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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-11-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Proverbs 4:23-27 (Voice) |
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Text: |
23 Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life. 24 Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth; have nothing to do with any verbal trickery. 25 Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead, and your focus fixed on what is in front of you. 26 Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth, and you will safely reach the end of your road. 27 Do not veer off course to the right or the left; step away from evil, and leave it behind. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Solomon devotes this whole chapter giving advice to dads on how to best raise their children – sons in particular. I believe as you really let these words sink in, you will find some biblical advice that first speaks to your heart, but then to many other aspects of your life. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I included more scripture than usual today, because I want you to read this passage over and over until it really impacts your life. Although this might be great for a son looking to his dad for advice and as an example, I believe this is also very applicable to all who call themselves ‘children of God’. Fellow Christians, like me, you may not have a son, but you definitely have a relative or friend who is reading the Bible through your words and actions. Know that the condition of your heart results in the words you say, your reaction to life’s circumstances, and the way that you act in life. Family, friends and coworkers are sometimes depending on you to understand the good and noble things of life, and which ones they should turn away from. Although they may not be a Christian, they are probably watching your reaction to life’s circumstances, as they have witnessed you being guided by your Savior in the past. Let me encourage you to read this Scripture thoroughly and use it as a base for your life – your heart; the truth from your lips; your eyes fixed on the eternal goal ahead (heaven); your feet to lead you in the way of truth and most of all, that you leave evil behind as you look towards the glories of heaven with your Master! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You know how seriously we, Your children, need You involved in our lives each and every day, so that we might have the power to guard our hearts, guide our sight to protect against the things that might cause us to falter in our desire to be more like You, and to help us keep our feet on the straight path set out before us. Lord we want to be just like You in every way, every day. Please grant us the wisdom and strong desire to do this, so that You might be glorified. AMEN! |
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| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Category: Heart
Means + Motive = True Generosity
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-05-26 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Mark 12:41-44 (ERV) |
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Text: |
41 Jesus sat near the Temple collection box and watched as people put money into it. Many rich people put in a lot of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny.
43 Jesus called his followers to him and said, “This poor widow put in only two small coins. But the truth is, she gave more than all those rich people. 44 They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. It was money she needed to live on.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Although Jesus had the advantage of knowing the heart and the intent of each person that gave that day, yet He saw a very obvious lesson in all this for His disciples, and consequently for you and I. Jesus was not dependent on the money that was given, for He proved over and over that He could do a lot with very little, or with nothing at all. He was more concerned about the heart of the giver. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that one of the excuses most often used by those who don’t attend church, is that all the church or pastor is looking for is your money. It is very obvious that people find it very challenging, at best, to give charitably from their hard earned money, so let’s look closer at this in our study today. When you stop to consider the unemployed neighbor, or the hospitalized friend who has been out of work for six months, why do you suppose God saw, in His great mercy, to allow you the good health, and the job opportunity to earn a living for your family? So how much of that income can you give Him thanks for? So why again do you feel 100% of it belongs to you, with your choice about where to spend it? And why again do you feel like it is so unfair of God to even suggest that you give 10% of that income to His work? Friends, God has a plan for your life, and for His church. I am convinced that His work will be accomplished with, or without you or I, however I am also convinced that God would rather see nothing more than His children participate in His work and celebrate the blessings as He pours them on us. Don’t let Satan mess with your mind and try to convince you that $100 of that $1,000 bonus you just got is too much to put into the hands of your local church. Don’t believe Satan’s lies that the church is just greedy for your money, more than anything else. When you start looking at that, you have lost sight of the reason you are giving. If you withhold from, or lose the joy of giving, because of all the lies Satan will try to convince you of, will you also look to Satan in your time of need? May I suggest that you consider giving God ALL of you, then you will appreciate the 90% of your income that He allows you to manage your earthly affairs with. It’s all about your relationship with God, friend, and what God will do for you, and absolutely nothing at all about what you feel He wants to rob you of. God’s in the business of blessing His children, not robbing them. Give Him yourself, and watch His blessings flow into each area of your life, even in your finances. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You gave it all for us, even to Your very own life. Please open our eyes and remind us once again that it takes all of us to get all of You in return. Most of us really don’t like to do things half heartedly, so with Your help may we recommit ourselves to You in totality, especially in the one area of our life that seems to bug us most, our finances. Lord, we desire more of You in our lives and in our family and in our church. Please begin with us, even now. 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! | |
Guard Your Heart
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-04-01 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Proverbs 4:20-23 (Voice) |
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Text: |
20 My son, pay attention to all the words I am telling you. Lean in closer so you may hear all I say. 21 Keep them before you; meditate on them; set them safely in your heart. 22 For those who discover them, they are life. They bring wholeness and healing to their bodies. 23 Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Solomon was able to share these Godly words to us, but also speak from the experience of his father about the results of letting our minds and imagination run wild, and how it impacts the heart and controls your actions. This matter was close to home for him, experientially, plus you might remember that Solomon was the benefiter of very Godly wisdom. So even though most people feel like they have life under control, Solomon’s advice is still rock solid even today. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks! That’s one of many sayings that come to mind as we meditate on this Scripture today. I realize that the first barrier each of us will face with this advice, is that we think we are all ‘good’ people and our intentions are always good, very clear, and abundantly obvious to the person we are dealing with, correct? If you answered ‘yes’ to that question, then I would suggest that after you get up from kneeling before your Maker in sincere repentance, that you re-read the Scripture and possibly this blog! Friends, in case you haven’t noticed: if you hang around drunks, they will soon have you drinking; if you hand around company that curse at every opportunity, you will soon be sneaking in a few curse words in almost every sentence; if you hang around children of God and hear about their many blessings that they attribute to Jesus’ love and mercy, then you will soon be wanting to know about the same and apply it to your life. When you see the scales tipping towards righteous thoughts, words and deeds, then I believe that it will confirm that you are on the right track. If not, I believe that God is opening your mind and heart to realize that something is lacking – perhaps inadequate time in His Word, or perhaps way too much time hanging around folk that answer to a different leader than you do. Yes, I am saying that you will deal with a spiritual battle, if the Holy Spirit lives within you and is leading you in the right path. Friends, if your heart is filled with the love, actions and thoughts of our Lord, then you will act like Him and talk as He would. Conversely, if your heart is polluted with the devil and his evil attitudes and deeds, then you find yourself frustrated, because you have asked Jesus to come and live within you, yet you are heating up the internal battle by pouring in the ways of the world and it’s ungodly leader – Satan. There’s a little chorus I sang in children’s Sunday School “O be careful little eyes what you see”. If you know that chorus, you will remember that it also includes what you hear, what you do and where you walk. In other words, learn, speak, act and look at things that are Godly so that you may guard your heart – the internal barometer of your whole being! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for not only living among us and showing us how to live in a way that is pleasing to Your Father, but also for leaving with us the Comforter – the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into righteous living, and help us guard our hearts that belong to You. Lord, may we be found righteous and sold out to You in every aspect of life. May it be evident to everyone that we come into contact with, and may You be glorified because of everything that You accomplish in us, and through us. 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! | |
Our Heart’s Content Exudes from our Mouth
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-02-06 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 12:34-35 (NLT) |
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Text: |
34 … How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In the context of these verses, some folk were referred to as a ‘brood of snakes’ or ‘vipers’ because there was so much evil in them. And because there was evil in them, they often spoke evil words, especially about the things of God. Knowing that folk would often reflect on this and wonder how would God know about what they speak, Jesus assured His hearers, and those of us that would follow, that we had best be careful what our hearts are filled with, as it will infest the words that we speak and therefore make us accountable before God for every evil word spoken. That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? So what then shall we do? | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| It is often said that our eyes are the mirrors into our souls, because folk can determine the honesty of what we say and the sincerity from which we say it. Now, Jesus said that there’s another way that He determines the content of our heart, and it also becomes very apparent to those we make contact with. We could never find something uplifting, or encouraging, or Godly to say when our minds are filled with the filth of this world and the evil of its ruler. It just doesn’t work that way. The evil one is out to kill, steal and destroy those who find joy in the Lord. When we make contact with someone who has nothing encouraging, loving, uplifting or Godly to say, then we had best protect ourselves with the full armor of God, because we are facing the evil one, or one of his cohorts. The Bible tells us that we are to flee from the presence of evil, and that’s because God wants to protect His children from the contamination of Satan himself. Why is that? It’s really pretty simple, for if you fill yourself with the evil attitude and character of an agent of Satan, your mouth will begin transmitting words that hurt, destroy, breakdown, discourage and humiliate – and the love of God will no longer prevail through the words you speak or the actions that you portray. Friends, these things have a very serious impact on the good that God is endeavoring to accomplish in and through us, and that’s why I believe He told us to therefore be prepared to account for every evil thing that comes from our mouth. I want to build up, and never tear down, so I must protect myself from all that might hinder me in my goal, or that would aid the very thing that I want to steer away from. Will you join me in asking God to renew within us a fresh desire to be filled with His love, His goodness and His words, so that the unsaved might hear, know and believe? Oh that we might return to our mission and fight off every inkling of evil. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, our hearts and our minds are filled with whatever we bring into them. May we who are called by Your name, be so indulged in Your Word that we will have a strong desire to fill our hearts and minds with even more words from our Master each and every day. Lord teach us to meditate on Your Word and to communicate with You often, so that we might be filled with Your goodness and be obedient to Your commands. We want others to know You personally, and we have a strong desire that You use us in Your work here on earth. As we are filled, so may we share with those looking to fill their cup. May the lost come into contact with believers who are filled with the Spirit of God and not a mixed bag of goods that confuse them. Lord, may we be usable vessels for Your great work here on earth, is my humble plea, all for Your glory and praise, 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! | |
How’s Your Heart?
Friday, 2016-11-11
Scripture
Bible Reference: Psalm 51:16-17
Bible Text: 16 I would surrender my dearest possessions or destroy all that I prize to prove my regret, but You don’t take pleasure in sacrifices or burnt offerings. 17 What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit because a broken spirit, O God, a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest.
Bible Translation: The Voice (Voice)
My Take
From a very early age, we demand our kids to say “I’m sorry” when they have wronged a sibling or someone else. Also from a very early age we easily detect that those words are sometimes forced out of kids, because they know that parents are not satisfied until they hear their kids, in obedience, say “I’m sorry”. So what do we think happens when we meet God personally? “Lord, I’m sorry for my sin”, might come quite naturally when introduced to Jesus, but how sorry are we, really, when we turn around and do the same thing over and over again. David, the Psalmist, was confronted about his awful sin with Bathsheba, and while he could very easily spurt those famous words out to Nathan the prophet, David had to face his all-knowing God with this sin. Now we should be reminded that God didn’t only know the fact that Nathan just presented to David, but God knows even our thoughts and the intent of our heart. So do you really think that it would have helped for David to sacrifice a sheep or a goat on the altar as his way of saying I’m sorry? For the world, that may have been enough, because from all apparent evidence, David would have acknowledged his sin and paid the price for his forgiveness. But just like you and I, David not only needed this to look good in the eyes of his friends and the local priests, but in true repentance, he wanted a clean heart in the presence of his God. So friends, we not only need to ask for forgiveness from our earthly friends, family and the impacted one(s) for our sin, but in order to right our heart and resume our oneness with God, and to one day present ourselves faultless before our King, we must get before God in humility and deepest sincerity and ask for His forgiveness. Like David, we must always be aware that God desires:
- A broken spirit – this means that we must be willing to break down our pride of thinking we know everything, and thinking that what occurred was a private matter between two consenting adults. We must acknowledge that we recognize that our hearts and our lives are transparent before an all-knowing God, so we may as well ‘come clean’ and ask His forgiveness for everything we have done or said or thought that may be contrary to His perfect design and will. There is nothing we can hide from God, so may I encourage you to break down the walls of pride and secrecy and be totally open with God;
- A humble heart that honestly regrets the past (our sin) – Our acts may have been fun at the time, or our words may have revenged the individual we were out to get back at, but I believe that when the God of this universe looks into our eyes and our hearts, and He sees unconfessed sin, then we will be pushed aside or rejected from His presence, as sin cannot enter His kingdom.
I was at a conference yesterday where we were reminded that when we stand before God, we will deal with our personal condition in the face of a righteous, all-knowing God. The normal tendency of our actions here on earth of trying to compare to another individual, or pointing out their sin, while pushing ours under the table, is not the way God will handle our judgment on that day that we stand before Him, for that will be a one-on-one conversation. It won’t matter what the neighbor did, or the deacon said, it will only matter how in sync our heart is with a righteous and perfect God. If that was to happen today, and it could very easily happen, what would God challenge you with? Consider getting that straight today friend, for we have no assurance of a second chance to do so tomorrow.
Prayer
Father God, You created us, included our heart, our soul, our mind and our intellect. Why would we ever think that we could hide anything from You is most astonishing to our sober minds when we are not trying to escape Your wrath. Please speak to those who seek after you today. Lord Jesus, may the words from our lips and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock, our Redeemer, our Savior and our Lord. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
God’s Purpose Fulfilled at Our Amazement
Friday, 2016-06-24
Scripture
Bible Reference: Jonah 1:14–16
Bible Text: 14 Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah’s God. “O LORD,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O LORD, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” 15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the LORD’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)
My Take
In much of what we hear about the story of Jonah, I believe that the part that really stands out revolves around how God got Jonah’s attention when he tried to run away from Him. However, let me share with you a little ‘nugget’ that I found in our referenced scripture this morning. I found where God was able to use this distraction to also speak to the hearts of a few sailors who may have otherwise continued in their blindness towards the living God. I’ve been on a ship before when it hit very rough waters, and I could see the panic in the eyes of the sailors when they realize that their ability to turn the situation around is virtually impossible, and way beyond their capability at that time. Therefore, I could only imagine how the sailors from the boat on which Jonah was riding, must have been in a very similar challenge – they must have panicked at the extreme waves and bad weather they were forced to deal with, while also being concerned about the safety of their passengers and themselves. I was impressed how the sailors tried everything possible before finally deciding to throw Jonah overboard. They asked the passengers, and Jonah, to pray to their gods for wisdom and safety. Then after hearing about Jonah’s God, the sailors chose to speak directly with God about the situation including, asking for their forgiveness should they have to pitch Jonah overboard. I found it interesting that they were fine with dealing with many gods in looking for a resolution, yet they settled for speaking directly to the God of Jonah. However, the most important find in this is in verse 16. The sailors were so amazed by the power of God Almighty, that they vowed to serve Him! Friends, I believe that this rough bunch of guys surrendered their lives to the awesome God that Jonah knew and worshiped! May I also remind you that this is the same God that I share with you every day through these devotionals? My prayer is that each of you will recognize God through these devotionals and, like the sailors, commit yourselves to my Savior and seek to serve Him the rest of your days. I implore you to consider this proposition friend. I stand as living proof that Jesus loves even me, and He especially loves you and wants your heart – fully surrendered to Him.
Prayer
Father, You are awesome in every way! Stubborn though we are, yet You have ways of getting our attention so that we might recognize Your greatness, and our need for a Savior. Father, thank You for using even us to reach the lost so that You may draw them to Yourself. Thank You for the story of Jonah and for opening our eyes to the similarities of how we also run from Your assignments and therefore miss opportunities to reach the world for You. Lord, may this be a day that we can be used as mere instruments in Your powerful hand to reach those that need visible evidence of Your grace and mercy. Merciful Savior, may You be lifted up in all things that we partake in today, is my humble plea and request. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org 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!
Hearts Filled With The Word of God will Speak and Act Like Jesus
May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Make every effort to fill yourself with the Word of God, so that your words and actions will exemplify Jesus to a lost world. They don’t need another pretender. May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………
Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 7:39-40
Today’s Bible Text: 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation
My Take Away: At one time in the past I heard someone say that they were talking to themselves, because they needed someone intelligent to talk to!! I am one to ponder on things before I speak, so I may wind up similar to the Pharisee in this story, where I would rehearse things over in my head before speaking. However, I believe there were different reasons here, for Jesus found the need to address the situation with this individual. I’m sure that there are many of you, just like me, that often thank God for not having said all that ran through our heads while fellowshipping with some folk! However, I believe many of us live in regret for not having said some of the things that we thought during our interaction with others, because we may have been too timid. I want us to look at the scenario of where our sin and evil thoughts come from and how that impacts our interaction with others. I believe that way too often God may wish that we would be more like the drunk who is said to use his impaired mind to speak his heart! So how do we get in the gutter like this? Well, the Bible tells us repeatedly that we are to saturate our minds with the things of Christ. Will this come natural? It will, if we learn that our minds will be filed with what we fill our eyes and our ears with. If we feast on God’s Word, then our minds will be filled with God’s love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His goodness and His sacrificial attitude displayed one for another. Seldom will you find anything like this on the television, in the bars or at some of the parties you may be invited to. Friends, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and I believe that it only speaks what has already been filtered by you for others to hear, as there is tons of ‘junk’ that you are still pondering on and not yet verbalized. Let’s understand from this scripture today that God knows all things, even the thoughts you have not verbalized yet, and He will address the reason for such evil thoughts, just as He challenged the Pharisee. Let’s seek His help today that our minds might be pure and innocent, filled with His teachings and commands and exampled after His goodness, God being our helper.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good, and You have set an example for us in Your Word that we could achieve, with Your help. We want to truly represent You here on earth, so we realize that we have a lot to clean up in our minds. Although unspoken, way too often our thoughts are obvious to our audience through our actions and tone of voice. We need Your help in not only being wise in our spoken words, but to also fill ourselves with the Word of God, so that we might exude the Mind of God in everything we say and do. Thank You for speaking to us through Your precious Word today. As we are filled, may we also reflect this in every way today with all that we come into contact with. Please touch Your children today, especially me, as we stand in need of prayer – personally. I ask these things believing, AMEN!
Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 http://www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org 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!
2016
Needed–A Pure Heart and A Right Spirit
May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! Read on and be blessed friend!………
The Bible Text: 10-13 Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you.
17 The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.
The Bible Reference: Psalm 51:10-13, 17
The Bible Translation: New Century Version (NCV)
My Take Away: Sin is something we do, or say, or think, that is contrary to the command and will of God. David had just committed sin through an unlawful act with Bathsheba, that resulted in the birth of a child, and the child being taken by God as punishment to David and Bathsheba. Now, after just what I’ve written so far, most of us would dismiss any conviction of sin in our lives, because most of us would probably say “thank God, I’ve never done anything quite that bad”. Before you get too pious friend, let’s be reminded again about what sin is. You see, we are quick to compare our acts, thoughts or deeds to the guy next to us, or the lady across the street, or even David, as described in God’s Word. But I must humbly remind you that sin is something against God, so when you go before a righteous and holy God, there is no need to compare yourself to anyone else, and no need to tell God about the provocation by the other person that may have caused you to sin. He only wants to hear how your heart got out of sync with Him, His design and His commands. Getting our hearts right again with God will return a ‘right spirit’ within us and cause us to desire reaching out to teach others the ways of God, so that they may surrender their hearts to God. Verse 17 reiterates that God will not reject a heart that is broken. One that is sad about the sin that has occurred in our lives. There’s a song that is written based on these verses, click here to listen to it as you continue to meditate on this devotional today! I pray that today you will get together with God and ask that He renew a right spirit within you, and that you will be willing to ask Him to cleanse you of any sin that might prevent that ‘right spirit’ within you.
Prayer: Dear God, no matter how hard we try, we will not succeed in sharing Your love and Your forgiveness with others, especially when there is enmity and sin in our hearts. This is not what we want oh God, for we want sin removed and we want the temptation of sin to be taken away from us. Please create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Please return to me the joy of my salvation, and may that joy overflow in me so that others might see and believe in You. Its all about You God, but please cleanse my heart so that You can easily and freely use me as Your instrument to reach those around me. I pray the same for me readers today Lord, for the world needs more of You to be seen in more of us. I ask these things of my awesome God, through the name of Your awesome Son, Jesus, AMEN!
Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org 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!
2016
From The Heart The Mouth Speaks
THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 15:17-20): 17 Don’t you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? 18 But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. 19 Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. 20 These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.
THOUGHTS: Reading the earlier part of this chapter we may tend to condemn the Pharisees for complaining to Jesus about others who chose to eat things they would not dare eat. However, Jesus soon came back at them with the issues they themselves were struggling with. Isn’t that much like us today, where we easily see the fault in others but struggle to acknowledge that we have issues of our own, and/or concede to actually deal with our issues? Jesus really got to the heart, for He reminded the Pharisees, as He does to us, that regardless of the ancillary things that we might do, it’s the intent of the heart and the content of the heart that really matters. Think about it, we might say that we are going to a worship service, and we might even jump in our car and go to the place of corporate worship and go inside the sanctuary, but if the heart is wicked, if it’s filled with evil thoughts, if it’s burning with jealousy or enmity towards our family or friends or coworkers or the preacher or another church member, what type of worship might we possibly offer to God? It just won’t happen friends. Satan might try every trick in the book to trip us up during the week, but if he succeeds in distracting our relationship with God, or breaking down our Godly character before those we love, or cause us to say just about anything that could blurt from our mouths without any respect or love for the individual we are communicating with, then obviously our hearts are more occupied with the things of Satan than of the things of God. Friends, if our hearts belong to God, then we must do everything within our will to keep it filled with the things of God. When we don’t, we leave room for it to become filled with the things of this world (Satan’s playground). I believe a good end of day exercise for all of us would be to seek God’s face and His wisdom to help us reflect on our day and honestly evaluate if our actions and/or our words emanated from a heart filled with God, or of Satan. The Bible teaches us what things God approves of, so this will be an easier task than it may appear to be. Let’s be sure that our hearts are filled with God each day so that our words and our actions will reflect Jesus in every way. To the one reading this who may not have accepted Jesus as Lord, please allow me to lovingly and respectfully tell you that Jesus cannot exist where sin resides, so don’t expect Him to fill your heart until you have invited Him to be Lord of Your heart. Notes in my ‘Footnote’ will help you in making the most important decision of your life. Please allow me to help you find Jesus, the only One who can help you turn your life around and surrender full control to Him.
PRAYER: People all around us need You, oh Lord. But they are extremely challenged to seek You when they don’t see the impact You are making in the lives of Your children. Please help us to be more committed, dedicated and willing to give full control of our heart, mind and soul to You, so that we may become usable vessels that You can work through to reach the lost. They don’t need another fake, they need to see honest and true images of Jesus Christ in everything that we say and/or do. You’re the only One that can help us achieve that oh Lord. Please help us to be willing servants that can be impacted and used by You. I ask these things in the precious and all-powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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’s Most Important To Us?
THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Matthew 9:2-8): 2-3
They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!” 4–8 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both.…” At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, “Get up. Take your bed and go home.” And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.
THOUGHTS: As with anything we try to make a decision on, we should be guided by the Word of God and see how important things were to God. I believe that we are a very compassionate people in general. However, let’s consider the needs that come before us. The needier someone, or something sounds, the more it/they receive our attention, our money and our apathy. What then do you think about the way Jesus reacted to the paraplegic here in this story? Firstly, I found it interesting how several Bible translations clearly say that Jesus, seeing the faith of those who took the man before Him….. Isn’t it odd that Jesus appealed to the outward expression of the group that took the man, yet He acted upon the need of the man they took? However, also note that Jesus observed a man being brought in on a stretcher, unable to walk, yet the first action from Jesus was to forgive the man of His sin. Friends, as I said in my opening comments, we are so easily swayed by the physical needs of people, and we very well should do that, however I believe that we need to gain more of the heart of Jesus, and be way more concerned about the ‘heart’ of the people brought before us with needs. What good will result if we help satisfy the physical needs of folk, yet before and after our help they are still headed straight to Hell? I believe that, like Jesus, we need to first become ‘heart’ specialists! We need to gain a priority for making sure that the heart of those that we come into contact with, is right with God. Have they met Jesus? Have they accepted Him as Lord? Do they practice their faith by openly serving Him in all aspects of their life? I believe that our biggest fear is that this might appear like we would then become judge and jury. Friends, I believe that most of us would not hesitate for a moment to run across the street and protect a blind person from an oncoming speeding auto – from sure death. Why then would we hesitate from saving a person blinded by the distractions (sins) of this world, knowing that they are headed to certain death without knowing the Savior of this world, Jesus Christ? I would dare say that if Jesus saw salvation as the most important thing in the paraplegic’s life, we too should follow suit and make this a priority in look at the needs of those who come before us.
PRAYER: It’s amazing how skewed our priorities have become Lord Jesus, yes even when it comes to the ultimate destination of our dearest friends and family. Please help us to be more like You in concentrating on the ‘heart’ first and the ultimate results a person will be left with after living life here on this earth with us. In our hearts we know that only what’s done for Jesus will last, and only what we’ve done with Jesus will matter when we stand before You in eternity. Please help us to be diligent in showing that we care about these qualities by the way we choose our priorities each day. We want to do this under Your direction and authority Lord Jesus, so please touch Your children today, beginning with me, and especially through those that will meditate on this devotional today. Please help us to show that we care more about the ‘heart’ than any other aspect of life here on this earth. I ask this in the strong and precious name of our first and most valuable ‘heart’ specialist, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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 