Your Song Of Praise

On 2021-03-252021-03-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thankful, Thankfulness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-03-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 15:2, 11
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²The Lord is my strength,
the reason for my song,
    because he has saved me.
I praise and honor the Lord—
he is my God and the God of my ancestors.
¹¹Our Lord, no other gods
compare with you—
    Majestic and holy! Fearsome and glorious!
    Miracle worker!

OBSERVATION: Included in our Scripture today is two verses of a song that originated in the heart of Moses and his people after they witnessed God’s miraculous, saving power from the Egyptian army. What might your song look like? It doesn’t matter if you could sing, or not, but how is your heart impacted after seeing God at work? First of all, sing it out to the Lord from a sincere heart, and secondly let me suggest that you write it down so you could later reflect on His blessings to you at this point in your life!

APPLICATION: I’m sure that when you fell in love, there were words of affirmation and praise that easily flowed from your heart for the most beautiful/handsome person that you had ever laid eyes on, right? That’s a pretty natural reaction from men and women whose heart has been moved by a wonderful person of the opposite sex. Moses and his people, the Israelites, had just encountered the greatest scare of their lives, when an army of trained men on horses moving at highest speeds, headed their way with swords drawn, and determined in their minds to change the direction of the multitude following Moses and Aaron. Moses was convinced that the same God who carefully engineered a plan to get them out of Egypt, would again take care of this oncoming army. However, God chose to do this while the Israelites looked back and watched in amazement. Imagine how their hearts sang for joy as they watched the impossible (at least in man’s eyes) transpire, and the battle being won for them as they simply stood still and watched the miraculous hand of God! This whole episode created a song in their hearts that had to come out as they sang praises to the Most Holy God. Now stop for a moment and bring this message home, as you apply this to your own life. You’ve read about how God has worked miracle after miracle in the lives of His people. You’ve sat and heard saints of God talk about how God miraculously protected them and cared for them. You may have stopped one day and realized that it was because of your prayers that God protected your spouse, healed your child, or restored your parent’s life to full health, so you too have become exposed to the miracles of a God that listens to the cry of His children. Would you share with the world what words sprang forth from your heart as you watched in amazement? As you felt healing in your body? As you saw that sick child or hurting parent jump to their feet without pain, and with limbs that moved as good as yours? I believe that God made our hearts to feel compassion, and appreciate His wondrous works. If only we will seek His face and ask Him to give us a clear view of Himself so that we might fight off the hindrances of Satan that causes us to muffle His praises and restrain our love for the Almighty.

PRAYER: Lord, we know you’re in and around us. Please humble our hearts to see Your face and to watch Your hand move in marvelous ways among our family and for our good. Moses and his people could never have thought to demand that You work against the Egyptian army as You did, so I am convinced that we are to simply place our burdens and our concerns at Your feet and ask for a miracle. Oh that we would be amazed in all that You do, and may our song of praise and thanksgiving be a natural reaction to Your works, without restraint of any kind by us or the advisory. Lord, we believe in the power of our awesome God. Please renew our strength when we grow weak in unbelief and unconcern. You are our Mighty God, and we praise You with all of our heart, soul and mind. 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!

Your Song Of Thanksgiving

On 2021-03-042021-03-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thanksgiving, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-03-04
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 18:1-3
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹Lord, I passionately love you and I’m bonded to you,^[c]
for now you’ve become my power!
²You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet,
like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress,
my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape,
my tower of rescue where none can reach me.
My secret strength and shield around me,
you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside,^[d]
always the champion of my cause.
³All I need to do is to call to you,
singing to you, the praiseworthy God.
When I do, I’m safe and sound in you.

OBSERVATION: Warning – this devotional may be a little different to the ones you are accustomed to reading in Nuggets From God’s Word. To begin with, I would ask that you click on the this song and prayerfully listen to the words. This is where God sent me to after I read this Psalm this morning. It’s a song that has always touched my heart as I sing it. The Psalm is a heartfelt song of praise and thanksgiving to God, by His servant David. Immerse yourself in the blessings of God today, and worship the King of all kings, dear friends.

APPLICATION: David was drawn to the foot of the cross, not only because of his relationship with his God, but especially in a mindset of thanksgiving, because of the miraculous works of God in providing protection, strength and wisdom to him in some very tight and dangerous situations. David realized and acknowledged before the Father that had it not been for the goodness of Almighty God, he would have been captured, punished and killed a long time ago. Friends, our life may not have been nowhere near as dramatic as David’s life, but I am certain that if each one paused for just a few moments today, you could think of multiple situations in your life where you can now reflect back and say without a doubt that, but for the grace of God your life here on earth would have ended from certain accidents, or illnesses, or vendettas where the enemy was in hot pursuit. As you think of those things, praise God for His all powerful hand upon you and your circumstances. Worship Him for being your peace in the midst of the storms of life; for calming the seas of doubt and fear that tend to burden you during troubled times; for giving you a clam assurance in knowing that God’s not dead, because you are constantly reminded of His presence and His power, especially when life seems so overbearing. My dear friends, David was brought to a time where he found the need to worship his Creator because of His awesome works in His life. I trust that you too may be drawn close to God today – close enough to where you are reminded that He’s still God and He still loves and cares for even you. I serve an awesome God, and so do you, dear one. Join me in worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness, that He is so deserving of.

PRAYER: Oh dear God, You are awesome in every way. Who is man, who is this mere man, that You would sacrifice your only Son so that we may enjoy life eternally with You and the Father? Your love is amazing, because I’ve felt Your presence, especially at those times when I’ve needed Your warm embrace, Your healing touch, Your words of wisdom; and Your direction through the troubled times of life. I have been encouraged, protected and overwhelmingly blessed in so many wonderful ways, and I can’t find enough ways to say ‘thank you’ and share my deepest appreciation. Please dear God, touch the hearts of Your children reading this devotional today, and remind them of their Almighty Father. May we all find room in our hearts to worship, praise and adore You today for Your infinite goodness. AMEN!

The Heart of a Godly Man

On 2021-02-112021-02-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Clean Heart, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-02-11
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Genesis 33:5; 10-11; 20 ;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁵…. “Whose children are these?” – Jacob answered, “These are the ones the Lord has been kind enough to give to me, your servant.”
¹⁰….. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God. ¹¹Please accept these gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need.”Jacob kept insisting until Esau accepted the gifts.
²⁰then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.

OBSERVATION: In my time of meditation in the Word today, I was overwhelmed by the heart of Jacob. So I want to share my thoughts with you in hopes that you too might be reenergized to serve God and be more at peace with Him, like Jacob was.

APPLICATION: When two individuals reunite after a long absence, what do you suppose might help them to trust each other on where they stand today? We tend to remember each other in looks and in all other aspects, based on the last time we spent time together. But what if they may have done criminal acts and possibly been punished through imprisonment, during the interim time? Do you suppose you might be more careful with what areas of your life you allow them into? The last time that Jacob saw Essau, was the awful time where Essau changed his identity to that of his brother (Jacob) in order to receive a blessing from their father, and the birthright left by their father at death. Jacob had to leave so that he wouldn’t have created a crime against his brother. Being left as the son in charge of the father’s estate, must have created great fear in Jacob as he approached his brother, Essau. But he was convinced that God had ordered him to return to his home place. I used the ‘BOLD’ option to show the phrases that touched me, but let me expand:
~ These are the ones the Lord has been kind enough to give to me, your servant – No bragging by Jacob, but simply giving God the praise for the children given to him. I wish that I could be that humble to respond like Jacob!
~ it was like seeing the face of God – Hopefully we all have taken time to think about what God might look like, and how He might react when He sees us. Excited or hesitant? Overjoyed or a bit disappointed at the time we wasted here on earth? Jacob didn’t say that his brother appeared just like he expected, or that he looked in a much better frame of mind than he expected, but he likened him to what he expects to see on Judgment Day. Wow!!
~ God has been good to me, and I have everything I need – Can you think of a man who every said that he had enough, and that he would now gladly share his worth with the rich or the poor? Jacob begged Essau to receive the gift he was giving to him, because God had been so good to bless him with everything he would ever need. I truly believe that God will bless us with so much more, if only we had the heart of Jacob and gave freely to others!
~ built an altar there to honor the God of Israel – Shown as a top priority by Jacob, he built an altar to honor God immediately after settling on the new property that he bought for him and his family. Friends, when we bless God, I believe He will bless us all the more. Oh that we might yearn to worship the God who blesses us – immeasurably each and every day. Let’s not wait until the Sabbath to worship Him, for He doesn’t wait until then to bless us.
I believe that you could see where Jacob was truly motivated and blessed by God, and this exuded from him through his speech and his actions. If it’s in us, it will come out of us. Look for the ways that God cares and loves us, then worship Him in spirit and in truth as often as you are reminded. Others will get to know what God looks like through His children who are closely attuned to Him.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord, for Your blessings on me. Thank you also for Your ministry through Jacob and Essau. Though they started out rough in their relationship as brothers, yet they were able to reunite in peace and in love. Please Lord, touch Your people once again. May we be willing and ready to worship You and give You credit for all the things that take place that bless us, or teaches us a new truth, or challenges us to be better warriors here on earth. People need the Lord. Oh that they may see Jesus in us through every contact that they have with us. AMEN!

God Cares About, and For You

On 2020-12-062020-12-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thankfulness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2020-12-06
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 144:1-3
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹I praise you, Lord! You are my mighty rock,^[a] and you teach me how to fight my battles. ²You are my friend, and you are my fortress where I am safe. You are my shield, and you made me the ruler of our people.^[b] ³Why do we humans mean anything to you, our Lord? Why do you care about us?

OBSERVATION: Many will identify with the idea of marrying someone because you noticed that they cared about you. David’s heart was filled to overflowing because of the love and care of the God that He placed his faith and trust in. What do you do when you’ve witnessed God’s protective, caring and loving hand upon you? I’m afraid that way too often we do a great job in asking God for help, but not necessarily acknowledge His goodness in responding to our prayers. Stay with me as we look into this Scripture today!

APPLICATION: David was just a young man, sent out to the battle field to deliver food for his older brothers who were a part of the local military. Upon arrival at the battlefield he became confused, as the Israelites stood back while a Philistine giant stood forefront with a challenge for any one brave enough to fight with him personally. Everyone else felt like pions compared to this extremely large man, so they merely stood back in fear. Although nowhere as tall or big as a giant, yet David had dealt with impossibilities of his own while defending his sheep from attack, and he often felt like the lions and other large beasts were ‘giants’ to him. So with God’s prodding David, just a young man, volunteered to fight the giant Philistine. The words of these verses are taken from the song that David sent up to God as he prepared for battle. I don’t believe that David fell short in recognizing any of the attributes proven to him by Almighty God, just look at the worshipful words of recognition offered up by David: Mighty Rock; Teacher; Military Leader; Friend; Fortress; Shield; and other versions add: Deliverer; and Caretaker who offers unconditional love and care for him. It is easy to see that David searched his heart for more and more descriptions of this awesome God who was in charge of his life. In fact, so much so, that David wondered before God, why then would you care so much for mankind who seems to have negligible amounts of these attributes? But my dear friends, I believe wholeheartedly that David couldn’t begin to imagine the love that God has for His children – His creation. Imagine for just a moment, mankind arrested Jesus, God’s only Son, beat Him, spit upon Him, falsely accused and convicted Him and crucified Him. Yet God permitted this, because this was fulfillment of His perfect will, and it was out of pure love for His creation – His children – you and I. How then can we praise and thank and worship Him? Can you find the words to describe your appreciation? Remember, He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Provider, our Protector, our Guide, our Giver of Eternal Life, our Eternal and awesome God, just to name a few to help you get started! Praise our living God forever and for ever, AMEN!

PRAYER: Lord, we are ever so grateful for Your love and Your protection over us, expressed in so many wonderful and miraculous ways. Thank You, dear Jesus. Please forgive us for the times that we experience answers to our prayers, yet we neglect to return thanks to You. We would never think of being ungrateful, so we humbly ask that You might prod us in our forgetfulness and neglect. Thank you for the example that David showed so vividly to us in today’s Scripture. May we learn to seek Your face more, instead of always seeking what we might receive from Your hand. And Lord, I pray that as we are blessed, thru grateful hearts we will pass along those blessings to touch the heart of those who may not already know You. AMEN!

Eyes Fixed On Jesus – Our Saving Grace

On 2019-07-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Creator, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Thursday, 2019-07-04

Bible Reference: Psalm 42:5
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: So then, my soul, why would you be depressed? Why would you sink into despair?
Just keep hoping and waiting on God, your Savior. For no matter what, I will still sing with praise, for living before his face is my saving grace!

OBSERVATION: I wonder what Jesus would say in response to our whining and complaining. Would we feel guilty of complaining to the Creator about things He created? Would fixing our eyes on the very Son of God be enough for us to forget about the trivial things that bother us and cause us to become disheartened? Let us stop to ponder….

APPLICATION: My mom was one who would prepare a meal each evening for her family, as we were growing up. As we moved out of our home, she continued this tradition for she and my dad, for he was still working on His farm. At one point in the years that ensued, my dad would sit to the table and find fault with the meals that my mom labored over in the heat of her kitchen. My mom could take it no longer, so she stopped preparing meals! It didn’t take very long for my dad to realize that a precious gift had dried up! So how much does it sadden the heart of our God, when we start our complaining about how we look, or how fat we are, or slow to learn, or our hair is not the right color or texture? How dare us complain to our Creator about the things that He created? What if we started praising God for the very things that we have always become disheartened, disillusioned, or depressed about? Do you suppose that if we did that, God might start pulling back on our blessings? Or would He convince us of how special we are, just the way He made us? Do you suppose that our minds would be calmed when we’re in the presence of friends and family, because we know that God approves of what He has made? Being calm, will help us become satisfied, less stressed, and less apt to complain or worry about things over which we have no control. I believe that the Psalmist is saying right at the end of our verse, that he is content in knowing that God loves him just the way he is, and in the contentment brought on by that assurance, he has an amazing peace with his life and the circumstances in which he finds himself. We are no different than the Psalmist dear friends, but I believe that God has given us the Scriptures so that we might learn from it, and therefore grow from it, into a right relationship with God, and with one another. We need that peace, and it is only through the grace of God that we can find that peace. Let us therefore ask God for His continued blessings.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, Creator of heaven, earth, and all living things, thank You for loving us. For in love, You blessed us with good health, family, and friends. You have directed our lives to be exactly what we are today, and there is really no room for us to do anything but to praise and thank You. Please forgive us when we do otherwise. We are a needy people, but as reminded in today’s Scripture verse, God’s grace is sufficient! May we praise You all the days of our life for Your gracious hand upon our lives, and may others praise You for having been touched by Your servant. To God be the glory for the things You have done! AMEN!

Blessed But… Ungrateful?

On 2019-06-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-06-10

Bible Reference: Numbers 21:4-5
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: ⁴Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, ⁵and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

OBSERVATION: It would be easy to read this Scripture and criticize the Israelites for their ungratefulness, but can you see yourself in the picture painted above? Let us consider for a few moments today whether we are among the blessed, but still ungrateful….

APPLICATION: Unless you stop to consider your blessings, you might easily get caught up in the idea that all you enjoy each day is just a normal part of life. In other words, you may take for granted all that you enjoy each day, and that it is automatically provided just for you. Unfortunately, when you do this, you become depressed and despondent, like the Israelites, when things are not going the way that you are expecting. But the Israelites showed us how one might react when things are not going as expected. For in spite of all God had done for them already, and all that He continued to do each day for them, yet the Israelites were ready to complain/criticize God and His servant Moses, for what they saw as not enough variety in their meals, and not enough water, and for the extra walk, that was really necessary for their own safety. But what about us, surely we are not that ungrateful, right? May I suggest that you think about this reminder more fully my friend? Don’t you remember waking up to thunder, lightening and rain on a day that you had other plans, and how you whined and complained about yet another day of rain, even though your neighbor had been crying for more rain to help his garden grow better? And don’t forget about the aches and pains that we complain about to all of our friends, or the quality of the food that was provided for us out of the goodness of our neighbors last night, or perhaps the diminishing eyesight as you grow older, etc, etc, etc! Friends, if we look at life as a blessing from God, which it truly is, and if we accept all aspects of life as God-directed, God-blessed, God-ordained and God’s perfect will for our lives, then we should automatically explode in awesome praise when we awake to raindrops on our window, or a car that won’t start, or more money that we could possibly spend in a given week (ha!), for God has a plan for us and He wants to protect us and bless us beyond our ability to understand or appreciate. But let us be deliberate in praising our Master every day for all things, for He truly loves us and, I believe that, He truly wants us to flourish in His many blessings that He careful pours out on us every day.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your loving kindness to the Israelites, in spite of their ungratefulness. Having recognized that we have not learned any good lessons from the Israelites, we must ask Your forgiveness and plead with You for Your ongoing patience with us as we learn to recognize Your goodness and Your mercy towards us. You are an awesome God, and I am thankful for Jesus and the forgiveness of my sins, so that I may call You Father. Oh how I long for my readers and I to one day look full into Your wonderful face and sing endless praises to our King! In the meantime, please help us to do just that each and every day, especially those days when we seem to think that circumstances should be different. AMEN!

And Why Are You Complaining Again?

On 2017-03-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Prayer, Thank You Jesus, ThankfulLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-03-15
SCRIPTURE
From:	Exodus 16:8 (NCV)
Text:	⁸And Moses said, “Each evening the Lord will give you meat to eat, and every morning he will give you all the bread you want, because he has heard you grumble against him. You are not grumbling against Aaron and me, because we are nothing; you are grumbling against the Lord.”
OBSERVATION:
God had brought the Israelites through so much, and He had revealed Himself through miracle and after miracle to them. Yet at every opportunity, they turned their faces on God and complained about their plight. In this particular case it was about food. For those that never complain, I know it will be challenging to try and apply this lesson today, but let’s have a look!!
APPLICATION:
It is unfortunate, but I believe that believers are probably just as bad as non-believers when it comes to complaining and finding fault. Perhaps it’s about the pastor, because he didn’t visit us when we were sick; or he spoke on Hell instead of Heaven; or I just don’t get anything from his sermons; or I just can’t get over how everyone complains about him…. Although I know it would be challenging to admit that you participated in this type of complaining, I’m sure that you’ve heard this and a whole lot more – perhaps about the choir, praise team, elders, deacons, maintenance, janitors, etc. Ever stopped to think about the words of Moses in these verses? You see, the faithful are sincerely praying for the pastor – that he may receive a revelation from God on what his flock needs and how God might choose to meet those needs. May I encourage you to really let the words of Moses penetrate your heart and your soul, and not be guilty of complaining against what God is doing through His servants who stand in front of you each week preaching, teaching or serving in any way? May I suggest that you join those who are praying for more blessings for the same ones that you’ve been complaining about? I believe that like me, you want to hear from God at every opportunity possible, and since He has chosen to speak through His servants to us, then we must earnestly be in prayer for those who serve us, that they can step away from the world and become so entrenched in the presence of God, that they will come before us as vessels filled with a word from God, that will be applicable to us and cause us to grow in our faith and relationship with God. Something I heard a long time ago, that is still applicable today: ‘You will give out of something, as much as you have put into it’. Think about that! If you pray for your pastor and staff, perhaps you will be come away from services and teaching classes filled with the awesome power of God that you prayed down on them. May I suggest that anytime you come away from a service feeling empty and unfulfilled, ask God to reveal where you went wrong in your praying for that service? Like Moses, our pastors are nothing more than us – human beings, however the God that we pray they will be filled with, He is everything!
PRAYER:
Father, please forgive us for whining and complaining so much, when in fact we have so much to be extremely thankful for and blessed through and through about. We really should be spending our time lifting up holy hands and singing praises to You at every opportunity. Lord may we endeavor to praise and thank You more than we have ever done before. May we learn to pray for the very folk that we tend to complain about and find fault with. Lord, be glorified in our lives today, is my humble prayer, 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!

The God Who Protects Us!

On 2017-02-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Give thanks, Protection, Protector, Thankful, Thankfulness, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

Post Date:	Saturday, 2017-02-25
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 18:1-3 (TLB)
Text:	¹Lord, how I love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me.²The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I hide; he is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of safety. He is my shield. He is like the strong horn of a mighty fighting bull. ³All I need to do is cry to him—oh, praise the Lord—and I am saved from all my enemies!
OBSERVATION:
David had been rescued from battle after battle, and he sat down and considered the source of his protection, support and wisdom, and exploded with a sacrifice of praise to the only God, the One who was so gracious to him. He acknowledged that God stepped in and saved him from his enemies whenever he cried out to Him, and now his heart was so filled with thanksgiving and praise that it appears like there may not be enough descriptive words to serve the purpose! How are we doing in this area of life?
APPLICATION:
We hear about folk traveling hundreds of miles to be touched by a TV evangelist who has been known to heal attendees of crippling deceases, and we hear of prayer meetings where we are encouraged to bring our petitions and our needs before the Lord, but how often do we remember to return to the altar and lay our hearts out before God in awesome praise and adoration, having recognized Him as the Healer, or Provider, or Miracle Worker in our personal situation that we had laid before Him in prayer? As a kid, we were taught that it is good and proper to say ‘thank you’ after being blessed with a gift from someone. But how often do we return to God to acknowledge His holiness and His awesome blessings to us? Friends, may I encourage you to acknowledge God for His mighty works, and stop attributing your successes, recoveries and wins over serious deceases to ‘good luck’ or ‘your special moment’ or any other avoidance of praising God? If you took time to pray for God’s intervention in your serious situation, and you see a breakthrough in that situation, please acknowledge the One that you asked to help in the first place. I believe that each day results in multiple ways that we can stop and praise the Lord – protection while traveling the road of life; the doctors who helped us overcome serious illness; loved ones who encourage and bless us every day; food to eat and the comfort of our homes. Let’s not take those things for granted. God blessed us with then, and He knows what we need and when we need them. Let’s acknowledge Him in all things each and every day, and let’s not forget to thank those that God has placed in our path, so that they also might be blessed and appreciated by us. God is so good, and in so many ways. Let’s praise Him for who He is and for all that He does!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, You are so good to us and so often we neglect in returning thanks and appreciation for all that You do. Please forgive us for our ungratefulness. Lord, may we learn from David and be more moved by Your Spirit to return to the throne of grace and offer up our praises to You on a regular basis. As recognized in my ‘Application’ above, You look out for us each and every day, and You bless us more than we could possibly deserve every day. Thank You Father for Your awesome love for us and for all that You do for us. May we be more like David in an example of a grateful and appreciative child of the King. 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!

Appreciative To God!

On 2016-05-282016-05-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Healing, ThankfulnessLeave 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: Luke 17:14–17
Today’s Bible Text: ¹⁴ He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” ¹⁶ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: We are a very needy people. It seems like there would never be a shortage of things to ask for whenever we go before God in prayer, for He is so worthy, so powerful and so loving in wanting to supply our every need. But this scripture today is a reminder that we are to be a people of thanksgiving and praise even more than a people who constantly ask/plead/beg for God’s grace and favor. Think about it friend, God provides so much more than what we ask for, and His responses to our requests are so much more than we could ever imagine. There is no other God like our God! As I look outside my window this morning I can see sunshine; a beautiful lake with fish jumping from the water; greenery; birds and the accompanying chirping from them. So far I’ve listed several things that I never asked God for this morning, but for which I can give Him thanks. Unfortunately I believe many of our prayer lives are much like the lepers in this story. We are probably quick to run to God with our needs and our wants, but how often do we return to thank Him for His attention and answers? Let’s never forget that there are times that we ask God, but we tend to think that He never heard us if He answers differently to what we told Him. There is much to thank God for in the ‘no’ responses as well! Friends, may I encourage you today to try and follow in the footsteps of the one leper who gave thanks to Jesus, and not the other nine who took the healing for granted, and were ungrateful in returning to give thanks! God deserves our praise and our thanksgiving!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You bless us so powerfully every day in so many wonderful ways. Please help us to always, always return to give thanks to You for not only hearing our prayers, but responding to them in such divine ways. Please help our times of prayer to always be deeper in praise and thanksgiving than any of the needs that we have to pray about, no matter how severe those needs may appear to us. Leprosy was pretty serious, yet when healed, only one returned to give thanks. May we be a part of that group that will remember, and will return to give thanks, for we are so appreciative of all that You bless us with each and every day. In thanksgiving, I ask these things, all for Your ultimate glory, 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

Accountability Matters

On 2015-09-232015-09-23 By Ed AlgreenIn Faithful, gifts, ObedientLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Matthew 25:19,29): ¹⁹ “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. ²⁹ To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

THOUGHTS: In today’s society we are very investment conscious, because we want to see our retirement dollars stretch as far as possible. To make sure that this occurs, we are trained to look for the best investors – people we can trust to achieve the same goals that we set for ourselves, and we hold them accountable to do just that for us, or we consider changing to a different investor. This is similar to what occurred in this story, for Jesus used an illustration of giving three individuals money, then returning to see whether they were responsible with the money. May I suggest that God has also given each of us great talents, gifts, abilities and opportunities and He will one day look for our response on how well we’ve done with those gifts? There’s a popular saying that if you don’t use a gift you might lose it. I wonder how many of us have already lost most of what God has blessed us with, because we have refused to invest our lives into the needs of others. When we give a gift to a kid, then see them abuse it and destroy it in no time at all, it often frustrates us and makes us angry. Do you suppose that God should feel any different? In verse 29 Jesus said that if we choose to ignore and not use the gifts we are blessed with, we will lose them. Please consider using all that you have, to bless as many as you can. I believe it is clear from verse 29 that our remaining gifts will be multiplied, not the opposite like the world might expect. It matters to God what we do with our gifts, He holds us accountable. Let’s make Him proud today as we seek to serve Him by helping others.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me! Thank You for the gifts You shower on me and thank You for opportunities every day to use those gifts to bless others. Please touch the hearts of those who will meditate on this devotional today. May we all recognize our gifts and be willing to see them multiplied, by helping others in every way possible. We want to hear your words of affirmation “Well done good and faithful servant” when challenged by you with our accountability question. Please grant us grace to be obedient in every way to the needs You present to us every day. Thank You Lord for being so good to us. May we be faithful to You. For I ask this in the strong and faithful name of Jesus, 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 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, Sebring, FL! 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!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Thankful