Why You Should Trust God

On 2022-04-022022-04-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-04-02
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 23:19
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁹God is not a man;
    he will not lie.
God is not a human being;
    his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something,
    then he will do it.
If he makes a promise,
    then he will do what he promised.

APPLICATION: Balaam was invited to spend some time with a very powerful king – Balak, even though Balaam would not commit to do what Balak was inviting him to do – curse the Israelites. As a committed child of the most high God, Balaam would only commit to the king that he would obey instructions from his Master, the God of all gods. Knowing his experience with other subjects in his kingdom, Balak felt like he could take his chances with Balaam, because he would probably change his mind when he experienced being under the king’s care, just like others did in the past. Now let us pause for just a moment and consider where our weaknesses are, and what we may have done if invited by the King/President/Queen/Prime Minister of our country. I wonder! First, there will probably be pride to deal with, because we hardly ever hear of someone being invited to participate with, or give advice to, the king. Second, we will need to overcome the thought of trying to impress the king. Often we will cross over most borders in order to impress a person in authority. Thirdly, might be the desire to exaggerate, or perhaps lie, to gain favor with the king, for we feel like he must know that we are the best available to him! I would suggest that you read the full chapter 23 so that you could see the context which our focal verse derives from. You will quickly see that Balaam did none of the above. He was up front with the king, and he followed his initial words during his full encounter with the king. But I want us all to fully see and understand the reason Balaam gave for trusting God. Remember, his aim was probably to help the king understand more about the King of the Universe, the One he called Master; God; eternal Father, etc. No doubt Balaam felt the king may have seen how people lied to get their own way, so Balaam started by telling the king that God is not a man and He never lies. In man’s eyes, one could easily assume, based on previous experience, that man will say what he wants to get what he wants. Balaam assured the king that God is not like that, and he would never change what He has already committed to. Normally mankind will try to affirm his message by promising something attractive. This is not needed by God, for His promises are true and He gives us no reason to doubt his promises. Friends, our God hasn’t changed. He’s still very much like Balaam described. He is faithful and true to all that He has promised us, including the plans He has for our eternal home. As we aim to mirror the life of our Father and His Son, we must strive for the same perfection Balaam saw in God. How are you doing with that? Let us place our faith and trust in Jesus our Lord, and seek to obey His commands and follow His example so that the world might see, and believe.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God is still uniquely God. We can trust in Him to be who He said He is, and we can depend on Him to help us be His example here on earth!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for setting the perfect example for us. Please give us strength and boldness to strive everyday to follow in Your footsteps. Others are searching for the God who can make a difference in their lives. May it be so evident in our life that family and friends will see and believe to a point of accepting You as Lord. Balaam was true to You, and we want to do the same. Please embolden us each and every day to stand tall and be committed to being just like our 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!

What Ya Gonna Do When They Come for You?

On 2022-04-012022-04-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Witness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-04-01
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 56:3-4; 9-11;
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: ³When I am afraid, O Lord Almighty, I put my trust in you.
⁴I trust in God and am not afraid; I praise him for what he has promised. What can a mere human being do to me?
⁹The day I call to you, my enemies will be turned back. I know this: God is on my side— ¹⁰ the Lord, whose promises I praise. ¹¹In him I trust, and I will not be afraid. What can a mere human being do to me?

APPLICATION: Certain movies will cause us to think that there is someone lurking at every window, or around every corner to jump out on us and steal our joy. So I believe that many of us can identify with how David may have felt when Saul sent the best of his detectives and guards in search of him, to kill him. However, an awesome lesson reveals itself in David’s reaction: he was on such a solid footing with his Lord and Savior, that he merely looked at his trials here on earth as being minute and very insignificant. ‘Who is man that I should be mindful of what he could do to me, when I am a child of the King, and cared for by His army of angels that will protect me?’ I believe that was the jest of what David said. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could have the faith to respond in like form to that of David? Often we are consumed with how we might seek revenge on a person, or group, who seems out to ‘get us’. ‘Revenge is mine’ says the Lord, and I am convinced that He don’t need our help! Doesn’t this all come together to help us better understand other scripture so well, such as ‘turn the other cheek’? But friends, let us not just look at this as an awesome illustration, although it is. We still face many challenges that sometimes make us wonder why would the world hate us so much as to tell lies on us; seek revenge on us, even though our belief system is just opposite to what they seem to believe or are trying to achieve? Steal from us, even though we worked diligently for years to build up our farms or our business? Shut us down, even though we earned our income honestly and was able to save a few dollars because of many sacrifices? Let us always remember dear ones that what God has given to us, no one can take away. As David said it ‘what on earth can mere man do to us?’. Let’s remember the words of Paul in the New Testament – for me to live is Christ, (meaning that he would continue to spread the good news of Jesus Christ) but to die is gain (meaning that should Jesus call him home to glory, what an amazing joy that will be for he would be in the presence of his Savior and the Father Himself. My friends, that’s what the Christian considers ‘gain’! Some may say I don’t just get even with my enemies, I get ahead. I want to say like David intimated: I have nothing to fear knowing that God is on my side – the challenges of mere man is nothing to worry about!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: I trust in God and I am not afraid!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for saving my soul and for making me whole through Your precious blood that You shed on Calvary. Because I am Yours and You are mine, I have nothing to fear because of any threat by mere man. Please continue to open my heart and mind to Your truths and assurances, for I always want to sing ‘On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand’! Praise God You are my Rock! So there is nothing to fear from mere man! May others be encouraged to also seek an intimate relationship with You because of the proof they may have seen in me. AMEN!

Your Actions Reflect Your Master

On 2022-03-312022-03-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-31
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 6:11-14
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹¹So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to him, through Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹²Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. ¹³Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God—every part of you—for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes. ¹⁴Sin need never again be your master…

APPLICATION: From a very young age I was taught that salvation is likened to what we think about with a 180 degree turn. In other words, prior to receiving Christ, we lived our life in submission to our sin nature. We were sinners destined for eternity in Hell, so we spoke like the world, and we acted much like everything we understand about Satan. Upon receiving Jesus as our Savior, we committed to making a u-turn and no longer live like Satan, but instead imitate Jesus – our new Master, until He returns to take us home to glory. Paul saw the need for today’s lesson, because he could see that many believers continued to allow their previous master access to their lives. In other words, they ‘sat on the fence of indecision’. Claiming Jesus as Savior, but acting and speaking like they always did – imitating Satan. To understand the mystery of this strange behavior, let’s look in on how a well educated man acts. They don’t go around pretending to be unlearned, because of the new knowledge they gained. Think about the rich man. Seldom do we see such a man sitting on the corner begging for food or any other handout from a passerby. Why then would believers in Jesus Christ allow themselves to continue serving their old master, when they have access to the King of all kings? Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul gives us an awesome tip today – Satan no longer has a grip on us! Because of Jesus, sin no longer has power over us! The Bible goes on to also remind us that ‘Greater is He that is in us (the Holy Spirit), than he that is in the world (Satan)’. So if I might add an additional tip, I would suggest that you, the believer in Jesus Christ, print out the following verses: Galatians 5:19-26 and any time you see any of the actions mentioned in vs 19-21 sneaking into your mind or your actions, drop to the knee before our Holy and Righteous God and seek His help to get you back on track serving Him, honoring Him, living like He did and like He commanded. Let’s learn to live like our Master – THE Master of heaven and all eternity. Let’s stop confusing those we want to witness to by sitting on the fence and also letting Satan have his way. As indicated in vs 14: ‘Sin need never be our master again!’

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For the Child of Christ, we have a new Master, and there is no need for sin to ever have power over us again! Praise to our wonderful and merciful Savior!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have provided everything that we need to live a holy and righteous life. You have power over the evil one, so as long as we make it our goal and desire to serve only You, I believe You will honor our desire to rid ourselves of everything that might appear unholy or unrighteous. Please take the reins of our life dear Lord and give us strength and boldness to step forth as Your representative so that the world might see and believe. Please impress upon us the need to never look back, but to always praise You as we look full into Your wonderful face each and every day. Touch the hardened heart of the unbeliever today, especially those who may read this devotional. AMEN!

Free From The Power of Sin

On 2022-03-302022-03-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Easter, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-03-30
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 6:20-23
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²²But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

APPLICATION: Paul found that believers need reminding of the world from which they came. This might be extremely troubling top some, because it makes them ashamed and they don’t even want to think about it. However, as we ponder our past, it serves to remind the Christian of where our neighbors, family and friends might be at in their lives, and therefore gives us a deeper desire to share the Word of God with them. Friends, in verse 21 we are told that the end for the unbeliever is eternal doom. Is that what we want for those we love? I pray that this lesson today may be a reminder that time is short before the Lord returns to take His church home to glory. We have friends and family who are destined for hell – eternal doom; are we OK with that? Easter is right around the corner and we will once again be reminded of the new life we have in our risen Lord. I pray that this will give reason for us to carefully and sincerely pray for those who are still deeply involved in sin and struggling to see the light and hope that we have in the glory of Easter and our risen Lord. This is a great time to encourage our loved ones to attend church with us, so let’s show them that we care, and pray earnestly for them that God will open their hearts to hear the truths of His Word. In self-preparation, let us examine our hearts and insure that The Light of the risen, living, all powerful God is evident in our lives every day. Perhaps as family and friends see Christ in action through us, they will desire even more to accept Him and allow Him to change their destiny!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Because of the free gift of eternal life, we can shout and sing of the glories of our Lord and King!

PRAYER: Lord, in the same way that we would be seriously upset over a neighbor or some other friend perishing in a fire, please make us just as desperate and upset in knowing that they have not accepted You as their Lord and Savior, for both lead to death. Please help us to always celebrate our risen Lord, and because of Your love for Your children, help us to strive to encourage others to accept and know You personally. Please make us ever mindful of the new life the sinner has in knowing You as personal Lord and Savior. May this inspire us to make every effort to rescue our unbelieving friends and family who are lost in the darkness of sin, and need You as their Risen Savior. Help us to live victorious lives through which You may be glorified! AMEN!

No Small Thing To Serve The Living God

On 2022-03-292022-03-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Servants of God, Serve, Service, The Church, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-03-29
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 16:9
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near him so you can serve in the Lord’s Tabernacle…

APPLICATION: There have been times where I have accepted positions of service in the local church because, from all indications, there just appeared to be no one else capable, or willing, to serve in that position. That might be hard for some to believe, especially those who might struggle to identify the struggles that small churches face. In the case of the early church, God had assigned a special class of people called the Levites to perform all duties related to the church. This may seem unreal to some, but considering the importance of the church, no doubt God wanted to make sure that it received particular attention because of the organization and diligence of designated men. This same thing occurs every time your church doors are opened. There are designated people who keep the building and grounds clean, and looking its very best. It can only be that way if these men and women feel the value placed on them as workers for the kingdom, and when they recognize His Sanctuary as the place where His children meet and worship the King of all kings. Additionally there are workers who ready the building for occupancy – lights, air conditioning, etc. Some workers will come to pray about the services and discipleship classes that will occur, while some will come to welcome and direct everyone to their classes or to the sanctuary. Please note that these are not positions designated in God’s Word, but they are probably in place as ordered by church leaders, and they serve the purpose of making it possible and inviting for worshippers to attend and meet with God. Whether you fill any of the aforementioned jobs, or if you teach, preach, or hold an administrative job, notice that God does not consider any efforts to promote His church as insignificant. Therefore, let me encourage you to complete your work as if your specific job helped to lead someone to a personal relationship with the Lord that day you served. I once had a pastor who practiced at each baptism, having everyone stand who had any impact on the candidate’s life. Think about that, you may only have invited them through the doors, but because of your warm smile or encouraging word, they kept coming back. You may have prayed for them, or taught them in Sunday School, but each and every thing done in the name of Jesus will be considered on that day when you meet your Master. I long to hear His welcome and his pat on the back as He tells me ‘well done good and faithful servant. You excelled in the little things I led you to do on earth, now enjoy your rewards and the greater things of heaven!’ Remember, anything you do in God’s service should be done for His honor and His glory alone, so never feel forced into doing something, but in whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For the believer in Jesus Christ, do everything as unto the Lord. He will bless and direct your paths, for His name’s sake!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for opportunities to do Your work while here on earth. Please help us to never take on a task feeling like it was forced on us or because there was no one else who would do it. Lord, You sacrificed Your very life to facilitate the forgiveness of our sin. There is nothing too big, or too laborious for us as we seek to serve You and invite others into Your kingdom. Use each reader or listener for Your rich service here on earth. May the church be the church just as you designed it to be, and may You be glorified in everything we do. AMEN!

The Value of God’s Law

On 2022-03-282022-03-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, God’s Word, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-03-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 3:2-4
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ²….. First of all, God trusted them with his laws so that they could know and do his will. ³True, some of them were unfaithful, but just because they broke their promises to God, does that mean God will break his promises? ⁴Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is not. Do you remember what the book of Psalms says about this? That God’s words will always prove true and right, no matter who questions them.

APPLICATION: Most churches will show you from their bylaws that they were formed because of various Scripture passages that spoke to the hearts of their founding fathers. Hopefully many of us surrendered our hearts to the lordship of Jesus Christ, because of various Scripture verses that spoke to us and resulted in Jesus calling us to repentance. So when we hear grumblings about our respective churches – sometimes because a church member or leader was weakened by sin, do you suppose that does anything towards weakening the church, that God built with His hands and promised to bless it? How does it impact your walk with the Lord, dear Christian? Yet we often hear that a good friend will not attend a certain church if Mr. X still goes there, or we might hear that someone’s children is not allowed to associate with Mr. X’s kids because of what he did 15 years ago. Friends, I’m afraid that these types of silly things like I mentioned, happens all too often. Is it not obvious that we take our eyes off the one thing that is constant and forever true, and instead allow the weaknesses of one another to interfere with our walk with the Lord? May I remind you that in another part of the Bible, we are told to pull up alongside that Brother or Sister who has sinned, and try to help them overcome their challenges, for one day we might be in the same weakened position and need a helping hand. The basic truth that I pray God will give us for a takeaway today, is that His Word never fails, even if we do, or our neighbor next door does. So may I encourage you to stand on the promises of God, not the weaknesses of mankind. Be reminded that although a fellow church member may have shifted their friendship to someone else, you can still stand firm in the fact that Jesus said that He will never leave us alone, and that His love endures right up until the end of time. Those are the facts that you can trust, dear friends! Everything else that happens between humans are merely incidental, or can be viewed as opportunities for you to minister to them, with the help and leadership of the One who promised to love them in spite of their mistakes.

PRAYER: In deepest appreciation and love, I am overjoyed and honored to pray to the Creator of this universe. In fact to the One who created every human being, and promised to love us until the very end – no conditions. Lord may each one reading this devotional today recommit themselves to a direct relationship with You – the only One that has promised to stick closer than a brother, and love us unconditionally until the very end. As we do that, please help us to ignore the ‘white noise’ of Satan and his cohorts who try every day to distract our relationship with You. Teach us to be the image of Jesus to this cruel world, while keeping our eyes fixed on You and Your unrelenting love for us. I love You Lord, and I lift my voice, heart and song to You in praise this day, AMEN!

Afraid To Criticize God’s Faithful Servant

On 2022-03-262022-03-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-03-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 12:3; 7-9
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: ³(Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth.)
⁷… this is not the way I treat my servant Moses. He is the most faithful person in my household. ⁸I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of the Lord. Why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moses?”
⁹The Lord was angry with them, so he left.

APPLICATION: I am challenged every time I read this particular Scripture, for most Bible translations include verse 3. That helps us to understand why God placed so much faith in Moses and his will to obey Him, even under circumstances where Moses could clearly see that his leadership placed he and his people against what appeared to be, life-challenging barriers. The Red Sea; The lack of water; No food; No trained soldiers to fight Pharaoh’s oncoming army; No meat; etc. etc. It appears like Moses was pliable and never fought to have his own way, for he was considered to be ‘the most humble man on earth’! Wow, what an honorable characteristic to be known by! This might be a good time to pause and consider the words that might be used to characterize you. Will it be God-honoring? Will it be any different coming from your intimate family, than from your peers in the workplace? Whatever it is, I trust that you will be able to follow the example of Moses in verse 13, for he pled with God to heal his sister, Miriam, of the disease God had imposed on her as her punishment. But what really led me to write this devotional today is verse 8 above, for God challenged Moses’ siblings on why they would even entertain the thought of speaking against their brother – His invaluable servant. Of course, the Holy Spirit dealt with me on this, and I believe He will also challenge you to think about the individuals that often anger us. We just have so many suggestions on how they might do better. Think about:
-*- Your Spouse – you agreed before a pastor/priest/notary that since he or she was a gift from God, you would love them and care for them until separated in death. As you fight and battle with them, aren’t you also saying that perhaps God made a mistake in giving them to you?
-*- Your Pastor – You prayed and prayed with your church elders that God would bless your church with just the right man He had prepared years before to win the hearts of your community. After just a short stint on the field, you are questioning whether your pastor is saved, much less ever trained for the pastorate! You fall asleep during his sermons and you are embarrassed to hear him counsel others. Over and repeatedly you question whether you truly received a word from God on voting for this pastor. Friends, it may be time to search inside your own heart, for it is not your job to question God on who He placed in your midst. God said that He could even use stones, if you refuse to honor Him in your praises. Don’t you know that He could also speak through a man standing before you, looking to God for the right message to speak to your heart?
Those are just two examples to consider dear friends. I’m sure that others have crossed your mind as you meditated on my thoughts. When you consider the giver of these good people in your life, I would ask the same question that God asked Miriam and Aaron: ‘Why weren’t you afraid to criticize them?’ Another translation read something like this: ‘how dare you criticize my humble servant – the one I put in place for a time such as this’? God brought punishment on Miriam and Aaron for their sin. God, please bless us, forgive us, and drive us towards righteous living, filled with words and actions that may be pleasing to You, and never condemning towards a Brother or a Sister.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Because of his obedience and humbleness, God protected His servant throughout his leadership of the Israelites. I have no doubt that God will do the same for us!

PRAYER: Thank You for Your watchful eye on us, Your children, Lord! It is so easy to be sucked into criticizing others – even those ordained, blessed and guided by You. Please help us to look at all that You have blessed them with, and all the good You are able to accomplish through them. Block our ears from the noise of the adversary as he tries to pull down those whom You bless, and those who You use to reach the loss. Please teach us to lift up and not tear down; praise and not complain; bless and not curse. Also teach us to accept Your leadership in all aspects of life, and in knowing that all that You place among us will serve as Your hands and feet to a lost and dying world. AMEN!

How To Be Considered ‘Righteous’ By God

On 2022-03-252022-03-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Righteous, Righteousness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 4:20-25
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. ²¹He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. ²²And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. ²³And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded ²⁴for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

APPLICATION: On the basis of our Scripture, if you believe Jesus was raised from the dead, you are exercising the same quality of faith as did Abraham—a hero of faith. Think about that – at age 86, Abraham was informed by God that he would have a child later in life! Sounds almost like a joke to us today, right? But like Mary did when she was told she would be the mother of Jesus, Abraham just pondered these things in his mind. My friends, if God says it, we could believe it! Think about the pressure you might be under at this time, or the problems you might be facing, they’re nothing in comparison to the incredible faith you have already demonstrated in and through the precious name of Jesus Christ. Once a believer grasps the fact that he’s already done the hard stuff—that his belief in the Resurrection sets him apart as a hero of faith—then any other pressure or problem is a piece of cake, minute in comparison to the fact that he has already embraced the victories of the impossible. Now, if you’re a believer, your faith and salvation are based upon the Resurrection. You didn’t see it visually. You haven’t touched Jesus physically. You haven’t heard His voice audibly—but somehow you believe it. And, even though our culture mocks it, science disputes it, people doubt it—because God has graced you with faith to believe what the world doesn’t understand—anything else you’re struggling with is easy and stress-free. Compared to believing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it is nothing to believe in victory over whatever giant is before you, or whatever pressure is upon you! God knew from the very beginning of time, how challenging it would be for us to wrap our tiny brains around the idea of being righteous, like Abraham was righteous, and like Jesus was righteous. He gave us these two as mentors in the faith, but He also gave us His Word so that we might consider all things, to help remind us of His power, and the grace that He bestows on us each and every day. Jesus was the righteous Son of God. Abraham was considered righteous because of his faith, and so can we follow in Abraham’s footsteps because of our faith. How are you doing with that dear reader and/or listener?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: That mere man can be found ‘righteous’ before a holy and righteous God.

PRAYER: Who are we that a King would live and die for? Who are we that a Savior would consider ‘righteous’ while here on earth? What a blessed people we are, that God sent His one and only Son to die, so that we who believe on Him might live righteously as we anxiously await our heavenly home! Lord You are good, and Your mercies endures forever and forever! You worked miraculously in Abraham’s life, and You have been so gracious to us also. Thank You dear Lord! Please continue Your hand upon us so that others may see Jesus and want to know You personally. AMEN!

Observe The Faith of a Child – You Need It!

On 2022-03-242022-03-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 18:16-17
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 16-17 Then Jesus called the children over to him and said to the disciples, “Let the little children come to me! Never send them away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as trusting as these little children’s. And anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get within the Kingdom’s gates.”

APPLICATION: It is so challenging for a group of adults to sit in a room and come to a unanimous decision. Even more challenging for a group working on a project and agreeing to accomplish the necessary tasks in unity.

Jesus pointed out a few qualities that He recognized in children that, He felt are necessary even in adults. I believe we need to have a closer look at these:
- Trust: When our child was very young, we were told that it was the best time to teach her to swim, because she had not built up the fear of the water yet. I believe she had undeniable faith in her mom and the teacher and that they were keeping a very attentive and caring eye on her. Put a child on a wall and tell them to jump to you, and generally they will jump without a second thought, because they trust their mom or dad, who’s asking them to jump. You tell a child about God, and although, like us, they have never seen God, they are convinced that God is always there watching over them. Listening to a child’s prayer will blow you away, because you could easily tell how much trust they have developed in God.
- Faith: Although very similar to trust, a child’s faith seems to never waiver or fail – until they are old enough to experience the weakness of our faith! Think about this, we tell children about God before they could ever talk back to us, and they have faith to believe it, even though they have never seen Him. We tell them about Santa, and every Christmas they are excited with anticipation about him coming. Adults experience the healing touch of the Master; the safety of His protection; the wisdom of His guidance; and still we waiver in our faith when put to the test. Why?
- Love: A child’s love is innocent and unconditional. When someone shows love to an adult, we tend to wonder why, or we try to discover what their ulterior motive might be. Jesus loves us in spite of what we may have done, or who we have become. We tend to doubt when we experience that kind of love. How can we possibly humble ourselves to believe that God sent His only Son to die on a cross at Calvary so that our sins might be forgiven?

So many earthly doubts have filled our minds that it is almost impossible to believe that we could, and should, assume the characteristics of a child. But friends, we sing hymns and we hear Bible teachers and preachers say it often: have faith in God. This means that: We should easily believe that God exists, even though we have never seen Him; We should easily believe that heaven is real, even though we have never seen it; We should always believe that God loves us because He said over and over again in His Word that His love has no boundaries and that His very character forms the meaning of’LOVE’. When we approach God with things we think are impossible, we tend to believe that it is impossible with Him also. Friends, my God is the One who parted the waters of the Red Sea and the waters of the Jordan River so that His people could march across on dry land! What is it again that you feel He cannot handle for you? Is your faith where it needs to be? Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you dear friends.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: To accept the love, gifts and miracles of God, just have the faith of a little child! Sounds easy enough, right?

PRAYER: Father God, Creator of heaven and earth, all-powerful and almighty in strength and power, we exalt You and we lift up Your name on high. We come before You with thanksgiving, knowing that we serve an awesome God who loves and cares for His children. Please continue to supply our needs, so that our faith might be strengthened and secure in You Lord. Please help us to do away with adult fears and doubts and assume the characteristics of a child, so that our faith may increase and our relationship with You might be inseparable. There are so many ups and downs in life today, but deep inside we know that all things are possible with God. Lord we need You every day and in every circumstance. We need You every hour dear Lord. Thank You for Your faithfulness and love. AMEN!

Openly Honest Before God

On 2022-03-232022-03-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Honest, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-03-22
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 51:1-4
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹Look on me with a heart of mercy, O God, according to Your generous love. According to Your great compassion, wipe out every consequence of my shameful crimes. ²Thoroughly wash me, inside and out, of all my crooked deeds. Cleanse me from my sins. ³For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong, and my guilt is there, staring me in the face. ⁴It was against You, only You, that I sinned, for I have done what You say is wrong, right before Your eyes. So when You speak, You are in the right. When You judge, Your judgments are pure and true.

APPLICATION: The sin that David committed, might be considered horrific by many today. In fact, so bad that in hearing, or being reminded, of it, our outlook of this awesome writer of the majority of Psalms might become tainted. David had an affair with the wife of one of his good military men, and she became pregnant. In short, David commanded his military chief to place this husband (Uriah) on the front lines to make certain that he was killed in battle. Although David was convicted of his sin, God sent a messenger to warn David of his unforgiven sin. This Psalm documents the pain and agony that David felt about his sin, and also his encounter with God about his actions.

Instead of seeking out Uriah’s family to ask their forgiveness, David acknowledged before God that:
- He committed this offense against God, for it was God who commanded that no one should kill a precious human being that He created;
- He was miserable in his sin and needed his God to forgive him, while giving him strength to go on ministering and leading through the power of God;

Throughout our daily activities we may become aware of our sin. Has it ever occurred to you that when you committed that sin, that it was against God first and foremost? Without seeking God’s forgiveness, is it not like we have declared to God: ‘I know what you taught me, but that person deserved my anger; or, that company had way more physical items than they could ever make use of, so I knew that stealing from them would not hurt them?’ Did we ever stop to acknowledge God’s presence with us at ALL times, yes even when we do our evil deeds, or tell our lies? Is it not to Him that we owe the greatest apology of all for our sin? Friends, God not only sees our deeds, hears our lying and condemning words, but He also knows our very thoughts. Let’s be reminded today that we could never hide our sin from God. Also, in knowing God’s laws and commands, we should be reminded that when we disobey, we are sinning against Him first and foremost. Let’s learn to just be open and honest with Him right from the moment we are convicted of our sin. I believe we would be a whole lot more apt to be honest with others.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of David’s awful sin, yet in the end, God considered him a man after His own heart. Being up front with God – acknowledging His lordship and His ultimate gift of Eternal Life, will hopefully help us turn to God first when we have sinned. Only God can forgive us of our sin!

PRAYER: Thank You for teaching us through Your servant David how important it is to seek Your forgiveness when we have sinned against You. Please prick our conscience each and every day when we have disobeyed Your commands, but even more importantly, please teach us to speak and act like You did so that we may be an honest representation of You while here on earth. We need You Lord, for Satan has an army out there that is at war to win us away from our commitment to you. For the one that many read this and want to know Jesus, I pray that this will help you to see that as long as we are here on this earth, we must be on guard against the enemy. Be ready to ask God’s forgiveness when you mess up, because you sin when you disobey His commands, even if the world never recognizes it as a sin against them. Pleasing God is a key ingredient of a child of God! AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

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