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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-09-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Ruth 1:16-17 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t make me leave you, for I want to go wherever you go and to live wherever you live; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God; 17 I want to die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to separate us.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In marrying the son of Naomi, Ruth had dedicated her life to his family. This became more apparent after the death of Ruth’s husband, and in these two verses Ruth clearly stated her commitment to Naomi. I believe that this was very much a part of God’s plan, as we will see how everything aligned for Ruth throughout this beautiful book. This also teaches us about being truly committed to God and to one another with a bond that cannot be broken. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Commitment sometimes means that we will continue our job until something better comes up; or it may mean continuing our marriage until our spouse no longer pays attention to us; or keeping our promise to have lunch with a friend as long as something better doesn’t come up. Somehow I can tell that this is not the way that Ruth was put together, for her commitment to Naomi was without conditions and whether anyone else went along to help her or not. Unfortunately, I believe that we have so much to learn from this, for we are so over committed and easily distracted today, that we often commit or promise without ever knowing if we could do all that we said we would. Unfortunately this also involves Christians, for in good gesture at church we might listen to a friend’s problems and promise to pray for them. I’m afraid that this phrase “I’ll pray for you” is so abused, for we walk away from that conversation and never think of that promised prayer again. Perhaps we should either go ahead and pray for the person right there and then, or write their name and request down on a piece of paper, so we could pray for them each day until God answers. Friends, if we claim Jesus as Lord, we commit ourselves to live like He did. We don’t find anywhere in God’s Word where He broke any promises, so in promising to be just like Him, we need to let our yea be yea and our nay be nay. Our word is our honor. How honorable are you? With God’s help we can do this friends! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, please prompt us to always do what we say we will do and be all that we promise we will be. Following Your perfect will always directs us along the path that You would have us follow, knowing that You will ultimately be glorified in and through us. To God be all the glory! Help us to be men and women of God – good influences/witnesses to all that we come into contact with. AMEN! |
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| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Category: Committed
Our Rewards For Doing Good
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-09-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Galatians 6:9-10 (GNT) |
|
Text: |
9 So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest. 10 So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul recognized that the followers at Galatia had become very self-minded, in spite of the dire needs all around them. Paul taught them how serving self, led to spiritual death, versus helping the needy would please the Spirit and bless them personally with a great harvest. I believe that God wanted this in His Word because He knew that one day we would be very much the same. Let’s dig in…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that Satan is just as prevalent today as he has always been, in trying to distract Christians from their personal time with the Lord, and also their corporate time in worship to God, and fellowship with other believers. What this results in, is folk who are either overindulged and/or over over-committed at work, and therefore causes folk to look inward for respite on the weekends. This means that many will only find time for their personal favorite pastimes over the weekend, or who use any excuse at all to avoid outside obligations on their ‘personal time’. That’s when we start using excuses like: Well that’s my only day off, so I had to…..; or that’s my only morning to sleep in, so…..; or I have cheated my spouse and kids of time all week, now it’s their turn. Friends, these sound like reasonable excuses to us, but what do you suppose Jesus might say in response? What if Jesus used excuses like these when he was being led to Calvary to ultimately rescue us from our sin? What if we missed an opportunity to hold the hand of a friend at church and lead them to the altar of salvation? Do you suppose these excuses come from devout Christians who opened the Word each day, and dropped to their knees in prayer before a holy and righteous God before leaving for their busy day? Friends, may I suggest that you look deeply into your heart and your personal relationship with God when you start using excuses to meet with Him, or to help others. Natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquake really bring people together, and extreme love is shown towards those who were impacted. Churches are often filled when folk feel incapable of helping themselves. Folk call out to God like faithful followers when they feel helpless. Oh that we will always call out to Him each and every day, so that our relationship might grow in Him and be filled with the same characteristics that He displayed while on earth. May that inward excitement overwhelm us and push us towards corporate worship so that we might encourage others and help lead the unsaved to Jesus. May we develop an inward drive to help others, like Jesus did. When we stand before the throne on Judgment Day, may God recognize us as a true and faithful follower who helped many along the way. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| For all You have done for us dear Lord, may we be more diligent and dedicated in our time with You and in displaying Your love through helping others here on earth, for thine is the kingdom, the honor and the glory, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Who’s Responsible For Your Faithfulness?
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-09-05 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Judges 8:33-35 (TLB) |
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Text: |
33 But as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelis began to worship the idols Baal and Baal-berith. 34 They no longer considered the Lord as their God, though he had rescued them from all their enemies on every side. 35 Nor did they show any kindness to the family of Gideon despite all he had done for them. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Through Gideon’s faithfulness, commitment to God, and his dependency on God to do all that He said He would do, God was very faithful and brought Gideon and his people through many difficult and challenging times. As long as the people were reminded of the love and power of God, they listened to Gideon and followed him. The real proof of their faithfulness came when Gideon passed from the scene and was no longer with them. We are challenged by this, because we also face similar times as the Israelites faced, so let’s see how we should apply this….. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Vacation time is probably one of the greatest tests of our faithfulness. Of course we should sleep in, we’re on vacation! We won’t have to worry about the embarrassment of having to respond to the pastor when he calls to check on us, and because we told the Sunday School class last week that we would be on vacation, no one will call us. If we are vacationing near the beach, why the ocean waters have not been this calm since we started our vacation. The skies are clear and the beaches are extremely inviting. Oh but wait a moment, you slipped it out in conversation with another couple in the pool that you attended XYZ church back home, and they might question where you went Sunday morning while on vacation? Friends, what about your commitment to God? In return for hearing the gospel message and feeling a tug on your heart’s door, to accept Jesus as your Lord, you surrendered your life to Him. Now when you are looking for excuses to escape being in His presence, and He sends circumstances your way to make you question your whole relationship with Him, don’t you know that He makes Himself even more aware to you and causes you to re-evaluate your true commitment to Him? The Israelites were face with a very similar decision, and they decided to do it their way. What about you friend? Will Satan win the battle, or will you stay true to the Master and be a witness for Him even on vacation? Remember, when we cave in to our old desires, not only do we stand in question by God, but also those who are following our example and our lifestyle. Are you leading them astray, or towards a closer and more committed relationship with their Savior? Another consideration is that the source of the Israelite’s encouragement disappeared when Gideon died. Before you condemn the Israelites, be careful that you are not one who will run when that charismatic preacher is no longer in the pulpit, or that fun and powerful voice is no longer on the praise team, or your best friend who invited you to church moves away. Always reflect on the reason that you got saved; the reason that you go to corporate worship; and the ones who are using your walk with the Lord as their example and encouragement. Remember also that Jesus would have gone to the cross if you were the only one that needed the forgiveness of sin. He never doubted or wimped out for a moment or looked for excuses. Oh that we may be as committed and faithful to Him! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord You are so good to us and Your mercies endures forever and forever. Please forgive us when we falter and fail. When we look for excuses to not follow You or worship You. You have always been good to us, always been faithful to us and went to the extreme to show Your love for us. Lord, please help us to always do the same in return. We have no reason to turn our backs on You, please help us to not listen to the enemy and look for ways. I ask these things in the powerful and almighty name of Jesus, my Savior. 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! | |
Commitment to Whom You Will Serve
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-08-26 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Joshua 24:14-15 (MSG) |
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Text: |
14 “So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God. 15 “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Joshua knew that he was dying, and he wanted to have one last meeting with the leaders and heads of families, to reemphasize the importance of them giving their full commitment to God, the One who had brought their forefathers out of Egypt; provided for them while traveling through the wilderness for forty years; won all the battles in ousting the residents of the Promised Land so that they could live there in peace; and provided good godly leaders who were totally obedient to lead the people during these long journeys. In leading them to a commitment to whom they will serve, Joshua led the way by committing right up front who he and his family would serve. Let’s see how God would have us apply this to our lives today! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Joshua did what most pastors do at our services today. They show us where we were; where God brought us from; how He got us to where we are; how we may be living contrary to God’s Word that may deter us from moving forward with Him; and what we need to do in order to achieve our final goal – heaven. Like the Israelites, if we stop and honestly ponder we will quickly conclude that God has graciously brought us through so many things, and we can reflect back on so many miracles, yes miracles in our own lives. But where are you at now Brother? Are you standing strong, and just as committed to God as you’ve always been? Are you convinced that if Jesus came this very moment that He would be proud of where you stand with Him? Are you living the life that an unsaved person could easily follow and find Jesus? Joshua was willing to commit to every leader that he was speaking to, that he and his household were committed to God and that they would worship the Lord God. Although the text doesn’t say it, I believe Joshua meant that commitment to be from that day forward. Are you committed enough to take that stand? I believe this lost world is looking for committed Christians that they cannot classify as hypocrites. What will they conclude about you Brothers and Sisters? Remember they only see what you allow them to see, but God knows your innermost thoughts and feelings. So as you go to God, be honest and confess all your sin before Him. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, please touch the hearts of myself, and all those who might read this devotional today. Please help us to examine our hearts before You and seek Your forgiveness as necessary. Lord, we need clean hearts that we might commit right back to You, so that we may live godly lives that will testify of Your goodness and Your forgiveness. We have nothing to brag about, for it’s by Your grace alone that we are made whole and live our lives pleasing to You.. But we want to do that Lord, so please humble us, and give us boldness to step into Your presence and allow You to work in us. Let us be followers of Joshua’s example and commit to You that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! 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! | |
When God Leaves You Alone
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-06-01 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Numbers 14:41-43 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? You will not win! 42 Don’t go, because the Lord is not with you and you will be beaten by your enemies. 43 You will run into the Amalekites and Canaanites, who will kill you with swords. You have turned away from the Lord, so the Lord will not be with you.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that frustration is shown in the Scripture today by Moses, because it seems like the more he did to direct his people under the careful leadership of God, the more ungrateful, stubborn and determined they were to do their own thing. Imagine how the words of Moses must have penetrated the hearts of the Israelites when the Amalekites and Canaanites came out from the hills towards them. They must have quickly reflected on some of the times that God separated the waters for them to walk through; how water came forth from a rock when it was struck by the staff of Moses, yet the same God that performed those acts honored their request and left them alone to go into the mountains. What a lonely, isolated, hopeless feeling that must have been. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Isn’t it interesting how an older child might ask parents to just leave them alone, yet they expect those parents to still be looking out for them and always ready to help them with one problem or another? In the life of a born again Christian, they may make a special effort to get out to church at least one Sunday per month, so that they don’t hear from the pastor; they just don’t have time for personal Bible study; and they really don’t feel like they know how to pray. Often it is these same ‘Christians’ that denounce God for not coming to their rescue when disaster or need comes their way. Friends, my God is honorable and trustworthy. When you make it obvious to Him that you would rather do ‘life’ alone, He honors that and gives you all the space you want. But remember, He is a relational God, not a puppet that you can pull out of the drawer the second time you sneeze, or wind up in hospital with more serious health issues. Moses told the Israelites that God would not be there for them, because they turned away from Him. Based on your relationship with God, do you suppose God is ready and willing to be your God, or will the words of Moses echo in your mind, that because you turned away from the Lord, He will do the same to you? That’s a sad moment when that occurs friend, I hope that each one reading this devotional today will keep that fire burning between you and your God. He deserves our praise and adoration each and every day, and He will be with us always, even until the very end of time here on this earth! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your very life as a sacrifice for my sin. Thank You for saving my soul from the stench of sin here on this earth, to the glories of heaven one of these sweet and glorious days! We were reminded of some very sobering words spoken by Your servant Moses this morning, and it could very easily reflect the same mindset of many who consider You as their God of convenience. Lord, You are an awesome, loving, caring God. Please help us to be the humble, committed, trustworthy servants worthy of that kind of God. May our eyes be fixed on You and our hearts totally committed to You. 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! | |
When Doubts Arise
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-05-31 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 14:17-19 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the other disciples, 18 and as they were sitting around the table eating, Jesus said, “I solemnly declare that one of you will betray me, one of you who is here eating with me.”
19 A great sadness swept over them, and one by one they asked him, “Am I the one?” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| A room full of disciples and the Lord Jesus, when Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. I would have expected them all to try and reassure Jesus that it definitely would not be them, but instead they all questioned Jesus if it was them. I found that very interesting. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Perhaps the disciples were very aware of their weaknesses and knew that they would possibly cave in to pressure from the authorities. Perhaps they had been privately chatting about some of the impossible things that occurred during the time they had been following Jesus, and they were having some doubt about the reality of it all. Just as we all sin today – from the preacher, to the faithful member in the pew or the guy who has chosen to never visit a church again in his lifetime, so it could be with us if told by Jesus that we could be the ones who would betray Him. In fact, we would probably start apologizing right away, because we know how possible it would be. Perhaps that’s how the disciples felt that night. What we do know is that one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter, swore up and down that he would never deny Jesus Christ, yet under the right conditions, he did exactly that. I believe for the Christian today, our doubts arise when we face the opposition, for how many of us truly stand up for our faith when hanging around a gang of friends who wants nothing to do with Jesus? Would we question, like the disciples did, about whether Jesus was referring to us, because of the guilt we felt very deep inside? So is there a way to improve on this, you might ask. I believe that Jesus knows everything about our nature, and He knows that we are prone to sin as long as we remain here on this earth among sinners. However, we know from His Word that Jesus loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine; we know that He gave of His very life as a substitution for our sin, so that we may appear before the Father spotless. So I am convinced that He also knows our heart and whether we are sincere in our relationship with Him. Friends, it’s not in saying certain words, attending a certain church, hanging around certain friends – although each of these certainly helps us to live a good life, but it’s really all about our heart, because our intent and our will is governed by what’s deep inside of our heart. A personal, sincere and dedicated relationship with Jesus helps you acquire the attributes that He teaches in His written Word. As we reach for perfection as a Christian, we should aim to live, speak and act just like Jesus did. From these qualities, Jesus will know what might come from our mouths and how we might act in the presence of worldly pressures. You could easily overcome doubt and guilt, friend, with the help of our Master and Lord! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, weak though we are when depending on inner strength, yet we serve an all powerful and Almighty God. Thank You for loving us enough to cluster us under Your wings and watch over us, and protect us from the evil of this world. Lord, we want to be just like You, and be Your witnesses here in this world. Please give us the strength, wisdom and boldness to be Your hands and Your feet even among those who oppose You. Help us to seek Your face, and develop such a relationship with You that we would constantly grow in the likeness of Jesus every day. 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! | |
Faithful to the End
|
Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-04-03 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 32:31-32 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves gods from gold. 32 Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that this is probably the boldest that I have seen someone approach the Lord. Probably the most sold out I have seen a leader to his people. The most daring act of unselfish sacrifice that I have seen a leader willing to do for the people placed in his charge. Moses had just witnessed the most despicable act that any group of people could probably do in the face of an almighty God, who had been so good to them and brought them through such terrible times. Yet as a leader who felt placed appropriately by God, he was willing to put even his eternity on the line for his people. Wow! |
|
| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m pretty sure that unless I clarify, the first person you will think of that identifies with Moses, is your pastor. And while I agree with you that he is probably one that leads the charge of the church overall, some of you reading this blog have also been placed in positions of leadership with the church of Jesus Christ. You might be an elder, a deacon, a department leader in charge of teachers, a teacher, a small group leader, a Christian leader at your job or a Christian husband/leader in your home. Let me ask you to stop and take personal inventory of exactly what you feel like God is holding you responsible for. Friend, please don’t stop and quickly respond that it was just the Sunday School director who asked you teach, for if you felt led of God to accept a position to share His Word with others, then my belief is that He wants you to take responsibility for their eternity. Let me encourage you to read Exodus 32 and 33. You will find in 33:17 that God conceded to the request of His servant Moses, because He (God) had a personal relationship with him and knew his heart intimately. If you went before God after reading this blog for those who have been placed in your charge, will this be a continuation of daily prayer that you have been petitioning before God for a long time, or will this be a ‘new’ request? You have to start somewhere friend, but please be constant in prayer for those whom God has placed in your care. Are you so convinced about what you are teaching, that you are willing to place your life on the line for your students? |
|
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, it is so humbling that You would choose mere humans to do the holy work of teaching others about You, whether verbally or through the very life that we live. We have been shown by Moses that when we are confident that we are obedient to Your will and obeying Your commands, that we would have no regrets, no fears of what others might say, or have any fear of standing before You and being held accountable by You. Thank You Lord for entrusting us with Your work. Lord, may we be found faithful until the very day that You call us home to glory. AMEN |
|
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
What Pleases God
|
Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-03-02 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 4:10-14 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
10 But Moses pleaded, “O Lord, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me, for I have a speech impediment.”
11 “Who makes mouths?” Jehovah asked him. “Isn’t it I, the Lord? Who makes a man so that he can speak or not speak, see or not see, hear or not hear? 12 Now go ahead and do as I tell you, for I will help you to speak well, and I will tell you what to say.” 13 But Moses said, “Lord, please! Send someone else.” 14 Then the Lord became angry. “All right,” he said, “your brother, Aaron, is a good speaker. And he is coming here to look for you and will be very happy when he finds you. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Moses was commanded to do something that was waaayyyy outside of his comfort zone. This caused Moses to say ‘no’ to God, and refuse to obediently get on with the job. This was unpleasing to God, as He became angry at Moses. In applying this Scripture to our lives today, we will examine whether this disobedience continues, or whether we truly make every effort to please God…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I would imagine that books that promise to prompt you towards things that please your spouse, or your teacher or your parents or your boss, probably sell out very quickly. For I believe that we are generally a people that prefer to please one another – especially if we believe that there are return benefits for us. But just for a moment, imagine one whose comfort zone is filling a support position behind the scenes. An extremely hard worker, but could care less about fanfare or public recognition. In fact, they prefer to see others recognized over themselves, as they prefer to get the job done and see the overall operation succeed. This sounds somewhat like Moses. He was being asked to do something that he always shied away from, because he felt so inadequate in speaking publicly. In fact, speaking in public was just not his forte. But wait a moment, why would the God of this universe ask him to do something that He knew Moses would be uncomfortable with, or feel unqualified for? Could it be that the task would then demand Moses to look upwards and depend on God, rather than his own known strengths? Friends, I am so sold out on the power of my God, that I truly believe that He outfits and prepares those that He calls to perform their assignments. I believe that if you are asked to teach, by a praying, God-honoring individual who tells you that God directed them to ask you to teach, what is there that you need time to pray about? Hoping that God, or is it perhaps Satan, will give you excuses on how to wiggle out of the assignment God has sent your direction? Unfortunately, I believe that way too often we spend more time meditating on the reasons we shouldn’t take a God-honoring position that could ultimately bring glory to Him, than we do in praising God for the opportunity to serve Him. After all, who are we that God should choose us to serve in His vineyard and influence others for the kingdom of God? Rightfully so, we are often unqualified for the job, but when we bring God into the equation, is there really anything too difficult, or impossible for Him? All things achieved though our inadequacies, shows the world that God is still in control and willing to work through even humble individuals like you and I. Please read verses 11 and 12 over again before you give a decision on whether you will accept your next assignment! Consider giving God an avenue through which He could accomplish His work to bring glory to himself and His kingdom. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, we are your servants, willing to be used by You to accomplish Your work here on earth. We believe in You, please help our unbelief; our doubt; our lack of trust; and our natural desire to be well qualified for everything we do. Depending on You will require faith and total dependence on You. Lord, please fill us and make us usable instruments that You can work through to touch the hardenend hearts of our dear friends, family, coworkers, and all those that You place in our path. Please forgive us for the time wasted in turning away from You and circumventing Your holy appointments. Help us to totally surrender our all to You, dear Lord. 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! | |
Marriage Without Divorce
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-02-28 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 19:3-6 (Voice) |
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Text: |
3 So some Pharisees approached Jesus and asked Him this tricky question about divorce: Pharisees: Is it ever lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Jesus: 4 Haven’t you read that in the beginning God created humanity male and female? Don’t you remember what the story of our creation tells us about marriage? 5 “For this reason, a man will leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 6 If a husband and wife are one flesh, how can they divorce? Divorce would be a bloody amputation, would it not? “What God has brought together, let no man separate.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| To question charges for a driving infraction, one would go before a judge. To question about a Christian wedding, or marital problems, where God was invited to be a part of that three-party agreement, one would go to God, and/or His Word to understand the implications. This was the case with the Pharisees, for they wanted to know about the implications of breaking that three-party agreement. As in other areas of questioning Jesus, He quoted scripture to answer man’s questions. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Some of you might skip right over this devotional after reading the subject, because you are afraid that there may be so much of my own feelings debated in this blog that you really don’t want to hear it, perhaps again. One of the beauties of reading through the Bible, vs choosing specific topics, is that you will come across every topic addressed in the Bible. Of course you can choose to ignore some topics and just move on, but what I share with you each morning friends, are things that I feel God lays on my heart. I am convinced that these things first speak to my own heart, but I believe that God has me share these thoughts so that He might also use my thoughts to penetrate your heart and speak Truth to you. Sin has become so rampant in our world, and most people have become so tolerable of sin, that we often find ways to condone many things, among Christian circles and even in our churches. I am convinced that the Bible is our Rule Book, and it makes no consideration for the acts of sinful man, but instead gives us the words of God that addresses all of our actions, thoughts and questions. The main reason we (Christians) should have for going to a counselor, or a pastor, is to seek help in finding out how the Word of God addresses our situation. Remember, it’s our Rule Book! Unfortunately, we concoct enough to build our case as to why we believe we are right, because we want someone to validate, or take our side, so that our sin won’t hurt so badly. Friends, I believe that the moment we feel like sin is affecting either spouse, we must address it then – urgently. For sin is similar to a boil, it starts out small and it will irate just a little, but very soon it becomes an eating sore where it erodes the area of our body and infects our whole being. Friends, I am happily married, so it may seem like it must be easy for me to say all of the above, but may I remind you that sin affects us all, and it is only through a close, daily, and committed relationship with God that we stand a chance of learning from Him, seeking His help with life and His direction for every walk of life. Although some of you might be perfect in this area, I must admit that this is a daily walk for me. I need Christ in all areas of my life, and I need His help and guidance every day and in every aspect of life. May I recommend that you do the same, for I strongly believe that it is through Christ alone that we can live a life that would come close to imitating Him. I would also like to extend an invitation to all those who live near Sebring, Florida, to attend a monthly group meeting for couples at Bible Fellowship Church, Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL, the 4th Sunday of every month at 5:00pm. This might encourage you in your marriage, or you might encourage some else. Why not join us and allow God to do His work in your marriage! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, thank You for loving us enough to create areas of happiness in our lives, then to provide the Rule Book on how we might best participate and enjoy all that You have created for us. Thank You for our spouses and for the happiness, contentment and friendship that we enjoy together in having You at the center of our lives and our relationships. Please forgive us for the many times that we have tried to have our own way and do our own thing. Although this often ends in disaster, we thank You for intervening in time to save our marriages. Please continue to impress upon Your children the importance of a daily encounter with You, so that we might become more aligned with Your ways and Your rules for life. We want to be more like You Jesus, so we humbly place ourselves at Your feet for a deep infilling of Your Holy Spirit. Use us for Your glory until we see You face to face. 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! | |
A Test of Your Faith
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-02-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 17:19-21 (Voice) |
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Text: |
19 Later, when they were away from the crowds, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t been able to drive out the demon themselves.
Jesus: 20 Because you have so little faith. I tell you this: if you had even a faint spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If you had just a sliver of faith, you would find nothing impossible. [21 But this kind is not realized except through much prayer and fasting.] |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| One could only imagine the frustration that the disciples must have felt when they kept receiving hints from Jesus that they could do what He does, and yet they felt so powerless at times. This particular incident was one of those cases, for a man presented his epileptic son for healing, and the disciples were totally helpless. Let’s examine why… | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| There were so many things that Jesus did that might be compared to magic today. It may seem to some that they merely say the word and the lame will walk again and the blind will once again see like you and I. However, I believe that Jesus clears this up for us in these verses. If the power was truly given to us to bring about healing, why would one need Jesus, or to know about His Father? First of all, we must remember that as His children, we are merely messengers of the Almighty God. Meaning that God still does the healing, and not us. Often mankind is out to win the battle and claim the victory personally, and that is not the way that God works. I remember gathering with others to pray down God’s blessings on upcoming revival services, and that hearts that had become hardened, would be touched by God and drawn back to Him. By the time the revival services began, I remember looking down the aisle with expectation and anticipation of individuals walking the aisle who we had prayed diligently and desperately for. The praise and rejoicing went to the Father as we saw results though, because we prayed to Him asking Him to move in their hearts. So to see ones walk the aisle meant that God had accomplished His work as a result of our prayers and His perfect will for the individuals we prayed for. In the verses we are looking at today, we are reminded that verse 21 was not included in some ancient manuscripts, but I believe it was inserted later to help us understand that miracles are still a work of the Almighty, and if we are sincere about our requests to Him, then we must be earnest in our prayers to Him about the individual or the situation. Friends, when we are willing to do more than just mere words. When we are deeply convicted and are ready to seek God’s face over a situation. When it becomes a priority to us, enough that we are willing to seek His face more than some other pleasure in life, then I believe Jesus recognizes the earnestness of our prayers and the deep desires of our heart. Are you ready to take a need before the Lord in such earnest today? If so, God assures us that it could be as big of a challenge as moving a mountain from one location to another, for nothing is impossible with God! Let’s get serious about the needs that we pray about, and be willing to commit more than just words to the need. Our God is able, if we are willing! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Dear God, we have become so trivial with our promises to pray, that our promise to pray for a Brother or Sister just rolls off the tongue. Sometimes we make promises to pray, and then allow the busyness of life to take over, and overwhelm the promise we made to pray. At other times we are challenged to put our all into the request because of our lack of concern, or perhaps because of our lack of faith in the Father who can do ALL things. Please forgive us Lord, and fill us with hearts like Yours, where we are willing to sacrifice, or fast, and pray to the Father over the needs we might have. Thank You for the awesome powerful God that You are! Please give us renewed strength, boldness and power to pray as You did, Lord 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 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 