Tag: Worship

What If God Abandon’s You?

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

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-03-09
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 24:18-20
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 18  Joash, in the absence of Jehoiada, then led the nation to abandon God. God was infuriated with Judah and Jerusalem. 19 In spite of His anger, the Eternal sent prophets to tell the people how they had sinned and that they should repent. But they did not listen.
20 Then the Spirit of the True God possessed Zechariah, Jehoiada the priest’s son, giving him a message for the people.
Zechariah (standing above the people): The True God has a message for you: “Why do you disobey the Eternal’s commands? You will not have prosperous lives as long as you continue this. Since you have abandoned Him, He has abandoned you.”

OBSERVATION: For the Christian, there is nothing quite so awful as to imagine that God is not there for us. But to ever imagine that God is not there because of something that we have done, that must leave us with a feeling of regret that is hard to imagine. In our Scripture today, we can read where Zechariah received a word from God, that because the people had abandoned God, He has also abandoned them. During our meditation let us think about various scenarios where God is not available to us. I believe this will be a real eye-opener for us.

APPLICATION: Let’s think about critical times that we look forward to God being by our side, and how He intervenes on our behalf; then let us consider what we would do if He was not available to us:
a) When we are sick or injured and doctors don’t seem to know where to turn for answers – Christians turn to God in prayer, knowing that the same power He used to heal the blind man and to cleanse the leper, He could also make that healing available to us. But if God was not available to us we might become disheartened and disillusioned as the pain or discomfort from our illness worsens;
b) When we lose our job and the bills keep pouring in – Christians look to God for His invincible hand and ask Him to open doors to help us with our finances, just like He provided for the widow with just a morsel left in a jar. But if He no longer available, we may be forced into begging on the street, or perhaps selling what little we might own in material possessions in order to buy food;
c) When our kids are in trouble – either financially, health issues or losing a child – Christians turn to God in prayers of desperation, for if we were able, we would give up our last penny or our best shirt, if we thought it would provide their need, or answer their dilemma. But we pray because we know that ALL things are possible to the God that we love, know and adore. What if God was not available to the cry of His children, I can’t imagine what we would do.
Lest we take for granted the power of our God, and the presence of our God, and the love of our God for His precious children, we might assume that this was a non-event for the audience of Zechariah. However, in spite of their persistent disobedience, even after being forewarned by God, they continued along the evil path they were traveling. Friends, our pastors stand in our church pulpits each and every week, and they warn us of what lies ahead for those who reject Jesus, and for those who have hardened their hearts to His instructions. Are you paying attention? Are you following through in obedience to the commands of God? I trust that you will connect with God and begin by readying your heart for a holy God; then I pray that you will join me as we seek His guidance, wisdom and power to overcome the temptations of this world and to be obedient children of the King.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I am thankful for You providing a way for us, even when we are traveling down a dark world of sin and disobedience. While still here in this world we struggle to separate ourselves and live according to Your Word. Please give us determined minds, and strengthen us to follow Your commands that You have put in place to help us live according to Your will and example. Thank You Jesus for accepting us as we are, and presenting us to the Father cleansed by Your precious blood. We need You every hour of every Day Lord. May Your will be done as we await Your kingdom some day soon! 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!

Commissioned As God’s Assistant

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

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-03-07
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Acts 26:15-18
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 15 “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus,[h] the one you are persecuting. 16 Get up and stand to your feet, for I have appeared to you to reveal your destiny and to commission you as my assistant.[i] You will be a witness to what you have seen and to the things I will reveal whenever I appear to you.[j] 17 I will rescue you from the persecution of your own people and from the hostility of the other nations that I will send you to. 18 And you will open their eyes to their true condition, so that they may turn from darkness to the Light[k] and from the power[l] of Satan to the power of God. By placing their faith in me they will receive the total forgiveness[m] of sins and be made holy, taking hold of the inheritance that I give to my children!’

OBSERVATION: Imagine a pastor who you remember as the sidewalk drunk from your small town. Imagine the murderer, who finally got out of prison, coming to your door to tell you about Jesus. Imagine the baddest kid on your block during middle school, now in high school and telling everyone that he wants to be a pastor. As you meditate with me on this Scripture today, use these examples to understand why it was so challenging for Paul to convince King Agrippa of his current status as a minister of the Gospel. Read on in the Application to understand how this applies to you and I!

APPLICATION: Christians might tend to think that they will have a hard time convincing God that they are not the person they used to be. However, that’s the easy part, as God was the one who called you from that life of sin, into His wonderful kingdom of light! The challenge comes when we stand before an earthly person, such as the king before whom Paul stood. Today we tend to remember our high school friends, just like they were the last time we saw them in person – perhaps at graduation 20 years ago! A prosecutor will introduce you to the judge by reflecting on the worst years of your life, not for the good things you may have done. So Paul had quite a challenge on his hands, to convince King Agrippa that his life was changed by a man named ‘Jesus’. While you might easily identify with much of the above, I believe you might just as easily identify what Paul must have faced, and felt, when struck by the Light on the Damascus road. Because when we are filthy in sin, we tend to feel distant from God and unreachable by God. But notice what God did with Paul, He not only saved him from the life of persecution against God and His people, but He commissioned him to come and be actively involved in the work of God! Wow! I’ve heard people referred to as ‘bums’; ‘murderers’; ‘criminals’; ‘pedophiles’; ‘trash’; ‘no-goods’; etc, etc. What do you suppose God looks at people called by either of these names? They were created by God, so they are not throw-aways or junk. In fact, they were made in His likeness. If God is Father of all, then each of these types would be considered ‘His children’. Friends, Jesus went willingly to the cross of Calvary and was crucified, so that we, and each of these types, could be rescued from our life of sin, and go on to enjoy life eternally in heaven with He and His Father. Please remember today, that God rescued/saved Paul in spite of his misgivings and in spite of how others looked on him. When you feel the tug of God on your heart, please don’t brush Him off because of your condition at the time. He knows you, He knows about your sin, He knows about your need for salvation, and He will be quick to remind you that He died because He knew that you would have such a need. Surrender to Him today dear Friend, He is ready to commission you into His service just like He did for Paul, and all other sinners after Him. There is only one place to run when we acknowledge that we are mere sinners – to the ONLY One who is not a sinner, the ONLY One who can save – Jesus. Please read my Footnote for Biblical help on how to surrender your life to Jesus. A local Bible teaching pastor would be happy to speak with you, and I would love to hear from you also. You may not see a bright light quite like Paul, nor a calling of your name like Samuel, but it mat be a still small voice getting your attention, or a devotional similar to this one where God might call you away from persecuting Him, and to serve Him instead. Hearken to His call today my friend, while there is time.

PRAYER: Too often we think that we are way too evil to ever be considered by You, or used in Your service, oh Lord. But in our Scripture today You reminded us through Your call on Saul/Paul that You have a work for us to do and You are ready to commission us into Your service. Oh that each one reading this devotional today may be convinced of Your call on their life. Perhaps one might be deep in sin and feel so inadequate or ‘dirty’ to ever serve the King of all kings. Lord please touch the heart of each child that will read this blog today. Call them into service into whatever capacity You have set aside for them. There are many who need You, precious Lord, please use us to reach one in our circle of friends and family, so that Your kingdom might be enriched with more workers, more servants and more assistants today, for this is my humble prayer, with hopes that You would begin with me. 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!

As We Seek Your Face, Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Seek God's Face, Seeking God, Worship2 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-03-06
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 90:12
TRANSLATION: Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

BIBLE TEXT: 12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

OBSERVATION: There are seasons in our lives that draw us into reality, and really causes us to focus on what’s important, or what should be important to us. In this prayer of Moses, we are reminded that God has full control of every aspect of our lives, and we should therefore seek His guidance on what might be important to us while still here on earth. Do you know what is most important for you to do/see/cover today? As we meditate, I pray that God will direct us to see and understand what should be our primary focus in life today, this week, this month and throughout the year.

APPLICATION: When I am around fellow work associates, I feel like there are lots of training I should undertake so that I might be the best employee possible. When I am around church friends, I feel like molding my life into Christ’s image, is top priority for me. When around friends who love to dance, I feel like I should take dance lessons so that I could be the best dancer possible. But we face all sorts of different people in a day, and each of them have their own priorities in life, so which of them do I listen to, or try to emulate? If I awoke this morning, having a very strong feeling like this is my last day on earth, I believe that I would quickly call for those that I have wanted to see for months. I would probably ask for a meal that has been on my taste buds for weeks, and I would probably make calls to relatives and friends that I have procrastinated on for a long time. I believe that it is evident that I would look for the things that are really important to me, but have been neglected or ‘pushed back’ for uncaring reasons. While there is a lot of speculation, or ‘what-ifs’ in the aforesaid, I believe that we could see from the heart-cry of Moses, that he saw where our negligence becomes critical, since we don’t know what today, or tomorrow holds for us. Perhaps today I might be in conversation with someone that I feel needs Jesus, but I might feel like inviting them to church with me on Sunday might help satisfy our heart’s concern for them. Moses asked that God help us to realize the brevity of time. If I knew that same friend that I met today, may not survive another day here on earth, would my conversation have gone any different with them? Think about what a successful day looks like to you. Probably one where you have a sense of accomplishment, right? What if there were missed opportunities, would it have felt quite as successful? I pray that the heart’s desire of each reader today will be similar to that of Moses: please God, show me the brevity of my time remaining so that I may interact with others wisely – as if this is my last opportunity to help them, or allow them to help me.

PRAYER: Please Lord, help us today to seek wisdom as if this was my last day on earth. May I say the things, and do the things that You desire, knowing that I may not have a second chance at doing any of these things, because of the limited stay of those that I come into contact with, or even the shortness of my time here. You’re in total control dear God, please help me to honor that and to seek Your face and direction for all that You wish to accomplish through me today. Speak intently to my readers and I about accomplishing all that You would have us to do today. 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!

The Battle’s Not Yours, But God’s

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, Surrender, Worship2 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-03-05
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 20:15
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 15 “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!

OBSERVATION: Today we may be facing many battles. For some it might be a debilitating decease, for some it may be losing a loved one, while others may be facing the battle of divorce or separation. I believe that our leaders may be facing the battle of serious viruses, such as the coronavirus now rampant in many countries throughout the world. What shall we do? King Jehoshaphat was faced with an enormous battle and had a deep concern for the people that he ruled. Throughout this chapter from which our verse is taken, we could see how this King went boldly before the only One who has power over our battles – Almighty God. Perhaps you’re at a point where you need direction, let’s learn together from King Jehoshaphat how we must surrender our battles to the only One with perfect answers.

APPLICATION: I found several lessons in this story of king Jehoshaphat that spoke to me and opened my eyes to better ways of handling my battles. I believe that you, my readers, are no different to me, so I encourage you to read the whole chapter of 2 Chronicles 20 by clicking on the Bible reference link above. Here are some things that God drew to my attention:
~ The king acknowledged that he had a problem that was way over his head and beyond his capability;
~ The king was not ashamed of his inabilities. He not only went before God personally, but he called his people together and ordered a fast, so that together they might seek God’s face over this problem. The problem was bigger than the king, and he was prepared to seek someone greater who could help;
~ The king’s meeting with his people was not a time to plan their attack, but to humble themselves before Almighty God, seek His face, and ask for His direction and His powerful hand of protection;
~ In spite of the king being the main character in this story, God chose to respond through ‘just a man standing in the crowd’ as described by some commentaries. The king didn’t just pick up his toys and run on home with a disgruntled attitude about God not reporting back to him for his guided fast and prayer. A good reminder that we don’t control God, and that He uses the simple to confound the proud and the intelligent. It is always obvious that a response came from God, and not from our knowledge, abilities or self-worth;
~ There was no response back to the orders from God, other than full obedience! There was no need for the king to feel like he needed to have the last word. This was a ‘God’ thing, and nothing at all for which the king needed recognition from his people.

King Jehoshaphat was faced with a battle of proportions greater than anything he could handle. What kind of battles are you facing in your life dear friend? Do you know the God of king Jehoshaphat intimately? Are you at a place in your life where you could simply bow at His feet and lay your battles, or burdens there, and leave them there, being confident that He is still Lord of all and Master over all things that might impact us? Are you strong enough to ask of God, knowing that His response may not be your first choice? By asking, we know that there could be positive answers, in our sight, or perhaps answers that we were not expecting. Be willing to add to your prayer requests today: ‘Not my will, but Yours oh Lord – so that You may be glorified’.

PRAYER: Oh Lord, You are well aware of the battles we take on, that we should totally surrender to You. We make ourselves sick mentally, and otherwise, because we assume lordship over these personal issues. Please forgive us Lord, and strengthen us daily so that we may surrender our all to You and allow You to continue as God – the One in charge of all creation and the events surrounding every aspect of Your creation. Thank You for creating us to care about those that we connect with, but we need daily power to place them at Your feet and allow You to be God in them, through them and over them. I praise You God for who You are, I surrender my all to You knowing that Your love will sustain me as You work out every material indifference I may see all around me. Have Your will oh Lord, my King, my Redeemer and Savior. 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!

Obedience – Even In Light Of Opposition

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

Saturday, 2020-02-29
Written while at: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 14:2-6
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 2-6 Asa was a good king. He did things right in God’s eyes. He cleaned house: got rid of the pagan altars and shrines, smashed the sacred stone pillars, and chopped down the sex-and-religion groves (Asherim). He told Judah to center their lives in God, the God of their fathers, to do what the law said, and to follow the commandments. Because he got rid of all the pagan shrines and altars in the cities of Judah, his kingdom was at peace. Because the land was quiet and there was no war, he was able to build up a good defense system in Judah. God kept the peace.

OBSERVATION: I often wonder when we are so determined to please everyone around us, whether we are really capable of standing firm in our commitment to serve God alone. Asa showed us in today’s Scripture that one could serve God, whether no one else around you did. How do you do under pressure? Are you strong enough to hold strong to your own belief system, even when among strong opposition? Let’s see how Asa made out with this, and how we might apply this to our own lives.

APPLICATION: In the words of a former boss: it would have been ‘easy-peasy’ for Asa to come into his position as king, and do the same ole, same ole. It would have been smoother for him to do what the people were doing and just continue to worship the same old idols. But we could see from our Scripture today that Asa had a relationship with the Creator of this world, and he chose to worship and obey only God. He wasn’t about to have a meltdown and soften his stance, for He knew in whom He believed, and that He would keep him secure right to the very end. Furthermore looking at Asa’s story many years after the fact, we could see that because Asa obeyed what God led him to do, he was actually preparing himself for a day when God would actually save he and his people from total destruction. I believe that Asa decided in his heart that he would serve God, and God alone, and that he would not only listen to God from a personal perspective, but that He would depend solely on God for the decisions involving the country he was assigned to lead. Friends, I don’t know about you, but when we are hired on by a company to lead a team of workers, the challenge is not merely to understand the work, although that is very important, but more so, there is an enormous task to lead the team in working together to produce the best results for the employer. This is a much deeper challenge, for there will be staff who are like you, and wanting to do the best job possible, while working harmoniously together with other team members. However, there are some who are out for selfish gain and out to tear others down so they could get ahead. Throughout your day, you have absolutely no idea what will transpire between those team members, nor how your day may be totally disrupted by the personal issues impacting your team. If you knew what to expect, then you could pray especially for those individuals and their challenges, but more often than not, you have no idea. Over my 47 years in the workforce, I found that there was One who knew all about the things that I thought was impossible. So with my hand in the hand of the Master, I asked God to help me through each day and to give me direction, strength and wisdom to handle every circumstance in a way pleasing to Him. I remember days when I would simply sit back and say silently to God, ‘OK, what’s next God, because I have no idea where to go from here!’. I remember many days when I would reflect back on my day and simply give God praise for His handiwork, because it was evident that He gave me the words to respond in the activities of that day, and He gave me the peace to know that every little thing would be OK. You see, in our story today we could see that Asa was strengthened to do the things that he knew needed to be done. Later in this same chapter, Asa found out that the same God that helped him through the decisions included in today’s verses, He was the same God that Asa would call on when his limited sized army was challenged with the approaching army of over one million soldiers. I hope that we might be reminded today that our God is not just able to handle the smaller things that tend to get in our way, or may cause us to stumble, but He is also the God who could move mountains, raise the dead from the grave, heal the sick and cause the blind to see. There is absolutely no other, like our God my dear friend. Seeing your way through circumstances that appear impossible to you, is but a very simple resolution for our Creator! Have you placed your faith and trust in Him yet? May I please encourage you to read my Footnote and the pages that are linked in that Footnote, so that God may show you, through His Word, that He not only created you, and not only prepared a place for you after life on this old sinful earth, but He is also able, willing and ready to help you through every circumstance of life while here on earth, if you accept Him as Lord and Savior. Do this today dear friend. Jesus is waiting for your call on Him today!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, although I can thank You for life itself, there are so many times here on earth that my readers and I are so overwhelmed that we have no idea where we will turn next. Thank You for using this story of Asa to show us that the same God who defended Asa and his country from the onslaught of a huge army, is also the same God that we can place our faith and trust in for our everyday concerns. Often our concerns may seem just as large as the overwhelming army that was approaching Judah, but praise be to the One true God, we have every confidence that You can win our battles also. Please help us to stand firm in our beliefs, and to act like children of the King in every circumstance of life. May Your name be honored, lifted up and praised today by Your people, in whom You have already done an awesome work, so that we may stand in awe of the One in whom we have believed. 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!

The Importance of ‘Seeking’ God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Listen to the Word of God, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

Friday, 2020-02-28

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 12:13-14
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 13-14 King Rehoboam regrouped and reestablished his rule in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king and continued as king for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city God chose out of all the tribes of Israel as the special presence of his Name. His mother was Naamah from Ammon. But the final verdict on Rehoboam was that he was a bad king—God was not important to him; his heart neither cared for nor sought after God.

OBSERVATION: In our 2 verses today we could see a recap of the reign of king Rehoboam. It seems like a sad, almost failed attempt at ruling a nation, because he tried to do it on his own terms and couldn’t really see a need for God. It’s really sad, because thousands of citizens probably lost their lives because of his stubbornness and disregard for the God of all nations. As we meditate on this, I believe we are bound to see a lot of similarities in our rulers today, and I believe you will see where they might be almost as bad in our stubbornness.

APPLICATION: I am reminded that our God created all things, and He knows all things – even before we have the slightest inkling that something could, or will occur. I am also reminded how silly it is of us not to seek God and to understand His ways and His message to us, so that we might do it right the first time, with His help and direction. Based on the Word of God, I believe that God is looking at us with outstretched hands waiting for us to surrender to self and seek His perfect will for our lives. Being a father to a young adult, I could appreciate how it must feel for God to look at us and see some of the decisions that we make, and the stupid actions that often follow, because it is easy for me to feel the same frustration when my years of experience here on earth has helped me gain insight into the decisions that my daughter might fumble over. Jeroboam knew of God, but he allowed his world to dictate and influence him into making decisions that were based on popular belief, instead of based on the foundation of an all-knowing God. What are you seeing in your country leaders today? Do you suppose they are making decisions based on the direction and knowledge of our God? What about you? What might your life’s recap sound like? Any different to that of Rehoboam? Based on my life’s experiences, I am convinced that God not only listens to our cry for help and for direction, but I have found where God looks out for His prayed up saints. For you see, I have reflected back on decisions that I made and realized that I never had opportunity to seek God’s voice on, before making certain decisions. Yet I could see from the outcome that He was there all the time. Believe me friends, I’m not a saint, but having asked God to direct my day, and help me make sound decisions that are pleasing to Him and in line with His perfect will, I am just crazy enough to believe that He will honor the prayers of His people in His time. And I know that His timing is always perfect. Throughout the chapter in which our focal verses come from, we could see where God honored His people when He saw them humble themselves before Him, but He allowed attack and destruction when their leaders led them on an ungodly path. Our God is a just God, and He will not allow sin or disobedience to have their way in the lives of His people. Just as good parents do today: when their children, who they bore and raised according to their house rules, decide to walk away from their direction, they will allow them to feel the brunt of bad decisions. However, obedient children who are willing to follow the direction of their parents, will be honored, lifted up, praised, and looked after for life. Our God is superior to our earthly parents in every way! What an awesome God we serve! Do you know Him, my friend? If not, or if you’re not sure, please read through my Footnote, and especially dig into the link ‘To Know Jesus’. Please be assured that your relationship is such that others will be impacted positively by your decisions and actions.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, thank You for the places you have entrusted us to serve in Your kingdom work. Please direct our paths so that others may be impacted positively for You, and may we never be a stumbling block in their path, nor misguided in any way as we minister in Your name. May we be faithful in listening, obeying, serving and leading, so that You might be recognized, praised and glorified in all that we say or do. AMEN!

PRAYER:

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. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. 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!

What We Deserve

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

Sunday, 2020-02-23

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 6:29-31
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: 29 … if your people Israel pray about their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple, 30 then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart. 31 Then they will fear you and walk in your ways as long as they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.

OBSERVATION: I know it would be easy to pray that God would give a Brother or Sister what they deserve, but would you dare pray that about yourself? We ask God for a lot of things, but as we meditate today, let us consider what things would be like, if God truly gave to us what we deserve.

APPLICATION: I have a friend who, when asked how he’s doing, will always respond ‘better than I deserve’. That in itself is a very sobering statement, as the individual realizes that should God bless in accordance with what he may have done or said, he would be in big trouble. You know, similar to what we do as parents for our children, for we spoil them with way more than they deserve. Another example that might help us bring this idea to the forefront of our minds is: I have friends that will often make reference to the pastor and how he is not ‘feeding’ them richly from the Word of God. My first question is to ask how much did they pray for the pastor before the service? I will often receive a blank steer, to which I would respond ‘then you got as much from the sermon as you prayed for’. In our Scripture, Solomon prayed that his people would receive forgiveness when they prayed, but he also prayed that, in order for his people to be awaken and actually walk in the ways of the Lord, that they should receive what they deserve. Be reminded dear friends, that you might fool some of the people some of the time, but God knows your heart, and if He decides to bless in response to what He knows, that will not only include the good things that other friends see us do, but God could also reach into our thoughts and actions that others will never see. A real scenario in too many churches revolve around members who stop giving because a decision was made by the church leaders to go down a line of work that the giver disagreed with. I have good friends who will not attend certain services at church, because they are not in agreement with the servant sent to them by God, to minister to his people in our community. What if God blessed these friends in response to their actions against God? Friends, please don’t misunderstand me. I believe that what God did at Calvary, and what He continues to bless us with, is from a heart filled with love like we could never imagine. Do we always deserve it? Absolutely not. But our God is one who not only see our actions, hears our words spoken in love and in anger, but He also knows our very thoughts. Please join me in desiring to worship Him; honor Him in our praises and thanksgiving; and loving those that He created who could sometimes be just as evil-minded as we are. I believe that when we decide to depend on God alone, love Him with all our heart, and look forward in great anticipation to His return, then perhaps we could look beyond the pettiness of everyday strife, envy, revenge and hatred, so that we might fix our eyes on Jesus, our true and everlasting deliverer and author of our faith. Wouldn’t it be awesome for our Father to look at His creation in love, and see that we seek nothing more than to return our love to Him in all that we are and all that we say? God has prepared a home for us. Let us live like children of that heavenly kingdom, and not as its greatest adversary.

PRAYER: Thank You Father for creating us just like You. Thank You for giving us the freedom to live like You intended, even among a people who will try in every way to distract us from that perfect path. Lord, today many of us will decide whether to attend church or not. Many of us will be strong enough to respond in love to those that may deceitfully use us, while many will strike back in revenge and with intent to harm. While I want to pray like David that you might respond to us as we deserve, I also realize how serious that might be. Please open our eyes Lord, so that we might once again be reminded of Your love, Your power to forgive, and Your desire to bless us beyond anything we deserve. Please help us to desire that kind of love, and grant us the power to forgive and be strong in our faith. May others see Jesus in our character, our will, our words and especially in the way that we love others. May You be glorified in and through us today oh Lord. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. 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!

Teach Me Your Ways, Oh Lord

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

Thursday, 2020-02-20

Bible Reference: Psalm 86:11-12
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 11 Lord, teach me your ways,
    and I will live and obey your truths.
Help me make worshiping your name
    the most important thing in my life.
12 My Lord God, I praise you with all my heart.
    I will honor your name forever!

OBSERVATION: Way too often we claim to know more than almost any other person around us, and we are not afraid to let everyone know that! David was a man after God’s own heart, yet in our Scripture today, he asked God to teach him His ways, and to help him center his heart towards praising His holy name. As we meditate on this Scripture today, let us consider what this might look like to those that we come into contact with each day.

APPLICATION: Ask anyone what they see in you and you will receive multiple answers. Some may be afraid to ‘crush’ you with the truth, while some may not want to ‘swell your head’ by telling you how great you are, yet others will tell you what they think you want to hear in order to keep the peace! I got the impression from this Psalm that right in the middle of this sweet encounter with God, David may have simply emptied himself of everything one might recognize as a ‘David’ characteristic and instead he asked God to just teach him, fill him, and show him the right way. Friends, I doubt if you are very different to me, so if we are honest with ourselves, we tend to show so much of ourselves, and desire so much attention, that it probably becomes very challenging for anyone to really see where our inspiration, direction and help comes from. I looked at this passage in various translations, so the exact words may differ a little from the version that you have in front of you. However, it is obvious that David acknowledged to God that he preferred knowing what God wanted, over anything that he felt like he already knew to say or do. I believe that a follower of Christ who allows the overflow of Jesus’ love and words to go forth from his/her lips, or through every action, results in family and friends seeing Jesus, instead of the old sinful man who is poisoned every day by the ugliness of this old world. Friends, unsaved people need Jesus, not more of you or me. Lord help us if the world becomes entrenched with more of us, for we are sinners saved only by the grace of God. David’s additional plea from God, was that He might help him to prioritize worshiping Him. Now we might quickly retort that this is not an issue for Christians today, right? Let me just add that I would disagree with you. For I believe that we should pray just like David, that God might instill a desire to make worshiping Him a priority in our lives. Notice I used the word ‘worship’ and not ‘church’. Lord, please help us if we only worship You on those occasions that we go to church. Some of us do that on occasion to satisfy a nagging mom or spouse. Some of us do that as a ritual habit that we did since childhood. While some of us attend church because our friends, or our constituents attend a certain church. I believe that when we pray the type prayer that David prayed, we might be asking God to help us recognize Him and worship Him as we start our day, for God gave us a comfortable place to lay our head, and He kept us safe throughout the night. We might worship Him for the food that He provided so that we might stay healthy. We might worship Him for blessing us with a job and a great bunch of people to work with. For all the beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and landscapes that we have always taken for granted, we may be encouraged by the Holy Spirit to give God thanks for these, and just one more reason to worship and praise His holy name. Friends, when we worship God throughout our daily lives, wouldn’t it be natural that we would have a super-charged worship service when we meet together each week with other believers?

PRAYER: Precious Lord, how patient You must be with Your creation, thank You. Considering that You created us, provided everything possible for us, and loved us enough that you showed evidence of that on the cross at Calvary, how shameful that we must now ask You in much the same way as David did, to help us make worshiping You a priority in our lives. Please Lord, open our eyes so that we could see the wonder of Your love. Please remove the scales from our eyes so that we might see Your handiwork and be reminded of Your goodness, so that we will have every reason to worship You in everything that we do or see. 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. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. 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!

What If God’s Message Hinders our Livelihood?

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

Sunday, 2020-02-16

Bible Reference: Acts 19:25-27
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: 25–26 Demetrius called a meeting of his employees, along with all the various tradespeople of Ephesus, and said, “You know that our prosperous livelihood is being threatened by this Paul, who is persuading crowds of people to turn away from our gods.[y] We make a good living by doing what we do, but everywhere Paul goes, not only here in Ephesus but throughout western Turkey,[z] he convinces people that there’s no such thing as a god made with hands. 27 Our businesses are in danger of being discredited. And not only that, but the temple of our great goddess Artemis is being dishonored and seen as worthless.[aa] She is the goddess of all of western Turkey and is worshiped in all the world. But if this outrage continues, everyone everywhere will suffer the loss of her magnificent greatness.”

OBSERVATION: When the Holy Spirit enters into us after we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, I believe His primary function is to make us talk, walk, pray, act and look like Jesus. To do this, often involves make a 180-degree turn on all that we were, to become all that we should be, as followers of Christ. Let’s keep this in mind as we meditate on this Scripture today.

APPLICATION: It is unfortunate, but humans find it easy to tear one another up when we are doing, talking or generally acting differently than they expect us to. For example, it is so easy for me to tear down an individual who says they are a Christian, yet they act or talk differently than I do, and they attract a different crowd than I do. But as I stop and ponder this Scripture today, I am forced to think about how I would act, if my very likelihood depended solely on a business other than the world considers ‘Christian’ based. I’m not saying that Demetrius was a Christian, but we should try to understand why he acted the way he did. I’m a firm believer in looking inward before we attempt to judge, or correct others. It is obvious that Demetrius tried to incite those who depended on him for their livelihood, hoping that together they could work to get Paul out of town before he convinced everyone of their need for Christ. So try putting yourself in the shoes of Demetrius. But also stop to consider, what would you do if you saw business declining since revival services began down the street at that old church on the corner? What would you do if you were convinced to accept Jesus as Lord of your life, and you owned a business that sold items spoken against in the Word of God? I know of a business where the Christian owner was face with boat captains checking out on a Sunday from his marina, to return home for work the next day. His policy was that he would be in church every Sunday, and that since it was the ‘Lord’s Day’ he would transact no financial business on that day. So he told his guests that chose to leave on a Sunday that they would have to either visit the office on Saturday, or mail him a check when they arrived home. From what I understand, that business owner never lost a dime because of his stand for keeping the Lord’s Day holy, and dedicated that day to Christ alone. Friends, when a young man becomes a husband, he stops the nightly trips to the bar to meet other ladies, and he stops the weekly parties with the boys, for he has dedicated himself to the woman of his dreams, and he has made a 180-degree turn in what he does with his life. Similarly, when a child enters a home, that mother will make a 180-degree turn from her lifestyle, wants and desires, so that she could devote herself wholeheartedly to her newborn. I pray that we have been reminded today that Christians should have a deep desire to be more like Jesus Christ in every way possible. This will involve making a 180-degree turn from the things of this world, to all that Jesus might lead us into as His precious child. Like Demetrius, the world will be giving us every excuse why we should not follow Christ, however they will have no suggestions for you when Jesus asks why should He allow you into His heaven. Let me encourage you to totally dedicate yourself to the One that You have committed yourself to serve.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for rescuing us from the sin that attracted us to this world. Thank You for the promise of Heaven and the love and majesty of the King of Glory! Because of our commitment to You, we have a deep desire to follow You and You alone. This means that we have made a 180-degree turn on the ways of this world, but because we still live here, we need Your special touch to overcome the things of the world, and live fully dedicated lives to You. Please be our guide, our help and our deliverer in times of weakness. Help us to make smart decisions, even if it involves changing jobs or other such things that might pull us away form You. May we be faithful followers until the day You call us home to 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 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. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. 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!

Encouragement For God’s Ministers

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

Wednesday, 2020-02-12

Bible Reference: Acts 18:8-11
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 8-11 In the course of listening to Paul, a great many Corinthians believed and were baptized. One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: “Keep it up, and don’t let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I’m with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city.” That was all he needed to stick it out. He stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians.

OBSERVATION: I have always heard that most pastors that quit the ministry or a church, makes that decision on a Monday, because the decision is made after a feeling of failure from the Sunday before. As we meditate on these verses today, let is try to understand why God saw it so important to encourage Paul about the work he was doing. Perhaps this might encourage us to be more encouraging to our pastors, Sunday School teachers, and other ministers of the Gospel.

APPLICATION: The commitment you make to serve God through various ministries, is often one that you may find brings no earthly rewards, or there may appear to be no appreciation shown at all for the sacrifices you make. Many Pastors will tell you that this matters little to them, for they are looking forward to their heavenly reward. However, show me a pastor who is praised and encouraged by their congregation, and I believe I could show you a very happy pastor who often feels accomplished. Just as a simple illustration, I had a pastor at one time who encouraged my church to say ‘Amen’ if you felt that he was on target with what he declared from the pulpit. He said it was like saying ‘sick-um’ to a bull dog!! Think about this and realize how something so simple could help a pastor. It shows him that you are listening, and it encourages him to know that you feel very similar to what you just heard him say. We teach, preach and minister, because we want God’s work to be accomplished through us and in anything we might say. Whether we sing, preach or teach, when we look at a nonparticipating audience it will only dampen our spirit and discourage us in our delivery. I believe that when one seeks the wisdom of God, and shares from the Word of God, with a heart that is close to God, then God’s people will be stirred, and they will respond accordingly. I once heard someone complain about the lack of substance spoken by the pastor in his Sunday morning sermon. I asked how much they had prayed for the pastor and his sermon that day. The negative response told me that they got as much from the sermon as they had prayed for. What about you dear friend? Are you a prayer warrior for your pastor, or other teachers/ministers at your church? In Scripture we are told that ‘if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, then I will hear from heaven and…..’ Wouldn’t we also see better results if we humbled ourselves and prayed for our pastor? Perhaps then he will also hear from heaven and….. In our scripture verses today God shows us how important it was for Him to encourage Paul. I believe He wanted to show us how important it is for us to also encourage our church leaders and pastors. Don’t do this out of habit, but from a deep, sincere heart, in celebration for what you saw in response to your prayers.

PRAYER: Lord, it was precious to see You honor Your servant Paul, and to encourage him to continue ministering in Your name! Thank You heavenly Father for using the foolishness of preaching to reach the lost of our community. Thank You for using humble men and women like my readers and I to share Your Word with others. It’s like one beggar sharing bread with other beggars who are starving. People all around us need the Lord. Please use all those who are willing to share Your Word in such a way that the lost will understand and desire. Please open the hearts and minds of the unsaved, and cause them to either hear Your Word proclaimed, or read attempts such as this blog. Please use our efforts in whatever form You know will touch hearts today, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. 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!