Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NLT)

16 So I urge you to imitate me.

17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

So often we say, don’t do as I do, just do what I tell you! Paul taught his Corinthian followers to follow what he did, because he followed Christ. Wow, can we honestly say something like that today? How’s our attitudes, our speech, our everyday living – yes even under pressure? Friends, if we are to be the example for the world to follow, this is exactly the condition that we must find ourselves in. Like Paul we have to be accountable to God, less we lead our followers astray. We often hear Christians say that we might be the only Bible that some people read. May I re-word that a little? What if we say that we might be the only ‘Christ’ that others might see? If we are to be followers of, and examples of, our Lord Jesus Christ, then we must be just like Him in every aspect of our lives. Let’s examine ourselves today and commit to following Christ in every way. Others are following in our footsteps and we want them to be more like Jesus. Will they be, in following us?

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, this is quite a commitment for us to make, because even though we consider ourselves to be yours, yet we still want to hang on to little pieces of this world. We know that this is so wrong, and we know that we must become more like You in every way so that others will not be led astray, but Father I come humbly before You today asking for Your guidance, Your strength, Your boldness and most of all Your forgiveness for me allowing Satan a small part in my life. Please help me to keep Satan out, so that You may abide fully in my life and influence others through me. Oh that others may follow me and be totally in line with Your Word, is my prayer today.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 (NLT)

3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.

4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.

5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that too often we hesitate to share God’s Word with others because we are afraid that we may be intimidated by the individual that will challenge our faith or understanding of God’s Word. Friends, I believe that this comes when we make our visit dependent on our own abilities and how good we are. Notice what Paul said in these verses. Let’s learn to rely on the Holy Spirit to not only guide us to the individual He wants us to share with, but also rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the very words that the individual needs to hear at that time. Imagine for a moment if your dad gave you a message to take to a friend, advising you that the person’s safety and direction depended on the information he gave you to take. However, when you arrived you realized that what you want to say personally appears more appropriate for the situation you found, so you ignored the words of your dad and spoke at length about what you wanted to. Yes, you would leave having had a good conversation with the individual, but the person would still be at risk when they travel, possibly to the extent of danger that may lead to their death. Friends, this is an example of what happens when we visit, when we teach, when we preach, when we share with others about God, without first approaching the throne of God in prayer and seeking His will and His direction on what our hearers need to hear. Why go in the weakness of just our wisdom, when we can seek God’s face and go in His wisdom and speak words directly from His Holy Spirit that is relevant to the individual at that time in their lives? Let’s learn to do like Paul and ‘rely only on the power of the Holy Spirit’ so that others would not trust in human wisdom, but rather on the power of God.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Holy Spirit, I pray that You who began a good work in me, will complete it in everything I do in Your name. If I go out as a representative of Yours to visit a sick person, then I ask that You would always humble me to seek the wisdom of Your Holy Spirit before I leave for the visit. If I teach a Bible School lesson, I pray that You would humble me to seek Your face and allow You, who knows the hearts and lives of each student, to guide me into what I should teach and what I should say so that the words of Your Holy Spirit would be evident in the ears of the hearers so that their lives might be changed for Your ongoing glory. For those that will attend Bible School this weekend dear Lord, I pray that they would not only be receptive to the Word of God, but obedient in every way.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: Job 41-42.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Job 42:5-6 (NLT)

5 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Job was considered one of the strongest men of faith in his day, yet when God removed His hand from Job and allowed Satan to temp him, he sat and moaned for days and complained about how God had deserted him. I believe that we do this a lot. When things are not going just the way we want them to, or when God is not working the way that we told Him we wanted everything, we often tend to beat up on God and doubt our faith. Job had three friends that came to his rescue (they thought) and tried to give counsel to Job, based on their understanding of what they thought was going on. While it turns out that Job was right about his circumstances not being a result of sin that he committed, it is interesting to note that in spite of how strong Job’s faith was, and in spite of how obedient he had been to God, yet his eyes and mind were opened as a result of all that happened to him. As in the case of Job, who are we to question God? Although circumstances may seem like God has left the scene, and that things are occurring that God never would, or should permit to happen in one of His children’s lives. Yet we also know that God is supreme, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, ruler and designer of all things, and from previous times and circumstances, we know that He works in mysterious ways and His will is perfect in design. Therefore we must take hope in the words of Job today by saying, “I only thought that I knew the Master; I only thought that I had seen His ultimate love for me; I only thought that I was as close as I could ever be to my Lord however, now I have witnessed with my own eyes and experienced in my own life and heart that my Savior loves me beyond my wildest imagination, and what He does is well done and perfect in every way, therefore I place my life firmly in His hands and wait patiently on Him each and every day, with expectations of His wonderful works and in His perfect will.” Friends, I believe that we get so caught up in ‘self’ that sometimes it takes a good shake up to get our attention and to see our lives redirected towards God. Let God have His will and way in your life today! I need to do this, and I pray that You will join me in my effort to recommit myself to Him.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, You are awesome, and being reminded of Your power and Your perfect will for my life through this story of Job, I must humbly ask of You this morning to please continue to mold me into Your will and in the direction that You would have me go, so that Your will may be fulfilled in all that I do and say in every circumstance of life. Thank You for loving me enough to want to reveal Your will to me. Please give me strength and humbleness of heart to be obedient in every way to You. Please use this devotional to speak to the hearts of Your children that may happen across this today and need a new direction from You.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

God’s Word teaches so much about harmony among His people, and here Paul is teaching the church in Corinth about this important subject. Paul founded the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey. Eighteen months after he left, arguments and divisions arose, and some church members slipped back into an immoral lifestyle. Paul wrote this letter to address the problems and to clear up confusion about right and wrong so that they would remove the immorality from among them. The Corinthian people had a reputation for jumping from fad to fad; Paul wanted to keep Christianity from degenerating into just another fad. By addressing the Corinthians as “brothers and sisters,” Paul is emphasizing that all Christians are part of God’s family. Believers share a unity that runs even deeper than that of blood brothers and sisters. Like a frustrated coach watching his team bicker on the court, Paul called for a time-out. He saw the danger of divisions and arguments. The Corinthian believers’ lack of unity was obvious. They may have been playing in the same “uniform,” but they were doing as much as the opposition to bring about their own defeat. The problems weren’t so much differences of opinion as divided allegiances. They were arguing over which position on the team was most important in a way that made them ineffective as a unit. They were on the field, but out of the game. Divisions between Christians work like brick walls and barbed-wire fences to undermine the effectiveness of the message that believers are to proclaim. Let us focus on our coach, Jesus Christ, and the purpose he has for us. Let us strive for harmony. Let us keep arguments about trivial things off the team. Instead let us concentrate on what we might do to best serve our Lord and minister to those in need of the Savior.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I believe that as Your followers, we should spend our time concerned about the condition of our lost world and what we might do to influence the world for Christ. I pray that as blood bought believers we could do a better job of concentrating on what You did for us at Calvary, on how You reached down into the sin and mire in which we once lived, yet You loved us enough to pick us up from that and place us into Your royal family as children of the King. In concentrating on these vitally important aspects of our walk, I believe that our hearts will become more concerned for the lost and more interested in seeing the lost saved than just looking for ways to please ourselves even more. Please help us to keep foremost in our minds that it’s all about You God. Please remind us of those that may die and spend eternity in Hell if we don’t get our act together and evangelize our community and be a better witness to those around us.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: ^.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Romans 15:1-2 (NLT)

1 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves.

2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.

Romans 15:5-7 (NLT)

5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Paul was addressing problems inside the church here. Seeing that we don’t ever have problems like this today, it may seem hard to identify with Paul, right? I don’t think so!! To my non-Christian friends: unfortunately this is not the case even in our churches. When Jesus accepted us as His forgiven children, we became perfect in Him, but unfortunately, as long as we reside here on this old sinful earth and live among the sin, and temptations to sin, we will struggle daily to live perfect lives before a holy God. Please be patient with us, and please align your lives with Christ, and not your struggling friend or neighbor. To my Christian friends: I bolded a few phrases in the verses shared, because I believe that until we practice getting along with our Christian brothers and sisters, we will never be able to influence the lost for Christ. For our example says a ton more than we could ever articulate with our mouths. as fellow Christians, let us build up each other in the Lord. We are beat up on all day long by the world, we truly need the love, encouragement and support of our Christian brothers and sisters who has God’s Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them. This will be just one example of us living in complete harmony with each other, with the end result being very powerful: then we can join together with ONE voice, giving praise and glory to God. Unity among ourselves, Christians, will bring unity and sweet harmony in our worship together to our Holy God. Please remember, God died for us and accepted us, while we were yet sinners, yet when we sought His face and surrendered our lives to Him, He accepted us. To follow Christ means that we must be willing to do just as He did – accept each other, build each other up, live in harmony together through the love that we display to each other.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, this becomes such a challenge for us, especially when we notice that others are not as perfect as we are! Please open our eyes so that we can be reminded again and again that You are the only perfect one. Often when we point a finger at the faults of someone else, we literally and very honestly have four pointing back at us. Please help us to learn to take the ‘board’ out of our own eye before we make any attempt to take the ‘spec’ out of our neighbor’s eye. Keeping our eyes fixed on You will help us to honestly deal with our unworthiness and our frail attempts at perfection, therefore having an impact on us looking down our noses at anyone else. You alone are God. Please help us never to attempt to take on Your role, but to do as Paul taught in this chapter this morning. Self-examination and correction will often help us to fix the problems/faults we see in others!

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: Job 31-34.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Job 34:33 (NLT)

33 “Must God tailor his justice to your demands? But you have rejected him! The choice is yours, not mine. Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.

Job 34:36-37 (NLT)

36
Job, you deserve the maximum penalty for the wicked way you have talked.

37
For you have added rebellion to your sin; you show no respect, and you speak many angry words against God.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

A point that became very evident to me as I read through these chapters this morning in Elihu response to Job’s ranting and raving. From the surface we can identify with how Job must have felt and his response for losing everything, including what appeared to him, even the presence, comfort and confidence of feeling like God was there with him. As Christians, we must be careful not to get like Job, where we feel we are being punished by God, and it bothers us because we can’t recall where we may have sinned against Him. In verse 33 I am reminded that I cannot coach God on how to punish me, for He alone is God, and He will not tailor His justice to my demands. I must be very careful to praise God in the good times, and especially during those times that I feel I am being unfairly treated, or punished by Him. I must remember that God is still God, and His love never fails. I love that song by Casting Crowns, “I will Praise You in the Storm“, for it is those times that I especially need to praise my Lord for loving me enough to discipline me. As I complete my reading of the book of Job, I am reminded that it is not up to the clay to tell the potter how it wants to be molded. I must therefore truly trust God and His rule over my life, through the good times and the bad. On the mountaintop and in the valley, God is in control and looking out for my good! Praise be to God!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I thank You for the many times that it has been so evident that You are right there with me, protecting me, loving me and showing Your favor to me in so many ways. Thank You! I ask for Your forgiveness though for those times when I felt like the whole world was against me and from every appearance, I was on an island by myself. I am reminded that Your love and Your mercy endures forever and that You will correct as necessary and that I will be molded by both the good times and the times when it feels like I am doing life all by myself. Please remind me to stay focused on You in every phase of life and through every circumstance. Please especially give me strength to praise You in the storms of life, for it is especially then that I need Your favor, strength, wisdom and constant reminder of Your love. A couple of old hymns come to mind: “I Need Thee Every Hour”; and “Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior”.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: Romans 14.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Romans 14:23 (NLT)

23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe it is evident that in this chapter Paul was addressing some of the same challenges and attitudes that Christians find themselves in today, and because of these arguments between believers, we leave non-Christians frustrated, confused, and in a state of not wanting to be a part of the internal tug-of-war. This is so unfortunate, for who are we to say that one denomination of people is right and another is wrong, just because of what they believe and practice. In fact in verse 4, Paul reminds the Romans and us that we are all responsible to the Lord for what we each believe and practice. Now, based on all that I have read about Paul, I believe that we should never jump to a conclusion that he is saying that we can do everything our sinful bodies want to and everything will be alright between us and God. For I believe that Paul, has clearly explained in his books how one should come to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and develop a personal relationship with Him. Then, just as we would strive to please our spouses by what we know they like and desire, then similarly, we will strive to build our relationship with Christ, by reading His Word and doing those things that we know will please Him. Therefore I believe that when we do the things that we know is right (according to what we have studied in God’s Word), then we are not sinning. Friends, another way to help you understand what the Word says, is by attending a Bible believing/teaching/preaching/practicing church of your choice. Please don’t do so with the preconceived idea that you will find perfect people there, for only God is perfect, but hopefully you will find others like yourself, hungry to learn about what God expects from us as His followers. If you would like help locating a church like this in your area, please contact me through the email address below, and I will do all within my power to help you.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father God, we do such an awful job of representing You fully and honestly. Please help me to change that, for those who have not yet accepted You as Lord, need to see more of You in each of us that say we are Your child. Just like the situation Paul addressed in Romans 14, we too get off track and start looking into the lives of other believers and judging how wrong they are compared to us. This is so, so petty, and so off track compared to what we should be doing in encouraging and lifting each other up as we walk through the temptations, struggles and challenges of this sinful world. Please help us to be so centered on Your business and our calling to win the lost, that we would welcome the efforts of others who are like minded, but yet may be finding others ways in which to do the same work. Please speak to the hearts of those reading this that may have been thrown off their walk because of the unfortunate actions of Your followers. Please help them to see that we have flaws just like non-Christians, but a heart centered on knowing more about You and representing You better each and every day.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: Job 28.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Job 28:23-24 (NLT)

23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found,

24 for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens.

Job 28:28 (NLT)

28 And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.'”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Job is a marvel, in that he went through the ringer and yet he is able to still stand and recognize the Almighty and His awesome power over this world and of life itself. I know that we often wish we had more wisdom so that we could better handle certain circumstances, but friend I believe that God provides adequate wisdom to us already. I believe that any inadequacies we may fell in the area of wisdom, is a strong indicator that it is a right time to surrender our will to God and allow His mighty hand to work in our situation. We are dependent on Him and we must therefore look to Him in all things. Unfortunately we often wait until we have exhausted all personal efforts before surrendering to God and seeking His guidance and wisdom. When we consider that He is our Alpha, our Omega, our Designer, our Master and our Lord, we must be obedient and look to Him in ALL things at ALL times. Let’s not wait until we have tried everything humanly possible, screwed things up, then surrender the situation to God. Let’s approach Him in all our circumstances. Let’s give God control of our decisions each and every morning and allow Him to direct our paths each day. His wisdom is the ultimate wisdom. One that considers everything in the scenarios that we find ourselves in.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I surrender my day to You. I surrender my decisions to You today. You are wisdom and as reminded in verse 24 above, You see everything under the heavens, so You know exactly how every decision will effect everything today. Please direct my paths so that I will not mess things up, but rather allow You to be glorified because of decisions made in and through me this day by You.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: Romans 13.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.

14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In the past few devotionals I believe that God has challenged me to think of things that I must do to have a greater influence for Him in my daily walk in 2012. In this passage I believe that God is reminding me how urgent it is for me to straighten things out in my life and, for those of my family and friends that have not yet accepted Jesus, how urgent it is that I work with; pray for; earnestly encourage and example God’s love to them, to help them get their lives in order, as time is running out. When we consider clothing ourselves with the presence of Jesus, I think of us isolating ourselves from the evils of this world and allowing Jesus to consume us, cover us, protect us from the darkness of this world and fill us with His power, His strength and His boldness so that we may live as children of the Master, representing Him in a light that would promote Him and advance the kingdom of God. Bottom line is that we must get our act together, stop pretending and earnestly seek God’s face and His protection so that He may envelope us with everything we need to live holy and godly lives. Secondly, we must remind ourselves that time is quickly running out for us to advance the love and ministry of Jesus to our unbelieving family, friends and coworkers. Now that we have received our marching orders, and shown our priority, we should have a very busy, but fruitful day!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, we are Yours and I look forward to the day when You will call me home to be in Your very presence. While here on this earth, please help me to stay focused on living a godly and holy life, one that is pleasing to, and honored by You. I have loved ones and friends that have not openly accepted You as Lord of their life yet. Please place one of Your children in their presence today that would encourage them to surrender their life of darkness/sin to You in exchange for a glorious bright life filled with the presence of Jesus. You alone are God, please help us as man to strive to be more like You each and every day, until the day You shall call us home to be with You eternally.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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