Scripture: 1 Samuel 17-18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 17:41-47 (NLT)

41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy.

43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.

44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.

45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

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

This is such a familiar passage of scripture, but yet it is filled with encouragement for the believe, so it is always beneficial to be reminded of the story. For over 40 days this Philistine giant appeared before and intimidated the Israelite army, parading his physical strengths and abilities. Without thinking about the power of the God that they knew, and supposedly served, they trembled in their boots and retreated. Suddenly David comes on the scene, and seeing only the strength of God in and through His people, David just couldn’t understand what the problem was. Wow, this is a reminder to us friend, that those ‘giants’ that we meet every day in our workplace, in our health, in our church, in our family, in the lives of our closest earthly friends, these are nothing for our God. Furthermore, as we stand bold in our faith, strong in the strength of the God of this universe, others who stand and watch will want to know our Savior. So victory will come in two ways: 1). Those mountains/challenges/impossible tasks in our eyes will suddenly become dim as we will only see God and His victorious hand at work, and 2). Others who stand by and question if there is a God, will suddenly know for sure that the God we serve is the God they want to know and also serve. God is waiting and available for us to do just like David did – turn the battle over to Him. I guarantee you that God will not see our challenges as ‘mountains’ He can’t cross, for our God is greater than any mountain we face today. This means that when we place God before our mountain in life, we will only see the wonderful face our Jesus, and no longer be bothered by the mountains that may tend to overwhelm us, or frighten us or even seem to block our view from the glorious sights of heaven. Got any mountains you think are uncrossable today? God specializes in things we think are uncrossable or impossible. He can handle it brother! He can overcome any obstacle that may stand in our way today! Why not let go and let God? Do you know Him? This is the first step in communicating with Him. Why not make that choice today friend? Respond to this post today and allow me to pray with you or introduce you to my friend, the Savior of this world!

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

I don’t know about anyone else that may read this devotional today, but being reminded of this today is perfect timing for me. Not that I have large ‘mountains’ that are overwhelming me, but just life itself can be overwhelming, with all the decisions, problems and challenges that we often bring on ourselves. Father, I believe today that You are in charge of all this and that You have the power to overcome these ‘mountains’ in my life. Please take control today. Please be my guide, my deliverer, my overcomer, my decision maker, my comforter and reassure me of Your presence always. I adore You Father and welcome You to handle my ‘mountains’ for me. Thank You for being such an awesome God!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Samuel 15-16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NLT)

6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

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

I believe that we are very much like Samuel, in that we tend to judge people by their appearance. If they are well dressed and polished in their appearance, we tend to favor them more as they may be rich, or come from an honorable family who taught some good values in the home. If they are muscular and present themselves as a strong team player, then we want them on our team. Similarly, Samuel looked at the first of Jesse’s sons, Eliab and was immediately impressed and thought that this must surely be the one that God has chosen to be the future king. God’s words of correction back to Samuel are just eye opening and mind provoking, as we sometimes hear those words even today when we receive advice. However, I am humbled by this reminder this morning, because I realize that it’s not my opinion that matters when judging a man. I need to sincerely seek God’s face and ask for His direction and His leadership, because He knows man’s heart and only He knows man’s real abilities. We are told so often today how we need to promote self and sell ourselves in order to get ahead. Imagine if we had a Christian boss who would lean on God’s understanding and knowledge and lean on His direction towards the qualities that lie within his employees or prospective employees. Imagine the thriving business that man would have! Also, stop and think with me about the thriving church we would have if our leadership would depend more on God to choose the man anointed by God for their pastor, and the best men and ladies that God would have serve under that pastor. I believe that if we did more of this, we would find more thriving churches that are effective in winning the lost to Christ, and a church that would truly minister to the needs of the saints, not just merely competing with the world in providing entertainment for them. Samuel knew the importance in being obedient to God, and it is with that spirit that we must lead. Saul showed evidence of how he allowed selfish desires and self promotion and self recognition to control his actions, but in turn we see where that brought Saul. We too will become like Saul if we follow his footsteps and his character – he was a great warrior and leader by the world’s standards, but he failed in obedience to God. In 15:22 Samuel shared with Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice. In today’s church that means that obedience means more than serving on a committee, regular church attendance or any work we may do around the church.

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

Lord, please help me to be more than a listener to Your Word. Please help me to strongly and faithfully look to You for direction and leadership, for You know the hearts of men and therefore You know of what service they will be to You, Your church and Your people. I acknowledge that I often look at the outward appearance and/or how good they can make themselves look. I have learned from this lesson this morning that this is not enough. Please help me to always seek Your face and gain Your approval and leadership in the choices that I make or recommend for earthly approval. Lead me Lord!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 3.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 3:36 (NLT)

36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

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

This chapter of John is perhaps the greatest chapter in the whole Bible, and as I read it I meditated on the popular verse 16 thinking that surely this is the best news that can ever come to mankind, that an almighty God could possibly love mankind enough that He would sacrifice His one and only Son to die on a cruel cross so that I, and you, may have eternal life with the Father. However, as I completed the chapter I realized that I must share what John reminded us about in the last verse, that on this 25^th day of July 2011, we must soberly realize that for those who have accepted the free gift of eternal life, as offered in verse 16 that I explained above, then we are assured of eternal life with the Father. That means that today, I am assured of this. That means that for those who have not accepted this free gift and today makes that important decision to ask God’s forgiveness of your sin, and you invite Him to be your Lord and Savior, King of your life, then you too can have that assurance today. For those of you reading this devotional, and you have chosen to live life on your own without accepting and knowing my Savior, and really have no desire to accept Him today while you still have that option, John also reminds you of your fate: you will never experience eternal life in a place called heaven, in communion with the God of this universe, and that you will remain under the angry judgment of God. On this earth we face many challenges every day; I find it very comforting knowing that I have someone in my corner of the ring with me. That in spite of the opposition and angry, unhappy people that I come in contact with, it is comforting to know that there is One who will stay with me through thick and thin, good times and bad, yes even times when I feel like throwing in the towel because of the opposition and worldly hate. Praise God that I have a Savior who loves me and reminds me that He will be with me always, even to the end of time. I would consider it a privilege to chat with anyone who may be interested in knowing my Friend. Just respond to this devotional and share with me your interest to sure up your future, and not continue to face each challenging day on this earth alone. I will gladly respond to you and pray with you and for you. This is the most important decision you could make today friend!

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

Father, I have loved ones that, to my knowledge, have not accepted You as Lord of their life. I believe that there are ones who will read this today who also do not have that assurance of eternity with You. May this be an awesome day of decision Father. Please tender the hearts of those that You know should, and will respond. These folk are important to me, and I’m sure even more important to You. Please love on them and open their spiritual eyes today.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Samuel 10.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 10:26-27 (NLT)

26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

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

It is nothing short of miraculous what God can do in a person’s life when they surrender their all to Him. Saul had been a trouble maker and was known among his people as one not to be trusted. God spoke through Samuel and spoke to Saul, causing a heart changing event in his life. As people witnessed this change, there were various reactions. In these verses we note that some were so touched by God through Saul that they went with him as co-laborers in the mission field. However, there were some who knew about Saul’s past and couldn’t see beyond that, so they refused to listen to or follow Saul. This reminds me of our world today. I know that God can use even me to speak through, and minister to, His people today. However, there are some who will be discerning of the power of God and His righteousness, realizing that I am only a messenger being used of God, while others will look down their pious noses and look at the human side of me and the limitations that might be contained in and through man, and because of that they will refuse to listen and even obey what I may have to say. A good lesson is taught in this scripture by Saul. We have the option of letting the ungodly have their way and distract us from our mission (work for the Lord), or we have a Godly obligation to carry on the work of the Lord even in these circumstances so that everyone will bear witness to the work of the Lord and be equally blessed by it. Let’s remember that what we do should be done for the glory of God and not for our popularity or promoting ourselves, and especially not to please others. People didn’t like Jesus when He ministered here on earth, so can we expect anything different? If we give in to the evil and negativity of those that complain (scoundrels – as labeled in verse 27), we are attributing more power to the work of Satan than to the mighty hand of God. I can’t think of anywhere in scripture where God said that everything we do will be easily and quickly accepted by the world. Instead, there are lots of times that God warns us that as we stand for Him and for what is right in His sight, we will receive opposition. So let’s learn from Saul about how we should proceed under such circumstances. He didn’t run like a dog with his tail tucked in behind him, instead he ignored the opposition and went on about the work of God. We must love those that persecute us and speak evil about us, but we must always remember that it is God that we serve and Him alone that we look to for His approval and encouragement to go on. I am reminded of that song ‘On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand’. Christ will lift us up and keep us safe on solid ground, others could very easily lead us into sinking sand!

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

On Christ alone I take my stand, for I am reminded that any other ground could very easily lead to disaster or discouragement or failure. I must not let the vile of this world get to me, as I know in whom I trust and who I depend on daily for my strength, guidance and power. Please continue to grant me grace to carry on about Your work oh Lord. Let me be so focused on Your will and Your way that the side effects of this wicked world, or even those who claim to be Your followers, will have no effect on my commitment to follow You, and serve You all the days of my life. You are my Rock and my Sustainer. It’s You I depend on daily to see me through. Thank You Jesus for such an awesome privilege to know You as Lord and King and to be led by You in all walks of life.

 

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

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 1:47-49 (NLT)

47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”

48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”

49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”

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

Although we worship God and honor Him, it is awesome to know that He knows all about us! I know that some may take this as an insult because they don’t appreciate a holy God knowing all the intimate, and sometimes sinful stuff about them, but the truth is that God knows all about us. Nathanael was astonished to know that Jesus could tell him where he was located when Philip found him, and this opened the eyes of Nathanael to the fact that he was truly in the presence of the Almighty God. He knows my name, He knows my every care and concern and hurt and desire to do my very best for Him. In fact, He knows my heart and can discern whether I act, or react in ways that are sincere and from a heart filled with love (Jesus). As we enter this day and the many circumstances that will come our way, let’s be aware that Jesus is our guide – so let’s respond to circumstances from a heart of love and represent Him well. Let’s stay on top of the world today knowing that we are children of the King and that He watches over us, protects us, wants the very best for His kids and will love the unlovable through us. What a comfort today to know that my Savior is in charge and He knows me by name!

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

Thank You Jesus for knowing me, yet loving me anyway, yet forgiving me anyway, yet directing me anyway, yet providing a home in glory for me anyway. Thank You for this reminder this morning that just like You showed Nathanael how You knew his exact whereabouts, You also know every little detail about me. I could only imagine that You see many broken and/or weak parts that need a lot of work from Your mighty hand, but thank God that I have my hand resting in Yours willing and ready for You to lift me up, give me hope and give me a reason to celebrate Your awesome love this day and every day. Thank You Father for caring about even me. Thank You for knowing me so intimately, and still You gave Your life so that I may have life eternal with You! Truly there is none like you!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Samuel 4-5.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 4:17-20 (NLT)

17 “Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,” the messenger replied. “The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.”

18 When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years.

19 Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth.

20 She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. “Don’t be afraid,” they said. “You have a baby boy!” But she did not answer or pay attention to them.

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

In earlier chapters of this book we learned where Eli had lost control of his sons, who were priests in the temple, and God became so upset over their sin that He sent a messenger to Eli warning Him that both he and his sons would die within a very short time span. We see here in these chapters that not only did the Israelites lose a lot of men (34,000) in battle, for which they could see no reasonable explanation, but both of Eli’s sons also lost their lives. On learning of this tragedy, Eli fell off his seat, broke his neck and also died. This all followed by Phinehas’s wife also dying in childbirth. The death of Eli and his sons were warned of God, however because Israel allowed their sin, and all the other sin in Israel to go on, there were a lot of innocent men who lost their lives in battle. I wonder what negative effect our sin is having on those we love? I wonder what negative effect our sin is having on our church and how our ministries are impacted by our sin? Let’s remember that it was not the sin that was going on in all of Israel why God told Eli of the impending serious actions, but because of the sin of his very own children. We needn’t look into our sinful community to discern what God might do to us, we need to look at ourselves – the children of God that go on sinning. We are not only an abomination to God, but we are a stumbling block to those who need to know Jesus. I am convinced that we must start the process inside – first with our selves. Then as we clean up our act, God will lead us to encourage a brother or sister who may be struggling with overcoming the sin in their lives. Then as we are convinced by God that our church has been purified, we will become a good agent to convince our neighbors, our lost friends and our lost community of the need for a Savior. Let’s clean up the vessel through which we want, or expect God to work.

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

Father I often pray for You to work in and through me to reach the lost or the disheartened. I am reminded this morning that You will only work through clean and pure hearts. I beg Your forgiveness for any sin that separates me from You, and I pray that You might enlighten me to my weaknesses so that I may concentrate my efforts to avoiding those things that may cause me to sin. I pray that You might be such an overwhelming influence in my life that there will be no room for sin to abide and that I will deal with sin immediately. Please touch the lives of our church leaders and members also, because Lord I believe that we could become such an influence in our community that the lost will gladly surrender to Your call. I believe that it is apparent that lost folk are not encouraged to accept You as Lord and join our churches, because they see and hear so much about the sin and bickering of Your people, the church, that they want no part of it. This is sad to even think this way, but I believe that Your Word has clearly revealed this reminder to me this morning. Thank You Father for being such a holy, mighty God that You will not stand for luke-warmness or half-hearted efforts, but that we must conform to Your likeness and be like You in all things. We need Your strength dear God.

 

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

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 2:30-33 (NLT)

30 “Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. 31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age. 32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. 33 Those who survive will live in sadness and grief, and their children will die a violent death.

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

There is a saying today that “everyone’s rope will come to an end”, in other words – there will come a day when all that a man is doing will be brought to light and will be abruptly stopped. Eli held a place of honor as a high priest, and his two sons held similar positions as priests. However, even in those type positions, the sons were not living Godly and holy lives. They were acting very selfishly with the sacrificial meat offered, plus they were taking advantage of the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Because of their position (as priests) they may have felt like God would overlook their sin, as most of the temple worshippers probably were unaware of their evil deeds. However, not only was God aware of their evil, but their father became aware of it also. God gave Eli an opportunity to deal with the sin of his sons by sending another man of God to warn him, and Eli truly tried to counsel with his sons. The bottom line is that God was very aware of the sin going on, even though Eli’s sons may have felt like it was no one else’s business. God will not make a mockery of His house of worship, His people, nor those that represent Him before the world. As was told to Eli, I believe that God is saying the same thing to me, and any others who have accepted and/or those who are serving the Lord. We must know that our lives are an open book before an all-knowing God. There is nothing that we do that is hidden from God. Knowing this, I must constantly ask myself “will God honor me in what I am doing, or will He despise me?” I believe that this will put a whole new perspective on what I do and what I say for my desire is to always please God and always do His will. How about those of you reading this devotional, are you being honored, or despised by God for what you are saying and doing? Is He proud of you, and being blessed by all that you do and say?

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

Father, I need Your strength and power each and every day to overcome the inward desire to do all that I can for personal gain or attention. It’s not about me. Please help me to be an ambassador of Yours, doing all that You would do and saying those things that You would say to those that I come into contact with. May I never do anything that would cause You to despise me or think less of me, but may I be so attuned to Your holy will that I will do those things that please You and say those things that will serve to lift You up. Please also speak to the hearts of those that read this devotional so that they too may be honorable before You. I know that we are blessed to live in the last days, may we make everything that we do count for Your glory and honor.

 

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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