|
Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-05-31 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 14:17-19 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the other disciples, 18 and as they were sitting around the table eating, Jesus said, “I solemnly declare that one of you will betray me, one of you who is here eating with me.”
19 A great sadness swept over them, and one by one they asked him, “Am I the one?” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| A room full of disciples and the Lord Jesus, when Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. I would have expected them all to try and reassure Jesus that it definitely would not be them, but instead they all questioned Jesus if it was them. I found that very interesting. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Perhaps the disciples were very aware of their weaknesses and knew that they would possibly cave in to pressure from the authorities. Perhaps they had been privately chatting about some of the impossible things that occurred during the time they had been following Jesus, and they were having some doubt about the reality of it all. Just as we all sin today – from the preacher, to the faithful member in the pew or the guy who has chosen to never visit a church again in his lifetime, so it could be with us if told by Jesus that we could be the ones who would betray Him. In fact, we would probably start apologizing right away, because we know how possible it would be. Perhaps that’s how the disciples felt that night. What we do know is that one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter, swore up and down that he would never deny Jesus Christ, yet under the right conditions, he did exactly that. I believe for the Christian today, our doubts arise when we face the opposition, for how many of us truly stand up for our faith when hanging around a gang of friends who wants nothing to do with Jesus? Would we question, like the disciples did, about whether Jesus was referring to us, because of the guilt we felt very deep inside? So is there a way to improve on this, you might ask. I believe that Jesus knows everything about our nature, and He knows that we are prone to sin as long as we remain here on this earth among sinners. However, we know from His Word that Jesus loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine; we know that He gave of His very life as a substitution for our sin, so that we may appear before the Father spotless. So I am convinced that He also knows our heart and whether we are sincere in our relationship with Him. Friends, it’s not in saying certain words, attending a certain church, hanging around certain friends – although each of these certainly helps us to live a good life, but it’s really all about our heart, because our intent and our will is governed by what’s deep inside of our heart. A personal, sincere and dedicated relationship with Jesus helps you acquire the attributes that He teaches in His written Word. As we reach for perfection as a Christian, we should aim to live, speak and act just like Jesus did. From these qualities, Jesus will know what might come from our mouths and how we might act in the presence of worldly pressures. You could easily overcome doubt and guilt, friend, with the help of our Master and Lord! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, weak though we are when depending on inner strength, yet we serve an all powerful and Almighty God. Thank You for loving us enough to cluster us under Your wings and watch over us, and protect us from the evil of this world. Lord, we want to be just like You, and be Your witnesses here in this world. Please give us the strength, wisdom and boldness to be Your hands and Your feet even among those who oppose You. Help us to seek Your face, and develop such a relationship with You that we would constantly grow in the likeness of Jesus every day. 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! | |
Month: May 2017
The Origin Of Temptation
|
Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-05-30 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
James 1:13-15 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
13 Whenever you feel tempted to do something bad, you should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. 14 You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. 15 Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Obviously James was not teaching about something that would take place in a future world filled with sin, he was dealing with a problem in his own time. God has it in His Word, because He knew before hand that this would still be an issue in our world today. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| How often have we heard excuses given for the causes of sin. We’ve all heard things like these: “The Devil made me do it”; “My spouse made me do it”; “Friends that I trusted made me do it”; “It was God that led me to do it so He could get my attention”. I’m sure there are other excuses, but aren’t we really quick to find something, or someone, to blame our own willfulness and sin on? Read the verses again, God plainly tells us how it all starts. To my unbelieving friends reading this devotional, it may be challenging for you to get a handle on this, because you are probably not in the Bible regularly, where you can learn about the ideals of God and therefore know when you cross the line of sin. If you feel led to correct that problem, let me encourage you to read my Footnote where you will find tips on ways to correct that dilemma. To my Christian friends, let me assure you that for as long as we remain in this world, we will face trials and temptations. Our chosen Scripture explains how this all starts, so knowing the source, you know how to pray, and what to pray for. Please stop the blame game and take responsibility for the true source of temptation. This could also go a long ways in helping you to avoid temptation, God being your helper. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, Your Word is powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword. Please work on us to honor Your Word by obeying what You command of us and teach us. Lord, we must take responsibility for our own inner self, and stop finding excuses for who else may have caused our sin. I love the words from an old song: “It’s me, It’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer. It not my sister or my brother but it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer”. As I encourage all my readers to do a deep self examination of this serious issue, I must confess personally Lord, that it’s me standing in the need of prayer, for my desire is to be recognized and counted as a child of God by all those who come into contact with me. This is only possible with the guiding and protective hand of the Master guiding and directing my every move and word. I pray that God might speak to you today about your need, friends, and I pray that it won’t be in vain! 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! | |
In A State of Readiness
|
Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-05-29 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 13:32-33; 36-37 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
32 “No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know when that day or time will be. Only the Father knows. 33 Be careful! Always be ready. You don’t know when that time will be.
36 If you are always ready, he will not find you sleeping, even if he comes back earlier than expected. 37 I tell you this, and I say it to everyone: ‘Be ready!’ |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus truly loved His disciples and He didn’t want them to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime, the return of God the Father to take His loved ones home to glory. However, Jesus shared with the disciples, and us, that we could live knowing about this very special day, but we must be careful to live in a state of readiness at all times, as our eternal destination will be determined by our spiritual condition when He returns to take us home. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I want you to imagine with me that you were taking a very special, and long awaited trip by train to visit your closest relatives that you haven’t seen in years. The only thing you could get out of the train operators is that the train should be at your station around 6am, but it has been known for the train to arrive within plus or minus 2 hours of the scheduled time, and it will leave within 3 minutes of its arrival time. I wonder how many will be at the station at 3:30, knowing that the train could arrive as early as 4am, and how many will wait until 7:45, knowing that the train could actually arrive two hours late? Also, consider that pregnant mothers are ready for their infant’s arrival months in advance of the predicted arrival date, knowing that the baby could very easily come at any time. Friends, quite often I hear people sharing their shock of someone dying young, or sharing how important it is for them to enjoy life, as eventually they will get old and depart this life. I believe that we all should be warned today, that God could call us out of this world at anytime. Sometimes because He is ready for us in heaven, and other times because we have been so careless in this world that we have compressed our earthly life duration without any thought of heaven, or preparation for our eternity. Friends, our verses today reminds us that we may meet our Maker today, tomorrow, next week, by the end of the year, or perhaps in a few more years. I will repeat the emphasis that Jesus used in our Scripture today, are you ready? Not giving a specific date is not unfair, for it should lead to us in to taking the Word of God seriously and ensuring that we are ready today. Throughout human history mankind has been known to procrastinate until the very last minute, so if they knew the specific time the deadline will actually occur, guess what would happen? May I encourage you to examine your state of readiness today friends, so that you will be ready when God is ready for you. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, thank You for providing life itself for us to enjoy all the blessings that You pour on us every day. Thank You for preparing a home for us to look forward to when we finish up our time here on earth. Thank You for providing the Lamb – the means for us to graduate from this old wicked world, into the glories of heaven, IF we accepted Your Son – Your gift of salvation while there was still time for us to do so. Lord, please touch the hearts of family and friends who have yet to make that decision. Today truly is the day of salvation, because we want to be ready to see You face to face when called out of this world. Thank You heavenly Father, thank You Lord Jesus and thank You Holy Spirit for being our Guide each and every day. Oh that we may be convinced of our eternal destination, even if You returned today to take believers 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 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! | |
Inspired By The Holy Spirit
|
Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-05-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 13:11 (Voice) |
|
Text: |
11 When people bring you up on charges and it is your time to defend yourself, don’t worry about what message you’ll deliver. Whatever comes to your mind, speak it, because the Holy Spirit will inspire it. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had warned His disciples that there would be some very challenging times ahead, and I’m sure it must have put their minds in high gear wondering what they had gotten themselves into. The words that I bolded are words of encouragement that would have calmed the concerns of the disciples, just as they are for us today! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Imagine being told that the authorities will come after you, if they know that you are a Christian. Imagine being told that you would appear in court for being known as a ‘Child of God’, and that there are good chances that you will be mocked and made fun of, especially when asked to say what you believe and why you believe it. For some, this will not be a problem, because they have so committed themselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, that they will stand in town square, walk the busiest streets of the city, or go before the president or any king and boldly proclaim the name of the Lord, for there is no fear of man. For others, their lack of commitment to the Master over the years will quickly come through as they quickly turn away and disclaim the name of the Lord. Friends, what gives me an awesome sense of assurance, of comfort, of peace and restores my faith, is that from the lips of Jesus we hear, in response to our fears and doubts, the words “just speak it, for the Holy Spirit will inspire you”. I believe this also means that when those times come that we doubt whether we should go on mission for the Lord, He is comforting us with the words “just do it for me and with no selfish desire, and the Holy Spirit will protect and guide you”. Our biggest fears of witnessing for Jesus to our lost loved ones and friends, don’t you know that He would want His name proclaimed by each of us, and that He would quickly say “just do it my child, and the Holy Spirit will inspire you with the words”? Friends, our God is awesome and all powerful. He sent the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Guide. Do you know Him? Do you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide? Please accept Jesus as your Lord and Master, and be assured of the Holy Spirit that will be with you constantly, especially when difficult times come. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You Heavenly Father for loving us enough to care for us and provide for us, especially in challenging times when most feel so inadequate and helpless. Thank You Holy Spirit for being our constant friend, comforter and guide. Lord, help us to be a confident people filled with Your grace, knowing that we are continuously inspired by the Holy Spirit, 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! | |
Means + Motive = True Generosity
|
Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-05-26 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 12:41-44 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
41 Jesus sat near the Temple collection box and watched as people put money into it. Many rich people put in a lot of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny.
43 Jesus called his followers to him and said, “This poor widow put in only two small coins. But the truth is, she gave more than all those rich people. 44 They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. It was money she needed to live on.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Although Jesus had the advantage of knowing the heart and the intent of each person that gave that day, yet He saw a very obvious lesson in all this for His disciples, and consequently for you and I. Jesus was not dependent on the money that was given, for He proved over and over that He could do a lot with very little, or with nothing at all. He was more concerned about the heart of the giver. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that one of the excuses most often used by those who don’t attend church, is that all the church or pastor is looking for is your money. It is very obvious that people find it very challenging, at best, to give charitably from their hard earned money, so let’s look closer at this in our study today. When you stop to consider the unemployed neighbor, or the hospitalized friend who has been out of work for six months, why do you suppose God saw, in His great mercy, to allow you the good health, and the job opportunity to earn a living for your family? So how much of that income can you give Him thanks for? So why again do you feel 100% of it belongs to you, with your choice about where to spend it? And why again do you feel like it is so unfair of God to even suggest that you give 10% of that income to His work? Friends, God has a plan for your life, and for His church. I am convinced that His work will be accomplished with, or without you or I, however I am also convinced that God would rather see nothing more than His children participate in His work and celebrate the blessings as He pours them on us. Don’t let Satan mess with your mind and try to convince you that $100 of that $1,000 bonus you just got is too much to put into the hands of your local church. Don’t believe Satan’s lies that the church is just greedy for your money, more than anything else. When you start looking at that, you have lost sight of the reason you are giving. If you withhold from, or lose the joy of giving, because of all the lies Satan will try to convince you of, will you also look to Satan in your time of need? May I suggest that you consider giving God ALL of you, then you will appreciate the 90% of your income that He allows you to manage your earthly affairs with. It’s all about your relationship with God, friend, and what God will do for you, and absolutely nothing at all about what you feel He wants to rob you of. God’s in the business of blessing His children, not robbing them. Give Him yourself, and watch His blessings flow into each area of your life, even in your finances. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You gave it all for us, even to Your very own life. Please open our eyes and remind us once again that it takes all of us to get all of You in return. Most of us really don’t like to do things half heartedly, so with Your help may we recommit ourselves to You in totality, especially in the one area of our life that seems to bug us most, our finances. Lord, we desire more of You in our lives and in our family and in our church. Please begin with us, even now. 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! | |
Of Highest Importance
|
Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-05-25 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 12:28-31 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
“Which of the commands is the most important?”29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| A teacher of the law wanted to ‘cut to the chase’ and get the short answer by asking Jesus to tell them the most important commandments. Although I’m sure that Jesus could very easily have said that they all were important, knowing their hearts and the struggles that they dealt with each day, Jesus shared the two that, if closely followed, all other commandments would fall into place for them. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Like the teacher of law who approached Jesus, we often do this in conversation, especially when someone is known to be long-winded, for we would ask them to give us the short answer, or the 30,000′ high-level answer. Because we are so like the Sadducees, Jesus immediately knew that if they, or we, would commit ourselves to honoring God, and loving Him with all of our being, then our priorities would be in order, for there is no other God but He. Furthermore, our God is a jealous God, for He formed us in His likeness and desires our praise, worship and adoration. It’s not easy for us to apply this if our eyes are on other gods, or if we attend a worship service and our hearts are elsewhere. In the case of the second commandment, let’s not think for a moment that we could love our God and not love and honor His children – our neighbors. Friends, when we have these two things aligned in our lives, can’t you see where it would be especially challenging to commit sin against our God and our neighbors? In other words, we will easily honor the other commandments if we are truly committed to dealing with these two. So based on this Scripture, I believe that God wants us to evaluate our relationship with Him, and with our neighbors. What might He say about that if you stood before Him today? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, may it be evident to You and to the world that we love and adore You and that we honor you with our worship at every opportunity. May our relationship with our neighbor be one that is filled with love, just as You first loved us, and may we encourage each other towards love and good works. Lord, as this becomes evident to others, may You receive honor, glory and acceptance by those in our circle of family, friends and coworkers. 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 Lens Through Which You See Life
|
Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-05-24 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Proverbs 7:1-3 (VOICE) |
|
Text: |
My son, live according to what I am telling you; guard my instructions as you would a treasure deep within you. 2 Stay true to my directives, and they will serve you well; make my teachings the lens through which you see life. 3 Bind cords around your fingers to remind you of them; meditate on them, and you’ll engrave them upon your heart. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In all of life’s decisions there is a plumb line by which we make decisions. In many work areas we are governed by city, state and national regulations. We are reminded in this Proverb that we who are called by God’s name, should be governed by His teachings. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| My mom often said that you could tell if a child was brought up or drug up, by the way they acted in public and whether they obeyed what they were told by their parents in public, without stumping their feet as a demand to have it their way! I love this translation that says in verse 2 that we should view life and live it through the lens of God’s teachings. So let’s look closer at this today, by evaluating a few examples. If you fill yourself of the world all week and only find time to hear a few verses from God’s Word when your pastor takes his text from it on the weekend, which lens is most prevalent for you to view the things of this world or the decisions you make? To put this in perspective, there are 168 hours in every week. If only 1 hour is spent learning of God’s directives and 167 in filling your eyes, your ears and your mind, don’t you think that you would be 99.4% more likely to follow the ways of the world? In addition to looking like a parent, a child can often be recognized by the way they act, and the decisions they make, because they imitate their parents. They look at the world through the same lens that their parents did. The Word of God says that to know the Word of God and to defy it and do our own thing is sin. Let me remind you that sin cannot enter into God’s presence or into His heaven. Although we may be imperfect vessels here on this earth, God knows our heart. He knows the lens through which we make our decisions and our very intentions. It’s easy to fool some people into believing anything you say to them, but God not only knows the truth, but He also knows your intentions – the lens through which you made your decisions. Are you a child of God seeking daily to live for Him, living through the lens of His Word, and looking forward to the rewards of Heaven? If so, then I am so looking forward to being with you around the throne of God. If you are not one who has invited Jesus to be your Lord and King, then looking through the lens of your god – Satan, will unfortunately, not only cause you to act irrational and ungodly here on earth, but your future leads to hell and damnation for eternity. Not a pretty destination friend. Please read my Footnote for information that could help you make a change today. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Dear Father, thank You for accepting me as Your very own son. Thank You for giving me parents and a community that led me towards the cross, where I found Your Son and accepted Him as my Savior. Thank You for churches and Christian family and friends that taught me more of Your teachings so that I would have the correct lens through which to live this life, as I prepare for meeting You in the next! Please help me to live this life more through the lens of Your teachings and expectations than the influence of this wicked world. Lord, please draw the unsaved unto yourself today, so that You may rule in their lives and direct them along the paths directed by You. May You be glorified in every way today, is my humble cry, 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! | |
Jesus – Our Savior, Protector and…
|
Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-05-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 35:1-3 (GW) |
|
Text: |
|
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Like us, David had some folk who were upset at him, jealous of him, and some who just plain didn’t like him. Perhaps because he was a man after God’s own heart, or a great warrior, or a fearless king. However, He had a ‘ROCK’ that he could always depend on and go to whenever he felt overwhelmed by all these things. He wanted the comfort of hearing the Master say ‘It’s OK my child, I’ve got this’. Such an important reminder for us! |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| When we walk out of the comfort of our homes each day and hit the road for travel to work, we are bombarded by drivers who seem to be on a mission to run us off the road, or make us speed up or slow down. In fact, it causes our blood pressure to rise. We arrive at work and the stress, or battle, continues as one coworker arrives in an awful mood because of family issues; one is looking to get you in trouble because they are jealous of your progress in the company; an irate customer calls in and chews you out with all the nasty attitude they could conjure up; so you run off to a place of solitude to gather your thoughts and question if life is really worth it. Although David asked God to fight these ‘battles’ that he felt were raging against him, i just love the last sentence where David asked God to reassure him that He cares for him and will take care of his every need. You know how comforting it is to a child when a mother arrives home and they could rest in her arms knowing that they are loved, cared for, protected and comforted? I believe that’s the type of comfort David found, and each Christian finds, in knowing that Jesus – our Almighty Father and Master of the universe is our hope, our comfort, our joy, our protector and our everlasting King who will always be there for His own. We have nothing to fear friends, that’s our King! Take comfort in your soul, like David did, knowing that you’re in good hands! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Father God, thank You for being our Rock and our Fortress, an anchor in the time of storm. Lord, I am convinced that just as our forefather David took comfort in asking You to reassure Him of the comfort possible through You, today we, Your children, have the same assurance. Please give us strength to always look to You in all things, and allow You to be our savior of all things that trouble us, or hinders our walk for You here on this earth. All praise and honor to You, King Jesus, 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! | |
Strive For Peace
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-05-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 34:13-16 (GNT) |
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Text: |
13 Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart. 15 The Lord watches over the righteous |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| No doubt the people of David’s day were no different to us, for he pleaded with them, as he does for us, to look for ways to live in peace. In fact, David tells us that our God is a God of love and He therefore blesses those who love one another, and who creates an atmosphere of love. David assures us that God is so opposed to those who don’t follow His plan to love and live peaceably together, that He does nothing to bless them here on earth, and that He ensures that they are soon forgotten when they die. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m sure that as you read these verses, there are some folk who come to your mind. In fact you may even be reminded of how it feels in your own home, or church, or workplace when there is unrest. Countries go to war over unrest and many are often killed as a result of the battles that ensue. Homes are destroyed, bringing ill fate to couples and this often results in troubled children. Families are separated, with years of unhappiness and many situations of losing touch with each other. Friends, unless we live in peace with one another, we tend to create unrest instead of peace and love. Please let’s learn to hold our tongue and look for ways to promote peace. When we do this under the guidance and help of our Lord, and live in a manner that imitates His life here on earth, we are bound to create peace instead of strife. Verse 14 is God’s words to us, telling us to strive for, and make every effort to, ignore what the world or the devil tells us to do, and promote peace, in as much as we are concerned. Please notice that nothing is said about conditions for us to act this way. In other words, the Bible teaches just the opposite, for we are taught to love and live peaceably in every way that we can, and that means that we do this when folk are loving and kind back to us, or even if they continue to act like Satan himself. That’s why we need the overflowing love, and power of Christ inside of us, for only through His awesome grace and power can we strive for peace with folk who are bound and determined to destroy us or break down our good intentions. So friends, it’s up to us. With God’s help we can do this! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, it is very evident that what the world needs most is to have more folk living exactly as described through Your servant David. Please humble and enable us to be more like You every day, and give us the strength and grace to do this in spite of the attitude or intent of the other party. Lord, please unite our families, our churches, our towns and our country, so that we may one day look more like, and act like You in every way. Most will know that You are King when they see us allowing You to rule and reign through our lives. Please grant us the will to live in peace and love with one another. 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! | |
Where’s Your Heart?
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-05-19 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 11:7-10 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
7 So the colt was brought to Jesus, and the disciples threw their cloaks across its back for him to ride on. 8 Then many in the crowd spread out their coats along the road before him, while others threw down leafy branches from the fields.
9 He was in the center of the procession with crowds ahead and behind, and all of them shouting, “Hail to the King!” “Praise God for him who comes in the name of the Lord!” . . . 10 “Praise God for the return of our father David’s kingdom. . . . ” “Hail to the King of the universe!” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Many will recognize these verses as a scene that’s often taught or preached in church services leading up to Palm Sunday. Many different people involved in this story: Jesus; His followers; the town’s people; the obedient disciples who went and got the colt; the believing bystanders and the unbelieving bystanders. Very interesting roles that each of these folk took in this story and we will examine this closer to see which group each of us may have fit into. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
As I read this Scripture this morning, it got my attention as to which group of people I may have been included in, so as you meditate on this devotional I would ask that you do the same. One thing about this exercise is that it is one thing to recognize which group you might fit into today, but an altogether different thing to seek the face of God for the desired group you may want to fit into, or ask Him to place you in the group where you would see the most growth, and be drawn the absolute closest to Him. Let’s think about some of the groups:
Friends, I would really like you to take a moment and reflect on which of these groups you would most likely fit into. As you do this, evaluate your personal relationship with Jesus Christ; your boldness in being His witness; your commitment to spending time with Him daily; your lifestyle as seen in the eyes of the unbeliever – do they see enough of Jesus in you, to claim you as His child? Or do they see you as hypocritical because your actions and words do not match who you claim to be? Where’s your heart, friend? |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You know us intimately. In fact, You know us better than we know ourselves. As we evaluate our stance in life today, I pray that You will open our eyes of understanding and our stony hearts so that our shortcomings will be evident. Please give us clear thoughts and vision on where we should be in Your plan for our lives, then give us boldness and commitment to follow through, in Your strength. Lord, I pray that my readers and I will draw close to You and allow You to take full control of us, all for Your glory, honor and praise. 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! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 