Reflections For Praise

On 2018-05-052018-05-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Praise, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 104:7-12 (TLB)

TEXT: ^7-8You spoke, and at the sound of your shout the water collected into its vast ocean beds, and mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. ⁹And then you set a boundary for the seas so that they would never again cover the earth. ¹⁰He placed springs in the valleys and streams that gush from the mountains. ¹¹They give water for all the animals to drink. There the wild donkeys quench their thirst, ¹²and the birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees.

OBSERVATION: The Psalmist saw beyond answered prayer in his own life, or blessings showered on him personally, to also recognizing that the same God who does all of that, is also the God who created everything around us with such purpose and creativeness in mind. Our God is indeed an Awesome God and Creator!

APPLICATION: I sometimes wonder if we truly ever slow down enough to reflect on the ways that God blesses each and every day. For I believe that if we did, there would not be enough hours in the day for us to thank our Creator for doing all of this just for us. You think about your typical day and I will share a few things that I can think of right from the start of my typical day:

I am able to rise from my warm bed each day – so I can praise God that I didn’t have to sleep in the cold, on a piece of cardboard under a bridge, with or without a blanket; I was blessed with air to breathe on my own; I was blessed with strength and mobility to actually get out of bed;
I had an inside bathroom to use and didn’t have to go to an outhouse or a nearby tree!
I was able to put on a different set of clothes than I’ve been wearing all week, and they have been washed and prepared;
I have a wonderful wife who will sacrifice her morning sleep-in to get up and prepare lunch for me. Yes there was food to prepare.
I have a job to go to, and had no reason to wait on long lines at the unemployment agency;
I am blessed to have a car to drive to work in, and not have to wait for a bus service or wait by the roadside for a ride with a friend; Thankful for the wisdom God gave to His children to make automobiles and especially hybrid powered cars;

Friends, can you see how much we overlook praising God for before we even begin our trek to work? I could easily have gone on to speak about the wild life, animals and trees that I enjoy seeing as I travel, and multiple other things that we would ordinarily pass by every day without thinking of praising God for His blessings on us. Remember, He did all of this for us, plus a whole lot more, and I believe that we would have done this if we were the only ones that He wanted to bless! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Our God is an awesome God! How Great Thou Art! How Great is our God! These are just a quick reminder of songs of praise we can offer up to God, and yes, He loves your singing voice just the way it is, for He never made any junk!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for Your mercies on me! Lord, You are so good and so merciful to me, and I’m sure that as my readers meditate on this devotional today, they too will realize that even when things appear to be going sideways for them, yet they can still find so many ways that You are blessing them. Please help us to keep our minds so fixed on You and the many wonderful blessings that You bestow on us that the minor issues that we face each day would seem immaterial. Lord I know that You bless us, please help us to recognize those blessings more vividly each day, and pour out our thanksgiving to You. 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 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!

Your Body – Resident to The Holy Spirit

On 2018-05-042018-05-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Leadership of the Holy SpiritLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (TPT)

TEXT: ¹⁹Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary. ²⁰You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!

OBSERVATION: Paul dealt with similar issues that our pastors deal with today in exposing sin, with hopes that parishioners might come to their senses and try to stay in tune with the Son of God, who gave up everything so that we might have eternal life. It appears like the sermon here is that if Jesus gave up so much for us, shouldn’t we consider giving up worldly pleasures in order to give Him priority in our lives?

APPLICATION: Most couples dating, or recently married, will often run into times of jealousy towards each other as they build trust in their marriage partner. When we love one another, we tend to become very possessive and defensive, in order to protect the oneness that you feel one towards the other. But what if we were able to go as far as placing a part of ourselves inside our spouse, so that we would be available every moment of every day to help give them guidance while they drive, or as they make decisions in the store, or to prompt them along when they struggle in understanding God’s Word, etc. Wouldn’t that be neat? But how would it impact us when we are tempted to look at, or flirt with others of the opposite sex? Guys, do you think that you would still run off with the guys to secretly visit the girl’s club? Girls, do you think that you would still have your night out with the girls to visit the strip club? Friends, when we take the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of Christians, into places that we tend to question ourselves about, can you even imagine how He must feel and what His conversations must be like with God the Father, and Jesus the Son? I could only imagine that they must feel like their work and sacrifice must have been in vain. I could only imagine how they must shake their heads in disappointment at the thought that we are so unappreciative of what they did for us? But I don’t want today’s blog to be totally negative, for I know that the Holy Spirit will use the challenges already presented to prompt your heart into action, if it applies to you. But I also want to remind those of us that strive hard to live for Jesus each and every day, because we are His born-again child, and we must have confidence in following the will of the Master through what we have learned from His Word, and from what the Holy Spirit prompts us to do or say throughout our day. Let’s not only protect ourselves from the sin of this world, but let’s really be protective of the sweet Holy Spirit that has taken up residence inside of believers in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord I thank You for accepting me as Your very own son. I thank You for all those who will read this devotional today. As Your Word has sobered my thoughts and drawn my attention to the ever present Holy Spirit that You have entrusted to me. I pray, asking that You will cause me to remember the accountability of Your presence within me at all times. I also ask this of my readers Lord, for in this evil and wicked world we need more and more believers who take their relationship with You seriously and who respects the Holy Spirit inside of them to guide, direct and empower them to share Your love and ministry with all those who still doubt Your existence or everlasting power. You are an awesome God, and we love, respect and need You every moment of every day dear Lord. AMEN!

The Hope That Comes With Change

On 2018-05-032018-05-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Faithful, Faithfulness, Hope, Totally committedLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 6:8-11 (GNT)

TEXT: ^{8 ….} you yourselves wrong one another and rob one another, even other believers! ⁹Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts ¹⁰or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves—none of these will possess God’s Kingdom. ¹¹Some of you were like that. But you have been purified from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

OBSERVATION: Paul pointed out to the Corinthian church the harsh reality of the wrong and unacceptable things that were going on among them. However, using the fact that God had already brought about change in some of them, he also showed them that there is hope that comes to the body of Christ when believers seek God’s face, ask for forgiveness and turn from their wicked ways. I believe that the church today is very much in need of this type of revival, for the lost still need to know that there is hope.

APPLICATION: I love the excitement that comes to the church when an unbeliever accepts Jesus as Lord of their lives, and to see the ‘fire’ that lit inside of them how it stirs them into wanting the world to know about their new-found Savior. However, there are times when a believer drifts away from God, and allows the sin of this world to become attractive to them once again. I believe that there is only one thing more enthusiastic and rewarding to a church, and that is, after much prayer and supplication before the Master on behalf of that Brother of Sister, their eyes are opened and their hearts are once again restored to new life in Jesus Christ! Friends, we should remember from our Scripture today that the world is not only attractive to unbelievers, but for those who claim Jesus as Lord, but enrich their souls with nothing more than the world, then they are just as apt to follow the things of this world. May I encourage those who claim Jesus as Lord, to connect with Him in a personal relationship? This includes: talking to Him through frequent prayer; allowing Him to respond to you and challenge you through the Bible – this involves daily time in the Word, and seeking God’s face for a full understanding of it while looking for proper ways to implement it in your life. In a marriage relationship, communication is the number one tool for a better marriage. In a Christian’s life, communication between you and God is also of vital importance. Without it, you will quickly assume communication with Satan and his earthly forces.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand and lead me unto all righteousness today and every day. My readers are also reaching out for the miraculous hand of the Father to strengthen them and guide them to all truth each and every day. So Lord, I plead with You to touch Your children anew today. Please give us peace and contentment in Your love and protection so that we may serve You faithfully, and that we may bless others as we represent You more faithfully. AMEN!

Our Savior, Friend and Intercessor

On 2018-05-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Merciful Savior, Savior, Wonderful SaviorLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Job 16:19-21 (ERV)

TEXT: ¹⁹Even now there is someone in heaven who will speak for me.
    There is someone above who will testify for me.
²⁰My friend speaks for me,
    while my eyes pour out tears to God.
²¹He speaks to God for me,
    like someone presenting an argument for a friend.

OBSERVATION: It may seem impossible just from reading these few verses, but so far in this book we have seen where Job has lost everything of any earthly value through the persistent hand of Satan, who tempted Job under the approval of God. Yet Job stood firm in his faith, knowing that he served the living God, who was also his Savior, Friend and Intercessor. Can you claim that kind of confidence in your God today, friend?

APPLICATION: A young child will stand on a wall and jump to her dad below, having full confidence that her dad will save her – faith; trust; confidence; etc. Job went through ‘hell’ here on earth, as Satan was allowed to take his livestock; his family and everything he owned. One would expect Job to be hiding in a dungeon without the light of day and totally removed from God, right? Wrong… here is Job bragging on the work of the Holy Spirit who is interceding on his behalf before the Father! Are you there yet, friends? When a hurricane passes through and wipes out most of the earthly things that you own, are you able to praise God and continue loving and helping others? When a loved one or a close family member is taken from you at an early age, can you praise God in spite of the loss? Friends, what Job is showing us here is that we must fix our eyes on the goal. Out of all that happened to Job, nothing changed in his relationship with God. Perhaps I should have said that nothing negative happened, because lots of positive things happened. For when Job could turn around and say that in spite of all his losses and troubles, yet he knows that his Redeemer lives and that he feels more love from His Maker than ever before, then we could only conclude that as for Job, and us, we serve one awesome God. An unchanging, all powerful, caring, loving, awesome God who loves us in spite of our shortcomings and our endless weaknesses. So may I encourage you friend, to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and the awesome place that He has gone to prepare for us. Know that God loves you unconditionally and is awaiting your arrival in His eternal home one day! There’s no turning back now, for who would miss this opportunity to be with the Designer, Creator, Savior and Everlasting Father of this world? I would not miss it for the world! And I pray that you are on board this train headed to heaven also, friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, it is so challenging for us to see beyond our struggles and know that You are working all things out for our good. In times like reading this Scripture today, we are reminded of Your great love, so we say ‘Thank You’ from the bottom of our hearts, as we reaffirm our faith and take joy in the wonderful message of grace, and be reminded of the time when we will be with You in Glory! Oh what a day that will be! AMEN!

Our Compassionate Savior

On 2018-04-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Compassion, Love, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 103:10-12 (The Passion Translation)

TEXT: ¹⁰You may discipline us for our many sins,
    but never as much as we really deserve.
    Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done.
¹¹Higher than the highest heavens—
    that’s how high your tender mercy extends!
    Greater than the grandeur of heaven above
    is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all
    who fear you and bow down before you!
¹²Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset—
    that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us.

OBSERVATION: David had gone through many situations in his life, some that deserved praise from God and some that we would probably choose to keep away from God, for we may feel ashamed for God to know about those kinds of things. Yet David knew that God loved him anyway. In fact, God said in His Word that David was a man after His own heart. Let’s meditate on the awesome, compassionate heart of our King today….

APPLICATION: So often we approach family and friends and try to encourage them to join us in following our Lord Jesus, but we will often hear about the vast difference between their life of sin and the sinless Savior that we are encouraging them to stand before in judgment. But isn’t it awesome that we can reassure them with verses like John 3:16, that assures them that God sent His Son to earth so that ALL might have eternal life, not just those who try to be good in their own strength? Isn’t it encouraging to share these verses from David with those friends, that in spite of their ugly past, or the sin that they are ashamed of, yet God will look at them as His child and will honor their request for forgiveness of sin? In verse 12 David reminds us that God would remove our sin so far from us that He could only think of measuring it by telling us that we should think of an endless distance such as the span between east and west. Friends, our God tends to respond to us in immeasurable terms like endless; forever; eternity; distance of east from the west; etc, because He never goes back on His word. That is hard for us to imagine, because we often make our decisions based on conditions and ongoing commitments of the other party. But when something is promised by our God, we could go to the bank with that. So may I encourage you to place your faith and trust in the God who will love you unconditionally and eternally. This is the kind of love that seems impossible and unbelievable, but based on the authority of the living Bible, I can safely assure you of that truth today!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for assuring us of Your love, in spite of our many weaknesses and endless disappointments to You while here on earth. Thank You Lord for providing an alternative to our life of sin, and I thank You for even tugging at our heart’s door so that we may seek Your face and the forgiveness of our sin while there is still breath in our bodies. Please forgive us for our determination to follow a sinful world, and for allowing Satan to have control over us. Lord, please mellow the hearts of the stubborn and hard-hearted today. May they find You and bast in the sunshine of Your love throughout eternity. AMEN!

Signs of Maturity

On 2018-04-272018-04-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Mature, Maturity, SeparationLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (TLB)

TEXT: ³…even now you still have to be fed on milk. ³For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God’s. When you are jealous of one another and divide up into quarreling groups, doesn’t that prove you are still babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord at all.

OBSERVATION: In our verses today Paul tells the Corinthian church, and our own churches that preach and teach the Bible today, that there are some tell-tale signs of immaturity, and when we notice these things finding their way into our circle of friends, we really need to seek God’s face in earnest. These recognized, unfortunate signs that go untreated will not only hinder the growth of Christians, but act as a cancer in the work of the church. Let’s explore this subject some more….

APPLICATION: I believe that at times we may read our Bible and feel so sorry for the people referred to in the Bible. ‘Those poor people struggled so much in those days’ may be some of the things that we think or say about certain passages of Scripture. But friends, may I remind you that because our Lord is very much alive and well, His Word is just as applicable to our lives and our churches today. In fact, we hear way too often about divisions in families and in our churches today, over very silly things. While Satan is often at the root of our problems, these things happen because he first got to an individual who shared with another, who shared with a group that quickly grew into a larger group that distracted, or even disrupted the work of the Lord in that particular church. I’m sure the BIG question is probably, how do we avoid this, or how can we possibly prevent this? Based on advice given to us further down in the same chapter, we must truly pray for our pastors and leaders. These individuals have been called to the awesome work and ministry of Jesus Christ, but they are mortal man. While Jesus is no match for Satan, our human leaders are, and Satan is out to get them and to stop the work of his rival. Furthermore, we should be in constant prayer for one another. There are not many things that we do each day where we have someone waiting to pounce on us and trip us up, like Satan. He is our opposer, our deceiver and our enemy. Unfortunately he is stronger than us, and will work his way into our lives without us noticing. Friends, separation from God leaves a playground for Satan. Just as you and your spouse might separate if you have no form of relationship, the same thing happens when your relationship with God is weak and struggling.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, please lead me beyond the struggles of this world and its ruler, Satan. Lord, I pray that Your powerful hand will hover over Your saints today, so that we may represent You well and enable us to live and work in peace and joy to serve You before a lost world. The most important thing in this world is You Jesus, please help us to stand firm in our commitment to make You the most important thing in our lives today, AMEN!

The Simplicity of Preaching

On 2018-04-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Preach, PreachingLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 1:21 (TPT)

TEXT: ^{21 …} in his wisdom, God designed that all the world’s wisdom would be insufficient to lead people to the discovery of himself. He took great delight in baffling the wisdom of the world by using the simplicity of preaching the story of the cross in order to save those who believe it.

OBSERVATION: I believe that Paul wanted the Corinthian church, and Christ followers today, to know that whatever we may undertake in our community efforts or even in our churches, it is the simple wisdom that comes from preaching and teaching the Word of God that draws mankind to God. I hope that as we meditate on this verse today, we will be reminded that we are only the humble servants of the One that can save, our Lord Jesus Christ, the awesome Son of God.

APPLICATION: In these verses I am led to believe that Paul is referring to two primary results that will come from preaching: (1) It is designed by God to reach the unsaved, because He will work through the preaching of His Word to save those who will believe; and (2) It will baffle the wise that something so simple could do something that the wisest man cannot do. Friends, I believe that this is one of those things that can be considered very literal for several reasons. When the Word is preached by a seminary graduate to seminary graduates, it is challenging for the simple minded person looking for a word from the Lord. When the Word is declared based on man’s interpretation and not that directed by the Holy Spirit, I believe that it misses the whole point raised in this verse. The Word of God was written under the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and unless it is taught and preached or blogged under the same Holy Spirit, our efforts are in vain. Our responsibility as agents or servants of God is to explain, preach, teach and relay the God given simplicity of His Word so that it may yield results for the kingdom. People are much more impressed and touched by God when the Holy Spirit speaks to their mind and spirit through His Word, than they are with the level of education of the person delivering the Word. So friends, the word that I believe God wants us to hear today, is that we give close attention to the man of God that is in tune with God, and not as much with the one who got the best education and depends on it possibly without a close walk with God.

PRAYER: Lord, we are very concerned about sharing Your Word in ways that we feel led by You and that will not return to You void. Beginning with me, please open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of You in every word that I read; open my ears that I may hear whispers of truth You have for me and for those who read my blog. Please glorify Yourself in every word, and in every ‘Amen’ You may hear from my readers. Please touch hearts today as this word is broadcast over the internet. Draw unbelievers to Yourself as they hear about Your goodness and the simplicity of Your gospel. AMEN!

Undeserving Love

On 2018-04-242018-04-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Job 7:17-18 (NIV)

TEXT: “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, that you examine them every morning and test them every moment?

OBSERVATION: A Holy God who created each of us, but watched us turn to sin and the things of this world. However, He still shows us how, because we are the apple of His eye, He still loves us unconditionally each and every day. So undeserving, yet our Savior loves us anyway! Job found this extremely challenging to understand, especially after all that he had been put through.

APPLICATION: I believe that we try too hard to compare God to the ways that we normally react to life’s circumstances. Think about it friends, if we had the ability to create a being from scratch – not using any gifts that God has already blessed us with, how would we design that perfect individual? Now with that design in mind, let’s assume that we created the individual perfectly and we personally and consistently monitor their progress and dictate their actions to make sure that they stay ‘perfect’ as we designed them. But you eventually take a much needed vacation, only to return and find the individually had gone nuts during your absence. How do you suppose you would react? That’s how I believe we expect to see God react when we sin – when we go nuts and do everything that God teaches us not to do if we vow to follow His will and His footsteps. Friends, the closer we draw to Christ, and the more we read His Word and desire to follow its instructions, the more we will see, like Job, that we serve an awesome God, who loves us unconditionally. He showed us that love when He went to the cross, when He was beaten, mocked and died a cruel death, even though He had the power through His Father to call down 10,000 angels to help Him. Jesus continues to show us each day that He still loves His children in spite of our attraction to sin and the world. Think about the ones that He calls to Himself in salvation – ones that we may have thought there was no hope for, that is nothing but pure, undefiled, unconditional love, my friend! Just as Job said, who are we that He should love us so?

PRAYER: Like Job, we sometimes feel like there is little hope for those of us that go through extreme sad times over the loss of loved ones, or perhaps through medical stuff that seem unresolvable by any doctors that we approach, however, praise to You oh God, we know who holds our hand today and who will hold it tomorrow. We know who has all power, and who could heal us if You have additional work for us to do. So Lord Jesus, we place our faith and trust in the only true God, with awesome thanksgiving for Your undeserved love towards even us! We are truly blessed, and we love You Lord, more than we could find words to express. All glory to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, AMEN!

The Circle of (Christian) Life

On 2018-04-212018-04-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, SavedLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 15:4-6 (VOICE)

TEXT: ⁴You see, everything written in the days of old was recorded to give us instructions for living. We find encouragement through the Scriptures and a call to perseverance that will produce hopeful living. ⁵I pray that our God, who calls you and gives you perseverance and encouragement, will join all of you together to share one mind according to Jesus the Anointed. ⁶In this unity, you will share one voice as you glorify the one True God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, our Liberating King.

OBSERVATION: I was excited to see that although God created us to worship Him, Paul shared with the church that it was equally as important to realize the work of God through His earlier saints who recorded God’s awesome works. In fact Paul alluded to the fact that we should learn enough from their writings, that we might receive guidance and wisdom for life that would cause us all to glorify God together with others who are reaching for the same goal. This is important to us today as well, so let us meditate on this for a while…

APPLICATION: In the family movie by Walt Disney World titled ‘The Lion King’, kids were brought to the real life example of how God created animals to survive, sometimes even when it involves eating other animals. I was reminded of the idea portrayed in that movie when I read these verses today, because Paul taught us that it is not necessary to recreate the wheel. Our forefathers depended on God, and they shared their experiences and God’s teachings with us through the words in our Book of Instructions, better known as The Bible. Paul warned us a long time ago that as we learn from the Word of God, we will often find that not everyone will agree on the interpretation, however Paul encouraged us to try and work through our problems by keeping that one book at the center of our churches. He showed us that when we are all on the ‘same page’ in our belief system and serving the same God, there will be great joy in our midst and we will be driven to worship the one true God talked about in that one Book. In other words friends, we were created to worship our Creator; Satan led us astray where we did everything else but worship God; however, once our eyes are reopened to the truth of God (through His Word), then we will return to intimate worship to our God. So what do you suppose breaks this circle? May I suggest that it is the power of Satan working through the weaker links. This results in church splits; additional denominations; smaller personalized churches; but the most critical reason of all is that the unsaved sit back and watch all of this going on and realize how blessed they are to stay out of the confusion of so-called ‘Christians’. Friend of God, I believe you will be reminded that some churches will serve the good purposes of the almighty God, while some will look like a ball of fire to the unbeliever that they will want to stay far enough away from. I would dare say that our God is not a God of confusion and disappointments. He loved this world so much that He gave His one and only Son as a living sacrifice, so that any of us that believe on Him will have life forever. In that promise, we are also assured that when we pass from this earth in death, we will live with God in the heavens forever thereafter. Let us therefore keep our eyes fixed on the ultimate goal – heaven with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and let us live our life now following the will of the Father, until we see Him face to face! Oh what a day that will be!!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please help us to get over ourselves and keep our eyes fixed on You, the author and finisher of our faith. Please give us strength and fortitude to recognize trouble, and Satan’s endeavors, and to lean on Your power in those times to help us avoid and defend against evil. Please help us to remember that there are friends and unsaved loved ones that need to see Jesus and His mighty works, so there is no time to be messing up and letting You down through our words and actions. Oh that they may see Jesus in us, is my humble plea today. AMEN!

Confidence in the God Who Cares for You

On 2018-04-202018-04-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Encourage, encouragement, Encourager, God Cares For Us1 Comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Job 4:3-6 (TLB)

TEXT: 3-4 In the past you have told many a troubled soul to trust in God and have encouraged those who are weak or falling, or lie crushed upon the ground or are tempted to despair. 5 But now when trouble strikes, you faint and are broken.
6 “At such a time as this should not trust in God still be your confidence? Shouldn’t you believe that God will care for those who are good?

OBSERVATION: Job just had an awful lot happen to him in Satan’s attempt to destroy his confidence in God. In spite of the many friends that he had helped along the way, he was now discouraged, even in the presence of the same God that he called on for others. I believe this often happens to us, so I want to meditate on this today before our God.

APPLICATION: We might often visit friends in hospital or on sick beds at home, or even in a Nursing Home. We might often chat, and pray with friends at church about troubled times they are going through. We might seek to encourage friends at work, or elsewhere in our realm of influence, praying for them and knowing that God could supply their every need. But what happens when troubles come our way, does that same faith, that same confidence and that same attitude of positivity sustain us? I believe that we must be extremely careful to not fall into the trap of believing that a believer who does all of the above, also stands firm during their time loss, discouragement or weakness. I would hope that for those who minister and/or seeks out others to encourage, that they would be very open to allowing others into their world when they go through tough times. I remember the day I got word of my dad’s death, my church Brothers gathered around me and not only prayed with me but sat and chatted with me and helped me financially to make the trip to be with my mom and siblings while we said our goodbyes. An outpouring of love like that, softened the load for me and helped me see that God was working through His church to help me shoulder the pain of loss and discouragement. I was convinced that God was right there helping me in much the same way that I tried to help others in similar circumstances in the past. Friends, we have no way of knowing whether others will come to help in our times of distress, but we do know that God loves us beyond anything we could even imagine, and that He will take care of His own. Look for those ways that He shows His love towards you, and be ready to praise Him as you see His hand at work in your life.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me home…. Father, You created us with a void in our lives, but You clearly showed us the only One who can fill that void – Your Son, Jesus Christ. You know about the very intimate parts of our lives, and You provide for us like no other can do. Lord, help us to continue giving to others, knowing that one day, You will return gift to us a hundred fold. We don’t give because of what we expect to receive, but thank You for meeting our emotional needs when we need someone most. There is no other like You Lord, and we need You more each and every day. Your love and power is our incentive and encouragement each and every day. Thank You Heavenly Father! AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: salvation