Tag: Praise

The Cause of Turning Your Back on God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-12-11
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Jonah 2:7-9
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 7 “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple. 8 (Those who worship false gods have turned their backs on all the mercies waiting for them from the Lord!) 9 “I will never worship anyone but you! For how can I thank you enough for all you have done? I will surely fulfill my promises. For my deliverance comes from the Lord alone.”

OBSERVATION: One of the earliest Bible Stories someone might remember is about Jonah and the whale, yet I was intrigued as I read this book this morning! Perhaps because I was so easily reminded of how stubborn we Christians are about seeking, and following, the will of God in our respective lives and ministries. This obscure verse (8) spoke volumes to me. Stay with me as we meditate on this.

APPLICATION: It would probably be difficult for us to think about a time that God led us to do something, and of our own will we went in a totally opposite direction to do what we thought best. But I found it amazing that in spite of Jonah taking off in his own personal direction, yet God used him to save the sailors on the boat that transported Jonah. It is understood that Jonah headed to Joppa, a place way out of the way. While on the boat, Jonah slept in the hull of the boat – way out of the way. Perhaps Jonah thought that he could hide from God, and therefore help distract His concern from the disobedience of this messenger of His. Sounds like us, right? But what really caught my attention was the point at which Jonah came to his senses in the belly of the whale. What do we normally do at this point? Whether, a follower of Christ or not, we tend to seek God’s favor at the point of realizing that our situation is way beyond our control. Well, that’s exactly what Jonah did! At this point, Jonah’s eyes was opened to the fact that for those, like him, who turn their heads on God and choose any other god, they have actually just said ‘no’ to the mercies and power of the only One who could effect change in their situation – Almighty God. Jonah disobeyed God and chose his own god, and did what he pleased. In the pit of the whales belly, he needed God Almighty, but having turned his back on God he realized that God may now turn His back on him. Friends, have you thought about the possibility of needing God when you are off doing your own thing and feeling overly confident that nothing will go wrong? Has there been a time in your life yet where you returned to God, told Him how silly you were to think you could handle life on your own, and then ask His forgiveness because He is ALL you will really ever need? If you are still running, then obviously you are ignoring the mercies of the one true God. May I encourage you today to consider getting back in the loving graces of our all-powerful, all-forgiving, ever loving and merciful Father before it’s a day too late? The words of a popular old hymn echos in my mind ‘I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord’. If you are out of right relationship with Jesus Christ today, please accept Him, or return to Him, while there is still time. Remember, He will never turn His back on His faithful children!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand and lead me on. Thank You for promising to always be with us! I pray that You will speak boldly to us if You see us straying away or choosing to follow our own dangerous path. I praise You for being there for Jonah, even when He disobeyed You and went his own way. I thank You for bringing him to his senses. Something that I believe each of your children need on a regular basis. Please encourage us each day that You see us wandering off. Please don’t let us get too far off, but instead stay close to the cross. Oh that You would be so prominent in our lives that others will be reminded of Your grace, Your love and Your everlasting hope. 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!

Are You Doing Your Part?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-12-10
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 145:3-4
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
    His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
    No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.
4 One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
    they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.

OBSERVATION: Isn’t it easy to sit back and blame the parents next door for their rude kids, or sit at the back of the church so you could analyze every little twitch or movement of the kids in front of you? But, based on our Scripture today, I would beg of you to really look for reasons to praise your living God – yes, especially in the presence of the children, and then be diligent in sharing the awesome story of your salvation and the goodness of God with each and every one of them. Be thinking of the ways our younger generation could be impacted by you meditate with me!

APPLICATION: Common words heard from many adults range from: ‘What is wrong with the children today’ to ‘I know we were never that disrespectful in our day’! But since I consider myself a part of a generation, while other generations exists around me, then I can easily conclude that the Scripture is speaking directly to me today and encouraging me to take action. You see, our younger generation is constantly learning from us. Yes, I know, you keep your mouth shut and you try hard to not interfere in the business of others. However, you will teach a younger person several lessons, depending on your attitude, actions and words, such as: a). Let the person next to you assume the responsibility for what God has called you to do. They can teach the kids; b). No need to care about the welfare of others, for they have the government to lean on for that; c). You have made it this far in life, and those kids will somehow do the same. No need for your input; d). Church is unimportant, and God is there if you need Him. The pastor is only after your money. You learned your life-principles from your mom, and so will they. Friends, children will learn from us as they watch us in action and as they listen to us speak. Don’t blame them for what they are doing, they learnt it from us. I’m sitting on the edge of a beautiful lake, and as I look into the water I don’t see a blank slate. I see the reflection, or a mirror of the trees around the lake. In this case that’s a beautiful sight. But when you look at our younger generation and watch their actions and hear their speech, is it a beautiful reflection of what they are mirroring from you and I? Notice that I included verse 3 above. It shows a part of the praise that David was lifting up to his loving God. Some of us try to mirror that aspect of David’s life, hoping that as we worship God and sing of His wondrous works, others might mirror our worshipful attitudes and do the same. Ashamedly, I am also reminded that others are also mirroring those times that my attitude stinks, or my words were spoken in anger. We want others to reflect our best attitudes and actions. Shouldn’t we aim to always let our lives reflect the goodness of God and His loving attitude at all times, so that our younger generation will have great role models? Oh that God will work miraculously in our lives, for His glory, and for the benefit of those seeking to mirror a solid, worthy, forgiven believer in Christ.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, thank You for being such an awesome, righteous, loyal role model for us to follow. Please help us daily, as Your faithful followers, to seek Your grace and Your favor to help us live just like You. Others are watching, and they are looking for good role models. Oh that they will not be disappointed in following us, Your forgiven children who are seeking to follow You faithfully. May our younger generation be better than us, because they had good role models to follow – ones that imitated You in every aspect of life. 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!

Blessings – A Reward For Those Who Know Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-12-09
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 144:15
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: How wonderful to have such blessings!  Yes, great blessings belong to those who have the Lord as their God.

OBSERVATION: I wonder how many you might interview today will quickly tell you of the blessings they enjoy each day? Don’t we often fall prey to sharing all the mishaps and disappointments, hoping to seek empathy from others? David shared that for kids who belong to God, we could expect blessings! Let’s ponder how we might spur one another on through the challenges they may be facing today!

APPLICATION: I grew up in just a small town, but there were some kids that had it all, some that barely had the necessities, and others that wished they had parents that just loved them. If you can identify with similar scenarios from your childhood, then you too might reflect on how you felt when you spent time around each child. You may have felt envious about some, while feeling sorry for others. In verses 12 – 14 of this chapter, David listed some things that he felt would make the lives of he and his fellow citizens a lot more bearable. This sounds a lot like us, for we make our lists for Christmas; for the store; and perhaps even a wish list for our spouse! However, David was quick to say that as children of the heavenly King, we are blessed beyond measure all the time. Often we just need to get our envious minds out of the way, and concentrate on our needs instead of our ever growing list of wants! Based on a Scripture verse that I read one morning, I created a Facebook group, hoping to encourage my friends to join me in encouraging others by mentioning daily points of blessing and thanksgiving. Friends, if we believe this Scripture, then there should never be an awkward moment where we cannot share a blessing with someone. While definitely not looking for personal accolades, last night I realized that I had not posted anything to the group site for a few days, so I questioned before God what am I thankful for today? Oh my, the words just kept coming to mind as I reflected on all that God had done for me yesterday. What about you my friend? If you removed the words ‘luck’ or ‘happen-chance’ from your vocabulary and really concentrated on the things that only God could have provided for you, can’t you see where you would quickly come into agreement with David, that as a child of the King, we are filled with blessings from our loving Lord – our Heavenly Father? Keeping the blessings confined to your internal satisfaction is like saying that you deserved those blessings and that they are yours and yours alone. Let’s learn to be appreciative of our blessings, dear friends, and let’s celebrate those blessings with others, for they need encouragement that our God is still alive and He is still watching out for, and blessing His children beyond more than they could ever imagine or ask for! Count your blessing dear friend, and see what your mighty God can do!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we are thankful for life itself and we are especially thankful for Your precious love for even us. Lord, thank You for showing us love in so many different ways and for consistently loving us through all of life good and challenging times. Please continue to bless so that we may be a blessing to others. Oh that You may be lifted up and exalted through even us. Please touch lives through our actions so the unsaved may be drawn unto Yourself. 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!

God Cares About, and For You

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thankfulness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2020-12-06
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 144:1-3
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 I praise you, Lord! You are my mighty rock,[a] and you teach me how to fight my battles. 2 You are my friend, and you are my fortress where I am safe. You are my shield, and you made me the ruler of our people.[b] 3 Why do we humans mean anything to you, our Lord? Why do you care about us?

OBSERVATION: Many will identify with the idea of marrying someone because you noticed that they cared about you. David’s heart was filled to overflowing because of the love and care of the God that He placed his faith and trust in. What do you do when you’ve witnessed God’s protective, caring and loving hand upon you? I’m afraid that way too often we do a great job in asking God for help, but not necessarily acknowledge His goodness in responding to our prayers. Stay with me as we look into this Scripture today!

APPLICATION: David was just a young man, sent out to the battle field to deliver food for his older brothers who were a part of the local military. Upon arrival at the battlefield he became confused, as the Israelites stood back while a Philistine giant stood forefront with a challenge for any one brave enough to fight with him personally. Everyone else felt like pions compared to this extremely large man, so they merely stood back in fear. Although nowhere as tall or big as a giant, yet David had dealt with impossibilities of his own while defending his sheep from attack, and he often felt like the lions and other large beasts were ‘giants’ to him. So with God’s prodding David, just a young man, volunteered to fight the giant Philistine. The words of these verses are taken from the song that David sent up to God as he prepared for battle. I don’t believe that David fell short in recognizing any of the attributes proven to him by Almighty God, just look at the worshipful words of recognition offered up by David: Mighty Rock; Teacher; Military Leader; Friend; Fortress; Shield; and other versions add: Deliverer; and Caretaker who offers unconditional love and care for him. It is easy to see that David searched his heart for more and more descriptions of this awesome God who was in charge of his life. In fact, so much so, that David wondered before God, why then would you care so much for mankind who seems to have negligible amounts of these attributes? But my dear friends, I believe wholeheartedly that David couldn’t begin to imagine the love that God has for His children – His creation. Imagine for just a moment, mankind arrested Jesus, God’s only Son, beat Him, spit upon Him, falsely accused and convicted Him and crucified Him. Yet God permitted this, because this was fulfillment of His perfect will, and it was out of pure love for His creation – His children – you and I. How then can we praise and thank and worship Him? Can you find the words to describe your appreciation? Remember, He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Provider, our Protector, our Guide, our Giver of Eternal Life, our Eternal and awesome God, just to name a few to help you get started! Praise our living God forever and for ever, AMEN!

PRAYER: Lord, we are ever so grateful for Your love and Your protection over us, expressed in so many wonderful and miraculous ways. Thank You, dear Jesus. Please forgive us for the times that we experience answers to our prayers, yet we neglect to return thanks to You. We would never think of being ungrateful, so we humbly ask that You might prod us in our forgetfulness and neglect. Thank you for the example that David showed so vividly to us in today’s Scripture. May we learn to seek Your face more, instead of always seeking what we might receive from Your hand. And Lord, I pray that as we are blessed, thru grateful hearts we will pass along those blessings to touch the heart of those who may not already know You. 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!

A Prayer of Desperation

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-12-05
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 143:8, 10
TRANSLATION: World English Bible (WEB)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

OBSERVATION: I believe that every reader will identify with the need for going before God in desperate prayer at one time or another in your life. David too found the urgent need for God’s protection and direction, but I love the way he went about it. As we meditate today, perhaps God will speak to us about our prayer life and about our desperate need for drawing close to Him – the only One who could answer our prayers.

APPLICATION: We tell our kids that temper tantrums are not allowed in our presence, because we know that they will show their ungrateful attitudes and their selfish demands. Much like us in the desperate times of our lives, David felt like the whole world was against him, so he was hiding out from all human existence. But David went before God in appreciation of all that God is, and for all that He provides each and every day. He realized that it was him personally that needed to appreciate God more, so that praises would flow from his lips and his heartfelt respect of our awesome God would warm his soul and comfort him into believing and trusting in the all powerful God. I love the words used by this translation: ‘cause me to hear’; ‘cause me to know’; ’teach me to do Your will’; ‘lead me…’. This showed me that David acknowledged: that God was all loving; that God knew the way He should go; that God had him in mind, and therefore a perfect will for him to obey; and that God had a righteous land prepared for David to settle in. Friends, we have no authority over God, so we can’t demand anything from Him; nor tell Him where we should go. We must always remember that God created us; He loves us unconditionally; He watches over His children and will guide His children in the path of righteousness. Where the BIG question mark is evident in the equation is: are we prepared to accept God; His love; His directions and obediently follow His path. It’s us dear ones, not God. That’s why I loved it when David asked God to cause him to hear, to know, to follow His will, and to accept the path laid out for him. As a reminder, let’s also convince ourselves that God has no favorites, so if He did all this for David and comforted him with His glorious presence, God will do it again – for you and I. But let’s not forget that we must always work on self, and not on God. He is the only perfect One, who has all power and knows all things – including our direction for a perfect path that leads us to Him! Trust Him today dear friends!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for showing us in Your Word today that You are able! We were reminded by David that You are the way, the truth and the way. When life seems hopeless to us, we must remember that You are still in control. Just as David turned to You in desperation, my readers and I also turn to You in much the same way today. Lord, our family, friends, churches, cities and indeed countries are desperate, for this awful virus has taken hold of our people and they are either quarantined, hospitalized, or dying by the thousands. We acknowledge, like David, that this problem is much bigger than any man or woman from any country could clear up for us, so we beg of You, Almighty God, to please smile on us again and heal our land. I realize that this may come in the form of healing from our sin-sickness first, but I can boldly say that only You know exactly what we need. So we trust in Your almighty power, Your healing, and Your direction, because only You are capable and able to do anything about our problem. You took good care of David, please now, take good care of us. 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!

A Glimpse of Heaven

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heaven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-12-04
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 4:8-11
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 Each of these Living Beings had six wings, and the central sections of their wings were covered with eyes. Day after day and night after night they kept on saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty—the one who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 And when the Living Beings gave glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four Elders fell down before him and worshiped him, the Eternal Living One, and cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11 “O Lord, you are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have created all things. They were created and called into being by your act of will.”

OBSERVATION: John had been given a glimpse of how God felt about his churches, and I believe that we found characteristics of ourselves and our churches throughout the challenges given by God To those churches. Now we could see where John is given a glimpse of what heaven might be like. My heart leapt for joy as I read the praise by the Living Beings and by the Elders, and I will share the reasons in my application below. Consider your expectation of your meeting God when you see Him on His throne! Oh what a day that will be!! Glory!

APPLICATION: I believe that people have various reasons that keep them going to church, and these things build enthusiasm and excitement into them for the coming day of corporate worship times each week. For many, it will be the exciting praise and worship time, for others it will be the enthusiastic proclamation of the Word by their pastor, or it might be getting together with their Bible Study teacher and/or group, or just seeing their Christian friends again, and yet for others, perhaps just because of the time that normally draws them closer to the Lord. For Christians in general, I believe that just the thought of Heaven and being with Jesus, their heart may skip a beat at just the thought of it. When a loved one passes away who knew Christ, it seems that the anticipation builds for remaining Christian close relatives to want to be in Heaven, because they have loved ones already there. Friends, we must remember that we are on this earth for just a while, so I hope that we will examine our purpose closely and not procrastinate in fulfilling our personal goals while here. Like any smart person, we must think ahead to ponder what happens after life here on earth, so that we could prepare ahead of time for an even more exciting time after this. Some will be drawn to the reality, love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they will accept His free gift of eternal life, while some will choose to live each day in blindness and obliterated to the future. The second group will die in their sin and go on to spend eternity in Hell, the place of fire and torment, where they will be forever under the unfortunate leadership of Satan. However, in John 3:16, the first group is promised eternal life in Heaven with their creator. While the second group will be crying out in anguish over their awful predicament, the first group will be watching things such as John saw, and joining in with endless praises to the One who loved them unconditionally and sacrificed His only Son to provide the means of them being washed white from their earthly sin. Dear friends, I am a part of that first group and my heart sings out in praise when I read of the glory that John saw. For He tells of the worship of my King, the One that I worship here on earth, and the same One that I live in anticipation of worshiping at the foot of His throne in Heaven one day soon! Many of you may never experience your pastor or elders praising God here on earth, because they are so busy serving. I have gone to conferences where pastors are free to personally worship, and it truly blessed my heart. Imagine John seeing the Elders (Pastors) falling down in worship to the King that they taught and preached for a lifetime. Imagine you in worship to your King, with your pastor alongside you, worshiping your Savior? Oh my friend, no matter how much we read, nor how much we imagine or think about this, the awesome moment of truth when we bow at His feet will outshine all earthly thoughts about the moment! Please my friend, accept my Savior today. Know Him personally so that you too can join me at the feet of Jesus. Why burn in Hell, when you can ‘shine’ in the glory of the Master?

PRAYER: Why me Lord? What have I ever done to deserve God’s only Son and the glories of Heaven? But because of Your grace, and because of Your unconditional love, You provided Your precious Son so that I may call Heaven my eternal home. Thank You Jesus for tugging on my heart and encouraging me to surrender my life to Your will and way. Being reminded of Heaven and the meeting we will have with You, is enough to help me go on stronger in my faith today, and more encouraged to draw even closer to You each day through Your Word. Please Lord speak to my readers today, and remind my family and friends again today, that there is only one way for us to meet with You in Heaven, and that is to believe on You and have relationship with You here on earth. Please touch hearts today and draw Your people unto yourself, before it is eternally too late. 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!

Lukewarm – Neither Cold nor Hot

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Loyalty, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-12-03
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 3:15-17
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 15 “I know your works. You are neither cold with apathy nor hot with passion. It would be better if you were one or the other, but you are neither. 16 So because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 You claim, ‘I am rich, I have accumulated riches, and I need nothing’; but you do not realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked. 

OBSERVATION: It seems like the church at Laodicea must have felt like they had everything ‘they’ needed to make it in life, and if they needed God for anything they would simply call on Him. I’m not sure that our churches today could identify totally with this, because we are constantly reaching for the stars, and money is usually needed for that. However, I believe that God didn’t see where they were actively pursuing His goal for His church. In fact, He considered them ‘lukewarm’. Do you suppose that applies to you and/or your church?

APPLICATION: It may be difficult for us to recognize the challenges of the church today, compared to what it was 1 year ago, because COVID challenges have given the corporate body such a different look. However, I believe we should first of all look inside at the attitudes and mindset of ourselves and think honestly whether God might consider us to be on fire for the Lord, or as this translations puts it, are we truly ‘hot with passion’ for God, and the things of God. For the temperature of our respective churches could only be measured by the total temperature of its members. But the challenge for you and I is to understand what must be happening if we are not hot with passion, for if we are not, then we are either ’cold’ or we are ‘lukewarm’. When a child of God comes to a place in their lives where their conscience is not affected when they sin, then I believe they have really become ‘Cold’ to the Spirit of God and couldn’t care less if they proceeded with action that they know will displease God. Oh how sad that must be for God to see such neglect from His children, for whom He sacrificed His one and only Son on the cross, out of the unconditional love that He had for us. But perhaps, you might consider yourself elevated from a point of being Cold in your relationship with God, but you are definitely not one of those Christian ‘fanatics’, as some call ‘sold out’ believers. Then I believe that you might be at a point where you like the idea of being associated with Jesus Christ, but you would just as soon keep that to yourself. You may attend church, but see no reason to attend every Sunday, as you do pretty good on your own. You believe that the Pastor and his lead gurus are the ones assigned to visiting the sick and doing the chores around church, so since you pay them for that, you see no reason to get involved. Friends, would someone with all those calculations impress you as a ‘sold out’ child of God? Remember, God knows every little detail about us, including our very own deepest and private thoughts. So when we do things to impress others about our relationship with God, we may succeed in pulling the wool over their eyes, but can you imagine the heart of God when He knows how His children could be so alive in His presence, yet choose to mislead and create falsehoods in the eyes of mankind? Is it any wonder why He said that the church at Laodicia made Him sick? Friends, the world needs Jesus, and unless they see Him in all of His glory through those who are called by His name, they may continue to believe that He is just a myth. Are you striving to nullify that myth for those you come into contact with, or are you helping to confirm to them that they are correct? There’s only one life to live here on earth dear friends, and you are living it each and every day – for Jesus, against Jesus, or as if you are really not sure. What might Jesus say about you? Will His heart melt from the love you portray, or will He vomit because of your contradictions and hypocrisies?

PRAYER: When I truly learned about all that You did for me on Calvary, I invited You into my heart to stay, precious Lord. My intent has always been that You might work miraculously in and through me, so that others might see very clearly that the God of this universe is alive and well. Please open my eyes to the things that distract and dilute my vision of You and therefore causes me to relax in my walk with You. Lord, I want to be a part of Your church body that is hot for the Gospel, hot for imitating my Father and hot for seeing my lost friends and family come to know You as Lord and Savior, before its too late. On behalf of my readers and I, please Lord renew Your church again. May our hearts burn within us for the urgent work of the Master in our communities and in our churches. We know that You will return soon to take Your church on home to glory. May we be found faithful, loyal and true right to the very end. 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!

The Reward For Obedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-12-01
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 3:10-11
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 10 You obeyed my message and endured. So I will protect you from the time of testing that everyone in all the world must go through. 11 I am coming soon. So hold firmly to what you have, and no one will take away the crown that you will be given as your reward.

OBSERVATION: One of the things that will win the attention of a child, is for a parent to promise a reward if they would …! Almost every time that will prove to be enough incentive to win the efforts of that child to obediently follow the parent’s command. While analyzing the seven churches in Revelation the angel told John that God would honor the obedience of the church at Sardis by protecting them against the testing that will come. Ponder this thought with me today as we analyze ourselves and our church to see if God might bless us for our obedience.

APPLICATION: No doubt each of us have pulled something off on our parents, or someone in authority over us. For example, they assumed that you did something great, while you know that you had a lot of help on it. You don’t bother to clarify the problem, because it left you looking pretty good in the eyes of the one who calls the shots on your progress, or your job! Sounds all too familiar? I bet you hold our breath hoping that the full story will not be revealed! However, it’s not like that with God, for He knows every little detail about our comings and our goings. And while we try very hard to look our very best in the eyes of our peers, our supervisors and our relatives, yet we hold our breath wondering how blunt and forgiving God will be when we meet Him face-to-face. I also reflect on how parents say to their children: I hope that you will appreciate all that I’ve done for you! Compare this to what I believe God will say to us: My child, while you were still a sinner, I sacrificed my only child so that you might rise above the sin of this old world and live eternally in the glories of heaven with my Son and I. Having failed on occasion was expected, because of the place where you lived and the people you came into contact with, but I knew your heart and your intent. When you invited me to be Lord of your life, I gave you a new beginning and the power to overcome Satan and his cohorts, so now I am happy to welcome you home where you will be at peace for evermore. Friends, if you believe in Jesus Christ, then I believe that you can affirm my assumptions that I just shared, because you are aware of the love of our Savior and the outstanding provisions that He has made for us. Unfortunately if you have not yet sought out the love of my Savior, then you may be challenged to appreciate what God said to the church at Sardis, or what I envisioned in seeing all that God has in store for us when we see Him face-to-face. But you are empowered to correct this challenge, because the Word of God says that whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Whosoever includes ‘YOU’ my friend. Notice also that there is no doubt in the reward, for God said that you WILL be saved. In case you’re curious, that means that you will be saved from the destiny of Hell which is reserved for all who have not accepted Jesus as Lord. My friend, I secured my destiny with Jesus and my prayer is that you too might do the same. Heaven is my eternal home, and I would love to see each of you there! Please contact me and allow me to show you the way!

PRAYER: Lord, we are thankful for all that You have done for Your children, and for what You do for us each and every day while we live here on earth. Being reminded of what You promised to the church at Sardis, reminds me that You will do the same for us when we follow You in accepting Your Son, and in closely adhering to Your commands. Please Lord, continue to lead us, direct us and guide us through every step here on earth. We look forward to being with You soon. Please keep us in Your care, following Your commands and living in full expectation of Your return to take Your church home to glory. 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!

What If We Are Given As We Deserve?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2020-11-29
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 2:23-25
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 23 ….. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches deep within men’s hearts, and minds; I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24-25 “As for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, really), I will ask nothing further of you; only hold tightly to what you have until I come.

OBSERVATION: Imagine if God called you home at the very moment that you read this words, (very unexpected) and He told you that He will give you exactly what you deserve. What might that be? Would you cry out to Him to please proceed, as you can hardly wait for whatever God will dish out to you? I am a child forgiven by my Father, through the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, but I would tremble at such words from my Father, as I know that sin is eminent while here on earth. Think about this with me as we study these verses.

APPLICATION: I remember as a child hearing similar words from my parents – just wait until I get you home! Oh my, I still try not to think of the anxiety I endured, especially as I rehearsed the crazy acts of disobedience they witnessed from me in the presence of their friends. But I’m afraid that it is extremely challenging for us to consider our Lord being so rough on us. I believe that we often teach, and learn about the goodness of God, and we are so looking forward to His goodness for the rest of our time here on earth and even as we meet Him in glory, but in these verses we must try to understand what John shared about God planning do to the church at Thyatira. God was clear in His reasons for such action. It is important for us to remember that we have a God who loves us beyond any earthly description or imagination, but He is a just God who will do what He promised. We could read story after story in the Bible of God’s goodness, and we are blessed every time we read those accounts. However, we can also find numerous stories where God also allowed tremendous grief to individuals, families, cities and even countries when His frustration had reached His point of readiness for action. As in our story today, we must be reminded that God not only sees our actions and hears our outspoken words, but He knows our very thoughts. In other words, He knows the whole man/woman. He knows us as we are, not what we try to pretend we are in mixed company. So today, I believe we must put aside what position we might hold in church, or what size congregation we preach or teach to, and truly look inside of ourselves while asking God to enlighten us to our wicked ways, or our angry words, or our pretense of love shown to others. I believe that as long as we still have breath, we have time for God to begin a new work in us and make us more like Him. But only God can make a brand new man/woman. It is way too convenient for us to go easy on ourselves and overlook sin, because we have so many excuses as to why we did or said certain things. Let’s ask God for a pure heart and for the very presence of God inside of our dirty selves while we try to live out our days here on earth. People need the Lord, my friends, but it will do them no good to see His representatives acting like the devil and in opposition to all that God teaches us in His Word. Let go and let God, my friend.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are merciful and full of grace. Thank You for allowing Your precious Son to die on Calvary for my sin, even while I was yet a sinner. You showed pure love for me. Many of my friends reading this devotional will probably join hearts and voices in praising You Lord, for your goodness. And We will all agree that in spite of inviting You into our heart and asking for Your forgiveness, yet we are still so disrupted by the filth and sin of this world. Lord, we want so badly to be like You, so that the hearts of our circle of influence will be stirred up and touched while in our presence. Please work on us so that we may never fall into the category of the church at Thyatira. Help us Lord that as others encounter us, they will truly see enough attributes of our Savior that they will feel like they’ve been with the Lord. Have Your will and way in our lives Lord. 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!

What Would God Say About Your Church?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-11-28
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 2:2-5
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 I know all that you’ve done for me—you have worked hard and persevered. I know that you don’t tolerate evil. You have tested those who claimed to be apostles and proved they are not, for they were imposters. 3 I also know how you have bravely endured trials and persecutions because of my name, yet you have not become discouraged.[c] 4 But I have this against you: you have abandoned the passionate love you had for me at the beginning.[d] 5 Think about how far you have fallen! Repent[e] and do the works of love you did at first.[f] I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place of influence if you do not repent.

OBSERVATION: John had a vision where an angel spoke on Behalf of God about how he felt about the seven churches mentioned throughout the book of Revelation. I believe that we will see characteristics of each of our churches in at least one or more of these churches. Of course, we must remember that ‘the church’ is a body of believers that gather to worship and serve God through their cooperation together, so we will see our own character in the descriptions of these churches. As we study the Word together, ponder in your heart how much you and/or your church corporately might be like the church at Ephesus. God saw the good, but He also challenged this church with her shortcomings, so protect your toes as you are challenged by what God has to say.

APPLICATION: Over the past number of years there came a time that I felt it was time for my family and I to move to a different church. Much to the dismay of a few members sitting near the door, I walked into the church on a Wednesday night looking for the prayer and Bible study group for adults. By the conclusion of that evening service, I called my wife and told her that I had found our next church, for the Word of God was taught very clearly, and the sincerity of the attendees was warm and heartfelt. Did I find the ‘perfect’ church? Perhaps not, as I found that there were neighborhood people passing our doors and going to a different church. Obviously they found indifference in at least one aspect of the ministry there. In the first of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, God praised the Ephesian church for their hard work and perseverance. He was also pleased that they dealt appropriately with the evil personified among its members, and they also dealt with false teachers head on. I’m sure that church leaders would probably have stood to their feet in praise and thanksgiving if they were hearing these things as they were spoken of by the angel of God, because we all like to hear about the good that we do. However, God wanted this church to know that there was a very serious matter that still existed. They had lost their initial zeal for the Lord, and therefore their love was weakened for the Father and for the Brother or Sister who worshipped with them and served alongside them. Now I know that you and your pastor could probably read right over this, because this in no way describes you or your church, correct? Well, let’s give this some thought and see if God agrees with us. What’s different in your life today, compared to the moments following your conversion – when you gave your heart to the Lord? Are you as alive in the Lord, active in His Word, and praying in deep faith, as when you first accepted Jesus as Lord? Have you freely spoken to others about your faith recently? Remember how excited you were to tell the world about your Lord after you accepted Him as Lord? Are you richer in your faith today because of the time you have spent in His Word, and because of experiences that you have benefited from, through your faith and your prayers? What if your church consisted of only folk like you that answered these questions in similar form? Would God have room to say to your church what He said about the Ephesian church? I’ve experienced rich-spirited revival services where my spirit was revived and I felt on fire for the Lord again, but I haven’t heard of revival services recently, have you? Friends, I believe that God might be patiently awaiting the moment that you and I might come to Him and ask that He remove any obstacle that may dim our vision of Him and His wondrous works for us. Oh that we may see Jesus in His fullness and fall back in love with Him all over again! Surely our love for our brothers and sisters will benefit richly from our enhanced relationship with God.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand strongly in Your presence and boast of Your goodness to me. Please Lord, revive Your church again. Help us to always remember that You have promised to never leave us nor forsake us, so when we feel like there is distance between us, may we quickly invite You to look deeply into our hearts and lives and help us overcome the sin that has settled into our lives that separates us from You. May we always seek to worship You, adore You, thank You and welcome You into our lives so that we might renew a right spirit with us. You alone are worthy Lord, please work in our lives so that we might look more and more like You each day. 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!