How Church and City Leaders Can Work Together

On 2025-05-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Monday, May 5, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read Jeremiah 19:3-5 in your Bible, or click on it to read it online in the Living Bible (TLB).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
As I meditated on Jeremiah 19 thru 21 my eyes were opened to God’s response to the leaders of the Israelites due to the disobedience of their people, and it seemed like a parallel to what seems evident in our cities, states and country today. Think for a moment about our holy and righteous God, the One who created us to worship and adore Him. He designed us in His own image, with every intent of us thinking, acting and speaking much like He did while He was here on earth, and like He commanded in His Word. Now, for just another moment, look at the criminal acts that occur in our very own cities – our own backyard. Does it resemble in the slightest what we believe God designed us for? A recent news article was probably one of the most gruesome stories I ever remember reading in my entire life. Our people have strayed so far from God, and they have allowed such wickedness and evil thoughts in their minds, that they resort to criminal acts that way exceed anything we could imagine. But just look into your local newspaper or watch your evening news and draw your own conclusions on how many stories speak of people that come close to imitating God’s design. Friends, in our Scripture today we are reminded of what God told the leaders of the people of their day who dishonored the plan set up by God. It wasn’t pleasant at all. In fact, unbelievers might look at us believers and question us about what kind of God we serve. In our secular world, we sometimes hear men say to their rebellious sons, “just remember, I brought you into this world, and I can also take you out”. That also sounds very cruel, but isn’t that what God was threatening the Israelite leaders about for allowing their people to ignore and abuse God’s law given for His children? So in reading this Scripture today, and knowing that we still serve the same perfect God who created perfect children to carry out His will and purpose, I could only ponder how His heart must ache when He sees all that our people do today. But how will our people do better, dear friends? Thankfully, we are blessed with some very healthy churches in our communities, but I question how effective are their ministries in touching the hearts of our city leaders, or how often our pastors are given opportunity to share with our leaders how their decisions are directly leading our people astray. Most of my working career was in a community where they bragged about old days where the City Council would check with the churches before finalizing their calendar of events, so as not to interfere with the work of God in their community. What if our City Managers allowed a monthly, or even quarterly meeting where approximately 4 of our church pastors could meet with our City Council and each share about 15 minutes from the Word of God, something that God might direct them to share? Can you imagine sharing today’s Scripture with that group? What if City Council members asked Pastors to encourage their congregations to help them concentrate on certain aspects of the City so that City and Church could join forces to improve our cities? Wouldn’t this be a blessing to see us work together for the good of our people, rather than each group operating independently and therefore often reaching for totally different goals? Dear Brothers and Sisters, we go to great extents to pray for those struggling in foreign lands, but let’s not forget to first pray that God will give us clean and holy hearts, so that we might spread the love of Jesus in our own land, making us somewhat worthy to pray for the spiritual needs of those abroad.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we read in horror what transpired in the days of Jeremiah, but then we quickly realize that our situation today, in our very own cities, are just as bad as, or worse than, our ancestors to whom Jeremiah carried the message of God. You, oh Lord, is our Master and Lord, and we look to You for direction, comfort, healing, wisdom and hope. Our local residents are led in a similar way by our city leaders, but it often appears like they are making decisions without a major arm of advice – the Christian community. We say ‘in God we trust’ and we brag on our Christian forefathers, yet it seems like our leaders are operating based on a feeling of having attained perfect knowledge and untouchable wisdom of their own. We hear of atrocities in our land, but seldom do we stop to ponder if this is Your way of getting our attention because of our indecision, wickedness and disobedience. You reacted in the day of Jeremiah, so we know that You can do it again. Please oh Lord, prompt us regularly to examine our hearts and ensure our walk is in line with Your teachings and Your commands, and give us a unique boldness to share that righteousness with everyone we come into contact with. Let them see, hear and understand Jesus, as a result of their encounter with us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

Led By Righteousness or Blinded by Sin

On 2023-05-062023-05-07 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Sunday, 2023-05-07
WRITTEN AT: Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 4:18-19
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

OBSERVATION: In our Scripture, we see where Solomon was passing wisdom on to his son, just as he had gained from his father, David. Jesus said in John 1:12 that those of us who have accepted Him as Lord, we are also His children and, as such, He will lead us into all righteousness. Is there reason then for us to whine, complain and think of failure in life, if the Son of God gave us hope and opportunity for eternity with Him? Stay with me as we meditate on this important thought today!

APPLICATION: I feel like the Holy Spirit led me to remember and recognize that there is righteousness and truth in following Christ. And it is easy to understand how we fail so often and become overwhelmed in the things of this world, for we take our eyes off Jesus. If we are to be led by Jesus, then we must communicate with Him. Of course, I believe that all of you know that communication involves words and actions between at least two people. If I am to do this with you, you may ask questions of me, and expect for me to respond. If you ask me to do something that either you are commanding, or asking a favor, or strongly suggest that I do because of all the reasons you give me, then you expect me to follow your good advice. If I don’t respond in deed or in words, then you will probably doubt if I care, or if I truly listened to you, or if I want to see change. Communication with God is no different. He is looking to build a relationship with us. To begin the process, I believe He is looking for us to accept the free gift of eternal life that He sacrificially provided for us. For a personal experience, let me share that I recently spoke with an elderly lady at the church I attended. I had just seen her come through a food line, but she shared with me how she labored over making cookies for the shut-in ministry of the church. I admire people who will find ways to help, even if they couldn’t ordinarily afford to help financially. However, I know of recipients of that ministry who quite frequently trash the food given to them because the items may not be as presentable as they had hoped, or taste like the ones they make. Knowing the sacrifice made, don’t you agree with me that the recipients were very selfish and ungrateful? However, the Bible tells me that God sent His Son as an infant – a time that we actually celebrate – Christmas. This Son performed miracles and showed love to the unlovable while He was on earth. God then commanded that He die at the hands of a wicked king, so that through His death and ultimate resurrection, those who accept Him as Lord, could enjoy eternity in Heaven with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Similar to the story of the lady at my church, we see here the ultimate sacrifice made for us. Following in the steps of our Master and Lord, Solomon is telling us that we will become righteous and shine before a dark and sinful world as brightly as the midday sun! Is that something that sounds appealing to you, that you could represent the King of all kings? And that no matter how despondent the world might become, this one light of hope to those in your circle of family and friends will go a longs ways in helping them see Jesus. The reality of life is that not everyone will accept this gift, for they are determined to be as miserable in their old skin, their sin and despondency. Sadly, Solomon also shared with us what happens next for these unhappy and disobedient children also. Unfortunately they will continue to stumble, whine and complain without realizing what caused them to stumble. Don’t we see this very often in life – the folk that enjoy being miserable and who others hate to see coming towards them? There is hope my friend! Jesus stands willing and ready to accept your call for mercy and eternal life! If you are sick, most will quickly find a doctor. Today I am happy to tell you that if you are still in darkness, unbelief, doubt and despondent about life, there is a ‘doctor’ for that as well. Jesus specializes in saving such individuals from sin – if they do their part, by believing in the holy Son of God and trusting Him unconditionally, He will save you and redirect your life to live in obedience to His commands – His Word – the Bible. Help is available to you in my ‘FOOTNOTE’. Please decide today to believe on the name of Jesus – the only Son of God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Regardless of what all is going on around us, we can shine as brightly as the noonday sun, because of the Son who lives and reigns inside of us!

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for everything You have done for us to help us dig out of our lives of pain and misery here on earth. Not only can we find peace for today, but You have promised us eternal life in the glories of heaven also. Lord, I believe! Please continue to mold me into Your likeness, so that others will see and believe in the wonders of heaven and the hope that is ours. Life here on earth is very challenging, so we look forward in great expectation and wonder, for all that You will bless us with presently, and in the world to come. Please forgive us when we seem unappreciative and ungrateful, like in the above story. 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!

Personal Righteousness

On 2023-03-012023-03-01 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Righteous, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2023-03-01
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 141:3-4
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ³Guard my mouth, O Eternal One; control what I say. Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.
⁴Don’t allow my deepest desires to steer me toward doing what is wrong or associating with wicked people or joining in their wicked works or tasting any of their pleasures.

OBSERVATION: Although you could never be God, I wonder what you would want to see differently in me, or others around you! What kind of list might I create for self-correction! In being reminded of the holy and righteous God that we serve, I wonder what our list would be to better align ourselves with His righteousness? Obviously, David found himself in an environment where he could speak to God about his inadequacies. As you meditate on this today, think about where, when and how you will find peace and quiet for your time with God, so that you could truly hear Him.

APPLICATION: Not sure about you, but when considering my strengths and weaknesses, I sometimes wonder how on earth a holy and righteous God would ever consider having a relationship with me. I’ve never been to prison, or even hauled down to the Police station for questioning, but when I look at my list of things that I fall short on, it becomes frightening to think that I could ever be worthy of a perfect God’s love. I believe the difference between David and myself is that David spoke to God as one who knew every little detail about his character and his heart. It’s when we approach God about our sin, while thinking that our actions are a surprise to Him, or a disappointment that may cause Him to turn away from us. In other words, we may feel like there is something that we’ve hidden from Him, until that very moment. Is it any wonder that we shy away from wanting to be in His presence and seek His forgiveness? But somehow, I believe that David was very much at ease in speaking with God on almost any occasion and no matter where he was at. Paul exemplified similar behavior in the relationship he enjoyed with the Master, remember in prison? But notice how David zoned in on the most important parts of his body that tend to get all of us in trouble – the mouth and the heart – our desires. These things will kill the spirit in a church, cause pastors to give up their ministry out of despair, thinking that Satan is just too busy and active among the members. Unfortunately, even though church leadership may feel like the arguments and internal fighting happens behind closed doors, it is very obvious to the visitor who is spiritually led and dependent on the Holy Spirit. David had many who were out to get him as a leader. I believe that in his humble spirit, he was asking God to help him be an imitator of his Creator to even those out to break his spirit and his will. I believe it is a built-in reaction for us to snap back and say inappropriate things when others try to destroy us. Oh, for the heart of David to ask God for power to respond like He would – in love, compassion and after God’s own heart – even towards those whom Satan is leading to destroy us.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Having a heart pleasing to God, is one that is filled with His righteousness and a humbleness – a heart willing to ask for that help and strength from God. May it be so today for the one who knows Jesus as Lord and seeking to live in His righteousness. And for the one who is led by Satan, may the tug on their heart overwhelm their decision to follow Jesus, as Lord and King of their life.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, only You truly know our heart and the pull of Satan in trying to destroy Your soldiers of the cross while trying to live on this earth. I believe You designed us to be dependent on You, Lord, so please give us extra strength each day, and place within us a desire to seek Your face and Your guiding hand to help us through this life while promoting Your kingdom in every way possible. Satan has tugged at the unsaved and kept them walking down a path that’s far away from the way of the cross. It’s a heart matter for those who choose to follow in an opposite path to that which leads to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, so please consider touching the hearts of those we love and care about yet distracted by Satan. May this be the day that they sing out their need for a Savior, and may they turn from their sin and follow you with all their heart, soul and mind. AMEN!

The Lord Makes Us Victorious

On 2021-12-012021-12-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Victorious Life, Victory, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2021-12-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Samuel 8:6
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ……So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

APPLICATION: Here are some reasons why I believe David was so special to God, and possible reasons why He gave victory to David wherever he went. We could read where David sought God’s approval in all that he did, and always before he did it. There were occasions where David felt like he should proceed into battle, but before he would commit to move forward, he always sought God’s approval first. I believe that we all can agree that the most challenging thing to do once our minds are fixed on doing something, is to sit and wait. But if we would only follow David’s example, we would quickly see that he waited for God to give the word on whether to move into action, or wait. We also see many cases where God went before His servant and prepared the way for David’s success. Friends, what do you suppose would be the outcome if we were to seek the face of God, and wait for His command to move, before attempting some of the very challenging things that face us? Remember how God gave victory to David in killing the giant Philistine, while a whole army of adult men just sat around frightened to death? Remember how, through obedience to God, David again overcame the Philistine army, against all odds? In this story, the Arameans came to help king Hadadezer overcome the dreaded warrior, David. But by the time David and his awesome commander, God, got finished with that army, the Arameans had not only surrendered to David, but were actually paying tribute money to him. I believe that David became very respected, and perhaps fearful to many nations, but the only thing special about this man was the God he served, and that he allowed to rule and command his every move. So what do you suppose might be the difference with us today? We serve the same God, and He remains just as powerful as He has always been. I wonder if it’s because we have chosen to only call on God in times of dire need? I wonder if it’s because we have lost sight of a daily, intimate relationship with the God who created us and provides for our every need? I wonder if it’s because of our tendency to look in greed at what something holds in store for us, versus seeking God’s permission and His perfect will for whether we go after something because of His will for His loving children? Friends, we serve the same awesome God who gave David victory in all that he attempted, and God can do it again for us. David had an intimate relationship with God, and he wanted to make sure he pleased Him and got His approval for every decision in life. That’s the same with us! When we pull away and do what we please, I believe God waits for us to return and ask Him to fix that which we have created and/or messed up. Let’s make every effort to seek the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Then we could prepare to praise Him for our victories, as He performs His mighty works!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God blessed David and gave him victory in all aspects of life, and He could do the same for us, if we ask, and allow Him to.

PRAYER: Oh Lord Jesus, please forgive us for our hardness of heart and will. Way too often we approach the challenges of life alone and feel like we could probably handle what we could manage to see with mere human eyes. After being reminded of David’s successes through allowing Your leadership and Your awesome power to rule and lead him, I am convinced that we should be more determined than ever to allow You to lead the way for us in every aspect of life. Each day we begin with seeing only what we have planned to do. With our hand in Yours, I am convinced that we could handle that and every other challenge that comes our way. Please direct us in the path that You would have us to follow, so that You might be lifed up on earth, just as You are in heaven. We need You every minute of every day Lord. Please direct us and uphold us through every circumstance of life. No matter how off-guard we may be at some occurrences, nothing catches You by surprise. Please guide us into all righteousness, for Your name’s sake. AMEN!

Here’s What Distracts Our True Worship

On 2021-02-232021-02-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Distractions, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Righteousness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-02-23
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 15:15-20
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶Jesus then said: …. ¹⁷Don’t you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? ¹⁸But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. ¹⁹Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. ²⁰These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

OBSERVATION: Isn’t it interesting how Satan distracts us from worship to our God by placing small petty things in our way to get our attention? The Pharisees, who were the leaders of the church in Jesus’ day, were keenly aware of the disciples not washing their hands before meals, but they were blinded to the sins that kept them from a right relationship with God. Unfortunately this may apply to us still today, more than we would care to recognize. Oh that the Word of God might open our eyes today as we meditate on our Lord.

APPLICATION: As a teenager, I remember a situation where two sons of a prominent church member came to worship services one Sunday. One of the ushers immediately ridiculed the young men about their dress code not being appropriate for God’s house. There’s no telling how long parents and friends had prayed for these young men to return to church, but the ridicule pushed them further away from the church than they ever were before. How on earth would dress code prevent a person from hearing the Gospel or worshiping their Lord? If you have relatives who live by certain dietary restrictions, especially if they feel there are Biblical reasons, then you have probably been preached at for sinfully eating the wrong things. No doubt there are many other examples where people are considered ruthless sinners because they do not adhere to all of the church rules created for their ‘guidance’. Jesus found the opportunity to speak to religious leaders over an issue very similar to what we experience today. As a child I was trained to always wash my hands before coming to the table to eat, but the Pharisees took this to the extreme by making it a sin if you didn’t wash before eating. But just as in the case of the Pharisees, Jesus is very aware of what the real sin is in our lives also. Furthermore, He is teaching us in the Scriptures today, that sin against God has a serious adverse effect on our worship to the only holy and righteous God. But where does sin originate? As I read this teaching by Jesus, my mind immediately went on to think about what a person does when his heart is continually topped off with anger over certain things that he feels strongly about. I believe it would be virtually impossible for that person to respond in love, in happiness, in kindness and in a spirit of helpfulness. An angry heart invokes angry actions. You will note that Jesus used several other descriptors to help remind us that we will speak or react based on the mode of our heart. Unless we fill our hearts with the attitude and character of Jesus Christ, then we cannot except to respond like He would. Take ‘love’ for example – Jesus went willingly to the cross for you and me, even while we were still steeped in sin. When we love like Jesus did, we can do it regardless of the circumstances around us, or on what may have impacted us up to that very moment. To worship God in spirit and in truth, means that we can stand honestly before the King with no regrets, or worries, about what may have provoked us into temptation. The Psalmist asked God to create in me a clean and upright heart. Perhaps we should seek God’s face in similar fashion so that we may stand before Him in all honesty and truth, with a clean and contrite heart.

PRAYER: I believe that the only heart that is clean when it comes into the presence of our Holy God, is a heart that has been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, and one that has sought the face of Jesus for a renewed cleansing from the battle scars of this old world. So Lord, I beg of You to cleanse my heart and renew within me a right spirit, so that I may stand before You in worship without the distractions of this sinful world. Please also touch the heart of my readers so that they also might find peace in knowing You, and may they desire a renewed cleansing that would present them faultless before the King of all kings. Forgive us Lord for trying to worship You through our distractions and our sin. May we not only come face-to-face with You in holiness, but may our lives be more usable by You when clothed in Your righteousness. AMEN!

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

Right With God

On 2020-03-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Encourage, Evangelism, Faith, Faith, Genuine Faith, RighteousnessLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-03-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: 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.

OBSERVATION: No doubt, there are others who struggle with confidence in their faith, because God sure got my attention when I meditated on this scripture today! I believe it is evident that verse 24 simply states that we need to believe in God and His awesome, infinite power in much the same way that Abraham did. But we all know how challenging that is. When something happens that seem impossible to overcome, at least in our eyes, we go into distress mode and shut down, or we go ballistic. Let’s stop and really meditate on the love, power and grace of our awesome God. His Son put His life on the line for our righteousness. Let’s recognize that and savor the thought of such a sacrifice today.

APPLICATION: I believe that if you ask most folk on the street if they believe in God, they will say: ‘but of course – that’s the only explanation for all that we see around us’. So what is the difference between that kind of faith, and the kind referred to by Paul? This might explain – there was a gentleman who had confidence that he could easily walk a tight rope across the Niagara Falls, but one day he said that he would push a wheelbarrow across on the tight rope – with a person inside of it. There were a lot more people than normal who showed up to watch this new feat. A reporter walked around asking folk, who had seen him do similar feats in the past, if they believed the man was capable of this particular feat. Most of them reply positively, but when asked if they would volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow, there were a lot fewer who would agree! So did they really have faith that the man could successfully accomplish his challenge? To a degree perhaps, but they weren’t willing to put their life on the line for it! We have so much in our favor to support our faith in God, for there are so many examples in the Bible on the evidence of faith and all that it produced. Read the story of Abraham and how, in spite of being a childless father, yet he became the father of many nations because of his ‘faith’. Moses stood at the edge of the Red Sea with thousands of followers behind him and when, through faith, he followed God’s instructions, he and his people saw a way paved for them where there was no other way. There are many more examples of faith in action friends. There is no need to doubt, just listen to God and ‘BELIEVE’! I believe that many of us are living an unfulfilled life without faith. Let me explain – if we are doubting in your faith in God, how could we possibly show others the true wisdom, love and faith of the God that we serve? We must be firm in our faith in order to convince others that our faith, and our God, is real. Having this kind of faith is not just happen-chance, we must draw close to God and allow Him to draw close to us. We must exhibit our faith in God and allow Him to prove Himself to us. Let’s be consistent in meditating on His Word, and speaking with Him regularly. Let’s build and maintain a relationship with God so that we may know Him and trust Him in a personal way. When witnessing to a friend, our testimony is more valuable than gold. They may doubt what we share with them from the Old Testament, but when we tell them about what God has done in our life, how could they possibly question or doubt? So let me encourage you to meditate on those times where you have seen God at work in your life, then use them as memorials that you can reflect back on any time Satan comes knocking with his evil and deceptive ways. Also use these memorials when you speak with a friend about accepting the Lord, for those are personal times you encountered with the Lord – as real as the testimonies spoken of in the Bible, they would be from a personal experience. This will strengthen your faith friend, and it will serve to strengthen the faith of your friends as you witness to them. As always, please ask God to miraculously work in and through you as you go out to be His witness.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, there is so much evidence of Your existence, and Your handiwork, and Your mighty power – yet we doubt. Please forgive us for our lack of faith. I believe that it is impossible to win others to the kingdom, if we have trouble believing, or have little faith, in the One whom we are promoting. So Father, I come before You not telling You anything that is new to You, but simply asking that You might fill me with the confidence of Your mighty power, Your awesome love and Your miraculous works. I pray that You may work on my most inner being to help me gain the faith that I need to be a better witness for You, especially to those in my circles who are dying and going to Hell because they may not have seen real evidence of a ‘real Christian’. Please help me to turn this around in my life, and as my friends meditate on this devotional today, I pray that You may invoke Your Holy Spirit to be very active in their minds so that they too may speak to You about the needs in their lives. Please bear with, and help, us to overcome the weaknesses in our lives. Give is strength to practice our faith and lean on You like never before. This is my humble and heartfelt prayer that I ask in Your precious name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Guard My Mouth

On 2018-11-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Acknowledge God, Characteristics, Christian Living, Christian Principles, Guide me2 Comments

Saturday, 2018-11-24

Bible Reference: Psalm 142:3-4
Translation: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Bible Text: ³Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips [to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly]. ⁴Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing, Or to practice deeds of wickedness with men who plan and do evil; And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain).

OBSERVATION: No doubt David had given some thought to what may cause him to do and say some crazy, human things at times. Because it is evident in these verses today that David looked deep within to find the root cause of things that may have helped him to mess up. I believe that we do the same thing on a regular basis, therefore I feel it would be good to stop and meditate on this for a short while today.

APPLICATION: Kids who are generally good, will often be challenged to look deep within after being tempted, or drawn into bad behavior or wicked deeds, because they hear things from family or good friends like: What on earth got into you? Or: The devil got hold of you child, because you weren’t brought up to think like that, or do those things! It seems like David had an awakening like that in this moment of his life. I find it interesting that God led David to search inwardly first, and then to subsequently share with us, the following thoughts: Firstly, David asked for help with his mouth. Isn’t this something that still tend to generally get us into our deepest trouble today? I believe that, like David, we need the powerful hand of God to help us avoid the need to say something on every occasion, especially things that are not intended to build up. Often we have helpful things that we could lend to a conversation, but more often than not, we are simply trying to show off our knowledge, our worth or our value. I love the way that the Amplified version clarifies that we have a general tendency to speak thoughtlessly. Secondly David prayed that God would protect his heart from evil. Friends, from the heart, our mouths will speak! In other words, we will only speak what’s deep inside of our hearts. If we feed it filth, we will speak filthy. However, if we fill it with words of wisdom, love and compassion as exampled by Jesus Christ, then don’t you know that your words will be filled with these good things. David also wanted to make sure that he would stand firm when the wicked perform evil deeds or practice wickedness. This is probably one of the most challenging to deal with, because you could very easily be called Mr. or Mrs. ‘Goody two-shoe’, or accused of knowing it all. But to sit idly by and say nothing, might indicate your condoning of the behavior, speech or evil deed. I am convinced child of God, that if we fill ourselves with the Word and person of God, then it will overflow from our lips and through our deeds. When we see something different occurring, it is high time that we draw closer to God, so that He may wash us of our worldly tendencies and fill us with the love and person of His Son.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for working in the life of David. We come humbly before You today knowing that our hearts are impacted by this old world in much the same way that David found himself. So Lord, I pray that You might wash us clean of the evil that has rubbed off on us from this world, and that being filled with Your Holy Spirit, we might instead be a lighthouse in this world for You. Lord, may You be seen in our actions, heard through our words, and experienced by those who have given You full control of their lives. Lord, may witnessing followers of Yous have a deep impact on those who have rejected You as Lord up to this point in their lives, for this is my heart’s cry 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 could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Attributes To Help You Be Useful To God

On 2017-07-132017-07-13 By Ed AlgreenIn gifts, Gifts of The Spirit, Spiritual GiftsLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-07-13
SCRIPTURE
From:	2 Peter 1:5-8 (ERV)
Text:	⁵……do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; ⁶to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; ⁷to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. ⁸If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
OBSERVATION:
Peter started off his book by telling us how blessed we are to be called children of God. He shared that we are truly a very blessed people, and because of these blessings we should be careful to make every effort, and with the help of God, add attributes to our lives that would make us more like Jesus and useful for His service.
APPLICATION:
Wouldn’t it be a really neat thing to look around your Sunday School class, or even your church and recognize one or more of the attributes mentioned in these verses, in different folk. We hear preachers say all the time that they don’t want us to attend church services to soak and sour. But don’t you know that God’s heart would be gladdened if He saw each of us striving more and more each day to welcome one of these gifts from God and then work hard to develop and apply them to our lives? Don’t you know that we would see a reduction in gossiping, insults, ill-feelings and hatred going on in our churches? Wouldn’t it be really encouraging to see the lost flocking to our doors because they ran into a church member during the week and saw these attributes of God alive and active in their life, so they followed up by attending to see if they could also attain those same gifts from God? Friends, if the Holy Spirit is truly living inside of us and we have given Him full reign of our lives, I truly believe that He will guide us into all righteousness and to act more like God every day. When people see this, they immediately think of God. If it takes us telling the average person that we are a Christian, then I believe that very quickly they will see through our flaws or our hypocritical lifestyle. Let me encourage you to join me in striving for righteousness; faith; goodness; knowledge; self-control; patience; devotion to God; kindness and love, for as God blesses us with these attributes, we will become truly useful to Him!
PRAYER:
Lord God, You are awesome in every way. You took ‘pieces of clay’ and made them Your perfect creation, so that we might love, serve and worship You. Seeing that we are still a work in progress, these gifts that you encouraged Peter to share with us today, will only serve to draw us closer to you; be more like You in every way; plus, encourage and motivate others that we come into contact with. Strengthen us today Lord, so that we may serve You better and encourage others along the way. I ask these things, all for Your glory, 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 could 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 to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

On 2016-03-222016-03-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Love of God, Merciful Savior, Wonderful SaviorLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Nehemiah 9:29–31
Today’s Bible Text: “You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen. In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them. But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: In verse 2 of this chapter I underlined the fact that the Israelites were not only praying about their sin but also the sins of their ancestors. I thought that strange until I got down to these verses where it seems like the people were just ashamed at how their ancestors acted in response to God’s goodness to them. Friends I admire the fact that these Israelites didn’t follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, but instead they recognized God for who He was to them. Yes, in spite of being ashamed, yet they knew that God loved their ancestors anyway, as He did not destroy them all. I love the ending sentence, that in spite of everything bad that had gone down, yet God’s love shone through – “What a gracious and merciful God You are”. Friends, that’s the kind of God that we serve! There an old gospel song ‘Wonderful, Merciful, Savior’ that speaks so much to this thought. I hope that you will click on the link and listen to the song as you finish reading this devotional. May I encourage you today to seek God for yourself. He wants to have a personal relationship with you, regardless what has gone down with your family or friends. Know that He loves you personally and individually!

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for looking beyond the sins of my forefathers and loving me just as I am. I also realize that no matter how good my ancestors were, I still had to come to the throne of grace for myself also. You are indeed a gracious and merciful God, a wonderful Savior and friend. Please touch the lives of those that read this devotional today that may not have come personally before Your throne to seek forgiveness and righteousness. Lord, please touch Your people once again today as Your Word goes out. May it not return to You void of having touched hearts and lives. I ask these things in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Faultless Until Jesus Comes?

On 2016-02-092016-02-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Dedicated, FaultlessLeave a comment

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Timothy 6:11-14
Today’s Bible Text: But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Timothy’s mentor, Paul, wanted to make sure that Timothy kept the faith and remained true to his calling. Is that any different to us, and the decisions that we make to serve God? We want to remain true and faithful in the decision we made to live like Jesus. So what can we learn from Paul’s advice that might help us? Paul instructed Timothy to:

Run from the appearance of evil – I believe that we tend to think that we are strong enough to stand firm even in challenging situations, and even when there is the appearance of evil. But then we are deeply trapped before we realize that we have been distracted in our Christian walk, and unable to easily escape. What if we intentionally stayed clear of those scenarios altogether?
Pursue, or intentionally go after: righteousness; a godly life; faith; love; perseverance and gentleness;
Fight the good fight for true faith – don’t just read about it, or speak about it, but fight evil and pursue after the faith that saves mankind, and that God has delivered you into;
Hold tight to eternal life that is yours in Christ Jesus – keep the end in mind when you are making decisions today. Don’t just say things and do things that might misrepresent whose you are. You’re a child of the King and living in anticipation of the home He has prepared for you, where you will rejoice and praise Him throughout all eternity! Don’t be distracted in your walk towards that eternal goal!

Being faithful in these things will help you stay faultless before a generation whose aim is to tear you down and win you over to their evil ways and practices. The aim of the Christian is to live with Jesus one day, for eternity in heaven. To accomplish that, we need to live our lives today in honor of Him and for His glory. Are you there yet, friend? How about asking God to guide you, like Paul guided Timothy. Reading God’s Word and looking for characteristics like these presented by Paul in our scripture today is a start towards a life of holiness. May I encourage you to keep on reading and keep on looking for the character of Jesus Christ, our mediator and our guide to all things ‘God’ ordained!

Prayer: Thank You for Your Word oh Lord, and thank You for loving us enough to care about how we live. Thank You for giving us the guide to living life in accordance with Your desire for us. Please give us a daily desire to be more like You in every aspect of our lives. Please enlighten our minds as we read Your Word so that Your Holy Spirit might prompt us to overcome our weaknesses and faults. Lord, it would seem that we need to be faultless before our fellow man if we ever expect to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but we can only do that through Your strength, guidance and wisdom. Please work in us even today Lord Jesus, for I ask these things in Your strong and matchless name. AMEN!