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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-11-17 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 13:15-17 (TLB) |
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Text: |
15 I have given you an example to follow: do as I have done to you. 16 How true it is that a servant is not greater than his master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends him. 17 You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had just completed washing the feet of His disciples – the same guys that watched Him perform miracle after miracle; the one they called Master, and Lord, and Savior. Then after performing such an act, Jesus told the disciples to make a good mental note, because He wanted them to continue that practice, as the principle is one that would lead them to great blessings. Oh, what a lesson for us today… |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Can’t you imagine this picture in your mind? You arrive at work, as usual with so much on your mind about what needs to be done that day, but as you enter the front door, the owner of the company you work for, is sitting just inside with a towel on the floor on which a basin of water is placed. With another towel thrown across his knee, the owner beckons for you to come over so that he could wash your feet. After propping up your bottom jaw, what type of inner feelings do you suppose would come over you? Do you think that you would ever look at your boss the same way again? Do you realize how proud we have become to have others share their gifts with us? Whether it’s money, or helping us take care of our home while we are off our feet with illness. We tend to become embarrassed about others giving to us in one form or another. Jesus said that as we humble ourselves and deliberately do things for one another, without regard for pride or stature or position, we are on a mission for a great blessing. When last have you evaluated who might be greater than you in your family, or in your workplace or in your church? Perhaps you should plan a foot-washing time with everyone that never crossed your mind as being greater than you. I believe that our lesson for today is to remind ourselves that everyone is equal at the foot of the cross, so why should we feel otherwise here on earth. We may have less money than our neighbor, and because of that they might have a much nicer house or car, but at the feet of Jesus we both will appear as Christ followers saved by His grace. Of course, if one of us have allowed our pride to get the upper hand of us and we have not acted like Jesus while here on earth, then chances are that there may be one missing around the throne, and having to now deal with Satan in the pit of Hell. In analyzing our position today, may I suggest that you first go back to the day and hour that you surrendered your heart to the Lord Jesus. Secondly, I would recommend that on a daily basis we evaluate our lives in comparison to the teachings of Jesus Christ (not our neighbor) to see what areas need improvement. We all want to be on the path of blessing, but to be there we have a lot of self evaluation, humility and love to work on with those we tend to look down at. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, we read so much about Your humility, and we want to express that in our own lives every day. We see many examples of Your love for all mankind, and although we struggle with that sometime, we are convinced that You can make a sinners heart clean, so we have no doubt that You can also help us to love everyone. We want to be just like You Lord, but we need extreme help from You to do that. Please guide us so that our path in life will lead to blessing. 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
The Cost of Rejection
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-11-16 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 12:47-50 (NLT) |
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Text: |
47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. 49 I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In the preceding verses John explained how the idea of rejection was foretold by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus then clarified that in spite of Isaiah’s prophecy, God still sent Him to save those willing to accept the gift of eternal life. However he saw the struggle the people had in this, because they were so accustomed to the praises of the people, that they found it challenging to give it up, in favor of trusting in Jesus or His teachings on eternal life. It’s unfortunate, but this same struggle continues today….. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| In Jesus’ day, the people were so proud of being recognized by their leaders, the Pharisees, that when Jesus came along they really struggled with the idea of giving their allegiance to Him. Because they knew that in following Jesus, whom the Pharisees totally rejected, they could very easily cut their ties with the local leaders, because of their jealousy. To step back from the situation, we could easily see that allegiance to one would be so different to the other, that it would force you to make a deliberate decision. Today we face similar convictions and decisions that ultimately lead to a very different end result. Today, some know the truths of the Bible, but because of government taxes, or a previous marriage, they have chosen to live together instead of obedience to the Word that would lead to unification in marriage; Some have decided that they could never give up the joys and parties of the world to receive Christ, because they still have a long life ahead of them to make that decision – REALLY? Some attend churches that meet ritually, but where the Word of God is never clearly explained nor the invitation to accept Jesus is given. This tends to satisfy their responses to parents or loved ones witnessing to them about Jesus, so they continue to habitually attend without ever being challenged to accept the love of Jesus for them personally. Friends, there is a multitude of other excuses that family, friends and coworkers make today but what will be the cost of their decisions to continue on making excuses? Please remind yourselves of what the Bible says: Those who have surrendered their lives to the wonderful, loving, leadership of Jesus, could expect to call on Him in worship, praise and in petitions for their needs, then when their time here on earth is done, they have a place already prepared for them in heaven, where they will spend eternity with Jesus and His Father. Those who have rejected Jesus, are destined for eternity in Hell with Satan and his demons. Because you are reading this devotional, it means that you still can set aside all of Satan’s excuses and instead turn to Jesus. I would suggest that you connect with a local Bible teaching pastor and allow him to help you with scripture that points you to Jesus. Alternatively, read my Footnote and use the self-help options mentioned. I am always available, and would be overjoyed to help you with this important decision! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, listen to Your children praying. So many are in need of a Savior, and they are tired of the endless excuses they have used. Please soften the hearts of those who need you today, so that Your invitation may be heard clearly, and accepted by all readers willing to make this important redirection in their lives. To God be the glory, for all that will be done through this message today and this blog as a whole. 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 Become A Great Leader
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-11-15 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
2 Samuel 23:3-4 (NIV) |
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Text: |
3 The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’ |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God used David to declare to him, and through him to all of us, that when we rule over others in righteousness, or in a manner obedient and pleasing to God, then the result will be as satisfying, as peaceful and as beautiful as a clear cloudless morning. Does this affect all of us? You bet…. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Many of you might have almost skipped reading the application today, because you concluded that you are not a leader or a ruler. This is exactly what caught my attention to this Scripture, for most of us are leaders in some sense, so we can really try to apply this. As an example, what would our workplaces look like, if there was no leadership in the homes of those that work for us? What would our county leaders do, or any other leaders of our nation for that matter, if they had no sense of righteousness or fear of God? I believe that this drills down to the fact that what comes out of us in speech or leadership, can only be based on what’s inside of us. If we have filled ourselves with hatred and ill will towards our neighbors and everyone else along our path to ‘success’, then we will lead with that same sort of attitude. It will become evident in the decisions we make and the choices we make. It will also reflect in any voting that we are a part of. So pastors, church leaders and fellow Christians, it is truly incumbent upon us to reach our families for Christ. We have to encourage righteousness right at the very beginning of a child’s development. For it’s only then that our young ones will become good leaders in their homes, workplaces, churches and in government. David was called a ‘man after God’s own heart’. With a heart like that, is it any wonder why he was also a great king/leader? We have a great example to follow in what Jesus taught, but we also have evidence that we can follow His teachings and become great leaders! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, thank You for including so much direction in Your Word for us. There are so many leadership conferences we could attend, yet You have all of the direction for leaders that we could ever need or use. Thank You for raising up saints to prove that Your plan works, otherwise we would be so very skeptical. Please continue to work on us, so that Your light might shine through us, even in our leadership. May You have the victory in everything that we do and say 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! | |
God’s Way Is Perfect
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-11-14 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
2 Samuel 22:31-33 (ERV) |
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Text: |
31 God’s way is perfect. The Lord’s promise always proves to be true. He protects those who trust in him. 32 There is no God except the Lord. There is no Rock except our God. 33 God is my strong fortress. He clears the path I need to take. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David had himself a huge praise and worship time with the Lord after he stopped and realized the magnificent God who had brought him safely through the pursuit of Saul to eliminate David. Wouldn’t it speak volumes to your kids to later find your journal where, at least one time in your life, you recorded a celebration of God’s handiwork in your life? |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Just last night I heard men say that they would never delete the last voicemail from a parent, or the last text from a loved one, because these things bring comfort when they begin to miss that loved one. Fortunately for us, David recorded many of his times of private worship and prayers, because it gives us biblical reminders that if God did it for David, He could very well do the same for us, if we are obedient to Him and have fully surrendered self to Him. Hearing these things from someone we know personally really touches the heart and impacts us tremendously. Recording our experiences will allow God to strengthen and encourage us again as we record the experiences we have enjoyed with God. But for the family member that finds those handwritten notes, it becomes a personal highlight in their life to know that God was so special to their loved one. This, in turn, will give boldness to that loved one who may be facing their own challenges. Friends, you may not feel like you are a proclaimed writer, but recording words that you’ve thought, or prayed or sung out to God, will bring comfort to a relative. You could easily repeat the cycle that David began in our Scripture today! Who knows? Just as I was blessed by David’s recorded words today, our great grandchildren might be blessed by the notes we leave around the house where we recorded our own life-experiences with God. Will you join me in trying that, so that God might be glorified through even us? |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, you’ve strategically placed the words and songs of great saints, like David, so that we might read them, be reminded of the many ways that You have also blessed us, and encourage us to do the same for our ancestors. Lord, make us bold servants to obediently follow Your teachings and Your commands, and help us to unselfishly record many of our blessings, with hopes that others might be lifted up and encouraged to do the same. You are glorious and wonderful in so many ways to each of us every day, please help us to take a moment and record those blessings for the benefit of others being also blessed from our experiences. 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! | |
Where Could I Go But to the Lord?
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-11-13 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
2 Samuel 22:2-4 (TLB) |
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Text: |
2 “Jehovah is my rock, My fortress and my savior. 3 I will hide in God, Who is my rock and my refuge. He is my shield And my salvation, My refuge and high tower. Thank you, O my Savior, For saving me from all my enemies. 4 I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised; He will save me from all my enemies. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David faced many giants in his life, but as we could see in this Scripture today, he was well aware of his source of help. He knew in advance where he would turn for help, and on whom he could depend. Knowing that our world comes crashing in on us in an instant, we must also be very mindful of where we will turn for help and peace of mind. Let’s dig in on this subject… |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| In reality, I believe that most of us tend to react differently when we are faced with difficulties and challenges. Some get mad, or sad, or frustrated, or hopeless and are ready to give up. Some might be reminded of how faithful God is, and eventually think of asking God to help – especially when all other hope has expired. Friends, I actually believe, and would recommend to you, that when you start feeling that things are not going as you and God had planned, that you immediately work with God to analyze your relationship with Him. For this is a specialty area of God’s, because He wants His children to call on Him at all times. I believe it is most important that we learn from David that we don’t leave communicating with God as a last resort but, especially since He is your very best Friend; your Master and Lord; your Jehovah; your soon coming King who is sovereign over all things; who loved you enough that He skipped calling on ten thousand angels to rescue Him from the cross, but died to not only show His love, but also facilitate God’s provision for us to make our way to heaven. This is the One that holds the key to all of life’s questions, dilemmas, frustrations, and heartaches. He is the one that we call on FIRST and foremost, not after we have tried every trick in our knapsack. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Dear Jesus, thank You for not only being our redeemer and soon coming Lord, but also our Help and our Rock in times where we would otherwise feel like ‘throwing in the towel’. Father, Your Word reminds us that it’s You who David turned to when challenged with, what must have felt like, the whole world on his shoulders. Because we often feel just like David, we want to plead with You Lord, to keep us strong in our faith and help us to take our Father/child relationship very seriously. On earth we would tend to run to dad when there is trouble brewing, please help us to do no less with You as our eternal Father. Thank You for Your love and concern for each of Your children. May that be a deciding factor for many who may read this blog today, for they all need reassurance of the fact that You love them unconditionally and would welcome them into Your fold instantly upon their request. In Jesus’ name, 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! | |
Guard Your Heart, Sight and Walk
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-11-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Proverbs 4:23-27 (Voice) |
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Text: |
23 Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life. 24 Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth; have nothing to do with any verbal trickery. 25 Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead, and your focus fixed on what is in front of you. 26 Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth, and you will safely reach the end of your road. 27 Do not veer off course to the right or the left; step away from evil, and leave it behind. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Solomon devotes this whole chapter giving advice to dads on how to best raise their children – sons in particular. I believe as you really let these words sink in, you will find some biblical advice that first speaks to your heart, but then to many other aspects of your life. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I included more scripture than usual today, because I want you to read this passage over and over until it really impacts your life. Although this might be great for a son looking to his dad for advice and as an example, I believe this is also very applicable to all who call themselves ‘children of God’. Fellow Christians, like me, you may not have a son, but you definitely have a relative or friend who is reading the Bible through your words and actions. Know that the condition of your heart results in the words you say, your reaction to life’s circumstances, and the way that you act in life. Family, friends and coworkers are sometimes depending on you to understand the good and noble things of life, and which ones they should turn away from. Although they may not be a Christian, they are probably watching your reaction to life’s circumstances, as they have witnessed you being guided by your Savior in the past. Let me encourage you to read this Scripture thoroughly and use it as a base for your life – your heart; the truth from your lips; your eyes fixed on the eternal goal ahead (heaven); your feet to lead you in the way of truth and most of all, that you leave evil behind as you look towards the glories of heaven with your Master! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You know how seriously we, Your children, need You involved in our lives each and every day, so that we might have the power to guard our hearts, guide our sight to protect against the things that might cause us to falter in our desire to be more like You, and to help us keep our feet on the straight path set out before us. Lord we want to be just like You in every way, every day. Please grant us the wisdom and strong desire to do this, so that You might be glorified. 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! | |
When Our Faith Is Put to the Test
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-11-10 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 11:23-26a (TLB) |
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Text: |
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will come back to life again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “when everyone else does, on Resurrection Day.” 25 Jesus told her, “I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. 26 He is given eternal life for believing in me and shall never perish…. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus was a friend of Mary and Martha’s, yet when He came a couple days after Lazarus died, they struggled to believe that anything more could be done – even by Jesus. However Jesus reminded Martha that He is not only in charge of life here on earth, but for the believer in Jesus Christ, He is also the One who will raise those who have fallen asleep – died temporarily to earthly challenges and sin. For He will then usher them into life eternally with He and His Father in glory! |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe with all my heart, that Martha was very much like her contemporaries today. For most Christians surrender their lives to the Lord Jesus with a very strong belief that one day He will take us on to heaven to be with Him. While on earth, I believe that most of us will pray to God, through our Lord and Savior, just like Mary and Martha did when they saw their brother’s health diminishing drastically. Because of miracles relayed in the Bible, or even ones we may have heard about around our church, we may even believe that extreme faith in Jesus, might even trigger His healing touch upon our family. And yes, we have seen tremendous victories through these types of prayer meetings. In fact I heard a story recently that reminded me of how casually we pray for the needs of a friend that asked for prayer for one of her kids with leukemia, versus us going before God in desperate prayer for our own daughter with leukemia. There comes a whole new level of serious and sincere prayer when the object of our prayer is personal and dear to our heart. I wonder if it would make a difference in our prayer life if we reminded ourselves of what Jesus consoled Martha with, that He, who is Lord on earth, will also be Lord in Heaven, because He is the Resurrection and the Life! Friends, I firmly believe that when we invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior here on earth, it will be a joy to reunite with Him as we enter heaven’s portals. Please note that just like Mary and Martha didn’t know ahead of time when their brother Lazarus would depart from this earth in death, so it is with each of us today. We must be very much like our military, ready at all times for the moment that we are called on. The benefits for believers in Jesus Christ are ‘out of this world’! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Thank you Lord for the wonderful, powerful name of Jesus, the One that came to save us from our sin and paved the way to heaven so that we may live eternally with You. Oh what a Savior! Please help us Lord that we would never put You in a ‘box’ of limited possibilities, for we are reminded in this Scripture today that we not only serve a master who cares for us here on this earth but that You are also the Resurrection and the Life for all who believe in You. We enjoy this wonderful earth that You provided for us, but Lord, we live in anticipation of heaven, where there will be no more pain or heartaches. ‘Oh that will be, glory for me, glory for me, glory for me, when by His grace I shall look on His face, that will be glory, be glory for me’! AMEN and 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! | |
God is Capable of So Much More
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-11-09 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
John 11:14-15 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Earlier in chapter 11 the followers of Jesus had reminded Him of the danger in returning to Bethany, the town where His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived, because the last time they were there they were stoned. Right after Jesus’ command His disciples to follow Him to Bethany, Thomas spoke what may have been on the hearts of most of the disciples, when he said “let’s follow Him so that we may die together”. However Jesus had a greater mission in mind, and I believe we could also learn from this…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| It seems like our attention is often enhanced by the unexpected. Jesus could have healed His friend Lazarus while he was still alive; He could have brought him back to life as soon as He was told that Lazarus had died; He could have performed the miracle before a large crowd, or He could have done it in the middle of the night. However, I believe that Jesus saw the doubt and limitations being built by His own disciples, so He wanted to go beyond anything they had seen before, to make sure that lives were miraculously touched, and that God the Father received glory. This very much spoke to me about the normal church attendee today. We have come to expect a special order of service, the same speaker bringing the sermon and we have become so accustomed to getting out at a certain time, that we could easily plan our oven to complete cooking lunch at a certain time. Now IF God was programmable, all of this would work within His time-frames, but knowing that He’s not, what would happen if people started getting saved in every service, or Brothers getting healed, or sisters recommitting their lives to Christ in every service? Think about it, Jesus deliberately delayed His arrival to Bethany so that followers would see a different kind of miracle – one that would shake them up from their normal expectation, and they would be reminded that He truly is the Son of God, who could do ALL things. We too get ourselves into a box of believing that God can do only so much, because we have seen or heard of Him doing just that much before. Friends, I believe we are being taught here, along with the disciples, that the God who created us and placed the stars in the sky, is still very much alive and capable of doing way more than we could every dream or believe. I believe that our part is: to believe in the only One who could save us from our sin; trust Him to watch over, protect and guide us in the way of Truth daily; learn to worship Him, thank Him and depend on Him daily; trust Him by never putting Him in a box of limited possibilities; and get excited about the place He has prepared for us in glory. Do you feel like you are lacking in either of these things? Do you feel like you have placed complete faith and trust in Jesus, to accomplish way more than you could ever imagine? We tend to ask for only as much as we could believe, or have faith to ask for. God can do so much more than that friend! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, I believe that we are just as guilty as Your disciples were in the story of Lazarus, They followed you to Bethany, but they were so worried about their own lives that I believe it was challenging for them to truly appreciate the miracle that You brought about with Lazarus that day. We have become so accustomed to knowing the limitations of everything that we encounter, that we tend to place those same limitations on what our awesome God could do. Please forgive us for our littleness and for the blessings we miss out one because of our limitations. You are worthy oh Lord, please forgive us for our unworthiness and grant us new perspectives about You every day so that we may be overzealous in praise and thanksgiving. 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! | |
The Security Of Knowing Jesus
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-11-08 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 10:27-30 (ERV) |
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Text: |
27 My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus was being challenged about all the power He claimed to have. In this Scripture today, He is explaining that if one listens to Him, accepts His authority and obeys Him, then they belong to His Father, and since He and the Father are one, they are ultimately His. The neat thing about these verses is that Jesus never gives any conditions that would undo that security of belonging. Instead, He said that no one will be able to snatch them from His hand. Wow…. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| From a very early age, we have been used to the idea that anytime we mess up and let a friend down, whether by total mistake or intentionally, then we could almost count on it that we have probably lost a friend. Jesus is teaching just the opposite in our relationship with Him, for He said in our Scripture today that His sheep – meaning those who have surrendered lordship of their lives to Jesus Christ, and are known as children of God. If they would listen to His voice, He would know them, and they would follow Him. BUT Jesus went on to say that His relationship with His children (sheep) is so special that He made it an eternal relationship – meaning that they will never truly ‘die’, but instead transition from earth to glory to be with Him eternally. Now friends, He attached no conditions to this promise, for if you are His, this promise is yours – straight from the lips and heart of the Master Himself! I don’t know about you, child of God, but this reminder and promise is super exciting to me, for we know that we could count on the promises of Jesus way more than what we do with friends who are best buddies one moment, yet the next they might barely want to talk to us. Jesus has a one-of-a-kind love for His children. Are you realizing that love today friend? Have you found the way to salvation in Jesus Christ yet? I would be happy to be that Brother to help you, but you may also follow the instructions in my Footnote. One might buy life insurance to financially secure their family upon their death. However, knowing Jesus, secures His love for you today, everyday and throughout eternity as you kneel at His feet and sing praises to His honor and glory! I am looking forward to that day friends, and I hope that I can convince you to do the same. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, I believe! I believe in Your awesome power and in Your glorious love for me today and throughout endless ages as I worship You and the Father in Heaven. However, I still have family and friends who have not surrendered their lives to You yet, and I am concerned about their eternal destination, for You have not indicated when our last day here on earth might be. Knowing that this could be today, I humbly pray that You might soften the hearts of those that I am thinking of at this moment, and that You might draw them unto Yourself. Lord, I know that they are precious in Your sight, so I beg You to work on their hardened hearts. For it’s in the matchless name of Jesus that I ask these things, 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! | |
What Pleases God
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-11-06 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Psalm 69:30-31 (GNT) |
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Text: |
30 I will praise God with a song; I will proclaim his greatness by giving him thanks. 31 This will please the Lord more than…. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Just like everyone else in his day, and in ours, David was having himself a little pity party about the way that he was being treated by everyone. The sad thing about feeling this way is that we tend to also feel like God feels the same way, and that He is causing some of the ill effects to come on us. Fortunately David came to his senses and chose to praise God, in spite of everything that was going on at the time. This is a great lesson for us, so let’s expand on this…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When something goes wrong, or does not agree with what we would prefer, we quickly fall into a little pity party of our own and start feeling like everyone is against us. In fact, it seems like the whole world is on a different team than we are. Friends, as Christians, we should be quick to turn to God and seek His encouragement and His help to overcome how we are feeling. Because, let’s never forget that the same God who sent His precious Son to die on a cross for our sins, will not automatically turn His face the moment we make a mistake, or sin against Him. Through His Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us, we should quickly remember that God is on our side, and that He would never harm us. So when things are not going our way, we need to immediately seek God’s face and determine what it is that He is trying to teach us, or grow us through. When you recognize that God is working for you, and not against you, and that He is training you for bigger and better things, let’s do like David did – let’s praise God with a song – I know, many will read this and complain about the singing ability God has given you, but notice that David didn’t cut an album, he merely used the talent that God gave him, to sing praises back to Him. Will God complain about the voice that He has given to you? Never – for His gifts are perfect! David also burst into a time of thanksgiving! Friends, don’t dare think that you have to wait for Thanksgiving Day to praise God and give Him thanks! I believe that we were made to worship God, and I believe that God gave a lot of talent to our parents to teach us how to say ‘Thank You’ when we are given something. Every day God gives us life itself and the beauty of all His precious gifts every way we turn. We should constantly be filled with thanksgiving to the awesome, generous God that we serve. Remember your manners, as my mom taught us every time we left her side, so let’s not stop now! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, You are merciful and good to us, even when we are complaining that things are not going our way. Correction and discipline is always challenging for us to accept as love, or praise worthy, but ever so often we can reflect back and see Your perfect plan being formed even in those times. Surely there is no doubt that we serve an awesome and loving God. Please help us to take our sights away from self and to seek the purpose in Your perfect plan for us, so that we can follow in obedience without hesitation or regret. You are so worthy of our praise precious Lord, please help us to do that even in the storms 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! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 