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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-09-30 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 63:2-4 (Voice) |
|
Text: |
2 I have seen You in Your sanctuary and have been awed by Your power and glory. 3 Your steadfast love is better than life itself, so my lips will give You all my praise. 4 I will bless You with every breath of my life; I will lift up my hands in praise to Your name. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David was in the wilderness at the time that he wrote this Psalm. In spite of his loneliness, David was still filled with praise and still looked to God in awe and with thanksgiving. I believe that we have a great lesson to learn from this experience….. |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| Generally if the atmosphere is right, the musicians top notch and the praise team one in harmony, most church attendees would consider that they have worshiped God, especially during that part of most weekend services. David was reflecting on his times with God – in the temple/sanctuary and in times of prayer and praise. Friends, I believe that we have to constantly be reminded that God is everywhere, and we have things to praise Him for that will often be forgotten by the time our weekend services rolls around. I believe that we must also learn that we don’t need to wait before praising God for His miraculous work in our lives. His Word declares that we are assured only the very moment that we find ourselves in, and nothing more. Furthermore, if someone blesses us in some way, wouldn’t we very quickly thank them and praise them for their kindness? Why then should God be any different? I believe that a sobering thought for us to consider, is that if we need any of the things I first mentioned above, to prompt us to worship our Father, are we truly worshiping God for something personal, or are we simply being obedient to the worship leader, or ‘turned on’ by the music? Let’s remember that we have a heavenly Father who loves us more than anything that we could even comprehend (Ephesians 3:19). Can you imagine this means that in spite of our weaknesses or sin or lack of praise, He loves us way more than we could understand. Knowing this, and knowing that He has prepared a place for us to spend eternity with Him in glory, why on earth would we be bashful about praising Him for the miracles we see in our own lives and all around us. Wouldn’t it be neat for us to arrive at church early and find someone there praising the Lord – long before the service begins, because their heart is so overfilled with gratefulness? Would it have an influence on friends and coworkers if they knew us for our praise and thankfulness that we express to God everyday? They might begin to think that there is something real about this God we sometime talk about! |
|
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness, and thank You for the hope that we have in You. Please open our hearts and minds to be fully connected to You, so that we will be faithful in our worship and praise of our Savior and Lord! May others be impacted by this and desire to know You personally. May our hearts be so filled with praise and worship that we easily burst forth in praise even at the mention of Your name. 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: September 2017
A Love That’s Greater Than…
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-09-29 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Ephesians 3:18-20 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
18 … I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.
20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In leaving his beloved Ephesians, Paul shared that in spite of everything he had dealt with throughout his letter, and while on site with them, he was really hoping that they would remember the sincere love of Jesus Christ that filled his heart before coming to visit with them, filled him while with them and even as he left them. Can’t you imagine that this sort of love will help you to overcome insults and ridicule, and to look at life’s circumstances in a much more meaningful way? |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| Like me, you may remember being spanked by your parents while being told that they were only doing that because they loved you!! That was extremely hard to understand as a child, because we thought that love equated to giving us everything we asked for!! Even as adults, I’m not so sure that we have really grasped the unconditional love of Jesus for us. What could you find to say to a mother who buries her son or daughter, or even a grandchild, that could convince them that God loves them unconditionally? What could a preacher find to say after preaching Hell and damnation to a congregation of believers, and then try to follow that by reassuring them that Jesus loves them more than anything else in this world? I believe that even if we start our day in God’s Word and assure ourselves of His precious love for us, it is extremely challenging for us to stay strong in the faith as we are beat up on during the day and feel like the whole world is against us. However friends, let me encourage you to read the verses again, with particular interest in finding the conditions for God’s love. In finding none, I can only encourage you to stand firm in your faith and never doubt the love of God. Whether in very positive news, or very negative news – God still loves you! Whether you are on ‘cloud nine’ with very positive and encouraging things happening in your life, or quite to the contrary – remember that God still loves you! Whether things are going way better than you could ever have expected under today’s circumstances, or whether it feels like the bottom has fallen out and no one is in control today – know that God loves you unconditionally and that He is always in charge of His universe. Why sweat it friends? Know that God has every little thing under His complete control and that He will always look after His precious children and everything that affect us. |
|
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, what a privilege to know that we serve a God who loves us in spite of who we are, and in spite of all the circumstances that may be impacting the world around us. The greatest love ever demonstrated was the sacrifice You made at Calvary so that we may have life eternally in heaven with You. Thank You Father, thank You Lord Jesus for loving us so much. May that assurance bring peace and contentment to each of Your children, in every circumstance of life. 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 One Who Knows You Intimately
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-09-28 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
John 1:46-49 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
46 But Nathanael said to Philip, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip answered, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said, “This man coming is a true Israelite, one you can trust.” 48 Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree, before Philip told you about me.” 49 Then Nathanael said, “Teacher, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In life we often say ‘If you want to really know me, come live with me’. To Nathanael’s surprise, he was innocently invited to come and meet a man from Nazareth, who was talked about by ancient prophets. I am convinced that Nathanael agreed to go with Phillip against his best judgment, because everything was just not adding up to him. But there was truly a divine appointment for Nathanael. Let me encourage you to also be open to a divine appointment that God might have for you today…. |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| This story is yet another example of how Jesus knew more about the individual than they ever thought possible. When Jesus met the woman at the well, He was able to tell her about her past relationships. When Jesus met Nathanael, He told him where he was at when Philip first approached him. I believe He could have also told him about how prejudiced he was against people from Nazareth, but Jesus wanted to get to the man’s heart, so He shared only good things with Nathanael. However, it was enough for Nathanael to recognize that Jesus was the Son of God. Friends, I believe that when Jesus calls us unto Himself, it is much like the day that He hung on the cross. For at that time He gave in to the will of the Father, instead of using His divine power to disappear from the scene. Further, He did all that for those who loved Him and for those who hated Him at the time. So if Jesus did all that at Calvary, don’t you know that in the case of your sin, and your evil condition, He sees you just where you’re at; He hears everything you are saying or thinking; but He knows your name and calls you to Himself anyway. Nathanael quickly recognized Jesus as the true Son of God. Will you also be open to His call today, and accept His invitation on your life? We’re not sure when the end will come, but we are told to be ready in case it’s today. So let me implore you to procrastinate no longer. No need to wait for your church’s weekend services, today might be the day, so read my Footnote and follow the suggestions for getting with someone today to help you, or pray with you. |
|
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You are my rock and my salvation and in You I place my trust. Thank You for calling me to Yourself many years ago. Being reminded of what You did for Nathanael, has reminded me to bring my unsaved family and friends before You yet again today. Please Lord, send a ‘Philip’ to them today who will open the door for them to accept You as Lord and Savior. Please use me, if necessary. Lord You are good, and I thank You for being my Savior, and a Savior who is still interested in the lost. I pray that many will come to know You even 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 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! | |
Trust In God At All Times
|
Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-09-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 62:5-8 (MEV) |
|
Text: |
5 My soul, wait silently for God, for my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my refuge; I will not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my shelter, is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times; you people, pour out your heart before Him; God is a shelter for us. Selah |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Even as king in the days of David, there was a lot to be concerned about and/or worried about. However, David had learned to wait before, and depend upon the Lord for all things. I believe that today we are well aware of the power source, but do we really wait for and depend on it – on God, for everything… |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| As a child, most of us learned to depend on our hero/protector – our dad, whenever we felt like we were in over our head. As we grew older, most of us probably buddied up with at least one older or bigger friend, who was the protector for the kids in our neighborhood. David shared in this Psalm today that this need for a defender or protector continues through adulthood, even if you become some major leader. Friends, no matter what our sphere of influence covers, and no matter how protected those under our leadership feel, we soon realize that there are circumstances in which we just feel helpless under our own power. David has shown us that there is One that we can depend on, because He created this world, including all mankind. Through His servants like David and other godly kings, God conquered nations and protected His people from even the biggest and baddest armies. Still God loved His creation enough that He took someone like Moses, who felt he was unworthy to lead, and gave him power and boldness to lead a multitude through 40 years of wilderness travel. He took someone like David, who had messed up so many times, and worked through him to such an extent that He reflected back on David’s life and concluded that he was a man after His own heart. So why again do you feel like you are so unworthy of God’s help? May I suggest that you re-read the verses for today and pray them to God over your personal circumstances? God will protect you! God will guide you! God will be your shelter and protector! You can trust Him at all times, friend! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Oh Lord, my God, my Fortress; my Deliverer; my Protector; my Hope; my Rock; my Salvation; my Refuge; my Glory and my Shelter, in whom I have placed my trust. Lord, I pray that in all things and in all circumstances of life, I will learn to place my trust in You and allow You to guide me and protect me. I will thank You for the shelter of Your wings and the love You show towards me in so many ways. Lord, there is great peace in knowing You as Savior and Lord. May my readers and I share this Good News with others who are not as convinced about Your power, love and protection. For it’s in You that we trust and assume our contentment, 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! | |
To Bear Witness
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-09-26 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
John 1:6-12 (NKJV) |
|
Text: |
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Right at the outset of the Gospel of John, he claims that his whole purpose in existing is to be a witness for the King who sent him, and who will return to this earth to rule and reign. Wow, what a witness! Let’s apply that to ourselves….. |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| In our lives we are often compared back to one of our parents. We either look like them or act like them. Often our mannerisms, or our smile, or some of the things we say, or the way we act, might remind people of one or both of our parents. I wonder how often we are mistaken for Jesus? Without going around with a placard around our necks, I wonder how often others see the qualities of Jesus Christ in us? One of the things that we must remember when we feel led of God to be a bold witness for Him, is that we will be so totally different to this world, that they will probably feel like we are crazy, just like John was treated. You see, it was very evident to God that Satan was leading this world totally down the opposite road to what God intended. Think about it: Satan encourages lies to get your own way and try to fool the other party you are dealing with, but God wants us to always tell the truth; Satan will lead us to kill, like he did with several in the Bible stories that we read, but God wants us to value the life that He has provided in each of us, because He wants us go on being living witnesses for Him; Satan encourages trickery and deception, but God leads us to be transparent and loving to our Brothers and Sisters, because He wants us to follow His example. Friends, God sent John as the pre-runner to His first coming. I believe that He has sent us as the pre-runner to His second coming. Are you on track for the task assigned to you? There’s no time for procrastination, for I believe that Jesus could return at any moment to take His bride away to glory – that’s His children who have accepted Him as Lord and are anxiously awaiting His return. Our task is similar to that of the apostle John, let’s be busy about the Master’s work so that many will be ready to go when He returns. The alternative is Hell, a place made only for those who refuses to trust in God. Where will you go, if Jesus returned today, friend? |
|
| PRAYER: | |
| Like John the Baptist, I feel like You have given us the heads-up on what’s ahead, Lord Jesus. Like our Brother John, we could only resign ourselves to being Your light in the midst of this dark world of sin. Please give us boldness to do Your will, to be Your witness, and to love others enough to care about their well being and their future. The options are totally opposite, and our desire is that everyone we know will see Your light today and accept You as Lord, because tomorrow may be too late. Use us, Your humble servants to be a living witness, a light to the many who need to have their world enlightened with Your grace and Your glory, AMEN! |
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| 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! | |
Priorities and Time Constrains
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-09-25 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 24:50-53 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Before being ascended into heaven, Jesus spent some final moments with His disciples, blessing them and giving them reassurance of their reuniting with Him one day. They were very excited over this as they returned to their hometown, and this brought them so much hope that they practically lived at the temple praising God. Does this sound a lot like us? Let’s have a closer look…. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Don’t you love to go fishing, and stay out there on the lake, or in the ocean for as long as you want, whether you are catching anything or not? How about those baseball games, when we arrive so early that we could have a tailgate party before the gates are opened, and we don’t mind at all if the game runs into overtime or the hour or two that it takes to work our way through thousands of people and hundreds of cars before heading back home. However, when it comes to church, we are willing to give of one hour per week – for the masses. Nearing that one-hour mark, we see people checking their watches, closing their Bibles and getting real fidgety in their seats. Why some may even take their watches off and visibly shake them, in sight of the preacher so he could see our disbelief about how long this service is going on! So what’s the difference friends? In one case we are spending beau-coup bucks to see overpaid and overweight guys run after a ball all over a large field to possibly score a goal. We know that we will return home without a voice or at least a much diminished voice for a few days, because of our screams in joyous admiration of our favorite player(s). In the other case we are voluntarily going to join other believers who are thankful for the love of the Creator of this Universe; the One who gave His only Son as a sacrifice to save us from our sin; The One who has promised us life eternal with He and His Father in heaven. However, most in attendance hardly sing, or smile, or say a word, or shout with excitement or bring their Bible to follow with the preacher. Furthermore, the excuses I hear my friends making for not being there, I am convinced that this must be way less important than a football game. I realize that this may sound far out there for some who may read this blog today, but is it the unfortunate truth? Remember, you should never lie to God and say that you didn’t have time to attend church, tell it to Him straight – it was not a priority for you. Friends, my desire is that we get back to worshiping our Master and our Lord – personally. When we do a good job personally, then we could join in on the excitement of worship when we come together with other believers, and truly worship our Lord, with our heart’s condition being the only thing that might interfere, or place constraints on our time with the Lord in corporate worship. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, we have allowed the ‘fun’ things of this world to take priority over our time with You. I’m sure that this is one of Satan’s tools to distract Christians, but Lord I pray that You would reach down and touch Your children once again and remind us of Your love and Your sacrifice, so that we might have a future to look forward to in glory with You and the Father. Forgive us Lord for our lack of commitment and the ease of distraction from Your love for us. May we serve You in all honesty and truth, without hindrances from the evil one, 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! | |
Faith To Believe
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-09-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 24:33-43 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
36-41 While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, “Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn’t have muscle and bone like this.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had told His disciples ahead of time that He would suffer and die, but He would only be in the grave three days. Mary and her friends had already returned and said that the tomb was empty, and now some of their fellow disciples were telling them about Jesus being alive and chatting with them along the road to Emmaus, yet when Jesus appears before them they were still filled with doubt and frightened. How would we react today if Jesus appeared before us? |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that after reading this Scripture today, I can understand a little more clearly why we tend to doubt so much here on earth. Think about it, these disciples had been with Jesus all of His ministry life here on earth. They saw miracle after miracle, including Him raising Lazarus from the dead, yet although He told them that He would be taken and would return to earth again, they still could not believe their own eyes. But before we get too deep in criticizing the disciples or coming down hard on them, let’s see how we are doing today. We are blessed at having heard about all that Jesus did through the days of the Bible. We have been blessed by all that God has done in our own lives and through our relatives. We have virtually seen miracle after miracle occur all around us, yet when we ask God for something and we see it miraculously materialize, we use excuses like: I am one lucky man; or I have the best friends around; or why didn’t I think of that? Friends, when will we learn to raise our hands in praise and give God the glory, in humility, for the God of this universe looking down in love and answering our prayer? When we take our petitions before God, there is no more room for ‘luck’ or ‘happen-chance’. We take it before Him in faith and it’s just like He says in return: “it’s OK my child, you can rest assured that I’ve got this. You’ve got nothing else to worry about.” Our part then is to rest in faith that we have passed the baton and our Maker has control of the situation. What a peace that is to the one who believes in Jesus Christ! If you don’t know that kind of peace today friend, please read my footnote on ways that you can get help to know my Savior. |
|
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for loving even me. Thank You for caring enough of Your children to hear our heart’s cry and answer our prayers in ways that You know are perfect for us. Please give us faith to believe; faith to rest our cares and concerns at Your feet; and faith to believe in You and the glorious response to our prayers. You alone are God, and You alone can perform the miracles that we are often recipients of. We love You Lord, and we lay ourselves before You, because we are such a needy people. Please hear our cry and answer according to Your perfect will. 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! | |
Follow Through On Your Promise
|
Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-09-22 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
1 Samuel 1:25-28 (Voice) |
|
Text: |
25 They slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to the priest Eli. Hannah (to Eli): 26 My lord, I swear I am the woman who was praying to the Eternal One in front of you. 27 It was this child I prayed for, and the Eternal has indeed granted me the petition I made. 28 So, as I vowed, I will lend him back to the Eternal. For as long as he lives, let him serve our Eternal One. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Each year that the two wives of Elkanah went to the temple with him, for the annual sacrifice. His wife Peninnah would wind up teasing his wife Hannah due to her being childless. However on this particular year, Hannah was deeply moved by this and she prayed so earnestly that Eli, the priest, thought Hannah was drunk. A few years later Hannah returned with the results of that earnest prayer! How well do we do with that? |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| It appears like most of our prayer lives are spent asking God for things – healing, salvation, bringing families back together, etc. I wonder how much God hears back from us on the prayers that He answers? Let me clarify that, our God is alive and He hears each of our prayers. He knows what’s best for us, and He knows when we are sincere about our prayers and when we are trying to tell Him what to do. In asking an all-knowing God, we know that at times His answer might sometimes be ‘No’, but we often hope that many times His answer would be ‘Yes’. When last have you given Him thanks for a ‘No’ answer to your prayer? Interesting, isn’t it? Anyway, Hannah was so serious in her prayer for a child, that Eli thought she must have been drunk. Regardless, God knew the very heart of this woman, and He answered her prayer very positively. However Hannah added in her prayer what she would do if her prayer was answered positively by God. Bribery? Debt of gratitude? I really don’t think so. It is evident from the story that Hannah went to the temple very dutifully with her husband, as expected, each year. I believe she wanted to acknowledge to God that she was asking for a child unselfishly and not just to show revenge to Peninnah, but that she wanted to contribute to the work of the Lord as much as she could. Perhaps it would benefit us to learn a few things from this holy example of this faithful servant of God, like: * While we want God’s very best for ourselves, let’s try asking as diligently for people, or things, that would benefit kingdom work; * Consider the number of years that Hannah must have made similar requests before God. Let’s remember to praise Him for His answers to our prayers, whether they are in our favor or not; * Let’s not be stingy in returning thanks to God, or offering sacrifices to Him, even if its the total of all that He has blessed us with; * Be persistent in meeting with God, even if He decides alternate ways of answering our prayers. Remember, God wants us to ask, but He wants us to be obedient and giving children so that He might be glorified and praised. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, please touch us and make us more like You. Today we have another great example of a godly person who asked; You gave in response; And she returned all that was given back to You for Your kingdom work. We are so selfish Lord, please help us to be obedient, giving children of the King, all for Your kingdom’s sake. AMEN! |
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| 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! | |
Committed To Serve
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-09-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Ruth 1:16-17 (TLB) |
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Text: |
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t make me leave you, for I want to go wherever you go and to live wherever you live; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God; 17 I want to die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to separate us.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In marrying the son of Naomi, Ruth had dedicated her life to his family. This became more apparent after the death of Ruth’s husband, and in these two verses Ruth clearly stated her commitment to Naomi. I believe that this was very much a part of God’s plan, as we will see how everything aligned for Ruth throughout this beautiful book. This also teaches us about being truly committed to God and to one another with a bond that cannot be broken. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Commitment sometimes means that we will continue our job until something better comes up; or it may mean continuing our marriage until our spouse no longer pays attention to us; or keeping our promise to have lunch with a friend as long as something better doesn’t come up. Somehow I can tell that this is not the way that Ruth was put together, for her commitment to Naomi was without conditions and whether anyone else went along to help her or not. Unfortunately, I believe that we have so much to learn from this, for we are so over committed and easily distracted today, that we often commit or promise without ever knowing if we could do all that we said we would. Unfortunately this also involves Christians, for in good gesture at church we might listen to a friend’s problems and promise to pray for them. I’m afraid that this phrase “I’ll pray for you” is so abused, for we walk away from that conversation and never think of that promised prayer again. Perhaps we should either go ahead and pray for the person right there and then, or write their name and request down on a piece of paper, so we could pray for them each day until God answers. Friends, if we claim Jesus as Lord, we commit ourselves to live like He did. We don’t find anywhere in God’s Word where He broke any promises, so in promising to be just like Him, we need to let our yea be yea and our nay be nay. Our word is our honor. How honorable are you? With God’s help we can do this friends! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, please prompt us to always do what we say we will do and be all that we promise we will be. Following Your perfect will always directs us along the path that You would have us follow, knowing that You will ultimately be glorified in and through us. To God be all the glory! Help us to be men and women of God – good influences/witnesses to all that we come into contact with. AMEN! |
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| 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! | |
Our Rewards For Doing Good
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-09-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Galatians 6:9-10 (GNT) |
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Text: |
9 So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest. 10 So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul recognized that the followers at Galatia had become very self-minded, in spite of the dire needs all around them. Paul taught them how serving self, led to spiritual death, versus helping the needy would please the Spirit and bless them personally with a great harvest. I believe that God wanted this in His Word because He knew that one day we would be very much the same. Let’s dig in…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that Satan is just as prevalent today as he has always been, in trying to distract Christians from their personal time with the Lord, and also their corporate time in worship to God, and fellowship with other believers. What this results in, is folk who are either overindulged and/or over over-committed at work, and therefore causes folk to look inward for respite on the weekends. This means that many will only find time for their personal favorite pastimes over the weekend, or who use any excuse at all to avoid outside obligations on their ‘personal time’. That’s when we start using excuses like: Well that’s my only day off, so I had to…..; or that’s my only morning to sleep in, so…..; or I have cheated my spouse and kids of time all week, now it’s their turn. Friends, these sound like reasonable excuses to us, but what do you suppose Jesus might say in response? What if Jesus used excuses like these when he was being led to Calvary to ultimately rescue us from our sin? What if we missed an opportunity to hold the hand of a friend at church and lead them to the altar of salvation? Do you suppose these excuses come from devout Christians who opened the Word each day, and dropped to their knees in prayer before a holy and righteous God before leaving for their busy day? Friends, may I suggest that you look deeply into your heart and your personal relationship with God when you start using excuses to meet with Him, or to help others. Natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquake really bring people together, and extreme love is shown towards those who were impacted. Churches are often filled when folk feel incapable of helping themselves. Folk call out to God like faithful followers when they feel helpless. Oh that we will always call out to Him each and every day, so that our relationship might grow in Him and be filled with the same characteristics that He displayed while on earth. May that inward excitement overwhelm us and push us towards corporate worship so that we might encourage others and help lead the unsaved to Jesus. May we develop an inward drive to help others, like Jesus did. When we stand before the throne on Judgment Day, may God recognize us as a true and faithful follower who helped many along the way. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| For all You have done for us dear Lord, may we be more diligent and dedicated in our time with You and in displaying Your love through helping others here on earth, for thine is the kingdom, the honor and the 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! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 