DATE POSTED Monday, 2023-02-13
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12; 19-20;
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹¹ We talked to you as a father to his own children—don’t you remember? – pleading with you, encouraging you and even demanding ¹² that your daily lives should not embarrass God but bring joy to him who invited you into his Kingdom to share his glory.
¹⁹ For what is it we live for, that gives us hope and joy and is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes back again. ²⁰ For you are our trophy and joy.

APPLICATION: I have a relative that owns and operates a hunting preserve. While he offers many different hunts, there are a few that add the description, and elite title of ‘Trophy’. Many hunters will stretch to afford a ‘Trophy Hunt’. The animal might be the biggest, or the prettiest or in some way the one considered the most prized by the owner. The Bible refers to man as God’s prized possession. So when we, who are called by His name, see His prized possession straying away from Him, or showing little interest in heaven as their eternal home, don’t you know that God admires the times that we deliberately make an effort to help that one turn from their wickedness and turn to God? That seemed to have been Paul’s intent in today’s Scripture. It seems like Paul’s act of service, his ministry, was so important, and was so dear to his heart, that he considered it a ‘trophy’ to go after, win, and present it to His Master! I believe it was the same prayers, blood, sweat and tears that led to Paul’s imprisonment. It was like Paul poured his very heart into his effort to minister for our Lord. I wonder how many times in our church life have we been so committed to the work of the Lord, that we can honestly tell God that we have poured out our heart through our love, our prayers, our compassion and our deeds for the folk we were ministering to? Some might respond, but I didn’t minister, I just taught Sunday School, or I just helped in the youth group, or I just worked in the kitchen at church. Unfortunately, that may be the problem. If we teach Sunday School so that we can share the love and teachings of Jesus Christ, and not just to fill a position and read a lesson plan, then we subject our hearts to the work of Jesus in and through us. It’s called ‘ministry’. If we work in the kitchen, it’s not because we are unqualified to do anything else, but we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus through every cup of coffee we serve or every piece of bread that we place on a plate. I believe this has caused me to think about ‘what might be something that, throught my years of ministry work, I might kneel at Jesus’ feet and present to Him in token form, as the ‘token’ or grand prize of my ministry! How about you my friend? Are you, or have you been, performing a task that no one else would accept at church, or are you expending your whole heart into facilitating the love of Jesus through you? I don’t believe we have to wait. Why not join me in placing our ‘Token’ at the feet of Jesus today? Yes, there may still be another one coming before God calls you home, but what is your greatest token to date?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: It is so awesome to imagine that God would use simple old us to share His love and His ministry with others who need a Savior! It’s because of His mercy and His amazing love that we ourselves are more than conquerors, and able to extend ourselves to be used by Him in blessing others!

PRAYER: Lord, I admit that only You can save a soul that’s destined for Hell. Thank You Lord for calling me to Your throne of grace, and thank You for Your amazing grace. Lord, as You work through Your Holy Spirit to produce a great work within me and give me the urgency to share my story with others, I pray that You will open their hearts and cause them to also surrender to Your call. Have the mind to share Jesus with others is such an honor, yet You have given me the desire to see folk saved and avoid the pit of Hell at all cost. Please continue to do a good work in me, and in the lives of my readers and listeners so that we might be warriors that will go the extra mile in order to introduce someone to Jesus. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might 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 subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!