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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-11-30 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 17:14-17 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
14 I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| It is very evident that Jesus sincerely loved and cared for those that He chose to be His disciples and followers. Here He is pleading with the Father to especially care for them, because He was about to leave them and return to the Father. I believe that Jesus led the way for us, and showed us the importance in praying that God would protect His chosen people and set them aside from the grip of the evil one. We can see that this is even more applicable today with all of the temptations that come our way, especially when making an effort to serve God faithfully. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Most of us meditating on this Scripture today will identify with the love expressed by Jesus towards His children, including those of us that call Him Lord and personal Savior. Jesus helps us to also recognize where our trouble and opposition begins, for in His prayer to the Father He asked that His kids be kept safe from the power of Satan. Friends, I believe that this is still our biggest challenge today, for Satan is terribly upset when he sees people of the world (his domain) give up drugs, or crime, or a life of wild parties, to follow Jesus and find a new life of peace, tranquility and assurance of their eternal destiny, in heaven. Just like any good parent would feel or do, we want the very best for our kids, and we want them to know that we love them unconditionally. Of course, Jesus took this love to extremes, and way more than many of us would even consider – He willingly went to the cross of Calvary and gave up His life and endured a cruel death so that His kids would find peace in knowing God personally through the sacrifice made on the cross. Just as we look at every scenario when wanting to leave town and our children, so that we could make sure they are taken good care of, so Jesus shows the concern and love for His children in this Scripture. I believe that Jesus still cares for us and will still go to every extreme to love and care for us, however throughout God’s Word it is clear that God shows favor to His own. So it is extremely important that if this appeals to you today, that you do a heart check, and if you have not already surrendered your heart to Jesus and can call Him Lord, that this would be the glorious day of salvation for you! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that You even make sure that we are cared for by the Father. Lord, I pray that we might never take that for granted, but instead add that to our praise list every time we pray. Please touch the lives of those that we love and who have not surrendered their lives to You yet. I realize that we have no assurance of life here on this earth beyond the very moment that we are in, so I’m really concerned about their procrastination. For those of us that already know You as Lord, may we be found faithful to the call on our lives by You, our Master and Lord. In awesome appreciation I give you thanks oh Lord, 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! | |
Month: November 2017
When Leaders Humble Themselves
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-11-28 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
1 Kings 8:22-23 (TLB) |
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Text: |
22-23 Then, as all the people watched, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord with his hands spread out toward heaven and said, “O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or earth, for you are loving and kind and you keep your promises to your people if they do their best to do your will. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| At the dedication of the temple Solomon, with much grace and humility took the stage, and instead of standing there and boasting of all that he had done to provide the awesome temple, he instead took the opportunity to raise his hands in praise and thanksgiving to the God of this universe for all that he had done in blessing His people and giving them wisdom and passion to erect such an edifice. I believe that God is always looking for men who will worship Him under all circumstances and before any crowd. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Walk in to any crowd and you will face challenges in detecting Christians vs non-Christians. In a church building, they all pretty much look like Christians. In a public square, they all look like non-Christians. I believe that way too often we become chameleons so that we don’t stick out in the crowd. However, what might we do if we find ourselves in a crowd that are acting totally different to our beliefs, try to fit in? I believe that God would desire you to stand your ground for feeling uncomfortable, and get out while you could. Now, from the boldness and humility of Solomon, what would be your response when a friend asks you why you left? So how does one feel that may visit our churches? Do you help them feel comfortable and at home, or do you struggle with their appearance, or their choice of jewelry, or something else? I trust that visitors will feel the warmth of Jesus as you welcome them next Sunday. Friends, I don’t believe that God wants us to act any differently when we’re in a different kind of crowd, other than to stand our ground for what we believe. I also feel like He would approve of you leaving, if you begin to feel uncomfortable. I believe that the biggest lesson we, Christians, can learn from this Scripture today is that, God has placed His Holy Spirit within us to be our guide and our protector. He will guide us unto all truth, make us uncomfortable when faced with challenging moments, and give us boldness to be His witness and speak up, even in a crowd of folk that might not initially appreciate it. Can you imagine the impact that Solomon’s actions had on his people? Can you imagine the impact Solomon would have had if he had not recognized the God that he had lifted up all of his life? I can assure you friends, that people all around us are watching. They may poke fun at times, but they are taking note of our actions and our words. If we’re serious about Jesus, then we will speak and act like Him. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You have given us power, strength and boldness to lift up Your name on high, and to be a living witness to Your perfect character. At times we are placed in challenging situations to prove our willingness to witness under ALL circumstances. Please provide us grace, mercy and humility to always exemplify You in all that we do and say, no matter where we might find ourselves. 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! | |
May ‘Hope’ Overflow In Our Character
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-11-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Romans 15:13 (VOICE) |
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Text: |
13 I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Paul had been called to minister to the Gentiles, but he finds it necessary to help Jews and Christians understand that joy and peace must be prevalent in the midst of their faith, for them to have a chance at expressing a witness to the unsaved Gentiles. This is still very true for us today, through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
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| APPLICATION: |
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| Oh that today we might be filled with an abundance of joy and peace like Paul prayed for in our Scripture today. In the midst of so much unrest in the world, and in the midst of so much crime and hatred in our own country, it is extremely challenging for Christians to have their light shine in the midst of so much dismay. The backdrop for Paul in sharing this with his audience, is Isaiah 11:10, where Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus, the Hope of all nations. Friends, in all business lines, our staff will not convince, and sell a product they don’t use themselves. Likewise, it is virtually impossible for us to ‘say’ we have faith in Jesus Christ, and there not be a glimmer of hope, peace and joy. The Bible says that by our works they will know us. I believe that ‘works’ here breaks down to: our actions, our joy, our peace and our faith. Paul prayed that God’s servants would be infused with these things. Perhaps we should be praying that God would still infuse us with these gifts, so that we may overflow with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and be more likely to touch the hearts of those that we witness to. The return of Christ is near, let us not waste an opportunity to share His love with all that we come into contact with. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, please fill us, Your chosen children, so that we may overflow with Your goodness, love and mercy. We want others to know of You, and through Your Holy Spirit may we be used by You to extend love, joy, peace and faith to all that we come into contact with. Oh that they may see Jesus. Humble the hearts of those that we meet today so that they may not become distracted by anything in our lives, for I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, 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! | |
WARNING – So That You Will Know
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-11-25 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
John 16:1-3 (ERV) |
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Text: |
1 “I have told you all this so that you won’t lose your faith when you face troubles. 2 People will tell you to leave their synagogues and never come back. In fact, the time will come when they will think that killing you would be doing service for God. 3 They will do this because they have not known the Father, and they have not known me. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus warned His followers and He is also warning us today, that bad things will come our way, especially by those who refuse to accept His lordship. This will include up to abandonment from the church and even death. Thankfully, Jesus also explained where this evil mindset will come from, and the reason for it, so that we might better understand…. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| In today’s society we can clearly see where the things that Jesus warned about, is already happening. For we have seen for a long time how Satan has tried to disrupt the work of the Lord and make a failure of church gatherings. We read, or see on television, stories of the awful mass killings in our churches, and dismembering or decapitating of, especially Christians. In fact, sometimes it appears like Satan is pulling out all of the stops, in his attempt to silence the church or stunt it’s growth. To our advantage, Jesus went on to explain the reason for these actions of individuals and groups. He said that there are still folk that have willingly refused to accept Him as Lord, and therefore do not know God. Therefore they act and react on circumstances based on their own evil minds, and thus the actions of their leader, Satan. Friends, I believe that this highlights the extreme importance of our efforts to minister to the lost in our communities and the world, so that they might know and believe on the saving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Satan is destroying the hearts and minds of as many who disbelieve and/or have ungrounded faith in Jesus Christ. I would like to ask all who believe on the Lord Jesus as King and Messiah, to emphasize on the mission given to us by Jesus, and that we become grounded in and through a daily relationship with our Lord and Savior, so that the world might know who leads us, who directs our paths and who hold us in the center of His hands. Jesus was born into this world to show us the meaning of pure, unconditional love, and to save us so that we may one day be with He and His Father, God. Satan came to distract Christians and prevent those who have a true desire to know Jesus from getting anywhere close to the cross. Which path are you on today, and who’s holding the keys to your destiny? While you are alive, you decide on those two questions. I pray that I have given you enough to think about and that it may invoke a decision from your heart to know Jesus. Please read my Footnote for ways that you might know that you are on the right track. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Father, please forgive us for sitting idly by while all of the above is taking place in our world around us. We have in our hearts the engine that stops the evil train, yet we sit and watch the train pass us by. Lord, please invoke in Christians the urgency of the hour so that we may be busy about Your work. We could easily be the next family, or church, or state to be impacted by Satan’s cohorts, unless they learn of You and accept Your unconditional love. We’re tired of the crimes against Your church Lord Jesus, please help us to get serious about ministering to change that horrible course that the evil one has chosen against us. 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! | |
Hated By The World
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-11-24 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
John 15:18-19 (NCV) |
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Text: |
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, so you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| As Jesus continues His long discourse with His followers, He helps them to realize why the world around them will hate them, based on who they identify themselves with. I realize that this may not be a very uplifting message for us, but I do believe that it will open our eyes to the concessions we make, or the impact of our witness. Let’s be open to God’s Word… |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that there could very easily be classes for helping folk feel better about themselves, or how to become more popular, or how to become richer, and I bet that those classes fill up quickly. We all want to feel a part, and be loved by those we hang around. This is probably one of the greatest downfalls of youth, for they, and many of us, never want to stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd. So is that a requirement of being a Christian, you might ask? Friends, when you’re under a different leadership to that of the crowd, and you’re committed to live according to your Ruler’s commands, then you will act differently, speak differently, hear more keenly, and discern right from wrong more completely. So how does the rest of the world react to that then? They don’t like it, and they feel like you are just a rebel wanting to live uniquely and totally different to the rest of your friends and family. However, let’s compare this experience with that of a marriage. If you got married, having committed yourself to the union of yourself and a partner that you love, for the rest of your life, yet you continued to live like a single person and did everything with your same sex friends like you always did, do you suppose that your spouse would accept that and wait for you to spend a few hours at home to get some necessary sleep? You would prove to them very quickly that you were not serious about wanting to move into a relationship with a lifetime commitment to just them. So it is with God, He loves His children more than any earthly person can imagine, for none of us have ever given our very own Son as a sacrifice for the sin of others. However, He has designed a great plan for those who have accepted His grace and pardon. That starts with loving Him enough to obey His commands. That we no longer live like the world, but by the truths of His Word. In our Scripture today, Jesus is warning His followers – you and I, that it is important that we follow His example and His commands however, in doing this we will look very different to non-believers in our words and our actions, and they will not only try to trip us up, but they will actually grow to hate us for our differences. His proof of this, is that the exact same thing happened to Him. This is not bad, it’s just something we should expect. So what should we think if this is not happening to us? Examine yourselves in the presence of God and in light of His Word, friends, for you may be compromising your faith so that you can keep the love of the world. Or, it could be that you are riding the fence – trying to please your family by accepting Jesus, but keeping your stronghold in the world so you could please your friends. Please consider asking Jesus to help you clear that up friend, for eternity in heaven is well worth the effort of making sure that your mind is made up and your path prepared to follow Jesus, no matter what may come your way here on this earth. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Loving Jesus, thank You for making provisions for us to one day be with You and the Father in glory. Lord, we pride ourselves in making firm commitments here on earth that others can trust. Please help us today, to firm up our commitment to You, so that all doubt will be removed about the Master of our lives. Please help us to consistently strive to live like You, talk like You and represent You honestly in all phases of our lives and with whomever we come into contact with. You are my Rock and my Salvation in whom I have placed my faith and my trust. May it be evident to all that I come into contact with and may that serve to draw people unto Yourself, and for Your glory alone. 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! | |
How To Be More Productive for God
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-11-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 15:5, 7-8 (TLB) |
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Text: |
5 “Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing…. 7 But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! 8 My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had the disciples around Him for quite a while, and He could see how dependent they were on Him to do everything, so He taught them how they could become more productive in their own lives, for His work and His glory. I don’t know about you, but we all need that coaching every day, so let’s dig in and see how we can do this…. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| From the very early stages of childhood, parents have a responsibility to not only show a child how to do things, so that they can imitate them, but to also encourage them to be their own person and do the things that pleases God. I believe that most often the parent are more proud of the kids than the kid could ever imagine themselves! Jesus exampled this same principle to His disciples, and I believe it was deliberately placed in the Bible so that we might learn from His teaching. By telling us that He is the Vine, He is reinforcing the principle taught throughout the Bible that in and of ourselves, we can do nothing of eternal value, because we would teach nothing but earthly values, that are promoted by Satan himself. These values lead to eternal death, or eternity in Hell with your earthly leader, Satan. Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, means that you have resigned yourself of those earthly values, and you are now allowing the Holy Spirit to be your power, your guide, your counselor and your comforter. The Holy Spirit, being one with God, is then the Vine spoken of in our Scripture today, for He is ‘God with us’ and we are therefore attached to the Vine. Just as any other type of vine, we find new strength in our Vine, and the anointing of His blood fills us with His grace, His mercy, His love for everyone and the overwhelming anointing of His new birth, so that we too might go on as the disciples did, to share in His ministry here on earth. Friends, the Bible teaches us a known truth today, “How will they know if no one goes out to tell them”. Children of God, we are the hands and feet on the ground that can impact our world, and it starts at home. Let us do what Jesus taught in the Scripture today, let’s be sure that we are plugged in to THE VINE; Let’s be sure that we are obeying His commands and seeking to do His will in every aspect of our lives. The final verse declares, and it’s a promise from Jesus Himself, that if we do this, we could ask anything in His name and it will be granted. I have loved ones who need Jesus, so I have much to ask for. Now may I be obedient to Jesus Christ, and provide a pure body and soul for Him to live in, so that I may ask for His saving grace for these ones on my heart today. I encourage you to do the same friends… |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Although we have much to be thankful for today Lord, if only we would sincerely dedicate ourselves to You and consistently obey Your commands, then we know that Your Word will not return void, because You promised us that You will respond to any request. You know the hearts of each reader Lord, and You know the urgent needs that trouble our hearts. Please give us the boldness to totally surrender to You so that You may do Your work in, and through us. 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! | |
Obedience Resulting From Love
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-11-22 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
John 14:15-17 (TLB) |
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Text: |
15-16 “If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus was introducing the 3rd part of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. However He made it clear that through our love for Him and our subsequent evidence of that love, through obedience to His commands, He would then give us the Holy Spirit to lead us unto all truth. Later in this chapter, Jesus goes on to say how disobedience would lead to much worse. So we have an identifier, or a milestone in our lives that brings peace and comfort to us as we seriously seek to love Jesus more and more every day! |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| A lot of kids act up, or defy parents, in order to get attention from them. But have you ever noticed that the attention the rebellious kid receives is totally different to the child whose mind is all made up to obey mom and dad and strive to obey them in all that they ask? Jesus promoted love, peace and goodwill. He also provided lots of guidance and commands for us to follow, for our best interest, but also to show that we love Him enough to trust those commands and therefore obey them. The one who disobeys is the one who could care less where the commands came from, and what that disobedience means to the One who commands us. In fact, in this same chapter Jesus goes on to say that if they disobey Him, they don’t love Him. Friends, I feel like it is awesome that God chose to give us a prize for simply obeying Him! It is important to recognize that God loved us enough to give us proof of that love in many ways. We are simply asked to follow His commands to show our love for Him. If we do, then He will send us the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) to live within us as our personal guard, director and friend. So is there a need to worry about how we could live in this world like our Lord and Savior? Not when God Himself, through the Holy Spirit, lives within us! We have an amazing God who loves us beyond words and actions. I believe He longs for the day that we go up to heaven to live with He and the Father eternally! You can count yourself in, if you have surrendered you life over to Jesus Christ! If you haven’t, please read my Footnote for great tips on how you can get help to meet my Savior. My desire is to see every reader of this blog find security in knowing that they are saved and ready to meet Jesus one day – maybe today! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Precious Lord, thank you for speaking words into my heart each day from your word. Thank you for assuring your children of the perfect gift of salvation, and today in this Scripture, the perfect gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live a life like You here on this earth. Please speak to the hearts of friends and family who have not received this gift yet, and draw them unto yourself even today. Oh what a Thanksgiving Day that will be in Heaven if just one surrenders their life to You! May Your perfect will be done. 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! | |
Ask For Whatever You Want
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-11-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
1 Kings 3:5 (NIV) |
|
Text: |
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Solomon went to worship center at Gibeon, as it was one of the largest centers nearest to him. After going through a very large sacrifice, he spent the night there at Gibeon. I believe that God knew that this very young king was flustered with the awesome responsibility placed on his shoulders, but I also believe that God knew that Solomon had a great desire to reign in a way pleasing to God, like his father, David, did. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m sure that if God posed such an invitation to us as He did to David, that we might take a few hours to relay our ‘Santa Claus’ list to Him. However, I also know that God knew Solomon’s heart and his desire to lead well, and pleasing to God. I wonder if you had actually prayed for the first thing that came to your mind when you read the title of this devotional, how impressed God would be with you? I wonder who else would benefit from that request? Friends, I believe that God created us to worship and adore Him, and to sing His praises at every opportunity. To achieve that goal, we need a mighty God to help us keep our eyes focused on Him; we need to understand what God may present circumstances that are totally over our head, like it was for Solomon; We need wisdom to discern right decisions and responses, so that God might be lifted up and not our small selves or our selfish desires. Friends, each of us play a role in setting an example for others, so the decisions we make not only affect us personally, but also the one(s) that follow us. That may not mean much to you, because you may feel like you only have a small group of friends. I pray that God may open your eyes to the awesome group of people that look to you for wisdom, for personal advice, for dress code, for your reaction to situations. It’s so easy to say that you don’t care what others think of you, but God resides inside of you, and He does – if you have surrendered your life to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. So would you think that God would ever say that He doesn’t care what others think of Him? With God inside of you through the Holy Spirit, your attitude of caring and lovingly convincing the unsaved of their need for a Savior, will directly impact your relationship with Christ. You will either enhance your relationship – by doing His perfect will, or you will disappoint Him terribly if you insist on doing things your way. Solomon welcomed the help of God, and it resulted in him being one of the best kings of his time. There’s no telling what God can use you for, if you totally surrender your will to His, and invite Him to lead and direct your heart and your ways. There are help tips in my footnote, but the invitation to contact me directly via email is always open. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, it seems like we are so small in the great big world, and that our input is so limited or worthless. However, I believe that this study is a reminder that as God’s servants, we must always remember that it is He who does the miracles through His humble servants. Lord, please speak to the hearts of each one reading this devotional. Tender their hearts to total obedience to You so that ‘their’ world of friends and contacts will be touched miraculously by You. It’s You that we love and adore oh Lord. please have Your perfect will in our lives today. 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! | |
By Your Love, They Will Believe You
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-11-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 13:34-35 (NLT) |
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Text: |
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| As long as Jesus was in the world, and the disciples hung around with Him and followed Him, they were known as ‘Jesus followers’. However Jesus was preparing to return to His Father in heaven, so He told His followers what would make them distinctly different in the world – enough to be linked with Jesus, even after his departure. This is still a challenge for Christians today, for how are we recognized by the world, as being children of the King? |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Others might know that we are married because of the wedding band that we wear, or the way that we treat the lady that is always with us. The same will apply to our children. However, I am thankful that God also showed us how the world will recognize us as His children – His followers – His disciples! This highlights one of the greatest commandments that God gave to us, for it tells us that we are to imitate Jesus when judging whether we truly love others. So how then are we to love others? Of course we know that Jesus willingly gave up His life for us – so that we may seek forgiveness of our sin, and through the washing of blood that was shed for us on Calvary, our sins would be washed away, leaving a pure, clean, revived child of God, in His sight. So how did the actions of Jesus prove His love for us? Well, He voluntarily gave up His life for us, even while we were yet sinners with no hope. Imagine for just a moment that you thought about giving up your son as a sacrifice for your whole city, but as you turn on the news channel each night you hear the bad news about how cruel everyone is, and how they are stealing and committing unheard of crimes. Would you still be OK with your decision to sacrifice your son for the whole city? Probably not, but in our Bibles Jesus has taught us to love one another – everyone you come into contact with, and to such a degree that they would recognize you as a Jesus-follower, – one who has been with Jesus. Friends, to do this you must know Jesus personally and have accepted Him as Lord. You should daily seek His face to help you meet the challenges of the day and to put aside prejudices and personal desires, so that you could love others like He did. The Bible says that by your fruit, or your actions, you will be known. Please don’t act like the world, and expect that others will see Jesus in you because you told them you had made a decision to accept Jesus earlier in your life. If He truly is invited into your life, and you recognize Him as your Lord and Savior, there will be enough evidence that others will have no need to ask whose you are! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we are thankful for the provisions You made for us while we were yet sinners. I pray that You will now work a miracle in our lives, so that we might put aside how we feel about this world, and see all children as Your precious jewels that we should love just as You loved us. Lord, may each one reading this devotional receive a wonderful blessing today as we strive to align our love for others, like You loved us. May this all be done to bring more glory, honor and praise to You dear Father, for I ask this in the precious name of Your Son Jesus, 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! | |
Great Advice for Great Leaders
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-11-18 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
1 Kings 2:2-4 (TLB) |
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Text: |
2 “I am going where every man on earth must some day go. I am counting on you to be a strong and worthy successor. 3 Obey the laws of God and follow all his ways; keep each of his commands written in the law of Moses so that you will prosper in everything you do, wherever you turn. 4 If you do this, then the Lord will fulfill the promise he gave me, that if my children and their descendants watch their step and are faithful to God, one of them shall always be the king of Israel—my dynasty will never end. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David was at the conclusion of his reign as king, and also near death. One of his sons, Adonijah, had already ‘jumped the gun’ and made himself ‘king’, but David was reminded of a promise he had made to Bathsheba, that Solomon would become his successor. Regardless of what Adonijah had done for himself, David gave the official word to make Solomon his successor, as promised. Our Scripture today records the parting words/advice that David had for his son for a strong and substantive leadership. Advice that all great leaders could benefit from today! |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Each one comes to the table with various strengths that God has blessed them with. Some might say right up front that all they ever want, is to be a follower, because they hate leadership. Others appear to be born as natural leaders. I believe that this last piece of advice that David gave to his son Solomon, is very Biblicaly based, and something that all good leaders who are striving to be the ‘best’ leader could benefit from. In fact, it is also true for every Christian, for as we follow this advice we become more Christ-like and more obedient to His will for our lives. Now friends, I really don’t believe that God will set aside the leadership skills that He has already given to you, but using the advice passed down by David, I believe God will say to us that we use those admirable skills in a setting where it is evident that we are God’s child while being a good leader. In other words, when using our leadership skills in a worldly fashion, we would be more apt to use the skills of the worldly leader, Satan, which will always result in chaos and undesired results for the people you lead. However, imagine the amazing success you can have when you use your God-given talent in a setting where you allow God to rule through your life and leadership? I believe that most business owners want us to rule with an iron fist and not consider the feelings of the employees we supervise. However, I believe that leading God’s way will earn the respect of your subordinates and allow us to become a more cohesive team to accomplish even greater things. I don’t believe our lesson for today revolves around doing what David said, but rather, to take the advise of David and grow our relationship with God to the degree that, as leaders, we would be sensitive to God’s commands and directions. This would help us to lead like God would desire of us, so that He might be glorified. Most often we expect obedience from those we lead, what if we led in obedience to our Master? Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the results from our subordinates? Try it friends, you might like it!! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Father, I believe that You have taught us again today that our walk with You must be evident in all parts of our life, and not just when we are at church, or around Christian people, or when we are trying to impress our pastor. In leadership, normally we are bound to allegiance to the owner of our company, but Lord I pray that You will also give us the boldness to always pledge our allegiance to You first and foremost, and under the authority and boldness of the Holy Spirit, lead in ways that will not only please You, but also excite our owners. Lord, please grant us the wisdom and strength to always seek to find ways for others to not only see You in the midst of our leadership, but to also find reasons to praise You and give You the glory You deserve. Thank You for working through even Your humble servants here on earth! 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! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 