Scripture: John 9.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 9:35-38 (NLT)

35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”

37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”

38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

There comes a time that we all must face the challenging question of where do we stand in our relationship with Jesus. We were created by God, and yet He loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son on a cruel cross, just to show how much He loved us and how far He would go to make sure that our eternal destiny could be secured with Him. Now even though He provided the way, and the means by which we could secure our destiny, there must be a time in our lives where we answer the question like the one posed to the man that was healed, “Do you believe in the Son of Man, or Son of God?”. Even though God provided the way, He also gave us the option, or choice, so that we would personally decide whether we will continue living our lives destined for Hell, or whether we surrender our lives over to Jesus. Perhaps you are like the man in the focal passage, you want to know Jesus. Friend, the Bible is very clear on who Jesus is, the gift He is offering you today, and the very simple steps you can follow to accept this gift in order to be assured of your eternal destiny. As you can tell from the daily obituaries, there is no set pattern or age to help you decide the maximum time you have left on earth, in case you are thinking that you can wait until the last minute. So don’t put this off, decide today if you want to believe in the Son of God, then if you need help, prayers or information on how to proceed to the next step, check with your pastor or respond to this post and let me help you and pray with you. This is THE most important question of the day for you. If you decide to accept the gift, you can be assured forever that you are secured in the arms of Jesus. If you brush this off and make no decision, you are indicating that you are satisfied and determined to die knowing that you will find yourself in Hell being tormented forever by Satan himself and all of his demons. You think life here on this earth is challenging, unloving, hateful, misguided and something you wish you could escape from at times? You ain’t seen nothing yet friend!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I know that someone will read this today and feel like this is a scare tactic to push them into making a decision today. I pray that before they read it, You will prepare their hearts to fully comprehend the importance of this decision. Please help them to fully understand the pain that You went through at Calvary, so that they wouldn’t have to go through anything similar when they breathe their last breath here on earth. Please help them to catch a glimpse of the joy that could be theirs each and every day in knowing that You are there for them through each and every challenge with outstretched arms to love them and help them overcome. You’ve done it for me and I’m sure You’ll do it for any that may accept You today, for Your Word is very clear in that You stand for truth and will guarantee all that Your Word declares. Touch hearts today, I pray dear God.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: ^.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 8:31-32 (NLT)

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that one of the most aggravating reasons we could give our kids as to why we have declined a request of theirs, is “because I said so”!! For we have truly not told them why, and that we have no reason for declining other than because of our personal wish or desire. Jesus was questioned or interrogated by the Pharisees and other religious leaders, and being the Son of God, He could have very easily said that You need no other reason, but instead He told them, and I am convinced that He is telling us today through these same words, that although it is important for us to go through the earthly rituals of coming forward and surrendering our hearts to the Lord, but what really proves that we have had a ‘heart’ experience is when we follow the ways of God and obey His commands. The focal verse here says, “if you remain faithful to my teachings” (if you hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them). To me, this means that I must have my life so saturated with the Word of God that not only will others know whose I am, but they will see evidence of that in what I say, what I believe, how I act and how I react. Friends, let’s make our salvation experience more than just a ‘ticket punching’ event for going to heaven, but rather show evidence of the change that has transpired in our lives by studying God’s Word and following its teachings. I don’t believe that there is one command given by God that was intended to unreasonably restrain us or constrain us, but rather His commands are intended to make us more like Jesus in every way so that others will believe on Him and know Him because they could see that we truly know Him and follow Him. Let’s not try to imitate any earthly person or figurehead, Jesus is our example as He was the only perfect One, and He’s the One that we should always choose to please and follow. Pray that He will truly know that we are His disciple today, because He has seen us remain faithful to His teachings.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I believe that one of the greatest compliments my earthly father could receive, if he was still alive today, would be hearing that he raised a good son because there is evidence that he is following many of the same principles that my dad followed in his lifetime to be a child of God and a successful citizen of this earth. Similarly, I believe that one of the greatest compliments that I could possibly hear from You is that I made it a point to always follow Your commands and Your teachings and Your will. I wouldn’t dare say that I have attained in this goal yet, so again this morning I humbly plead with You for strength today to follow Your perfect will, obey Your commands and biblical teachings so that I may represent You well to my lost friends and coworkers, and especially so that You might recognize me as one of Your disciples. Please guide me and show me the way today, oh Lord.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Samuel 29-30.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 30:21-24 (NLT)

21 Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully.

22 But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.”

23 But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. 24 Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

We are reminded in this passage that each of us in the Lord’s army are important and critical to the task of winning the lost. Some may say that they are just not physically capable to walking the streets to be a witness, but you can pray. Some may say that they are timid witnessing to a person. Unfortunately we use this as an excuse, but I bet if you had just become a grandparent, there is probably no one that you would not tell, and show those photos to! Yet we have gained eternal life with the Master of this universe and we are too shy to tell someone else that good news? Since when have we been so unconscionable that we could see someone hurting and going the wrong way, and although we know the only right way to go, a true place of everlasting joy, and we could be selfish enough to sit back and withhold sharing that with this person? I bet we could never be so selfish about anything else! Bottom line is that David showed us how even though we may be tired, or withdrawn or shy, don’t just set yourself aside and do nothing. After all, like David did, so will God recognize that although we may have only been responsible for praying for the warriors that went out to preach and witness, or perhaps we took responsibility for gathering supplies for them, or feeding them, or caring for their families while they went out for a week of disaster recovery, yet God will realize that it took us all to get the job done. Now understand that we all can’t be backstage folk or support folk, but our jobs are vital to the success of the frontline folk. There really is no excuse for doing nothing at all! For those of you who feel like you do it all, take note of how David recognized those who couldn’t join him on the front line. Let’s be understanding of all in God’s army and not just on the good you feel like you alone are doing. We can all share in the work, then we all would rejoice in the glory one day!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, thank You for all that You did for me by sending Your Son Jesus to die on a cruel cross at Calvary, so that I may have the confidence of eternal life with You one day. Thank You for all You do each and every day to watch over me, keeping me safe and guiding me into a path of righteousness. I often wish that I could do more while here on this old earth, so while I am here, I ask that You best utilize my strengths, abilities and willingness to be used of You in touching the lives of those that need a touch from You. Please help me to never sit on the sidelines and wait for others to do the work, but instead show me how I could help to facilitate the work You have for us to do. I look forward to the glorious rewards of success, so please help me to do my part in preparation for, and maintenance of, the travelling time/the journey towards the goal.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 7.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 7:15-19 (NLT)

15 The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.

16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. 19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

God has blessed us with His Word, and with His Holy Spirit so that we may be capable of discerning the legitimacy of the teaching and/or preaching of His Word. I believe that too often we take what is said from a pulpit, or from Bible teachers, at face value, and without proving the words back to the Bible. We have really become a people very accustomed to entertainment with very little thought required of us. There are two main principles taught here in this passage by Jesus on how we may KNOW, or test, if we are being told the truth of God is being taught or preached:

1. The words must agree with, and not contradict what the Bible says – In verse 17, Jesus said that we would know that the teaching is from God. The way that this is accomplished is by proving it against the Word of God. For a personal example: In one of my previous jobs I was an auditor/examiner, and if I found something wrong with the practice of the employee(s) I could write them up, but I had to support that write-up with supporting rules and/or regulation. I couldn’t just write them up because I felt it was wrong.
   
2. The words of the deliverer must point to God and not to themselves. In verse 18 Jesus teaches this principle very clearly. Ever walked away from a church service or a teaching class thinking “wow, he sure was full of himself this morning”?
   

Friends, it is so important that we not pollute our hearts with the words and personal wishes of mere man, but fill it to overflowing with the Word of God, the teachings of God, the values that Jesus would have us learn from Him. Let’s not be entertained at church, but rather let us receive a word from God through the teaching and preaching. Follow in your Bible as the Word is taught or preached. Keep your pastor or minister accountable by gently questioning him after the service. They will love you for participating and not just sitting there waiting for, or expecting entertainment!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, thank You for providing Your Holy Word for us to live by. Thank You for working in and through Your servants that teach and/or preach Your Word week in and week out. Please continue to provoke our hearts to be the right flock, by doing our part in testing the spoken word. Help us to love You and our pastor/preacher/minister/teacher enough to follow along with all they are teaching or preaching – by participating rather than merely criticizing, because we may not have heard something that tickles our fancy. Your Word is like a two-edged sword, so there are times that it will sting or hurt, because it will correct our wrong or evil thoughts or practices. Your Word is powerful, please help us to never take it lightly and never apply it to someone else, but to our very own lives.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 6.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 6:5-7 (NLT)

5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”

6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

John 6:16-21 (NLT)

16
That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!”
21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

So many times we come to a point in our lives when we realize that we don’t have all the answers, and we don’t know the right step that we should take next. Often we wonder how we will overcome the huge obstacles that stand in our way, for they always seem so huge that it appears like we could never get over them or through them. There is a song with the words “God specializes in things thought impossible“, but when we are in the middle of our challenges we often feel so overwhelmed about what we can do, that we seldom look to and depend on the One that can handle all of our problems and conerns. As I meditated on this chapter I felt a strong sense of God saying that He Will Make A Way, even we think there is no way. In this first passage I am reminded of all the shopping that we do when we invite a family over for dinner, yet Jesus saw well over 5,000 followers all around Him that needed feeding. To Philip and the other disciples, this was an impossible task given their very limited supplies, but to Jesus this was merely a reason to multiple what they actually had, so that all would be fed and still be left with tons of leftovers! Wow, can He make a way for us too? I have no doubt friend! In the second passage the disciples got impatient waiting for Jesus, so they did like many of us would do today, they thought to handle the next step all by themselves – under their own strength and power and wisdom, so they jumped in a boat and tried to row over to the other side of the river. Of course a storm arose and the disciples feared for their lives, but Jesus did the impossible (walked on water) to get to His followers and as He approached the boat the waters subsided. Notice also that when Jesus stepped into the boat and relieved the fears of His followers, immediately they were at their destination. It’s like He realized that they were probably too weak to row anymore so He took care of the rest for them. Friend of God, I have no reason to doubt that Jesus wouldn’t do the same for us today. He knows the financial struggles that we face. He knows the medical conditions that exist. He knows the challenging relatives, friends or even church members that we deal with, but He’s Still God and He can do what often seems impossible to us! Our part in all of this friend, is:

1. We must know Him personally in order to call on Him for help – surrender first!
   
2. We must not worry when troubles arise, but have faith in the One who specializes in things thought impossible!
   
3. Call on Jesus to meet us and provide for us in our times when it seems like all is lost and there is no way out or over the situations of this life. Remember, He’s still God!
   

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, I thank You for opening my eyes to the overwhelming power of the God that I love, adore and serve. Thank You for reminding me that You can make a way when there seems to be no way (in my eyes at least). Please help me to have confidence today and every day in the Master of the sea, the Provider of food for the 5,000, the only One that can calm the seas. Please help me to go forth in confidence today knowing that You are in control! Thank You for being such an awesome, powerful, loving God!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Samuel 22-23.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 22:3 (NLT)

3 Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.”

1 Samuel 23:1-4 (NLT)

1 One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors.

2 David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.

3 But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”

4 So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

David had been on the run for a while, but yet we are shown where he was not one to make quick, snap decisions without first consulting with God and seeking His will. In the two examples above, I was touched to see how this man of God sought after God’s heart and approval before making a move. It seems like each and every day there are important decisions that we need to make, but I wonder how much of that we bathe in prayer and seek God’s will on. Because of God’s direction and help, we can see where David made a move that could have jeopardized the 600 men that served him. Although David’s army was safe, the move unfortunately served to provoke Saul into killing all the priests of Nob and their families for the favor one had paid to David before his travels in the wilderness, but David gained the confidence of one of the sons of these priests that escaped. Then again in chapter 23 I’m sure that David could have easily snapped to a quick decision to attach the Philistines who had invaded Keilah, but before he made any such decision he sought after God’s will. What I thought was interesting is that although David heard God’s response, when he called his army together to follow through on the attack and he received opposition from them, he asked for reassurance from God. Wow, if only we would be so insistent about seeking and following God’s will. What a powerful band of Christians Satan would have to battle in our towns. We would have no equal, and would face our enemies with bold confidence because of whose we are. God won the battle for us already on Calvary, and He will do it again, and again, and again, if only we will let Him. We are children of the same master and Lord that David served, oh that we may have the heart of David and seek God’s face and His ultimate will as we make daily decisions that could very easily impact the kingdom.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, we are so blessed to have Your Word available to us and see the circumstances, like in this story of David where You were always there for him through, what appears to be, very challenging situations for mere humans. Praise God that I serve the same master, the same Lord, the same Savior that answered David’s prayers and came through for him time and time again. Each and every day we face a world that seems like it is out to get us. It is so evident that old Satan is busy in and around us Lord, and we need Your strength and Your power to see us through. I pray that You will remind me each day of the importance of seeking You first in all that I do. Jesus, take my hand, lead me and guide me through this walk so that I may represent You well and show others the love that You not only have for me, but that could be theirs also. May this be a glorious day with You in control of my every step and every word, oh Lord!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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