Tag: Promises

Reasons To Praise The Lord

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-08-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 104:1; 33-35
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!

APPLICATION: As I read through Psalm 104 today, I felt God tugging at my heart about my level of praise to Him versus what I discerned from David’s walk with, and worship of God. My first conclusion was that Satan has put so much in our lives that distract us from God, that if it wasn’t for the church/worship service that some of us schedule into our busy calendars, we may not be disciplined enough to worship our Creator at all. To understand where I am coming from with this wild thought, please take a moment to slowly read through Pslam 104 – just 35 short verses, but try to read it without distractions – just a time with you and God. I saw David spending time outdoors and being blessed by all that he was reminded that his Creator put together to draw him to God. We see expressions and descriptions of clouds, trees, light, the starry skies, wind, mountains, valleys and floods, animals, streams, trees and their branches, grass, plants that produce food, olive trees and the uses of Olive Oil, night and the animals that come alive in the darkness, lions as they sought their prey, dusk with the purpose of drawing attention to a time to shut themselves down for the day, the ocean and how it contains seafood for our tables and provides a base for vessels to move along on. Oh my dear friends, do you see why David had so much to converse with God about and sing endless praises to Him! Now, compare that with the choices you made yesterday! Did you have time to look around and enjoy God’s creation during your commute to work? Did you look for God’s character in your coworkers, or did Satan distract you with their flaws? Did you get outside for lunch, or was that your time to catch up on social media? Did you take time to sit with your family and enjoy an evening meal, or you just couldn’t miss your favorite television show? Did you choose something to watch on TV that helped to draw you to God, or were the other shows much more entertaining? At the end of such a wild and busy day, what were you able to kneel and thank God for that day? Were you able to celebrate and praise Him for His involvement in your life, and the sweet communion you had with Him? Did you deliberately look for, and experience God through something, or someone that He created? I believe that in much the same way that we map out time in our day for our spouse, children, sports, church, school, etc. we must also keep high on our priority list – intimate time with the Lord – time to hear from Him through His written Word; time to talk with Him through prayer; time to praise Him through spending time admiring His handiwork and His provisions for us. Let us learn from the Psalmist and the way he started and ended Pslam 104 ‘Let all that I am, praise the Lord’! Perhaps if we started and ended our day with similar words, we will draw closer to God than we are today!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Let all that I am praise the Lord! A goal that we could set to change our outlook on every day, while teaching us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!

PRAYER: Lord, I believe You must look at us – Your creation, Your children, and shake Your head while saying to us ‘enough with the excuses. I created you to honor and praise Me, and I pour out my blessings on you every day so that you will force yourself to honor Me with your praises, yet you refuse’. While challenging to imagine a God who reaches a frustration stage with us, I believe You have every reason to. Thank You Lord for Your mercies on me, Your sacrifice for me, Your provisions for me every day, and for Your unconditional love extended to me – even when my earthly friends turn away. You are God, and beside You there is no other. Please Lord, teach us to truly love, sincerely pray, and to worship You with all our heart, soul and mind each and every day. Each day You remember to wake us up and without failing in the least, You provide so much for us to enjoy. The reasons to worship and praise You are unlimited, if we set aside earth’s distractions and concentrate on You. Lord, we love You. Please help us to show that love in meaningful ways today! AMEN!

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

The Results Of Giving

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

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-08-10
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8; 11-13;
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 7 You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. 8 And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. 
11 He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts …. 12 For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God’s people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. 13 And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else. 

APPLICATION: There are many negative ideas out there about giving to the church. So, let’s remind ourselves that ‘the church’ is considered ‘the Bride of Christ’, as referred to in Scripture. Churches are made up of sinners saved by grace, just like you, if you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Just as you find yourself doing or saying things that may not be pleasing to God, you will also find that church members, and even church leaders, sometimes fall into that same trap as well. So, remember to look at the four fingers pointing back at you when you cast judgment on the unfortunate actions or words of your fellow church members or leaders. Satan will tempt you to find excuses on why you shouldn’t give to the local church, because his job is to kill, steal and destroy the work of our Lord, especially through the local church. Be reminded that in our Scripture verses today, there were no filters offered by God on why, when or how you should refuse to give to His work. But there is a promise – if you do your part and give freely to the work of God in His church, He will bless you in your earnings and He will pour out even more blessings for you to share! Know that God has a promised accountability for His children. Scripture records how: He will crown those who have accepted Him and live according to Word; He will judge us all and will give us what we deserve; etc. He will judge those who: have disobeyed His Word; stole from His treasury; been a stumbling block to those seeking to Know Jesus; gave to His church as instructed by God; grudgingly give to the church; refuse to give to the church; meet the needs of those who need a hand up. etc. So, let’s try to get away from trying to do God’s work for Him, for He is more than adequate to be our Judge, Jury and Sentencer. We have more than enough to worry about in our own lives, much more than trying to be God in sentencing our pastor, elders, deacons, church, etc. Dear friends, each of us will appear before God to give an account of our own lives, not as a witness or tell-tale of those we’ve been watching here on earth. In giving a gift, we often prefer to have guidance on how much to give. This is also covered in the Bible – 10% of your income, is our guide. Some may ask: ‘Of my gross or net salary?’. Notice that the Bible to specifically check our conscience. This is where the Holy Spirit resides, and He will guide us to the Scriptures for our answers. The Bible tells us make our gift to God from the ‘first fruits’. In farming, that equates to the first 10% of your harvest. In a paycheck, I can only share with you what I felt God nudging me to do – 10% of the first fruits – the amount before anyone else gets anything from my income, or the gross amount of my check. Let me challenge you dear friend in reminding you that we cannot outgive God. If He said that He will multiply our harvest so that we could give even more, then He will do that, whether we give 10, 20, 30% or even more. In the Scriptures, we are told to try Him and see if He won’t bless us with more than we could handle! If my suggestion sounds outrageous, let me suggest that you have a little talk with Jesus and share with Him what your reservations are in obeying any of my above guidance. A heart dedicated to God, caring about His work in our lives and in the lives of those around us, will give willingly, freely and exceedingly. Where do you stand if you had to explain to God what’s impacting Your heart to give freely in return for all He has blessed you with? I believe that’s where our giving originates, is from a heart filled with love for God and appreciation for all He has blessed us with. As covered already, the excuses and reasons that interfere with our giving is prompted by Satan – as it opposes what is taught in God’s Word.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts! What an awesome inducement to give even more to God’s work, including to His children in need! Praise and thanksgiving will go up for us as others are blessed! Wow, no wonder we get unexpected raises!

PRAYER: Lord, we realize that there is no way that we could repay You for the many wonderful gifts that You make available to us, especially the gift of Your precious Son given for our eternal salvation. Please help us to always give thanks for the ways that You bless us, and to always share of those gifts with others in our circle of friends and family. What a joy to be reminded by Your servant, Paul, that recipients of our earthly gifts find reason to praise You, and to ask for Your continued gifts to the giver. Praise You Father, Son and Holy Spirit for invoking in us a heart of giving, in recognition of, and in celebration of the many ways that You bless us. As vessels of Your love, please teach us to be open to the ways we can give to bless your children in need, and the ongoing work of Your church. AMEN!

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

The Greatest Commandments

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-08-09
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 12:28-31
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 28 One of the teachers of religion who was standing there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 Jesus replied, “The one that says, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. 30 And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’
31 “The second is: ‘You must love others as much as yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.”

APPLICATION: It sounds like the teacher of religion was very much like us today. How often do we ask people who tend to blunder on about something ‘just cut to the chase and tell me what’s most important here’! It’s like we might try to master one thing, the most important thing, but don’t make me have to read the whole book, or listen to the whole recording, just give me a synopsis of what’s important! I believe Jesus took full advantage of this man’s question, but I found His response interesting in the following ways:
a. Jesus could have lectured all day, but when a question came from the audience, I believe that the crowd identified with the teacher and would have been very interested in the response. In our church Bible studies, we don’t want to seem stupid by asking questions, but we sure sit upright and listen intently at responses to questions from others in the class. It’s like, that person is representing us, and I want to know the answer to their question.
b. Jesus’ response identified the commandment that pertained to the One in whom Jesus placed His faith and trust. Remember Jesus said that He didn’t speak unless it was the words from His Father. Jesus didn’t know the day or the hour of His return, only God did. And although there are many other references that show the importance Jesus saw in the leadership of our Father, I believe it is important for us to take note that in all areas of life, seek God’s will and His decision – first. When we love someone, like the greatest commandment demands of us with God, we will want to run everything by them first. When we remember the awesome power and the breadth of God’s love for us, we will want to honor Him by obeying His commands.
c. Jesus really saw 2 commandments as ‘important’ to us, so He took the opportunity to tell the teacher about them both, as He considered them equal in importance: God loved us enough that He gave…. As His children, we are to imitate Him and show obedience to His commands so that our lives might reflect His character. Think about this: if God chose to love us, save us, send His Son to die for us, and prepared a home for our arrival in heaven, shouldn’t our lives reflect the same characteristics? We weren’t deserving of such love, yet we were given the status of ‘heirs to His kingdom’. Who are we to be more critical, or selective about which neighbors, coworkers, or friends to love and/or care for?
Jesus said that among all the other commandments, these two were the greatest. In Matthew 22:40 Jesus said that all other commandments hang from these two commandments. Consider these two as the ‘root commandments’ and watch how all the others could branch off from these two! So let me encourage you to work diligently at honoring God through these two commandments, and if along the way you find yourself wavering on any of the others, then go back to the root commandment and make sure you are aligned with God in obeying them first.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Praise God for His guidance in helping us get our priorities straight. Two commandments – honor these and we should find that all others fall into place!

PRAYER: Oh though so unworthy, yet I’m a child of the King! Thank You Lord for these words from an old chorus that reminds us of whose we are. Being comforted by these words, we are free to not only honor our God, but also reflect His love for us, to all that we come into contact with (our neighbors). You never questioned our background, our living conditions, our neighbors, or our pastors – You just answered our quest for eternal life and our need for forgiveness of our sin. In trying to imitate Your awesome example, please Lord, help us to be just as indiscriminate about our neighbors. No matter who they are, or from whence they came, they are our neighbor, and they deserve our love and respect. May they see Jesus in us, as we try to love them for who they are, and not what we want them to be. As they see Jesus, may they have a burning desire to know You Lord, for this is my heartfelt prayer today! AMEN!

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

The Wonderful Love of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Love of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-08-08
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 103:1-2; 11-12;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 With all my heart I praise the Lord,
and with all that I am I praise his holy name!
2 With all my heart I praise the Lord!
I will never forget how kind he has been.
11 How great is God’s love for all who worship him?
Greater than the distance between heaven and earth!
12 How far has the Lord taken our sins from us?
Farther than the distance from east to west!

APPLICATION: Unless you live in a bubble, I’m sure you are well aware that as you walk out of your homes today, you will need every ounce of strength, encouragement and wisdom to deal with the enemy and everything that he will throw at you. From backstabbing to back-biting. From jealousy to revenge. From personal attacks to paybacks. No, I’m not a prophet of doom, but instead a realist who believes the proven Word of God. Satan has no reason to be kind to you for attending worship services over the weekend, for being kind to your neighbor, and for showing love even to that person who tries hard to pull you down. So, in case you are wondering what a child of God is supposed to do in a world filled with so much hatred and sin, let me encourage you to imitate the Psalmist, obey the teachings of Jesus Christ, and learn so much about the character of God that you will beg Him to help you live just like Him. Be aware dear friend, that Satan will impress upon you that there is nothing to praise the Creator for. Please know that greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world! There is no greater love! There is no greater power! There is no one who can forgive you of your sin and ungodliness but our God! My friend, as you leave the safety and serenity of your own home and venture out to work, or complete your chores, know that you are only safe in the arms of Jesus! No one else cares like Jesus! These things that I’ve mentioned, are just examples of what you might praise God for. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. Worship Him! Sing praises to Him! Tell Him how you feel! Ask for His blessing! Anticipate His answers to your prayers! Embrace the love that He showers on you each and every day! There is no greater love, my friend! Know Him today (‘To Know Jesus’) and experience the love that the Father has for His child. Be willing and ready to pass that love along to others you will come into contact with.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God’s love is greater than the distance from heaven to earth! All other love can only be compared to the perfect love the Father has for His children!

PRAYER: It is virtually impossible to know the extent of the love the Father has for His children. We hear about it, and we experience it, but I believe that’s only a touch of the real love that You have for us Lord Jesus! We live in such a sinful and hateful world, and it is so refreshing to be reminded that there is One so much greater than anything we experience in this world. Oh, how we love You Lord, how we sing Your praises and stand in awe of your greatness. Please Lord, revive us again so that we might draw closer to You and experience the fullness of Your love. May we be so full of You today that others will experience it in and through us. Bless Your people again today and may we in turn be a blessing to others. AMEN!

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

Generous Giving

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Generous, Giving, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-08-07
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 8:7-8
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 7 You people there are leaders in so many ways—you have so much faith, so many good preachers, so much learning, so much enthusiasm, so much love for us. Now I want you to be leaders also in the spirit of cheerful giving. 8 I am not giving you an order; I am not saying you must do it, but others are eager for it. This is one way to prove that your love is real, that it goes beyond mere words.

APPLICATION: It seems like this is one of the most controversial subjects in the church world today. Some accuse the church of stealing money from its members, while some even accuse the church of charging their members to attend. My wife and I were warned not to attend a certain church, because they ‘charged a fee’ to its members to attend! However, what I was excited to hear Paul teach in 2 Corinthians 8, was that giving starts from a heart of love. You might be tempted to question this philosophy of Paul’s, because you have never heard of anyone jumping for joy as they gave their hard-earned money away. And that is the best starting place for us to examine this teaching, for Christians give from a heart of love and appreciation for all that was given for them. But your first response might be: ‘the church has never given anything to you or your family’. Friends, if a Christian gives because of what the church has done, or has given to them, then they are giving for the wrong reason. We give because God gave sacrificially of His very best to us, so that we would have the means of forgiveness of our sin, and therefore a pass into the glories of heaven. Think about it. In our homes, we give, and give and give, because of the love given to us in so many ways by family members. The same is true in our churches. Shouldn’t we also honor God by doing the same in return for His wonderful gifts to us? I believe where we go astray in our giving, is when Satan redirects our attention to church leaders who abuse funds given to the ministry; churches whose members approved expensive, fancy, church buildings over giving generously to their community in need, or to the needs that exists in the mission field. If we attended church business meetings, or if we participated in electing church leaders to handle the church budget, then WE decided on those actions mentioned. If we don’t participate in church leadership decisions, then we obviously don’t care to change anything they propose and decide on. Please allow me to suggest that you not complain, whine or be concerned about bad decisions if you chose to not participate to ensure the best decision for the sake of the Kingdom. I am convinced that ‘giving’ begins in the heart of each believer, as prompted by the Word of God, and His Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us. As in the example of our homes – as we draw close to God, feel His love and appreciate His goodness, is there anything that we wouldn’t give in return? As a responsible member of your church, is there anything that you wouldn’t encourage and vote for your church to give generously to in growing the Kingdom of God? With God as our helper, may we learn to appreciate all that He gives to us, and in return, give generously to expand His Kingdom while we remain here on this earth!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Prove your love for God in the way that you give generously to expanding His Kingdom here on earth.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving of Your very life so that we might have eternal life. Out of sacrificial love, You gave it all for us. Thank You Jesus! Please touch the heart of Your children today and help us to regain our focus on You and stop allowing Satan to distract us and steer us to live, act, speak, and respond to the wicked ways of this world. Father God, You gave us everything You had, please teach us to prioritize our giving so that our output will indicate where our love belongs. AMEN!

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

What Have You Done With God’s Messengers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOWLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-08-05
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 12:4-6
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 “The owner then sent another of his men, who received the same treatment, only worse, for his head was seriously injured. 5 The next man he sent was killed; and later, others were either beaten or killed, until 6 there was only one left—his only son. He finally sent him, thinking they would surely give him their full respect.

APPLICATION: Jesus found it important to connect with the people in simple, meaningful ways that they could identify with, even though I sometimes look at a parable and ponder its meaning, or what message Jesus could possibly have intended for His audience to receive! It is important that we realize that there is nothing we need to do to help Jesus clarify His teachings, for He was, and is, perfect in every way. So, the onus is on us to understand the message, and its meaning when the Scriptures are unclear to us. Just like us, the Pharisees thought they were always right, but that kind of thinking always causes us to close our minds to the actual truth when someone attempts to clarify something for us. The Pharisees were no different. However, today we must look at the Word of God and seek to understand its meaning and application for us and those alongside us, as we seek a word from the Master. Based on my study and research, I believe that Jesus might be challenging us to think about the earth and all its abundance that God has blessed us with. He also pointed us to a church body for spiritual enrichment and to know Him better, while also being a blessing to others. Just as in the story of the ‘Farmer’ sending ‘messengers’ to the lessors, Jesus has sent messenger after messenger to us – in the pulpit; through a men’s study group; through a Sunday School teacher; just to name a few. Some ‘messengers’ have been beaten up on, cursed at, written nasty letters to, discouraged through negative comments by us, reduced their salaries when they wouldn’t say what we told them to say from the pulpit, etc, etc. Friends, in John 3:16 we are told that God also sent His very own Son (as His messenger) into the world to save us from our sin. Many have also rejected Him, much like they’ve done with His other messengers (pastors, teachers, disciples, elders, deacons, evangelists, etc) He sent to share the Good News with us. How much more of this do you think that God will tolerate? He already has a place prepared and ready for those who accept Him and His messengers. The alternative is damnation in a place called Hell, where Satan is awaiting your arrival so he could kill, steal and destroy your soul. The choice seems obvious to me, but unless you individually and deliberately accept the Lord and surrender your life to Him, then your destination is set in stone. My reason for writing these blogs is to help you avoid eternal disaster, my friend. Please read my Footnote – especially the content behind the link ‘To Know Jesus’. I have provided Scripture that will confirm what I wrote above, and it will direct you to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He alone has the key to eternal life in heaven with He and the Father. Please don’t mistreat and/or kill the messengers, accept the chief Farmer – my Lord and Savior.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God sent us His only Son as the answer to all of life’s dilemmas. He alone is the ONLY way to eternal life with the God who created us and have a home prepared for our eternity.

PRAYER: Thank You Heavenly Father for Your amazing grace, and Your consideration in providing a means for us to avoid Hell, and instead join with the angels in sweet accord around the feet of You and the Father in Heaven. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that my fellow family and friends are very similar to the folk You ministered to in today’s Scripture, for many today tend to feel like there is more to the joys of this earth than anything that could be offered in Heaven. Please forgive us Lord when we allow Satan to convince us of his lies. Touch the hearts of those reading or listening to this devotional. Please open their eyes to the truth of the everlasting hope that could be theirs, if only they would accept You as Lord. Make our ministry today an avenue for sharing Your Good News with one who is still doubting the glories of Heaven and/or the One who could get us there. AMEN!

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

A Blameless Life

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-08-04
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 101:1-2
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 I will sing of your love and justice, Lord. I will praise you with songs. 2 I will be careful to live a blameless life – when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

APPLICATION: As I read the Psalm this morning, God directed my attention to, what I believe to be, several important things that He wanted me to derive, apply to my life, and sets my sights on, for His glory. I pray that as I share my insight from God, you will also be looking for what God has to say to you today:
-*- Lift up the name of Jesus above everything else and all other circumstances (vs 1) – We already know that God loves us, and because of that love, He desires to see us succeed in everything He assigns to us. So, we should willingly lift up the name of Jesus before we approach Him with our petitions, AND after we receive our marching orders, or our instructions;
-*- Live a blameless life (vs 2) – I believe this is a life so filled with obedience, and imitating the life exampled before us by Jesus, that no one – not even Jesus, would see the need to correct us or call us hypocritical. Can we achieve this on our own? No, for the forces of evil become stronger around us when we seek to follow our Lord. Therefore, we must do like the Psalmist did in vs 2, plead with God to help us be the man/woman that He desires to work miraculously through;
-*- Start in your home (vs 2)- We should remember that Jesus found that He was not accepted in His own hometown. We too might find this as our greatest challenge. The reason for this is that we could easily fool those on the outside, but our family sees the good, bad, and indifferent about us through various phases of our life and/or circumstances that challenge us. Let’s strive for perfection in Jesus’ name among our close family first. As we succeed in our homes, our family will be more apt to support our efforts in the world;
-*- Avoid those things that tend to trip us up (vs 3-5) – David listed some things that really affected him and caused lingering effects, and I bet you and I could probably add a number of things to David’s list. Perhaps we too should decide in ourselves that we WILL refuse to go certain places, see certain things, hear persistent filthy and negative things, etc, etc. David used great suggestive words that would help us in our determination – refuse, hate, reject, not tolerate.
Let’s be determined in our heart to live a blameless life. I am convinced that when we decide to turn things around in our life for the good of the kingdom, the Holy Spirit will kick into high gear in helping us, strengthening our determination, all to help us live up to our desire to be more like Jesus. In using the theme of Romans 12:18, determine in yourself that ‘In as much as it depends on me, each day I will live a blameless life for Christ, God being my helper’!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Although impossible through our own power, the Holy Spirit can help us live a blameless life – one that is approved and pleasing to our Master!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank You for miraculously touching my life and drawing me unto Yourself. My readers and listeners are fighting the evil one on every side as he strives to pull Your children away from the righteous life You have demonstrated before us. Please embolden us to stand firm in our faith and determined in our heart to live our lives like we discern from Your teachings and Your example while here on earth. Please allow our lives to be affirmation to our unsaved loved ones, that greater is He that in in us, than he that is in the world. Use us for Your glory oh Lord! AMEN!

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

Let God Be The Father He Wants To Be

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, The Father's Love, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-08-
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 6:16-18
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 16 …We are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.

APPLICATION: There is a type of tug-of-war that occurs in marriages, and even in business partnerships, when each partner comes from varied backgrounds and cultures; believes in principles that oppose those of their partner; and they are unwilling to compromise on their beliefs. Especially for marriages, it is best to work out these differences, or at least come to a point of understanding, before committing to marriage. The exact same thing happens when we surrender lordship of our lives to the Lord Jesus. We approach Christendom after having lived a life where anything goes and is encouraged. Fortunately, God in His infinite wisdom, knew that we were not good at handling complete freedom of choice, because He saw the overcrowding of our prisons, the abusive relationships, the lack of love and respect shown one to another, and our total disregard for our Maker. So, God provided us His Book of Instruction, better known as The Bible. Our lesson today is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ when it comes to God’s instruction, for we can find in His Word, answers to all of life’s questions, and direction in all of life’s dilemmas. Besides the reminders of God’s infinite love, and the power and wisdom of the Creator of this whole world, the next most important thing to remember is that God placed His Holy Spirit to live in us and to be a constant reminder of the God we serve. Wherever we go, the Holy Spirit goes with us; whatever we say, the Holy Spirit hears us and encourages us towards an attitude of Jesus Christ. So, when we try to partner up with an unbeliever, we are placing the Holy Spirit into an awkward situation, for He is God, and He will not stand for Satan’s tactics and sinful attitudes. Furthermore, shouldn’t we expect the Holy Spirit to be extremely upset when we move in a direction completely opposed to what He was assigned to lead us towards? Can you imagine how you would feel if you saw your child heading into a very disturbing, evil and compromising situation that totally opposes everything you ever taught them? Friends, our verses today demands that we come out from the world and its evil practices. If the world sees nothing distinctive in you and in your righteous behavior, then it may be time to have a little talk with Jesus and ask Him to again point out your faults and shortcomings as His child. I believe that the world will respect the person who stands firm in their beliefs, for they will know that you are serious about your God. I will be your Father, says our God in verse 18. He is worthy of that honorable title, but can you be counted as His daughter, or His son? Ultimate peace is achieved when Jesus Christ is at the helm of our lives, leading, direction and blessing us. Won’t you let Him be Lord, dear friend?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God will take us where He is at, if we come out from among the world and stand firm in our relationship with Him

PRAYER: Forgive us Lord for trying so hard to please others, often those who have their values aligned with the world. Please know that today we avow to not only seek You in our times of trouble, but to always focus our attention on You and seek to follow Your teachings and Your example in everything we do or say. Please continue to support us as we separate ourselves from the world and stand firm on the sold Rock – Jesus our Lord. Forgive us Lord for the times we have tried to relax our guard in an effort to be accepted by the world. This has gained us nothing but heartaches, and we regret our weaknesses and lack of effort to remain strong in our faith. please be our strength and our every-day Guide to live just like You exampled before us, so that others will see and hear You, and believe in You as their Savior and Lord. AMEN!

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

Ask God First And Wait For His Response

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Ask and Receive, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Submission, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-08-02
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 14:36-39
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 36 …Saul said, “Let’s chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them.”
“Fine!” his men replied. “Do as you think best.”
But the priest said, “Let’s ask God first.”
37 So Saul asked God, “Shall we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?” But the Lord made no reply all night. 38 Then Saul said to the leaders, “Something’s wrong! We must find out what sin was committed today. 39 I vow by the name of the God who saved Israel that though the sinner be my own son Jonathan, he shall surely die!”

APPLICATION: I love the accountability of those close to Saul in reminding him to turn to God before making his decisions. This is an awesome reminder for those who love and respect other – that they will see those things that we tend to overlook, and that are for our own good – remind them Lord to always remind us and make us accountable to God. I’ve had friends contact me in the past and asked me to be an accountability partner, but they were looking for one who would be honest and frank with them. What a joy it is to help someone in their path to closeness with God! Another part of this Scripture that caught my attention, is the fact that Saul expected an answer from God, and he wouldn’t walk away without knowing why there wasn’t an answer. Based on his knowledge and past experience with God, Saul knew that he would normally hear from God. Do you have such a relationship with God? I remember an elderly church member who prayed so sincerely for my injured arm that when she approached me the following Sunday and I was still having pain, she was befuddled about what must have happened. She had prayed for me, and she was confident that God would answer her prayer. Isn’t it rewarding that we could approach the throne of God and ask anything of the Creator of this Universe? Are you catching a glimpse of the awesome power available to the child of God? Now, one of the things that I’m glad that God chose to permit in His Word, is the silly oath that Saul made. I admit that Saul was extremely confident in the power of God, but to bet his life, or that of his son’s, on the lack of response from God, seemed way overboard. We can have all the confidence that’s humanly possible in our God, but to say like some, that ‘you would put your head on a chopping block’, or like Saul, that he or his son would die if they blocked the decision of God, is beyond reasonable, at least in my sight. Friends, we have tremendous insights into what a true and sincere relationship with God looks like. Adding the extra oaths like we do to convince mankind, is not necessary with God. Let our yes be yes, and our no be no. God knows what we say, and He even knows our heart and our thoughts. Any oaths we make is for the good of our fellow man, not for God. Notice that Saul waited for God’s response before continuing with the next step for he and his army. Oh that God will give us the wisdom and the commitment to always do the same.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In our relationship with God, I am overjoyed that we can wait for, and receive, His response to our prayers BEFORE we move forward on our own and mess things up!

PRAYER: Loving Jesus, thank You for who You are and for all that You are to Your children. Please help us to never attempt to move forward in our own power, especially with such limited wisdom and knowledge about tomorrow. Lord, I pray that after being reminded of the experience of Saul, every reader and listener will have a deeper desire to seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and ALL these gifts, wisdom and decisions, will be given to us. You alone are God, and we are nothing compared to You – powerless and dumb to the plans You have for us. Please help us to live in the light of eternity, and to always depend on You for all things. Please touch the hearts and lives of those who are seeking for the Savior today. Oh that they will find, accept and obey Jesus. AMEN!

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

How To Exchange Your Body For A New One

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

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-07-31
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 5:1; 4-5;
TRANSLATION: New Life Version (NLV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Our body is like a house we live in here on earth. When it is destroyed, we know that God has another body for us in heaven. The new one will not be made by human hands as a house is made. This body will last forever. …
4 While we are in this body, we cry inside ourselves because things are hard for us. It is not that we want to die. Instead, we want to live in our new bodies. We want this dying body to be changed into a living body that lasts forever. 5 It is God Who has made us ready for this change. He has given us His Spirit to show us what He has for us.

APPLICATION: It has been a while since I became so excited about a passage of Scripture, as I did with the first 10 verses of 2 Corinthians 5. In general, the Word of God is exciting, because it’s God’s direction; His comfort; His encouragement and His wisdom given to us. As a child of God, there are times when His Word speaks precisely to our heart, soul and mind, because it meets our need right where we are, at that time. This is one of those cases. I’m sure that I’m not alone in seeing: the brevity of life here on earth; the fragile bodies in which we live and how easily they are affected by diseases like Covid, Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, and many other new diseases that seem to surface these days. No doubt you have lost loved ones, at what seems like extremely immature ages, and you might also be burdened by the pain of seeing loved ones suffer uncontrollably without good medical help, or even good answers in sight. But isn’t it super encouraging to hear the Holy Spirit remind us through Paul, that God will ditch this old, malfunctioning body and give us a brand new one? Friends, you might remember that whenever you traded in your old car for a new one, there were no more breakdowns; no more worn out tires; no more doubt about making it to your long distance location safely; for the old, worn out car was left with the dealer and all things are now new! That’s what I am excited to be reminded of today when I think of my God and the place He has prepared for me in Heaven! I trust that as you are reminded of this Scripture, and as you reflect on the idea of having a total replacement – made perfectly in God’s image, you will look deep inside and examine your state of readiness. For you see, God is quite the gentleman. If you chose to ignore Him here on earth, I believe you are aware that God will continue to, sadly, honor that in death. Seeing that you still have breath and the mental ability to read this devotional, please consider surrendering your life to Jesus immediately. Friends I know many who have died way sooner that the world seems to recognize as a ‘full life’. But be reminded that the world played no part in your creation, nor will they have a say in your resurrection. God alone is responsible for both acts. Enjoy the love, forgiveness and power of our Lord Jesus today and have peace about where you will spend eternity. No decision to know Jesus, leads to eternity in Hell with Satan and his demons. Eternal salvation through Jesus Christ results in the peace of eternity in heaven with Jesus and the Father (God).

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We’ve been promised a new body made and perfected by God that will last for all eternity. To know Jesus personally is our assurance of receiving this new body and the home prepared for us in heaven. Praise to our ever-living and glorious Savior, Jesus Christ!

PRAYER: Lord, You alone are God. You created this world, You created us, and You have created heaven for those of us that have accepted Your Son as Lord and Savior. Search me Lord, and know my heart. Please speak gently, but firmly, to the hearts of those who will read this devotional and continue to postpone their decision to accept You as Lord. Please create in them a new heart and a strong desire to make their heart right with You TODAY, before it is eternally too late. Draw them to Yourself more deliberately than You have ever done before. May today be a day of salvation for many, oh Lord. For those who know You personally, may we life up our hearts in glorious song as we worship and adore You today as Lord, King, Master and as Everlasting Father! AMEN!

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