikes the other party in such a challenging way, that they are tempted to fight back – sin. So my friend, God’s Word today and everyday is for us personally. Let’s learn to listen closely, apply His Word and live like He lived. I believe that God will bless us immensely as we seek to love others like He first loved us. He is very capable of also reaching the hearts of all those we love, so let’s concentrate on our relationship with Jesus and ask Him to teach us His way, every day, while also correcting and teaching those we love.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am thankful that You spoke to my heart many years ago and caused me to seek forgiveness of my sin, and accept You as my personal Savior. I thank You for Your Word and for every correction You placed there to help us live like You commanded, and like You exampled for us. Lord, please help us to concentrate so much on our personal relationship, that we won’t have time nor the desire to meddle in the lives of others, for we are afraid that this may cause them to move deeper into sin. Thank You for the warning to those who lure Your children into sin. I pray that my readers and I will remain free of this practice, for I truly believe that You do a perfect job at that for all of us. AMEN!

Little Faith Can Overcome Overwhelming Obstacles

On 2021-03-022021-03-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faith in Action, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-03-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 17:19-20
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁹Later the disciples came to him privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?”
²⁰He told them, “It was because of your lack of faith. I promise you, if you have faith inside of you no bigger than the size of a small mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move away from here and go over there,’ and you will see it move!^[q] There is nothing you couldn’t do!^[r]

OBSERVATION: If we were to ask Jesus today why our prayers for someone failed to bring the desired results, I wonder if His answer would be any different to what He said to His disciples in today’s Scripture? I doubt it, because in John 14:12 Jesus said that if we have faith, we will have power to do all that He did, and even more! So a lot hinges on this small word ‘Faith’. Let’s try to understand what God expects of us in this regard.

APPLICATION: A child standing on a high wall will jump into the arms of one that he/she has gained faith in. Walking into a room, you will probably have faith in the chair set out for you, if others are sitting in similar chairs. In reading God’s Word, we gain the faith to believe that Jesus was miraculously born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, Judea. Through faith, we believe Him when He said in His Word that He has gone to prepare a place for us, so that one day we could be where He and the Father is. Through faith, we have no problem believing that Jesus turned water into wine; Raised Lazarus up from the grave; Made the blind to see again; etc, etc. Huge faith is exercised to truly believe all of the aforesaid. Why then do doubt and unbelief come our way when Jesus affirms that His disciples could tell a mountain to move from one location to another; Or to heal a demonic filled boy; Or that we (His followers) could do the same miracles Jesus did, and even greater things? I believe that in a pure environment where just Jesus and us are, we would attempt anything in the name of Jesus. However, when Satan pokes his ugly, demonic head into our midst, we tend to become more like Peter when he started failing in his walk on the water. I believe that most of us have faith to believe that Jesus can do anything. However, in our own strength, we know that we are powerless. When we allow Satan to fill our heads with doubt and convince us of our sinful condition, suddenly our self-worth and our purity becomes questionable, and we become weakened by all the ungodly things that causes us to take our eyes off Jesus. Miracles happen because of the power of God, and not from any rabbit we might pull from our hat. Unless our eyes of faith are fixed on Jesus, and nothing else, then we will be just like the disciples, wondering why can’t we (humanly) do any miraculous works. I believe that one of the primary reasons Jesus allows His children to remain on earth, is to facilitate His work in ministering to those of little faith. Be reminded dear friends, people of little or no faith would never believe in a Savior that they have never seen. But when they see Jesus alive in us, they suddenly begin to believe that He is still alive and well in our world. Have faith in God, He is all powerful and He is still alive and well, waiting for our arrival in heaven for all eternity!

PRAYER: Lord, without faith many may never read this devotional. But because of faith, I am asking that You touch the hearts of those that need this message today. Remind them of Your existence and of Your awesome power. Please develop their faith so that they can see and experience You. Please continue to develop the faith of Your followers so that we can take You at Your word, without question, and be obedient to Your commands. May You be lifted high today, especially by those who doubt in their faith. AMEN!

God’s Plan

On 2021-03-012021-03-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, The Plan, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-03-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Genesis 45:4-5; 7-8
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴…. “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵Now do not be upset or blame yourselves because you sold me here. It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save people’s lives.
⁷God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. ⁸So it was not really you who sent me here, but God…..

OBSERVATION: God built into us a conscience to help us recognize when we have done something that really hurts another person, especially mentally. I’m sure that the brothers of Joseph knew that their time had come when they realized that Joseph knew who they were, and he had the power to revenge himself. But God – full of mercy and love, melted the heart of Joseph and caused him to love his brothers more than anything else. Think of a time that God totally controlled your mind to act completely opposite to what the world would expect. This may help you fully grasp what God did in this reunion of Joseph and his brothers.

APPLICATION: Imagine facing someone, where you may have been responsible for the death of their spouse, child or very close relative. You biggest nightmare would be with them pulling a gun on you and getting even. But what if they acted totally opposite and greeted you in a loving and forgiving manner? You might worry that they have lost their mind, or totally don’t recognize you, right? Can you truly picture this: the brothers of Joseph approaching the King’s assistant (Joseph, the governor) in hopes that he would allow them to purchase food to help their family survive the drought. Surprisingly, Joseph asked way more questions about their family structure than they ever expected, but he seemed more than willing to sell them provisions. But what would you make of the governor then inviting them to his chambers for dinner, and then asked his attendants and guards to leave? Could it be that the Governor wants to eliminate these foreigners personally? But he seems emotionally attached to them, what’s with that? I could only imagine that the brothers were more on edge about the unknown than anyone could possibly understand. But the final blow comes when the governor tells them his true identity – their long lost, or presumed dead, brother? No doubt the brothers are sure of the repercussion they are about to face from Joseph, for they dropped him in a deep well to die of natural causes. They changed their minds and sold him to a passing group Of warriors. But friends, don’t you find it interesting that God used even the wickedness of Joseph’s brothers to fulfill His perfect will for Joseph, for the king, and for Egypt and the neighboring countries? Wouldn’t it have been awful for Joseph to hold a grudge and possibly kill his brothers who were a vital part of God’s ultimate plan for Joseph, his dad and his family? Remember how Joseph gave credence to God while in prison and in foretelling the meaning of dreams? Remember how Jospeh gave credit to God when he gave the meaning of the King’s dreams? Remember how God gave confidence to the king to trust Joseph with being governor at this critical time? Think of the times that you reflect back on your life and could now see clearly how God was clearing the path for the fulfillment of His will in your life. Isn’t it amazing how awesome our God is? For my readers who may have enjoyed this story, but due to lack of relationship with God, you may not be able to identify; let me encourage you to have a little talk with Jesus. Consider reading my Footnote below, especially the underlying scriptures behind the link ‘To Know Jesus’. I pray that you will be convinced of your need for submission to the King of this universe – Jesus, my Lord! He has a plan for your life also, just as He did in the life of Joseph.

PRAYER: Lord You are good, and Your mercies are never ending. You care for us, even in our stubbornness and disobedience. You love us unconditionally, like you did Joseph, and even in spite of who we are. Thank You Jesus! Please forgive us for being less than perfect, and give us more strength, wisdom and power to overcome our weaknesses. May today be a brand new day of seeing us imitating You and obeying Your commands. The world needs to see Jesus in us today. May they not be disappointed, Lord. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Praise