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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-08-09 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Joshua 7:13 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
13 “Get up! Tell the people, ‘Each of you must undergo purification rites in preparation for tomorrow, for the Lord your God of Israel says that someone has stolen from him, and you cannot defeat your enemies until you deal with this sin. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| When God sent Joshua and the Israelites to conquer Jericho, He gave specific instructions to them about what should be destroyed (pretty much everything), and what must be brought back for the temple of the living God (silver and gold). God knew that there were some who disobeyed Him and brought back valuables for themselves. They sinned against God. Because of this unconfessed sin, God chose to see the Israelites punished when they went to battle against the people of Ai. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| In chapter 7 of Joshua, we could see where the sinful acts mentioned above was performed by one person, yet God allowed many of the Israelite army to be killed by the very small army of Ai. Joshua was crushed by this and he mourned and prayed before God. Of course, God knew who was guilty, but He found a way to show the Israelites that it all boiled down to one man who then confessed his sin before God and the people. This made me think of how this applies to us today. Friends, we often sit and ponder why certain things happen to us, our church, our town, our state and even our country. We are quick to judge that it must be our run-away child that’s bringing judgment on our home; or the pastors and leaders of our church who make bad judgment calls that, in turn, causes churches to close its doors; or perhaps the president of a country who is so awful that our country is going to Hell. Friends, I don’t believe that we have to look very far, for often there is sin right within our own lives, even though we try our best to portray perfection. One of the very sad truths that come from this story is that, the sins of one man destroyed his whole family, a fair number of his army, and wreaked havoc on his leader who was totally heartbroken about what was happening under his leadership. Often we think that our absence from church is unnoticeable and our sin is insignificant because it only impacts us personally, but isn’t it a good reminder that our lack of commitment and our willingness to do our own thing, could impact a whole family; a whole church; or a whole lot more? We must remember friends, that a Christian might influence those around him into accepting Jesus as Lord, or he might be so hardened and obstinate towards God that he causes God’s anger to flare against a whole church or community because of his selfish and sinful attitude. You do make a difference friend, so seek the face of Jesus to help you be all that you have committed to Him, and more. Allow God to make you a usable vessel in His vineyard and not a roadblock to others. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for showing Your love towards us, even while we were still sinners without any hope. Representing You before our lost family and friends is such a great honor and privilege, but please help us to always be mindful that we could very easily become an ‘Achan’ as we take our eyes off You and allow sin to filter into our lives again. I don’t believe that anyone desires to be like ‘Achan’, so please help us Lord to stay closely in tuned with You so that our hearts will recognize when Satan tries to attack. We are Yours Lord, and we want to keep it that way until You call us home to glory, but we need You to guide us daily, and we need Your strength to help us make decisions that honor You. The glory belongs to You Lord! AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Tag: Bible Fellowship Church of Sebring FL
A Reminder of Who our God Is
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-08-07 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Joshua 4:21-24 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
21 Then Joshua explained again the purpose of the stones: “In the future,” he said, “when your children ask you why these stones are here and what they mean, 22 you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of this amazing miracle—that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground! 23 Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were all across! It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea! 24 He did this so that all the nations of the earth will realize that Jehovah is the mighty God, and so that all of you will worship him forever.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God performed many miracles for the Israelites as he brought them across the desert from Egypt to the land He had promised them for their freedom. In wanting these miracles to be burnt into their minds and referred back to often, God demanded that they build a memorial in, and near the Jordan River crossing so that if they forget to tell their children, they themselves will see the memorial and ask about it’s purpose. God still acts miraculously in our lives today, so let’s examine if we might learn something to apply from this experience! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Cemeteries are plastered with memorials of loved ones buried there. Some tomb stones are simple, with the name and dates between which the person lived, while others may have a favorite saying of the individual or their favorite verse. Crosses, flowers and placards naming person(s) killed in a car crash are often seen along road-sides. Huge memorials are placed at military cemeteries marking the names of individuals who served and died while defending our country in war. National disasters, such as the 9-11 event have similar huge memorials established. However, what do we do to preserve the memories of the huge evangelistic events, such as the one where God spoke to our heart and where many miracles may have been witnessed? Many great things may have been said at the funeral of your grandfather, but how will those things be related to your grandchildren many years down the road? Our memories seem to be getting shorter and shorter as we depend on computers more and more! It might be good for us to do something like Joshua did and place a marker, or a memorial about certain highlights in our lives, so that our children, grandchildren and future generations might be told of that awesome miracle that God performed in our lives. Hearing our story might be the exact encouragement that a relative or friend needs when they are drifting away from God or beginning to question His awesome power. Friends, we may never encounter a Red Sea or Jordan River miracle like Joshua and his people did, but as God personalizes our miracle, it sure would be good to establish a memorial of that miracle, if for no other reason than to cause family and friends to ask you about it when they visit – giving you the opportunity to brag on God and His awesome miracles in your life. Don’t feel like you will be bragging on yourself, for there was nothing that Joshua and his thousands of men did to help hold the Jordan River waters back while they all crossed to the other side on a dry river bed. Only God can receive the praise for that! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Heavenly Father, we are often overwhelmed by the miracle-working God that we serve, for Your Word relays incident after incident of Your great power. These miracles still happen today, because You are still alive and very active in the lives of Your children. Help us to stop attributing Your wondrous works to things such as good luck; or the good doctors; or happen-chance. If we have faith to trust in You enough to ask for Your divine help, then please help us to be bold in declaring Your miracles that You might perform to help us through a situation. Just as You proved Yourself faithful to Joshua and the Israelites, we know without a doubt that You can do it again for us, no matter what our need might be! Praise to our awesome God! 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 Miracle Working God!
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-08-04 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Joshua 3:14-17 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
14 …..it was the harvest season and the Jordan was overflowing all its banks; but as the people set out to cross the river and as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 15-16 suddenly, far up the river at the city of Adam, near Zarethan, the water began piling up as though against a dam! And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was empty. Then all the people crossed at a spot where the river was close to the city of Jericho, 17 and the priests who were carrying the Ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan and waited as all the people passed by. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| At this point, Moses had died, and Joshua was about to begin one of his greatest challenges – getting the Ark of the Covenant and the people across the Jordan River. However, Joshua had the leading hand of God directing his path, and the awesome, powerful hand of God making a pathway for he and his people. In Joshua’s eyes, there were huge obstacles in the pathway, but with God all things are possible. We have similar scenarios in our lives, so let’s see how we could apply this…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Like me, I’m sure there are times that you look at life’s obstacles and question yourself about how you will overcome this problem or the next. I believe that the first thing we must analyze is whether our dilemma is strictly a personal one, or whether we sought God’s guidance throughout every aspect of the project that we now feel stuck on. There can be obstacles in both scenarios that seem way larger than anything we could handle. For those things that you brought before Jesus before you ever began, and have felt guided by Him every step of the way, let me encourage you to hold fast to what God has led you through so far. When He is ready for you to move on, He will give you further instructions. Remember, God will never lead you to something that He’s not prepared to lead you through! As for the cases that you started on your own and have been trying to accomplish on your own, please never be afraid to go before our awesome God and apologize for being out there in left field on your own. Ask God if this is something that you should abandon or do differently. Invite Him to join you on your journey and to redirect you, if necessary. Friends, God held the river waters back so that His people might go safely across the Jordan River on dry land. Do you think there is any problem or challenge that He can’t easily handle for you? There is no need to worry or be anxious when God is on our side, Surrender yourself, your troubles and your trials to Him so that He might lead, guide and direct you my friend. He’s got this! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for Your awesome power, love and guidance that You carefully display towards Your children at just the right times. You have helped many cope with loss of loved ones, guided some to foreign lands, helped many across troubled waters, healed the sick and comforted the broken hearted. In spite of all this, yet we doubt when things are not moving in the direction we choose or at the speed we prefer. Thank You Lord for loving us like Your very own children, and thank You for Your promise to be with us until the very end. Help us to be forever grateful and appreciative and to always seek Your face first, before making our decisions and our moves. 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! | |
Leadership Qualities
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-08-03 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Joshua 1:6-9 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
6 “Be strong and brave, for you will be a successful leader of my people; and they shall conquer all the land I promised to their ancestors. 7 You need only to be strong and courageous and to obey to the letter every law Moses gave you, for if you are careful to obey every one of them, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed. 9 Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Moses was a proven entity, for he brought upwards of 1 million Israelites through 40 years in the wilderness, where they learned to trust God for food, shelter and all life saving things. Joshua was now faced with the awesome responsibility of finishing the journey to get the people safely into their new country. However, his God had excellent advice and encouragement for him – Be bold and courageous – strong, because the God all powerful was with him. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Trying to fill the shoes of Moses was probably like one who is looking up at a grand mountain that you are seriously questioning how to get over or around it. I’m sure that this would be a daunting task for Joshua, from a self confidence point of view, and for the people from a trust stand-point. But for Joshua, chosen by God to complete this awesome task, he was given assurances by God. In just 4 short verses, God told him to be bold; courageous; strong; and brave – all characteristics of a warrior leader. But more than that just to be assured that the Lord God would be with Him. I’m sure this was comforting for Joshua because surely he witnessed God at work in many wonderful ways while Moses led the group. Friends the difference between a godly leader and the best educated and prepared leader of the world, is that God is the only one that knows what’s up ahead; the only one who fought battles for His leaders when they felt overwhelmed or outnumbered. So how or why is this done, you might ask. As we have seen in the Bible on many occasions, when we surrender ourselves, including our self-will to God, and submit ourselves to do what is commanded by our God, then He will lead us in the right path, prepare us for battle, and overshadow the enemy. Friends, we are a victorious people because of our awesome leader – our Lord and Savior – the God who created this universe and everything in it. I would encourage you to know God personally today so that you might gain the assurance of depending on One that you trust in every battle or circumstance of life. It’s a personal thing, but perhaps the tips offered in my ‘Footnote’ might help you! Of course, I would be thrilled to pray with you about this important decision also friend! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we face daunting tasks and decisions every day. We leave our homes each day and even though we may have our day mapped out on the best calendar, only You know what lies ahead for us. But Lord, as Your obedient children, we place our hand in yours, we depend wholly and solely on You to be our protector, our guide and our everlasting Father. Thank You Lord for loving us unconditionally. 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! | |
Your Response To God
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-08-02 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Deuteronomy 32:3-6 (CEV) |
|
Text: |
3 Join with me in praising the wonderful name of the Lord our God. 4 The Lord is a mighty rock, and he never does wrong. God can always be trusted to bring justice. 5 But you lie and cheat and are unfaithful to him. You have disgraced yourselves and are no longer worthy to be his children. 6 ….the Lord is your Father, the one who created you, but you repaid him by being foolish. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Moses recognized that people respond differently to circumstances. In these verses we see where some will honor the truth and show their thanksgiving for all God has done for them, while some will still lie, cheat and be unfaithful to Him, no matter how much He does for them. This causes me to think that not a whole lot has changed since the day of Moses, so we will explore this in our application today. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Often we hear, or see where people will lift up high those who do things for them, or has helped them at some point in their past. Why there are even holidays that recognize the efforts of others towards mankind, and in some cases statues, or monuments have been carved or erected so that the special efforts of some might be remembered. In fact, in our Scripture where the matter of recognizing God for all He has done, Moses encouraged us to join him in worshipping God and lifting up His name on high. Would you agree that today fewer and fewer people will stop to visit the church of God to corporately thank Him for His goodness and recognize Him for His love and faithfulness towards us? Moses concluded that there are those who will recognize God for His goodness, and those who are unfaithful and have disgraced themselves beyond recognition as God’s children. Fortunately it is not our job to judge who is, and who is not a child of God. However, there is no doubt that each of us know individually whether we have sought the face of God, sought His forgiveness of our sin and committed our lifelong dedication to serve Him faithfully. If you have never made that decision for yourself friend, then according to Scripture you’re in the latter list and not worthy to be called His child. Please read my Footnote carefully and seriously consider surrendering your life to Jesus. There is nothing I would love more than to know that I will unite with all of my readers when we meet around the throne before our Father, Son and Holy Spirit. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, decisions were made by each reader today. They either know You as Lord, and agreed to continue that walk with You, or they don’t know You and have agreed to surrender their life to Jesus, or they have recklessly decided to continue their life of sin and living for the evil one. Lord, I pray that You would soften hearts today and create a deep desire in the unsaved to know You personally. I pray that You would touch my life and help me to be totally committed to You in every way, so that others may witness my speech and actions and seek Your face. AMEN | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Motivation To Worship
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-07-31 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 48:9-10; 14 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
9 Lord, here in your Temple we meditate upon your kindness and your love. 10 Your name is known throughout the earth, O God. You are praised everywhere for the salvation you have scattered throughout the world.
14 For this great God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide until we die. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| It appears like David, the Psalmist, had attained a time in his life where he was compelled to worship God because of the overwhelming goodness, love, and appreciation that he felt in going to the temple. Oh that we might feel that way as we enter God’s house, wouldn’t that be an awesome time of worship that day? | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I wonder what would be some of the responses we would receive if we asked why our friends attend church? I would imagine a few might be: My parents had me in church 9 months before I was born, so for fear of hearing from them, I had best find myself in church every Sunday; That church has the cutest girls in it, so I must join my friends attending that church; It has always been the place for me to be on Sunday mornings, so of course I must attend; Sometimes the pastor will call me if I don’t attend, and I have run out of good excuses, so I must attend. Now I know that there are many who sincerely attend church because they have a relationship with the Lord and want to honor His Word about being together with His people in corporate worship, but I believe we can all agree that the reasons for attending are not always sincere. While I believe that many feel like it all depends on the quality of the praise team and the charisma of the preacher to make a good church service, I would like for us to stop and think for a moment about what type of service we might have if we adopted the heart of David. Imagine for a whole week we took note of God’s kindness towards us and His love that surrounds us at every turn of life, and that we reflect often on the salvation He made possible through His only Son. Would you agree with me that these things might give cause for personal celebration, and that all will be magnified as we meet with other believers of similar belief and experience? Why our worship service will become the highlight of our week, and something that we anxiously await for each week! Can you imagine the excitement, even if no praise team or band showed up, as long as you and your fellow Christians came prepared to lift up praises and the awe of thanksgiving to our King like you experienced all throuhout the week? Friends, let’s not be guilty of preparing more for a date, or a night out with the boys, than we do for meeting with our heavenly King. Let’s always remember that our weekly corporate worship service is simply an extension of our daily worship with our King. Does it appear to you that you and your fellow congregants worship like they’ve been doing that all week? May I encourage you to do your part friend? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, I am convinced that your children must be the ‘apple of Your eye’, because among everything that You created, it seems like we are must special to you. Your love results in meticulous care for us and in meeting our every need. The beauty You have provided for us to enjoy each day is beyond anything we could ever have imagined. You are so worthy of our praise Lord! Please help us to stay focused on our relationship with You and in offering our sacrifices of praise back to You. Lord, be glorified in and through us this day, I pray, 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 Forgiveness Works
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Post Date: |
Sunday, 2017-07-30 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 11:1-4 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
1 ….“Lord, teach us a prayer to recite just as John taught one to his disciples.”2 And this is the prayer he taught them: “Father, may your name be honored for its holiness; send your Kingdom soon. 3 Give us our food day by day. 4 And forgive our sins—for we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And don’t allow us to be tempted.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus’ disciples had seen Him go off and pray to His Father, and they were beginning to feel like they needed to know more about how to pray. A fair question, as many young Christians might ponder the same question today. He gave them 5 basic points to remember in prayer: 1. Recognize God for who He is; 2. Let God know that you are anticipating His soon return to take us (His children) home; 3. Ask God to supply your food for the day; 4. Forgiveness – just as you have forgiven others; and 5. Keep us from temptation. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| How much will God give you, if he likened it to the amount (percentage wise) that you have given to Him? Will God truly forgive you, if it’s based on how well and totally you have forgiven others? Friends, we hear people say all the time: I forgive you, but I could never forget what you did to me. Is that true forgiveness? I realize the hurt will remain with you for a while, but God says in His Word that when He forgives us of our sin, He separates that from us as far as the east is from the west. In other words, I believe if we bring that up to God again, He will probably say to us: “What sin? I have no idea what you are talking about”. However, this Scripture is telling us that we will be forgiven in much the same way that we forgive others. How are you doing with that friends? When someone says that they are sorry for certain actions and asks you for forgiveness, is the result anywhere close to you feeling like the offense never occurred? If that is right, you will look at them in love as if they never did one thing to hurt or bother you. Can you do it? Friends, when we look into the face of a holy God who is perfect in every way, and we say that we want to be just like Him, then through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, I believe that true forgiveness will become a very real thing of placing the hurts of past offenses out of sight and mind, because of our forgiving hearts will look more like the heart of Christ. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, I believe that broken hearts that carry the weight of past sins are hearts that will cause a believer to wander from You and treat their fellow mankind in ways that would not be representative of You. Holy Spirit, please guide us today and every day to forgive others like Jesus did, so that our hearts might be cleared of any envy towards our neighbor but instead uninterrupted love towards them, like Jesus demonstrated when He gave His life for ALL mankind, even those who hurt Him and had Him crucified. Lord, teach us to be Your chosen vessels who will represent You well until You call us home. 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! | |
Benefits/Consequences For Decisions
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-07-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Deuteronomy 28:1-2; 15 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
1-2 If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God:
15 Here’s what will happen if you don’t obediently listen to the Voice of God, your God, and diligently keep all the commandments and guidelines that I’m commanding you today. All these curses will come down hard on you: |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land, but he was given last minute instructions for the Israelites that would help them understand how God would react to their decisions and actions once they receive their freedom to live in their new and exciting country. Benefits and/or consequences is generally something we look at in hindsight, but with God instructing Moses, he could tell them in advance what to expect. We’ve been given that same advantage through the Bible, let’s look at that! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| As parents, we will generally give our children choices, and we may even add what the benefits and/or consequences are if they obey, or if they disobey what we told them. As I read this chapter, I believe that God pointed out to me the parallel between the instructions that He gave to the Israelites through His servant Moses, and the equivalent of what He gave to us through His Word regarding our destiny, based on our level of obedience today. This is all declared in the New Testament with the birth, death and resurrection of His precious Son, Jesus. You see, when God introduced His new covenant offered through the shed blood of Jesus, He assured us that the benefit for those of us who accept that free gift of salvation, would be that we could look forward to eternity in heaven with our Savior; our Father – God; and the Holy Spirit. In chapter 28 today, there were 14 verses of benefit descriptions for the Israelites that obeyed the commands of God. For the person who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, I would dare say that the benefits are endless, and they are greater than our wildest imagination. Imagine being face to face with Jesus, who performed miracle after miracle; who also showed His love for us with outstretched arms on a cruel cross; but praise be to God, He arose from the dead three days later and reigns with His Father forevermore! However, for the unconcerned or disobedient, the Bible also gives us the equivalent for what people today can expect, just as God did in the case of the Israelites, beginning in verse 15 above. For those who decline the offer of salvation, and continue to live contrary to the instructions given by God in His Word, they could expect to spend eternity in the pit of Hell with Satan and his demons, being tormented for all eternity. So friends, just like the Israelites who knew the game rules as they entered the Promised Land, we have the game Book available to us. If we obey, I reminded you of the benefits. If we disobey, I reminded you of the consequences. May I encourage you to know Jesus and know peace and hope regarding your eternity? No Jesus will result in no peace my friend. The choice is yours alone, please insure your peace and security in my Savior, Jesus Christ, today! See my Footnote below for help with this. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, Your Word is very clear for us today, just as Your word through Moses was clear for the Israelites. We claim to be a very smart generation, so please touch our hardened hearts so that we may make wise decisions and follow in obedience to all that You have taught us through Your Word. Thank You for the promise of eternity in heaven with You one day! Please help us to encourage as many as possible while here on earth until that day You call us home to glory, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
The Importance of Your Ministry
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-07-26 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 10:16 (ERV) |
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Text: |
16 “When anyone listens to you my followers, they are really listening to me. But when anyone refuses to accept you, they are really refusing to accept me. And when anyone refuses to accept me, they are refusing to accept the one who sent me.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus sent out 70 disciples to minister in His name. These were not necessarily anyone special, like ordained or specially trained pastors or teachers, but they were sent by Jesus to go and share whatever He had taught them. How is this different to what we are called to do today? | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m sure that anytime we hear of people being ‘called’ of God, we think of our pastors, and perhaps other pastors from our community that we know, but how often do we think about the idea of us being called individually to minister in the name of our Lord? We often hear believers say that I just work with the youth at my church, or I’m involved in the kids ministry, or perhaps I teach an adult Sunday School class. The real unfortunate statements that we hear way too often is that ‘I’ve done my part, so now it’s up to the younger folk to carry on the ministry in the church and in our community’. Friends, I can find nowhere in the Bible where Jesus called anyone to carry on the message of the cross and handed them a retirement package that would activate at a certain age. At what age do you stop being married, or stop bragging about your spouse? Let’s look at the Scripture again…. The Word say that when others listen to you and I declaring the name of the Lord, they are actually listening to Jesus – the One who sent us. When they refuse to accept the one whom we teach and preach, they are rejecting Jesus, and His Father (GOD) who sent Him. I don’t know about you friend, but those are some pretty serious consequences that our ‘ministry’ could have on those that we mentor, or tutor (teach). I trust that Jesus will always clearly say to us at the end of life’s journey: ‘Well done good and faithful servant’. Don’t disappoint Him child of God. Your individual ministry is very important. If God assigned it to you then taking it lightly, or not doing it at all, is disobedience to Him. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| You provided the way, and You provided the means for our salvation Lord Jesus. Please help us to never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please prompt us into the service of ministering in Your name so that You and the Father might be glorified, for Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever, 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! | |
Distractions in Ministry
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-07-24 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 9:61-62 (TLB) |
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Text: |
61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will come, but first let me ask permission of those at home.”62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The verses hyperlinked above actually shares two accounts where individuals that God had called into ministry found excuses why they couldn’t assume the task at that time. Not a whole lot different to what we do today, but I believe God would have us be reminded again how He feels about this. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| In a first glance, or reading of this Scripture, we probably look at our pastors and wonder why they might question the call of Christ on their lives, or procrastinate following the call after clearly hearing God calling them into service. Friends, most churches have election of officers and teachers each year, and I believe I would be safe in saying that nominating teams have probably heard every excuse possible when asking an individual to serve. In the section of Scripture we are looking at today, we see where one needed to bury his father before he could assume the call of Christ. In the second instance the other one needed to check with his family first to make sure they could manage without him. While we will also look at our excuses, think for a minute who it was that called these two individuals – Jesus, the very Son of God. Did He personally know their hearts and all about the possible excuses they could have given Him? Of course He did. But by sharing these things with us, it help us to also consider the excuses that we tend to give when asked to join the ministry team at our respective churches. I believe that three of the most popular excuses used today are: 1). I feel so unqualified to teach; 2). I cannot speak well in a classroom setting; and 3). I live such a busy lifestyle that I couldn’t possible take on one more thing. Friends, don’t you think that it is God that gave you the gifts to do His work and the time to do it? Don’t you know that God is well aware of your qualifications and gifts and that He has you handpicked to accomplish a task you are being asked to accomplish? A Nominating Team or Pastor who may asked you to fill a position at church has probably bathed the matter in deep prayer, so I feel like when we make excuses why we can’t fulfil the request, we are actually complaining to God. Let me suggest that if you feel that time might be the issue, try responding that you can’t make that a priority in your life right now. Jesus could have found many excuses and could have called many angels to His rescue when beaten and led to the cross, but He accepted His unfortunate task as a priority – just for you and I. God is not looking at your abilities, because where you are lacking He fills that void so that He might be glorified. All He wants is your availability. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Dear God, please forgive us for the excuses we make to not use the many gifts that You have blessed us with. Thank You for not giving up on us, as easily as we give up on trying to serve You. Oh Lord, may we be obedient to Your call on our life. May we be a living sacrifice, willing to always testify to Your calling in our personal witness to others and to help make Your work in our local church complete. You have truly blessed us beyond anything we deserve, may we learn to bless You through our availability and willingness to serve in local ministries, so that the world might know You and believe in You. God being our helper, our enabler and guide. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 