God Is faithful and Just

Scripture: Ruth 1-2.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Ruth 2:8-10 (NLT)

8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”

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

After the death of her husband, Ruth could have easily left her mother-in-law Naomi to fend for herself, while she go and fend for herself – but she didn’t. When Naomi decided to return to her homeland, Ruth had every reason to stay in her own land and be near to her family and her place of worship – but she didn’t. Ruth felt a God-given responsibility to care for her mother-in-law, and God blessed her immensely for that. Did God owe her anything? No, not really. However, because of her kindness and deliberate attempts to extend the hand of God in this way, God showered blessings on her. For it was no coincidence that she wound up in the field of Boaz. It was very much God’s direction to Boaz in accepting this woman in his fields and then providing her need for food for her and Naomi. We have these same forms of blessings each and every day friends. It is unfortunate that we attribute this to good luck, or happen chance. Instead of doing like Ruth did to Boaz, that we bow at the feet of Jesus and give Him thanks for each and every thing that He does for us. God knows our heart and our intentions and He will reward us in due time. Let’s be on the lookout for those blessings and be very careful to give God the glory for His faithfulness to us.

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

Father I could very easily see all that Ruth did to show her love for her mother-in-law, and how she deserved your love and reward in return. I would only ask that You open my eyes to the needs around me, and give me the wisdom of how to best show Your love to those in need so that You may receive honor and glory. Thank You for Your faithfulness towards me in so many ways. Like Ruth, I can very easily ask “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” However, in spite of my question, I must say thank You for all that You do for me and provide for me. You are indeed my faithful and just Master!

 

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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Heavenly Celebrations!

Scripture: Luke 15.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 15:3-7 (NLT)

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

7
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’

10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

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

For those that we invest our interest in, through prayer, caring and/or some other tangible way, we tend to rejoice over their successes in life! This is because we have a vested interest in them. God’s Word says that there is rejoicing in heaven also when one sinner repents and returns to God. I love that word ‘RETURNS’ because it is an indication that we were God’s, but strayed away and now seen the error of our ways and have come back to God. I believe that if our churches today did a better job of investing ourselves in the lives of those that we say we are ministering to, then there would be a big party or celebration every time someone walks the isle and announces to the church that they are ‘returning’ to the God who loves them and have always cared for them. I don’t know about everyone else, but I need to get busy about the work of the Lord, and I don’t mean another committee, but rather busy about ministering to those who have strayed away from God and need to return to Him. While I am not a big party person, I would love to join in the heavenly celebration every service time as sinners return to God, especially if I had a small part in encouraging, or praying for that person. Christians, let’s re-focus on the main purpose of the church – a people drawing closer to God through personal development in the Word, and in encouraging others to ‘return’ to God so that they too can join the party! We have a Savior who loves us so much that He gave His very life for us – talking about a vested interest in us?

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

Lord Jesus, I know that I could spend all day just finding ways that I need to draw closer to You, but additionally I feel such a burden for those that need to ‘return’ to You and surrender their lives to You. Please give me the boldness to share words of encouragement with someone today. Please burden my heart with individuals that I may specifically pray for and encourage so that Your work may be accomplished. Thank You for loving me so much that You encouraged me back to You and away from a world that has no desire to see me succeed or live eternally with You. I rejoice in that today, and I look forward to rejoicing next Lord’s Day as I see others ‘return’ to 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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Whose Side Are You On?

Scripture: Luke 11.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 11:23 (NLT)

23 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

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

In chapter 9 vs 50 Jesus said something similar, when he told His disciples that if someone is casting out demons they are on the same side as them. In this passage Jesus is actually illustrating how there is no middle ground. A person, you or I, are either committed to and actually serving God daily/on the Lord’s side, or we are on Satan’s side and living a life separated from God. Ouch! God has already won the battle, so why would anyone opt for the losing side? I don’t think that anyone in their right mind would do such a thing, but friend, we must not straddle the fence. We are either totally sold out, practicing our faith, and following God’s commands, or if we are not, then we are children of Satan. Is it clear whose side you are on, friend? We might fool some of the people some of the time, but God knows ALL things – we can’t fool Him. If we are not actively serving Christ, then we are against Him. I not only prefer always being on the winning side, but I am one who is dedicated to the one that I love and have committed my life to. Jesus laid His life down for me, I will do all within me to serve Him faithfully until the day He calls me home to be with Him. How about you? Please contact me if I can pray with You for strength and commitment to serve Christ daily, of if you don’t know the One who I love, adore and am committed to. Please allow me to introduce you to Him. He’s the best friend you will ever have, and He will never leave you alone. He loves you unconditionally!

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

Lord Jesus, my King, my Savior and my Lord, thank You for giving Your life so that I may live eternally with You. Thank You for being by my side day in and day out. I pray that You will continue to give me strength for life’s daily journey, to overcome Satan’s darts, temptations and distractions, for my desire is to serve You faithfully each and every day. I want it to be evident to You and to this world, whose I am, and who it is that I serve. May that evidence lead to someone coming to know You today. May I represent You in such a way that others will want to know the source of joy that exudes from me!

 

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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God Provides!

Scripture: Leviticus 24-25.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Leviticus 25:20-22 (NLT)

20 But you might ask, ‘What will we eat during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?’

21 Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years.

22 When you plant your fields in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the large crop of the sixth year. In fact, you will still be eating from that large crop when the new crop is harvested in the ninth year.

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

The Bible records how faithful the Israelites were in following all that God instructed Moses to tell them however, as in these verses, it is evident that they sometimes had questions and concerns about what the outcome might be if they followed God’s commands. I am encouraged by the way that God showed them that He had everything under control and would provide for them if they followed His commands. Today we may be in a similar position. When God tells us to leave something that we are very comfortable with and move to unfamiliar territory, we may question if that move is really right for us. When we feel like we have lost everything and wonder how we could possibly survive and do all that we want, we may sometime wonder if God is really there with us. Friend, we must remember that God said that He will always be with us. He will never put more on us than we could bear. He loves us. He cares for us. He is our King and He will provide for His people. He will never leave us alone. Cast our cares upon Him. With all this in mind, thankfully we can rejoice in knowing that He will carry us through our situations. Let us place our faith and trust in Him today. Let’s rest our cares and concerns in His hands and watch Him provide for us in ways that we could never think of on our own. He will provide for years to come, not just for the moment in which we live. He did it for the Israelites and He’ll do it for us. Praise be to God!

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

Thank You Father for this assurance this morning. Please help and encourage me to follow Your will, for I need You to provide for me each and every day! Thank You for Your powerful and protective hand upon my family yesterday in their auto accident. Please help me to wait for, look for, and depend on You as You provide for my needs, just like You did for the Israelites. I love You Lord Jesus!

It Will Be Worth It All

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 39-40.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 40:38 (NLT)

38 The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

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

This last verse of Exodus sums up how the people of Israel had maintained their faith in spite of all the challenges they faced during their stint in the wilderness. In fact, the book begins by telling us of their slavery in Egypt, but as we can see from this verse, it ends in glory by telling of God’s presence being evident during the day and the comfort of knowing that His presence was there during the night. During our Christian walk we encounter ups and downs like the Israelites encountered. I know that our challenges have been, and probably will be much different to anything we read in Exodus, and depending on how we look at those challenges, many of us will probably even say that ours were a lot greater than anything the Israelites faced. Friend, if we truly know and trust God then we will agree that we are on the winning side, the victorious team, with a bright future ahead of us, regardless of the circumstances we have come through or find ourselves in the middle of at this time. I love that song, “It Will be Worth It All“, for whatever I may go through here on this earth, it will be worth it all when I see the face of my Jesus, and live forever in His presence singing praises to Him. While here on this earth, I must learn to look beyond my challenges and see what victories will result for Jesus because of my circumstances. It’s all about Him friend of God! My challenges, or even what I may see as my setbacks, are all for His glory. What am I learning from these circumstances and how am I being made stronger because of these, should be my points to ponder, not crying the blues because of what appears to be heartaches and trials to challenge me. Thank You Father for being by my side and holding my hand each and every day!

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

Father, please help me to look at each day as a victory for You. Many days may appear to be normal and filled with challenges that may make me question if You were even there with me, but as a child of God, I know that You love me and that You hold my hand through all of life’s ups and downs. Please help me to not lose sight of Your presence and your promises to hold my hand each and every day. Please help me to be Your obedient servant by placing my hand in Yours each day so that I may stay connected to the power source and the source of encouragement, strength, guidance, protection and love that I need every day. I am on the winning side, and I have You as my Savior, Lord and soon coming King. There is nothing more that I need dear Lord! Thank You!

Prepare for God’s Blessing

Scripture: Matthew 23; Exodus 29.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. Matt 23:37 (NLT)

… I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. 44 Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.
Ex 29:43-46
(NLT)

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

My daily devotional normally takes me across one or more chapters in the Old Testament and perhaps one or more chapters in the New Testament. God spoke to me on the verse in the New Testament, about how He not only blesses me each day, but how He is looking to even bless me more – if only I would surrender myself to Him and allow Him to do all for His child that He wants to. This made me think about how I feel sometimes like a parent. We want to do so much more, but we need our child to do their part in order not to spoil them. Sometimes we want to do more but they rather try and do it themselves. I never stopped to think that we are doing the same thing to God when we take the reins and try to do things ourselves. We often mess up, but God is the designer and creator of this complex body that we live in, the creator and designer of this world with all of its intricacies, so why would I withhold from Him? I have nothing to gain. Total surrender to Him can bring blessings beyond anything I can ever imagine! Then in the Old Testament reading I saw where He did so much for the Israelites, including several chapters explaining every detail about how God detailed the material and design of the temple, then the same for the dress and ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, then in the verses above it sounds like He just sat back and looked at all He had done and felt relieved that now He could meet with His people in the temple, made holy because of His presence. Now the people will recognize Him as their God who brought them out of Egypt and now they might accept Him as the Lord their God. Wow, what love displayed here and what an awesome father-figure shown here. God loves us so much and wants so badly to bless us beyond anything we could ever imagine, and our part is to just let go and let God. He’s our Father, He wants to do this for His children!

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

Father, often life seems so complex, and so often I realize that the challenges are way more than I could ever handle alone. Thank You for reminding me that You are very capable, and willing to handle these challenges and direct my paths. I am convinced that You want nothing more than to love on me; to protect me from the things of this life intended to harm me; to guide me through those challenging times of uncertainty, especially when I don’t know which way to turn next. Please help me to daily recognize that You are God, in fact You are my God and the same love shown towards the Israelites, is the same love that You would love to shower on me, if only I will let go of self and let You have Your will and way in my life. While this is my personal prayer, I also pray for my brother and my sister who may read this devotional and perhaps going through the same challenge, and ask that they too may receive a touch from You today and be reminded of Your love, protection and guidance. Thank You for being such an awesome, powerful, yet a super loving God!

God, Provider of All Our Needs

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 27-28.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

29 “In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chestpiece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord. 30 Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord. Ex 28:29-30 (NLT)

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

In Chapter 27 there were great pains in explaining how the temple should be built by the Israelites, now in chapter 28 great pains to explain every detail about who the priests would be and what they should wear. While this sounds very archaic, it reminded me about the respect we should have for God’s house and for His priests/preachers/pastors. These details were given to a people who wandered in the wilderness without food or water of their own. With all the details about the fancy building and contents we may wonder where the money was coming from to pull something like this off. However, when we consider that God provided food and water for a crowd, well over one million in size, each and every day. When we consider that He parted the waters to allow the Israelites safe passage across, then collapsed the ridge of water at just the right time to drown the enemy who was chasing them. Is there any wonder WHO would provide the means for them to build such a temple? Today we are so used to whining about everything that we really have trouble seeing through those things that seem impossible to us humanly, and seeing all that God can do as owner of all things and provider of all things. When we worry about how the church building will be funded, how the repairs will be funded, how the pastor will be paid, how the budget will be met, etc, etc, we must stop, drop and pray. The same God that provided all this for the Israelites, is the same God that we serve, and the same God that can provide for us out of situations that seem impossible to us. He made it all and He can provide even more – a lot more than we can ever imagine. As He shows us what to do, let’s never question where the funds, or means will come from. Let’s remember, we serve a Mighty God!

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

Lord, thank You for opening my eyes this morning to be reminded that You are God and God alone of this universe. You own it all! You will guide us into what You would have us do to spread Your Word and win the lost for You. To accomplish that, You will provide the means. Ours is not to question, but to obey and follow Your commands. Thank You Jesus for being my King, my Provider and my Shepherd. May I always lift You up as such and obey You in all things!

God will Lavish His unfailing Love

Scripture: Exodus 20-21.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. Ex 20:4-6 (NLT)

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

This is an awesome passage with such an awesome message for me/us today. I know that we often think that the Old Testament is ‘old’ news and that the ‘New Testament’ only applies to Christians today, but I believe differently, for Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law of the Old Testament, not to do away with it. In verse 5 God shared with us that He will not tolerate any other gods in our lives. In fact He said that He is a jealous God who requires our total commitment to Him. I may quickly dismiss this by trying to convince myself, and God, that I worship no other God. However, in reality, I must admit that anything that receives my total concentration too much, especially for personal identity, meaning or even security, may truly be viewed by God as a ‘god’ of sorts in my life. I must always be careful to have proper balance in my life, and not let these ‘things’ control my thoughts and energies, otherwise they become ‘gods’. I must always let God hold the central place in my life so that He may keep these ‘things’ from becoming ‘gods’. He must be God, and God alone in my life. In turn, I was overjoyed to read and meditate on verse 6. For God said that He would lavish His unfailing love on those that love Him and obey His commands. My desire, and commitment, is that I may always love God sincerely and obey His commands at all times. I know that this will not always be easy, but I know the ‘God’ who can help me handle that commitment with ease. Praise be to God!

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

Father, I beg Your forgiveness today, because I know how easy it is to get so caught up in my everyday life at work or at play, that I easily forget who makes it all possible for me. I am once again reminded that You are God and besides You there is no other god. I pray that this will be a constant reminder as I am tempted and become wrapped up in the things of this world and often allow them to surround me and fill my thoughts. Please help me to keep perspective in my life. Please help me to recognize You and Your love for me in all walks of life, so that I may share those experiences with others and convince them that You are God, and God alone. Thank You Jesus for loving me so much that You gave. Thank You for the promise of lavishing Your love on me and my generations to come, as we love You and obey Your commands. You are truly awesome!

Our Loving, Compassionate Lord

Scripture: Matthew 20.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” Matt 20:32 (NLT)

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

Two things were brought to my attention today from this chapter, all culminating in this short verse:

  1. I believe that Jesus holds His hand out to us daily and asks “What is it that you want me to do for you, dear child?” This is what He asked of the blind men who cried out to Him, so I have no reason to believe that He would not do the same thing for us when we cry out to Him for mercy, or whatever the needs are in our lives that bear so heavy on our hearts;
  2. Although I know how much Jesus cares for us, yet I was touched by this story today. Here it is Jesus is on a journey with His disciples and a crowd of people thronged all around Him. Yet these two men caught His attention more than all the crowd of people around Him. He was not too busy, or caught up in the moment with all His followers to stop everything, and go over to attend to the needs of these two men. Praise God that we serve a loving Savior with such qualities. No doubt there are millions that call on Him everyday, but I am once again reminded of the compassion He has for each of us that call on His name. He loves each of us individually, and will find time to stop, listen and respond in accordance with His will for our lives.

Praise be to God that we serve such a loving, caring and compassionate Savior!

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

Thank You Father for hearing my cry. Thank You for loving me enough to stop what You are doing and listen to my need. Thank You for responding in ways that only You can, because You know that I may ask unwisely. Thank You for protecting me by answering according to Your holy will for my life, and not always “yes” to my selfish and silly requests, that could ultimately harm me. Thank You for caring enough to stop, listen to me and answer with what You know I need, in order to bring ultimate satisfaction to me and full benefit to Your kingdom. You are my God, and I adore You!

Please Don’t Complain About God

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” Ex 16:6-7 (NLT)

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

So often we whine about each other, about the weather, about our jobs, about our finances, about the food or meals available to us, or even our own family at times. In fact, you name it and we probably complain about it at one time or another. When we come down off these tangents, we should stop and think about how we have been blessed by God to have each of these things in the first place. As we think about the ways that God has blessed us with great friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, people who care about us and love us, about the wonderful weather that we enjoy – especially compared to many other areas of the country and/or world that we read about, and we may be fortunate enough to have a job whereas many do not, we may be fortunate enough to have money to buy the necessities of life whereas many do not. Friends, I believe that, like me, you can understand what I garnered from this passage, I am, and no doubt many of you reading this are, indeed people blessed by God in many ways. So when we whine, what are we really doing? Unfortunately, and shamefully so, we are whining and complaining about how God has really messed up. Has He really? I hope that we will quickly realize that we are to be a thankful people, thankful in all things that God showers on us, His children that He loves so much that He gave up everything for. Let’s stop the belly-aching and instead be in a mode of constant praise, worship and thanksgiving to our loving God, and our provider of all good things.

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

Father I am so ashamed for whining when really I have no reason to. Thank You for providing, thank You for blessing me in so many ways each and every day. I am truly blessed, and I am truly thankful for all that I have and all that You provide for me. Please help me to never whine or complain, and remind me when I do that it is against You.