Tag: Promises

Try To Please God and Be Like Him

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, June 3, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Gainesville, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE The Contemporary English Version (CEV) IS FOUND IN 1 Timothy 6:11-14

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle. Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened. 13  Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Christ Jesus, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith. 14 Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

THINK ABOUT THIS: Try comparing this advice by Paul, to that of our local churches, where salvation for a believer means one more added to the total number of decisions, and possibly one more candidate to be added to total baptisms for the church. It looks good on the pastor’s resume and the church may even be recognized by their regional headquarters for a good number of decisions and/or baptisms. But for Paul, he was seeking to help his ‘son’ in the ministry by giving him guidelines to help others in need of, or seeking salvation, and then to live more like Jesus. Perhaps we might see more effective and practicing Christians, if they were led in similar ways to how Paul led Timothy. Let’s look deeper.

HOW WE MIGHT APPLY THE WORD: In a normal household, children would be out of control if they were allowed to do their own thing and follow the crowd in deciding good from bad, and blessings over curses. Why, even for children today, they would be little terrors that might cause the general public to turn their heads on them, if they simply did what the average child practiced at school. I believe that the Holy Spirit was actively working in the mind of Paul as he sent Timothy out for ministry. Yes, it would be a source of relief for him, as the ministry was becoming overbearing for Paul alone. However, if you throw a good man at a church where everyone has their own opinion about how things should be done, then he might quickly discern that his desire to serve God’s people in God’s house, might be almost as challenging as taking on the challenges of a business in this mostly pagan world. Mind you, when I was in the working world, we sometimes chose to bring a replacement in and assume a job position without the privilege of training by the incumbent. This was because we didn’t want the new person to attain all of the negativity and bad habits of the person exiting that position. That may be a good explanation why church leaders choose to handle new Christians the way they do! For it is often said that new Christians are generally on fire for the Lord, until they rub shoulders with older Christians who quickly brings them down off that mountain of joy and happiness in the Lord! Sad, isn’t it? Instead of the many fancy core principles that pastors lead their churches to adopt, wouldn’t it be awesome to see us instead concentrate on the principles Paul taught Timothy to strive at developing? Paul warned Timothy to flee from the principles he had been warned about in earlier chapters, primarily the pursuit and purpose of wealth. But then Paul gave him some very important characteristics to pursue: a). Righteousness – being right with God in all walks of life; b). Godliness – no surprise here, for Christians must make every effort, and pray for help in living a godly, or God-like life; c). Faith – When you trust in, or rely upon, something or someone despite a lack of concrete proof. Salvation, which is purely a work of God’s grace, can be received only through faith; d). Love – Learn to show such admiration for God, and for those who share your faith, that the world will see pure, unadulterated love in action; e). Endurance – show your faith, love, and righteousness, not only around church and in the company of those who love you, but to everyone that surrounds you. Aim to live out Hebrews 12:1 ‘Lay aside every hindrance…… and run with endurance; and f). Gentleness – Although Christians have so much to feel all powerful and super excited about, but when we strive to live like Jesus, then we must learn to be quiet, if needed, even while being unfairly judged by the world. Although stronger than any lion, yet Jesus is often portrayed as a lamb, and we must follow in His example.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: We must live like Jesus if we are truly His disciple. The world needs Jesus, not more of our attempts to improve our own self image.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Precious Lord, I believe that way too often we wind up trying to improve our self image instead of imitating Your characteristics demonstrated on earth for us. Thank You for Your Word that so clearly gives us guidance, and I thank You that in Paul’s efforts to give guidance to Timothy, the Holy Spirit is also guiding us to take note and follow the guidance given by Paul. We have a long ways to go, and we need frequent reminders, especially when we are so easily distracted by the world. Please Lord, guide us with Your all-powerful hand into the way that You would have us to live so that unbelievers might catch a glimpse of You in action, and have a desire to accept You as Lord. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Go online to Apple Podcasts, or using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

How To Acquire Wisdom

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Wisdom, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, June 1, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE The Passion Translation (TPT) IS FOUND IN Proverbs 9:10-12

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Yahweh. To receive the revelation of the Holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding. Wisdom will extend your life, making every year more fruitful than the one before. So it is to your advantage to be wise. But to ignore the counsel of wisdom is to invite trouble into your life.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: What is wisdom? As a child I often heard my parents speak of ‘that wise old man down the street’. But what did that mean? Unfortunately, I always assumed that if there was ever anything I wanted to know, I should go to ‘that wise old man down the street’! But Solomon was the wisest man on earth, while Jesus was the wisest man who ever lived. However, the Bible teaches us that God is still interested in teaching us how to acquire wisdom, and its benefits, once acquired. Let’s examine this today.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: One of my favorite Bible commentators teaches that wisdom is: ‘the ability to understand the divine perspective and apply it to life, comes from God. He’s the only source. If you’re going to become wise, you have to get to know God through his Word and take him seriously.‘ Many Bible versions tell us that wisdom begins with the fear, or deep respect of, God. When we stand in the presence of our Holy God and humble ourselves; pay our respect to Him; and honor Him with our praise, worship and adoration, then we are truly recognizing His unique power and lordship over us. We acknowledge that God is supreme, and just like a baby bird would wait with an open mouth to receive food from its mother, we too stand before the Almighty waiting to be fed by His teaching and instruction. In verses 7 – 9, Solomon teaches us why some will not subscribe to such a feeding from the Creator of this earth, therefore we can better understand why our churches are no longer filled with folk looking to be fed by God. But let’s try to concentrate on the subject today – how to acquire wisdom. Notice it’s not through a better high school, a foreign based college, or the degrees we might gain through further education. Wisdom begins as we recognize God and humble ourselves to believe in and accept the awesome power and wisdom of our Creator. Remember, He was always here, He created us and the beauty of everything around us, He provided the only source of salvation for us to achieve Heaven and to be with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God protects, loves and guides His children through every walk of life. He is God, when we stand on the mountain tops and shout praises to Him, and He is still God, when we slump into depressive times in the valleys of our life. If He was a school pal with all these attributes, we would trust them completely with our lives and our belongings, and we would sing accolades to the awesome person that they are. Yet, God not only does all that, but He also has prepared a place for us to live eternally with Him, so He is the God of our beginning, our ongoing life on earth, and the eternal God who will care for us forever. Shouldn’t we all the more stand before Him in awe and appreciation for who He is and for all that He has promised to do for us. Friends, as God fills us with this kind of wisdom, He will open our eyes to see Him for who He truly is. Please consider joining me, as together we bow at the feet of Jesus and worship Him, and as we open His Word each day and allow Him to fill us with wisdom from on high. There is no greater love and no greater wisdom my friends. Husbands tend to tell wives that they could conquer the world with them by his side. I believe we can say without a doubt that we, the children of Almighty God, can not only conquer earth and its daily challenges, but we are given cause for endless worship in knowing that our future is secure in heaven! Praise to our ever-living God!

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Verses 11 & 12 read: Wisdom will extend your life, making every year more fruitful than the one before. So it is to your advantage to be wise.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: To seek after wisdom is a personal choice, so Jesus, my wonderful Savior and Lord, please incent me to always seek after the wisdom that is only possible from You. Being reminded of the rewards for seeking more wisdom and persistently seeking to become wiser, I pray that we will all take full advantage of meeting regularly with the great wisdom-giver, our only wise and holy God. Please help us to learn, understand and follow Your ways oh Lord, so that others may see You in us and want to know You personally. Thank you for Your words of wisdom through Solomon in verses 7-9 where You showed us who would appreciate the wisdom we offer to them. Please help each reader or listener to join me in being faithful to sharing the wisdom from on high, without looking for any personal acolades. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Go online to Apple Podcasts, or using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

Want to be Truly Rich?

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, May 31, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. My Footnote will tell you how to read or listen to this devotional or any past episodes.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN 1 Timothy 6:6-9

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: 6 Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. 7 After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die. 8 So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. 9 But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: Rest assured that this is not another of those ‘get rich’ schemes that you may receive a lot of emails and spam calls on, so it is safe to meditate with me on the full devotional today! Newbies can easily be trapped by schemes or ‘feel good’ ideas, so Paul wanted to prepare Timothy for everything that might cross his path while ministering in the field without Paul by his side. Perhaps we will find something to help prepare us for the unknowns of each day as we meditate together, so stay with me for the full devotional.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: Some of you may have experienced some of the same challenges of my wife and I, who faced many scenarios and many people of different backgrounds as we moved from one place to another during my working career, and also through our obedience to the voice of God after we entered into retirement. We failed in our faith, closeness to God, experiences of life, and our attitude in our Christian walk at times, but we were also challenged in our faith to new experiences and ministry opportunities, even though I worked in the financial sector. I believe that Paul is indicating possible results like we saw, for he wanted to open his co-laborer’s mind, and ours, to truly understand the meaning of ‘being rich’; contentment; personal value; and the power of God’s love, wisdom and direction in our lives. I’ve heard of parents who sent their children to distant lands for their education, because of the unstable, wicked and evil surroundings of local schools. Guess what? If that child was prone to mix with bad company and become involved in wicked behavior in their current environment, then they will do the same with a different bunch of friends, in their new environment. I believe that’s why Paul wanted to prepare Timothy’s heart and fill him to overflowing with wisdom in so many areas of life. He wanted him to be independently bold, committed, and trained to detect and protect against evil the minute it became evident. Please let me encourage you to take this on yourself. First of all, prepare yourself by reading God’s Word regularly and follow in obedience to what the Master points out to you in His Word. Then, pass that along to your children, and to anyone that seems to be following in your footsteps. The Bible tells us that we are to train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are older, they will remember, and apply, their training. This is also true in the ways you mentor someone, whether they’re your child, coworker, partner or whomever. Because of the poor financial position of my parents, I learned to be satisfied with what I had. Although I have not perfected that yet, I still share that with my child and those who may look up to me in one way or another. Paul is reminding us that we came into this world penniless, and we survived. Let’s be sure to always remember that no matter how hard we work in life today to earn more, our casket will still only carry our skeletal remains – no money, gold, silver or worldly assets. What will matter, is the lives that we touched and the growth that occurred in others as a result of our love, our example, and the wisdom we shared with them. So, listen to Paul my friends, let’s be rich in the good you do and be sure to let your happiness rub off on others, for the sake of the Kingdom.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: We are rich because of whose we are, and truly happy and good because of the royal blood that runs through our veins in being a child of the King of all kings!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Holy Spirit, thou art welcome in this place. Fill me and make me holy thine. Flow through me to touch the lives of those that I make contact with. Make Yourself at home in the lives of those who accept Jesus as Lord and make them truly rich with all that You have to offer. Help us Lord to live today with the end in mind. We all will die, and we all will meet our Savior face-to-face. I pray that You will see our rich qualities spurred on by Your divine touch, and You will be overjoyed at all those who were touched by the gifts we receive from You. Have Your will and way oh Lord, my Rock and my salvation. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Go online to Apple Podcasts, or using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

Look Out for Those Looking Out for You

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Elders, Needs, Pastors, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Teacher, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, May 30, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. My Footnote will tell you how to read or listen to this devotional or any past episodes.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Amplified Bible (AMP) IS FOUND IN 1 Timothy 5:17-18

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: The elders who perform their leadership duties well are to be considered worthy of double honor (financial support), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching [the word of God concerning eternal salvation through Christ]. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain [to keep it from eating],” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages [he deserves fair compensation].”

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: Interesting how Paul found it necessary to train Timothy, and us, in ways that we should take care of the Elders, or Pastors, of our church! Wouldn’t you think that if we knew how to take care of our household, our gardener or any other hired hand, we would also know how to make sure our spiritual leaders are well taken care of? Having never heard a church member complain about us not paying our pastor enough, I wonder if we shouldn’t look closer at today’s Scripture!

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: Having served on many church leadership teams and Pastor Search committees, I feel slightly qualified in speaking to this subject of which Paul speaks about in today’s Scripture. I don’t believe I will ever forget about the final offer to a prospect, from a Pastor’s Search Committee on which I served. The prospect rejected our initial invitation and terms because, in his words, he could never survive on the salary we were offering him. This was embarrassing for members of the committee, but it opened our eyes to the fact that we should never expect our Pastor to survive financially with any less than any other CEO of a group our size in our community. I find it extremely interesting how easily church members accept the church budget each year without ever questioning why our pastor is making less money than most of them do. In fact, I would dare say that many pastors’ earnings are probably less than, or very near to, the poverty level, yet we approve church budgets without ever questioning ‘Why?’. I have seen pastors who spend endless hours at the church, at hospitals, at the bedside of shut-ins and all other scenarios, and I could only try to place myself in their shoes and wonder how they could possibly do all that while barely providing for their families financially. It seems that church leaders are persistent in making sure that they get enough hours out of the pastor each week, instead of concerning themselves about whether the man is spending sufficient time with his family. This whole concept that many churches have accepted as ‘normal’ probably arises from the unfortunate lack of respect, honor and appreciation shown towards our pastors in many areas of their ministry. For example, we might easily compliment a good speaker at a conference, but are we faithful in complementing our pastor after delivering a message that he had probably spent hours to prepare? As a supervisor at work, I pushed hard for my staff to attend additional training, or to take part in valuable community events. They come back to me all ‘pumped up’ because of the networking and great ideas gleamed from other attendees of the conference or training seminar. Do we do enough of that for our pastors? All but a few versions of the Bible use the term ‘Elders’ instead of Pastors in verse 17. Do you even know who your church elders are? Do you say ‘thank you’ to them for working tirelessly: in trying to make sure that your church is properly administered; for encouraging your pastors; for helping them carry the load of ministry; and for ensuring that your church leaders are on track for proper ministry within your four walls and in your community? Many elders today still work a normal job, so while compensation may not be a factor, let me assure you that many hours, mostly stressful hours, are spent in steering the direction and ministry of your church. Friends let’s try to treat our pastors/elders with respect, in love, and through encouragement in every way possible. We all want the best pastor. Let’s do our part to help them feel like the best!

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: When we’re feeling appreciated and loved, we tend to put out our very best. We all want the ‘best’ pastor, so let’s do our best to make him feel like his best!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, please prompt us to be the product of what we desire for ourselves, with special emphasis on our biblical leaders who work diligently to help us know, or grow in, the Lord. Please bless our pastors and teachers in extraordinary ways so that they will please You in every way, while having a critical impact on our lives. Please Lord, work on us, Your servants, to bless our leaders so that they would be incented to do even more for Your kingdom, while also helping Christians mature in our faith and desire more and more victory in our work while here on earth, all for Your kingdom’s sake. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Go online to Apple Podcasts, or using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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 Story of a Father, Son and Forgiveness

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Forgiveness, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, May 27, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. Please see my Footnote on how you might read or listen to this devotional or any past posts.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE New International Version (NIV) IS FOUND IN Luke 15:20-24

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: With so many families split apart, and anger and resentment being the rule of the day, I sometimes wonder if we have learned absolutely nothing from the God some of us serve, and others have heard about. Please don’t insult me by saying that you don’t believe in God, because everyone sees your dependence on Him when your close relatives become sick – to the point of death, or you awaken one day to realize that your problems are much bigger than anything you alone can possibly handle. Stay tuned as the Holy Spirit works through my simple words to open your eyes of understanding.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: It truly hurts my heart to hear someone say that they haven’t talked to their brother, sister, mom or dad in months, or even years. Besides the sadness of separation from loved ones, it also indicates that you are not striving to imitate the heart of God, for He is love, and He is known for His forgiving heart. Much like your earthly father, our Heavenly Father – God, created us in His own image. Through His son Jesus, He exampled pure love for us, and He left us a book of instructions, the Bible, to demonstrate how we are to love one another, and how we are to watch over, love, protect and care for our mother and father. In our Bible story today, we are reminded of a very popular illustration used by Jesus to help open the eyes of those who claimed to be ‘holy’ but were not demonstrating their belief in God and their holiness in a way that imitated God Himself. I considered titling this devotional ‘The Heart of God’, because in being reminded of the profound love of the father in today’s illustration, I was reminded of the love, compassion and heart of forgiveness that my Heavenly Father demonstrated when He gladly accepted me into His kingdom with open arms. I wonder, as you read the Scripture I appended above, which character reminds you most of your life’s journey? Remember, one son had enough of the bossing around by his father, so he asked for his inheritance, probably because he had no intention of ever seeing his father alive again. I’m sure that upon his departure, he had hoped to travel into a faraway land, for an all-time, extended stay. But things didn’t go exactly how he had calculated, so with all of his money gone, and finding only a job feeding animals that he and his family absolutely despised, he quickly saw in his mind how he could return to his father and accept the absolute worse job on the farm, if need be, because it would still be better than what he was doing. But just as sinners look to our Heavenly Father for complete forgiveness, unconditional love, and acceptance beyond anything we could find on planet earth, we find that this young man did the same with his father. Just like our Heavenly Father looks out in love and desperation for one more sinner who ran away and is lost, so this earthly father did the same. The father didn’t know whether the son would ever return, but he knew he was out there and would be extremely challenged to return to a place he had said farewell to. Friends, when a heart is filled with love, and especially also filled with the Holy Spirit, one is able to do more than any earthly man, on his own, could do. Yes, the son had received his inheritance, and yes, he would probably not return unless he had totally blown that inheritance, but one thing that would never change, is that the foolish young man was still this gracious father’s son. This frightened young man that was probably just as afraid of rejection as much as we are, had his speech ready, to plead with his dad for forgiveness and acceptance, in spite of all that had already gone down. But notice in the story how the father responded to the son’s spiel. Absolutely nothing! I’m sure that we also have our spiel about our misgivings and our sin, and we offer that up when we try to reunite with family members, friends, pastors and whomever we’re at odds with. But let me remind you of Romans 10:13 that says: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So you can save your spiel, just call on the name of Jesus, my friend. He knows your name and everything about you. Remember what I said earlier? He is waiting with opened arms to receive you into His kingdom. Our Heavenly Father is even more forgiving, loving and ultimately more welcoming to his sons and daughter who leave the sin and distractions of this world behind and choose to follow Him! It’s a great feeling to receive love, admiration and forgiveness from someone who, you thought all along, hated you for your acts of sin against them.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: A ‘prodigal’ son came to his senses, and his loving father was waiting to welcome him home. A perfect image of the Father and the Son who waits to welcome us home after we’ve come to our senses and claimed our stake in the Son of God! Glory to God in the highest heavens!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, I thank you for speaking into my life and encouraging me to surrender my life to You many years ago. Please Lord, for those who might read this devotional and still are having doubts about meeting their Heavenly Father, or possibly having doubts about accepting Your Son, I pray that you will remind them of the provision You made at Calvary in sending Your very own Son so that in knowing Him, they could live eternally with You in Heaven. It is overwhelming joy to know that although we struggle through life here on earth, there is a day of joy and welcome coming from You, for those who opened their hearts to the salvation offered through Christ alone. Praise God, the biggest party is yet to come!. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to see or hear more of my devotionals, please go to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org and read more, or go to Apple Podcasts and search for Nuggets From Gods Word to listen to more podcasts. You can also choose to freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s written devotional, or on the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word and click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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 Other Children of God Need from Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Needs of others, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, May 25, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. In my Footnote, I explain how you might read or listen to this devotional, or any past devotionals.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN 1 Timothy 5:1-3

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: Never speak sharply to an older man, but plead with him respectfully just as though he were your own father. Talk to the younger men as you would to much-loved brothers. Treat the older women as mothers, and the girls as your sisters, thinking only pure thoughts about them. The church should take loving care of women whose husbands have died if they don’t have anyone else to help them.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: To avoid decisions based on personal emotions alone, as God’s child, we must look to God’s Word for direction, or verification on whether His Word confirms our intentions. Timothy was a young pastor, so rather than picking up bad habits from those he would minister to, Paul gave him directions, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In today’s lesson Paul helps Timothy, and us, discover how to please God when dealing with other individuals. Stay tuned, as this will benefit us all!

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: As a Christian, most of us will probably feel like we must be good to others, because that’s what Jesus did. We might also feel compelled to give to the poor, destitute and widows until we no longer have anything to give, for Jesus loved and cared for others, even those whom others despised. Add to these feelings that you are about to embark on a journey of inviting the lost to be saved, and to disciple and lead the saved to a deeper faith in Jesus Christ. Can you see how easily we might let our personal feelings and emotions control our decision making? Praise God, we have One who gives us direction in all walks of life, and as we strive to please Him and follow in His footsteps, we have a resource that was left for us that contains the heart and mind of Christ, the Bible. Private letters are great, but God wanted this letter from Paul to Timothy made available to all generations for a reason. We are quick to grumble, and we may even share perfect solutions through our ingenious ideas! But when we look to the Word of God for direction, we will find what God knows is best for us and He will guide us into ensuring that the world sees Jesus in what we’re doing. We hear in the news about thugs beating up on old, poorly dressed, and battered looking homeless men and women on the streets of our larger cities, and we feel angered at the thugs and sorry for the elderly. But do we follow God’s commands in meeting their needs where they’re at, or even when they walk through our church doors? For those who regularly attend church, do we stop to listen to their story, hear what their needs are and try to do all within us to meet their needs? Don’t we tend to brush the older men aside assuming their thoughts and ideas are antiquated and not of any value to the church today? Do we try to treat these older men like we did our own father, or are we truly challenged to meet the direction given by Paul to his ‘son in the ministry’, Timothy? I can’t be sure about you, but I often feel out classed by our younger men leading our churches today, and that I may be a bother to them, so it becomes increasingly challenging to offer advice to them. Imagine if we could do something like Paul commanded of Timothy, and partner up with these younger men so we could share our lifelong experience with them. Brothers stand alongside each other and seek out the best for one another, shouldn’t we continue that into our senior years as we pray for, and simply share our experiences with younger men? Before I married my wife, she was told to watch for how her boyfriend or fiancée treated his mom, as it was a good indication of how he will treat his wife. Paul seems to indicate that children of God should also treat older women in much the same way. Those who are perfect in these actions highlighted above have nothing to fear, nor work on, but I believe the majority of us must be reminded of what God’s Word says in how we are to treat others. Because this is commanded of us, I believe that God will judge us on this. ‘Thinking of younger girls as sisters’ could apply to older women, or all men. ‘With pure thoughts’ will apply to the men. When you treat that younger lady like you would your sister, then you will understand how important it is to treat that lady with utmost respect, and help her though her concerns, prayer and needed advice, to complete her mission in life that God has ordained for her to do. I was intrigued by the advice to widows. I thank God for the woman He has placed in my life, but I dread to think about how she might survive on her own, should God take me out of here before her. Can I rest in peace knowing that my church will take care of her like they would take care of their own mothers? But Paul also addressed how this young pastor should treat younger widows. I believe that the church is so attuned to feeling sorry for younger widows, that they may fall prey to correction in these words from Paul. No two scenarios are the same, so good church leaders should carefully understand the needs and either help, or extend godly advice, to younger widows in obedience to their understanding of God’s Word and His direction, God being their helper and advisor.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Too often we search for ways that God, and the church can help us. But through today’s lesson our eyes are opened to ways that we can treat, and help others, no matter their age, or circumstances of life, God being our helper.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, I am reminded of an older couple that I attended church with, in my younger days. One was almost blind, and one was crippled. But together they were able to help other seniors by doing their shopping for them. Unfortunately, I believe that too often we feel we are incapable of helping others, because of various circumstances in our life. But dear Lord, most of us can pray, or pick up the phone and call to encourage a shut-in or even our pastor who may struggle to make it through various burdens laid upon him each day. When we’re not doing something helpful, it’s like we declare Your good works in us is meaningless, and perhaps like You may have made something less than perfect. Just as was said about Esther’s purpose in the palace, I strongly believe that You have placed us where we’re at for such a time and place as this. Everyone needs Jesus, and everyone needs to know that they are loved and appreciated for who they are. Please teach us to do our part, while we wait for You to bring us into Your greater glory – in heaven with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to see or hear more of my devotionals, please go to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org and read more, or go to Apple Podcasts and search for Nuggets From Gods Word to listen to more podcasts. You can also choose to freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s written devotional, or on the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word and click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

Who Did Jesus Come To Save?

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Blog, Celebrate God, Needs, Podcast, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Monday, May 22, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. Please see my Footnote on how you might read or listen to this devotional or any past posts.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE The Message (MSG) IS FOUND IN Luke 15:1-4; 7

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? ….
Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: I believe that most churches will have as a part of their Mission Statement, that they exist to save sinners and disciple the saved. How will you rate your church in achieving their Mission Statement? In today’s Scripture, Jesus had to remind the Pharisees and religion scholars the purpose for His coming. I hope that we will be reminded of the same as we meditate on this Scripture today.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: I wonder if each reader took a moment to peruse your church congregation, how many might be present who are unsaved. Yes, survey the crowd before and after your service to see if needs were met through the preaching of God’s Word that day. If one is saved during the service, do you take a moment, as a congregation, to celebrate the one that was rescued from sin and now anew in Jesus? Less we be discouraged, many churches will have very few opportunities to celebrate the victorious touch of God’s hand on the unsaved, for some pastors do not offer an altar call, and some don’t always preach an evangelical message. So perhaps a pastor from one of my past churches was right when he said that most people are saved outside of the church doors, and then the celebration takes place inside of the church. Perhaps our children are saved at home, perhaps we have opportunity to lead a coworker to the Lord during our lunch break. Perhaps a waitress asked to meet with us after work to learn more about the Savior she saw evident in our character or in our actions, through public prayer over our food, etc. These seem like obvious opportunities to evangelize the lost, but to try and identify with where the Pharisees may have been coming from in doubting Jesus, what if you saw your pastor lunching with the known drug lord who lives in your neighborhood? What if you saw the Pastor’s wife entering the home of a known prostitute? What if any of these events were noticed on several occasions, do you suppose that you would approach the elders of your church to report your observations? What if any of these irreputable individuals visited your church? Will you be among the number to greet them and welcome them into worship with you and other worshippers? Or, will you be one of the ones who will look down your glasses with a question mark as to why they left their illicit businesses long enough to attend church? Dear friends, I hope that your hearts and eyes were opened and humbled like mine were upon reading these verses again. It is awesome to worship with other believers, most of them already saved, but our real work is in witnessing to the unsaved in our circle of friends, encouraging the ones who visit our church in search of the Savior they may have seen evident in the lives of a Christian who touched their lives that week. Perhaps if we were as determined as we should be about reaching the lost in our circle of family, friends and coworkers, we would be more understanding of who others are meeting with. Take note of the story used by Jesus to teach the religious leaders, and then go after the lost sheep – the unsaved. Let’s learn to look forward to times of rejoicing at our next church service as we learn of the lost sheep that were found and/or saved and given freedom in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Anticipate rejoicing with other believers at your next church service over lost ‘sheep’ that were found, saved and now in worship with you!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Thank You Lord for saving my soul through the preaching of Your Word many years ago. Praise God for church members, parents and friends who prayed for my salvation! They all rejoiced at the good news of one lost ‘sheep’ being saved into the fold of Jesus! Lord, I want to be bold enough to witness to the unsaved in every location that I find them, not just inside the church doors. Please help our pastors, church leaders, and all Christians to have that same mindset, for we don’t know the date of Your return, nor if the unsaved will choose to enter our church doors. So, please help us all to not delay in sharing Your love and sacrifice in every circumstance, every day. As prepared children of God, perhaps we could break the cycle of lost opportunities and hearts that are hardened to see Jesus work in ALL lives and not just the ones that are obviously searching for the Savior. May we be known to the world as loving children following the footsteps of our loving Lord, and concerned about all the unsaved, no matter what label the world has placed over their heads. 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/listening to this devotional, please click on this 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 you would like to see or hear more of my devotionals, please go to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org and read more, or go to Apple Podcasts and search for Nuggets From Gods Word to listen to more podcasts. You can also choose to freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s written devotional, or on the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word and click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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 Will God, or a Self-Evaluation Reveal

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Blog, Celebrate God, Needs, Podcast, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, May 20, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. If short on time to read my devotional, please consider visiting Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuggets-from-gods-word/id1558668439.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE The Passion Translation (TPT) IS FOUND IN Proverbs 6:16-19

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: There are six evils God truly hates, and a seventh that is an abomination to him:
(1) Putting others down while considering yourself superior, (2) spreading lies and rumors, (3) spilling the blood of the innocent, (4) plotting evil in your heart toward another, (5) gloating over doing what’s plainly wrong, (6) spouting lies in false testimony, and (7) stirring up strife between friends.  These are entirely despicable to God!

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: As an employee, I despised self-evaluations, but as a supervisor, I loved to hear the ratings by my employees in their self-evaluations! This caused us to take time to examine ourselves and be honest through what we really knew deep down inside. I feel like today’s Scripture gives us 7 areas of life to perform a self-evaluation on ourselves before we bow at Jesus’ feet and hear His judgment on these areas of our life. Take time to perform your self-evaluation today!

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: In the business world I discovered several kinds of employees, when it came to evaluations. Some would not complete a self-evaluation, because they already knew they exceeded expectations in every area of their job description! Some completed an evaluation, but they did just as I already described – they rated themselves either ‘very good’, or ‘excellent’ in all categories. Then there were some who really took their self-evaluation seriously and often rated themselves more critically than their supervisor. I remember offering to lower my rating to match theirs a few times, but the employee asked me not to!! But it was obvious that supervisors saw what the employee wanted you to see, while employees knew deep inside what they felt about their performance. Friends, if the world knew us half as good as we know ourselves deep inside, they would understand our mindset while performing some of our job requirements. Some religious scholars might try to encourage you by saying that we need not heed to these instructions that Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, but only pay attention to what God said personally, and through His Son, Jesus. However, I subscribe to the thought of other scholars who will tell you that God allowed every word we read in His Book of Instruction, as they were uniquely inspired by Him for our good. Employees questioned, and often we too will ponder, why on earth are these rules in place and expected of us? But let’s never forget that it was God who created us. and it was He who also had a plan in mind for us to spend all eternity with Him. In giving us the freedom to live here on earth for a time, He knew we would face the temptations of the evil one and the misgivings of the ones who choose to give Satan rule over their life. For those who choose to accept Jesus as Lord, God wanted us to have His very special guidebook (the Bible) where we might learn about His ideals, His desires, His wisdom, His guidance and His love that permits Him to willingly be our guide while here on earth. This includes telling us the things that He dislikes and despises, such as in our Scripture verses today. Let me encourage you dear friends to pay close attention to what displeases our Maker, our Redeemer and our Everlasting King. I took the liberty of numerating each of the seven things mentioned in our Scripture. Please ask God to open your heart and your eyes to see if you need closer attention to either of these things. Do your self-evaluation today, so that when You meet Jesus face-to-face, He will be pleased to welcome you home to glory with the words we all anticipate – ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’. It WILL be worth it all dear friends!

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Knowing what God hates should help us strive to please Him in every way, in every walk of life, every day!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Thank You Lord for creating us in your own image, and in Your perfect will. Allowing us to live in this world with all of its troubles, and with so many led by the evil one, has left us doing things that I’m sure has disappointed You. Especially after being reminded by today’s Scripture of the things You hate and that are considered despicable to You, we can only hang our heads in shame, knowing that we have failed in so many ways. However, through Jesus Christ, we can do all things and be perfect in Your sight, if we allow the Holy Spirit to control our minds, our actions and our feelings towards others. So, precious Lord, I plead with You to open our minds, our understanding and our heart to desire a life pleasing to You. I know that in Your strength, You can do ALL things, so please help us to keep focused on what You desire of us. Direct us towards Your Word each day, so that we could read all that You outlined for us. I believe that it’s only through Your power and our submissiveness that we will overcome this world and the evil one. Touch the lives of the unsaved that may happen across this devotional, Lord. Draw them to Yourself before it is too late. 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/listening to this devotional, please click on this 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 like to see/hear more of my devotionals, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more or go to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuggets-from-gods-word/id1558668439 to listen to more podcasts. Of course you can also choose to freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s written devotional, or on the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word and click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

Godly Advice To A Young Pastor

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Friday, May 19, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. If short on time to read my devotional, please consider visiting Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuggets-from-gods-word/id1558668439.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE The Voice (VOICE) IS FOUND IN 1 Timothy 4:7-8; 12

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: Reject worldly fables. Refuse old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself toward godliness. Although training your body has certain payoffs, godliness benefits all things—holding promise for life here and now and promise for the life that is coming. 
Don’t let anyone belittle you because you are young. Instead, show the faithful, young and old, an example of how to live: set the standard for how to talk, act, love, and be faithful and pure. 

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: What might our new pastor be told by his members about what to expect and how he might handle certain people and circumstances. At a church I worshipped at for a number of years, it was our practice to have a meet-and-greet gathering the night before we were to hear a prospective pastor for the very first time. Often there were lots of questions for the candidate, but mostly from a standpoint of ‘will he correct past issues and mistakes’. Let’s open our heart to allow God to challenge us as we meditate on His word through Paul to Timothy.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: I believe it is very obvious that one must have a heart for the subject they are choosing to advise others about. Otherwise, we will tend to throw so much of our own wishes and desires into the picture that it will quickly become obvious to the new pastor, or whomever we are desiring to give advice, the source of our wishes. Having been there and done that, Paul was very informed on the subject for which he was offering advice to another pastor about to enter the same field of ministry. So how might we look at this Scripture when very few laypersons have performed actual ministry in a church. I believe Paul is showing us that good advice might be helpful to someone, like a prospective pastor, and it must come from a heart that is devoted to the work of God in His church, and a desire to see God’s work accomplished in His church through this new pastor claiming that he feels led of God to serve with us at our church. Someone honestly feeling like this will not be distracted with evil thoughts on showing this new man who is really in charge, but be more concerned about how this man could join with the God-led leaders of the church to reach more of our community and support ministries throughout the world. Unfortunately, I believe that many churches self-destruct through allowing men and women who freely permit Satan an entryway into the work of the Lord. It becomes very obvious to nonbelievers who enter our churches, whether we are on fire for God, or if Satan’s fire is way too hot in a body of believers claiming Christianity. God showed Paul how damaging the old traditions, the old fables from years before and the insistence of some to ‘do church’ rather than constantly seeking the face of Jesus to meet with His people and lovingly accept and meet the needs of those searching for God. Friends, notice that Paul insisted that Timothy train in godliness. This will not come from meeting with the gossipers; nor those who have financial clout in the church; and not even those who claim to be ‘religious’. Godliness is something that rubs off on you from your time alone with God. Let me encourage you to spend time in the Word of God – the Bible. Talk regularly with the One you accepted to be Lord and Savior of your life, and this is often achieved through prayer. It is said that a good husband and his wonderful wife soon start to look like each other, make similar decisions, and they act a lot alike. Don’t you think that the same thing happens to the Christian who spends time alone with God? As our heart becomes more entwined with the heart of God, we will give advice to new pastors, unbelievers, and friends struggling in this world, just like we learn from God. In verse 12 of today’s Scripture, Paul told Timothy what might be his reward if he remains close to the God he set out to serve, and I believe this is still very applicable to true followers of Christ today: when you remain faithful to God, you will set the standard for how to talk, act, love and be faithful and pure. If you suspect that there may be areas of your life where you would rather no one imitate or repeat, then let me encourage you to draw closer and be faithful to God.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: We too can be faithful and show the faithful, young and old, an example of how to live: set the standard for how to talk, act, love, and be faithful and pure. 

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Thank You Lord for the many awesome men that I have served alongside in ministry. Unfortunately, I don’t remember giving them advice, because I always respected them as being much closer to God than I was, so who would I be to give them advice. But after being reminded of what Paul did for Timothy, I could clearly see that Timothy must have been elated to hear the advice of a godly man and one who have ministered in some of the same areas that he was leading Timothy into. Please Lord, help us to encourage our pastors, especially those who are younger and more inexperienced. Please help us to show our support and help them feel a part of the family – our church family. If we were to encourage and work alongside our pastors, I can only imagine what God might say when we see Him face-to-face, for we could be considered a part of our pastor’s ministry of saving souls and blessing communities for Jesus. Please help us to take our selfish minds off what benefits us and encourage our pastors in the work of the Lord. May the unsaved enter our church doors and see Jesus in action, rather than more of the world through gossipers, revenge, envy, and possibly even hatred. People need Jesus, not more of the unkind world that they leave behind them. 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, listening to, this devotional, please click on this 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 you would like to see/hear more of my devotionals, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or go to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuggets-from-gods-word/id1558668439 to listen to more podcasts. Of course you can also choose to freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s written devotional, or on the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word and click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

Expectations of a Follower of Jesus Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when I wrote this blog post. If short on time to read my devotional, please consider visiting Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuggets-from-gods-word/id1558668439. On the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word and click ‘Follow’ to be notified of updates.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN Luke 14:25-27

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: Great crowds were following him. He turned around and addressed them as follows: “Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—yes, more than his own life—otherwise he cannot be my disciple. And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: I wonder how many converts a church might see if they presented these Scripture verses and allowed it to speak of the expectations Jesus taught. I agree, it is easy to accept Jesus as Lord, but so is a wedding ceremony, yet many marriages end in divorce. Please read or listen to my full devotional as there may be encouragement or advice to help you overcome the temptations of this world, or the false pretenses of the followers of Jesus’ day.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: I’m not sure what attracts some to church, but it is obvious that the crowd Jesus spoke to were following Him for the ‘show’ – the miracles, the idea of Jesus’ words crushing the toes of the guilty as His teachings challenged their actions against His commands. As I read this, I tried to look at a literal example to see how committed I am in trusting in Jesus and truly committing myself to Him as a priority in my life. Think for a moment if your spouse or mother shamed you into spending time with them on a Sunday morning, but in your act of surrendering your life to Jesus, you had promised Him that you would always spend time with Him and other believers at church around the same time each Sunday, unless providentially hindered. What might you decide to do with the invitation from your mom/wife? Suppose you felt strongly that the Lord would heal your sister of a nasty disease if you would attend church this week. Will you cancel all other appointments and commitments so you could attend? But isn’t this exactly what the crowd did in following Jesus? But He saw the need to challenge them with the words we are meditating on today. So, what do you suppose He really meant in challenging the crowd like He did? Kind ‘a reminds me of a friend who would say that they accepted our invitation for an event, but what we soon learned, is that the acceptance was only good if nothing better came along! Friends, I hope that you don’t do like the crowd in our story today, to follow Jesus only when you need something – like the crowd needed healing so they followed Jesus; or get that ‘good feeling inside’, like the crowd did in wanting to see more miracles from One claiming to be ‘the King of the Jews’. When I was in the working world, I owed my allegiance to my boss, for he provided my paycheck, and benefits, like few other employees did. If I had not given up on all the other local employers, where the ‘grass’ may have seemed much greener than my employer, I don’t feel like I would have given my all to my employer and perhaps been unfaithful in many ways. It seems like the examples of Jesus were all intended to catch us right where we are at the time. Ever noticed where you would read a Scripture that you’ve read multiple times before, but yet this time it stands out like Jesus is getting right in our face about our current situation? That’s because the same God who created you, now wants your attention in a certain area of your life, so He causes you to accept His word and apply it to your life for your good and His glory. These are the times and experiences that I like to share with you through my blog/podcast. Although Jesus wanted to get the attention of the crowd regarding true dedication and commitment to Him, and not merely following Him out of convenience or special need, it seems like in our world today, we may have gotten worse than the crowd could possibly have been. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, more important to Jesus than doing the job of His Father’s command so that we would have the means of salvation from all earthly sin and a home in glory for all eternity. This meant giving up on His mother – for He was crucified in her presence; giving up on His brothers and all others who looked to Him as Lord, for His priority was His Father’s will, and His purpose was in those on His mind – us. He could have called many angels to rescue Him from that cross, but He didn’t. In our life today, there may be many temptations to give up on our Christian walk and just enjoy the world. Remember, being a follower of Christ, or a Christian, means that we are determined to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We will never find anywhere in the Bible where He gave up on us, nor should we ever give in to temptation and give up on Jesus. I believe that our ‘cross’ represents the attraction of this world to which we must commit to set aside and ALWAYS be true to our Father in heaven! The world is waiting and watching to see real men and women of God, not wimps who push Him aside when the temptations of this world seem more attractive.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: We can be more than conquerors when we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the One who created us, died for us and has gone to prepare a place for us. Commitment means putting all else aside in order to give full attention and obedience to our Lord and Savior!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: To follow in Your example, or to learn of Your commands, we must be willing to talk with You and to read Your Word daily, so that we might be reminded of Your commands. Lord, You know how passionate the evil one is in trying to distract us from doing any of the aforesaid, but today we stand firm in Your power to help us overcome evil; Your love in helping us to know that You care for us and want Heaven’s best for us; and Your will to help us live the life we commit to You that we will live. Please help us to be more than conquerors, and to be a living example for the unsaved looking for proof of what a true, or real, child of God looks like. So often they need this in order to encourage them to accept the Lord Jesus knowing that He will intercede on our behalf and help us through life here on earth. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There is a page on my blog that will provide you with additional information entitled ‘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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit ,y podcast, as noted above, and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!