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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-03-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 24:37-42 (TLB) |
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Text: |
37-38 “The world will be at ease – banquets and parties and weddings – just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the Flood; 39 people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen until the Flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be.
40 “Two men will be working together in the fields, and one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be going about their household tasks; one will be taken, the other left. 42 “So be prepared, for you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus took the opportunity to further explain how it will be when He returns to take His church/His children home to glory. Like many serious events in our lifetime here on earth, it won’t be on our timetable. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| At my church there is a group that I shepherd, and back in December we had our Christmas party all planned out, including a few things I wanted to share as part of a devotional. Well guess what, I surprisingly wound up spending that time period in the hospital and the party had to go on without me. In our verses today, there is another such story in the Bible where Noah was commissioned to find the righteous in his area. Finding none, he was ordered to build a boat in the middle of the land. This made as much sense to the people as someone today building an airplane in a high-rise downtown New York city! But Noah was an obedient servant who left the logistics of launching that huge ship up to the God who ordered him to build it. Friends, doctors today have been blessed with such talent, and they have so many technologies available to help them analyze their diagnosis of a patient, yet I believe that most of us head home from a doctor’s visit and research on the internet all side effects of any medications prescribed, or any new diagnosis shared by the doctor. I wonder how many go home from a church service and research more about what their pastor shared in his sermon! I wonder how many go to the main resource for life, the Bible, to see what God says about current world events, or personal issues they are dealing with! I wonder how many see enough of Jesus in Christians that they ask “what is your source of hope, because I need some of that!” I wonder what we will say to Jesus when questioned about a family member or friend that we never warned about the separation that will come when Jesus returns, should they not have heard about or accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior! I believe that doctors have gotten a whole lot better at telling their patients the truth about their evaluation of their remaining life. I hope that my fellow Christians and myself will do a better job of doing the same. The Bible tells us that can be at any time Jesus sees fit. Let’s not ‘sugar-coat’ that news as we glory with those who are ready, or challenge those who are not ready to go. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Come Lord Jesus, even today! Lord, I pray that we, Your children, will be honest in telling the BIG news today, even though for some that will be so challenging that they may reject us. All the same, please help us to be very honest and not tell them what we think they want to hear. Your Word is a light unto our path, and that same Word tells us that Your return is eminent, and could be at any given moment. Praise God for all who are reading this devotional and know that they are ready to see Jesus, now may we all be busy sharing with our family and friends the clear path to eternal life, God being our helper. Thank You Lord Jesus for being the Way, the Truth and the Light for all mankind, 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! | |
Category: True witnesses
May Others See Jesus in You
Friday, 2016-09-30
Scripture
Bible Reference: Philemon 1:6
Bible Text: 6 … I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that come from Christ Jesus.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
The apostle Paul wrote this letter while still in jail, because of his preaching the Word of God. The letter was to his Brother in the Lord, Philemon. Paul’s life had been enriched by Philemon, and he wanted Philemon to know that he was praying that the lives of others would also be enriched as he shares the Word with them. Friends, I believe that God got my attention on this because He wanted me to stop and think about how ridiculous we oftentimes are today. If we had a good relationship with the Governor of our state, or a senator, or the head of any country, don’t you know that it would not be hidden from anyone we come into contact with? You talk about name dropping – I bet we would do our share of that!! Can’t you imagine us casually saying in a conversation with one of our school pals, that we had dinner at the White House last weekend with our good pals, Michelle and Barack? Oh, and by the way, don’t forget that you have a free invitation to take a friend with you for dinner over the next weekend! Do you suppose you would have many takers? Of course you would, in fact I bet you would have a hard time deciding who to take, out of the hundreds of interested parties. Can you imagine the excitement they would hear in your voice as you share? Compare that to the way that most would mumble under their breath that they went to church last weekend, or they are now a child of the King of all kings. How do you suppose God must feel when He sees us avoiding the issue of sharing excitedly about Christ in our lives? Sadly, in most cases our reason is merely because we are afraid of being rejected, or perhaps put down for being one of those ‘religious fanatics’. Friends, Paul was praying that the lives of others would be touched, and jolted into the reality of Jesus Christ, when they encountered Philemon. Sure the ‘man’ might be standing in front of them, but oh that they might actually see and encounter Jesus. You know, this is my prayer every day – oh that they might see Jesus! May I encourage you to pray the same? Pray that our hearts will be so intertwined with the life and teachings of Jesus, that our words will sound like something He would say, and that our actions would make our friends think of Jesus, and may our words and actions speak to the heart of our friends, that they too might desire to know our Savior. If we were losing weight, they would want to know what kind of diet we were on. If we were looking younger than the last time they saw us, they would want information on the ‘magic potion’ we must be taking! If we are excited about Jesus, and only concerned about His goodness, His mercy and our total relationship with Him, then perhaps they would want to know more, or even be introduced to Jesus. Let’s all try to do a better job at opening up our lives so that Jesus might shine through, dear ones.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your servants, Paul and Philemon. Thank You for Your Word, for it is powerfully filled with challenges such as we have studied today. Our lives, even now in the 21st century should be just as reflective of You and Your saving grace, as it was in the life of Philemon. Please help us to be unashamed of the gospel, unashamed of our Savior, and very open to reflecting the love of God in every aspect of our lives. Lord, may the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart, always be acceptable to You, representative of You, and usable by You to touch the lives of those that we come into contact with each day. Its all about You Lord Jesus. Help us be be usable instruments through which You can proudly minister. 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!
Know God Intimately!
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! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………
Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Chronicles 28:9
Today’s Bible Text: …. my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
The Bible Translation: The New Living Translation (NLT)
My Take Away: If David was personally out of touch with God, or distant in relationship with Him, can you imagine the huge challenge he would have faced in pleading with his son Solomon to know God intimately and follow in His ways? I believe that most earthly fathers would seek after passing along the very best to their sons, and in most cases, they would probably want to see them in a better position spiritually and financially than they themselves were. However, have you ever tried recommending something to someone that you had not experienced yourself? It’s not as convincing, is it? You see, David was speaking from a heart filled with experiences with God. From the small sling that he used in battle against Goliath, the giant, to the largest army that he went to battle with, David knew the one common denominator who played a very key role in His victories. He was therefore able to speak with his son from tried and proven encounters. David also knew from first-hand experience that if his son would earnestly seek the face of God, he would find Him. However, I also believe that one of the hardest things to do in life, would be to tell your son that if he forsakes the Father, He will forsake/reject/leave him for ever. But we know from the Psalms that David often pleaded with God to please don’t turn His face away from him, or reject him, or ignore him. You see, even though you may know that God is there, if you know that you have forsaken Him and not maintained a relationship with Him, you tend to feel like you are pleading with someone else’s God. I heard something said about healthy eating recently: if you don’t eat healthy for your own sake, do it for the sake of your children and grandchildren. I feel like this emphasizes the awesome responsibility that Christians have today: let’s be in a position to speak with our children, or to those we would witness to, from a heart of personal experience, not from the words penned by another believer. We not only have an accountability to God, but to all those that we have a responsibility to witness to. Never have it said about you that you say one thing, but do another. Live the life that you would like for your child(ren) to live. Be the Christian that you invite a friend to consider. Allow God the freedom to work through you every day, because you have a clean and contrite heart, and you desire to invite others to have the same.
Prayer: Lord God, You created us, and You are the Master over everything that we are. Please help us to constantly seek Your face and allow Your accountability, so that we may honestly present You to our family and friends in the light of personal experiences, and not just a God from our Bible who did a great work in the lives of our ancestors. I have accepted You as my PERSONAL Savior. To me, that means that there is no other savior, and also it means that if You are Savior to millions others, yet You are very personal and intimate in Your relationship with me. Thank You Father for loving Your children in such personal and meaningful ways. Now may You rule and reign in us today so that we may be recognized as Your children, willing to share Your love with all those we come into contact with. I love You Lord! Thank You for Your love for me! In the precious 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 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
Nuggets From God's Word 