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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-02-04 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Genesis 31:44-45 (AMP) |
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Text: |
44 So come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.” 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a [memorial] pillar. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| There’s a few keywords that we should pay attention to in this scripture today. ‘Covenant‘ – meaning that a firm agreement has been established between two or more people that is firmly rooted and cannot be undone. Secondly, ‘Memorial Pillar‘ or monument, as some translations calls it. These are generally put in place as a reminder of the covenant made, and will generally help the parties return to recognition of, and obedience to, the original covenant. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I find it interesting that today we still practice some of the same principles taught to us by our ancestors in scripture, such as we are looking at today. It just appears like we have relaxed the idea behind these principles. Let’s consider: (1) Covenant – on our wedding day, we make a covenant with our spouse in God’s presence, inviting Him to be a part of our partnership. However we hear of divorces in as early as three months after making that serious covenant. (2) Memorial/Pillar/Monument – sticking with the marriage idea, let’s recognize the wedding ring as a memorial, or pillar, or monument, that we put in place to remind us of the covenant we agreed to on our wedding day. Don’t couples choose to pitch the ring if another Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect comes along? How about our relationship with the Lord? Don’t we sometimes tend to do the same thing with God as we do with our other commitments (covenants)? Isn’t the easiest thing to do when someone ignores us at church, is to abandon our covenant with God? Friends, Laban and Jacob had some very precious jewels that would be impacted if there was a division between the two of them, so it was incumbent upon them to find a resolution, and set some parameters and markers to remind them, should they ever be tempted to make snap decisions in the future. This is a good reminder for us, for when we break covenants, or when we ignore parameters and/or monuments that were erected to protect us, we are also impacting other innocent Brothers and Sisters. After all, what impact might there be for a pastor or a Bible teacher to break the confidence of a congregation or a class by openly displaying a breach of covenant they once made with a spouse, or a church or a body of believers? It is often devastating. May I remind you that the same thing happens in the lives of any believer, for we never know who is following in our footsteps or are encouraged by our ministry or our walk with the Lord. Our challenge here today is to continue making covenants, continue including God in the mix, as our helper, protector and guide, and to stay true to our covenant. Establish markers or monuments or pillars to remind us, and help keep us accountable to the covenant we once made, God being our helper. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, You are our example. You loved us enough that You came to this world to live among us and see the struggles that we face every day. You died for us, so that we would have no excuse or hindrance in surrendering our lives to You. In everything You kept Your word and showed us the importance of doing the same. Please forgive us for the many times that we mess up on our commitments. Lord, we realize more every day how much we need You to hold our hand and help us along in our weakness. May You find us faithful Lord, and may we always live up to our covenant to be Your follower and to be a witness here on earth, right up to the time that You are ready to call us home with You. Thank You Lord Jesus for setting the example for us. May we strive daily to live in Your footsteps. 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: friend
A Life Dominated By The Spirit of God
Friday, 2016-10-14
Scripture
Bible Reference: Romans 8:5–8
Bible Text: 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)
My Take
Paul shared with his Roman friends/church, and I believe that God is challenging us today as we meditate on this scripture, to consider: who, or what is dominating our lives. First of all, our minds can only be controlled by the Spirit of God when we have surrendered our own sinful nature, and accepted the free gift of eternal life, made possible through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus assumes control of our minds and our lives when He is invited, and accepted, to become our Lord and Savior. When this occurs, the Holy Spirit assumes control and sets us on a path towards a life of peace and anticipation of our heavenly home. I believe that the scripture is clear in pointing out to us that if we are not enjoying that peace, and if we still feel hostile towards God, and if we find it impossible to obey God’s laws (His instructions from the Word of God), then we must pay close attention to those red flags, as we are still under the control of our old sinful nature that will never please God. Unfortunately, this life without God will never see the face of God, nor His heavenly home – heaven. So friends, may I encourage you to take a moment and talk with God about what is dominating your life right now? If you are confident that your thoughts and your actions imitate Jesus and His teachings, and that you are always seeking to serve Him more fully, then I believe that you can use this time to praise God for His saving grace and for placing His Holy Spirit prominently in your life to guide and direct you. However, in the very next verse (9), we are warned that if we cannot identify the Spirit of God evident in our lives – our thoughts, our words, our actions and our desires, then we do not belong to Jesus Christ. Fortunately, your pastor, your spouse, your friend nor myself can judge that and question you about your eternal destination. This is a matter strictly between you and our heavenly Father – God almighty. Because this impacts your daily walk in life, and your ultimate destination even after death here on this earth, I would strongly suggest that you go before God and evaluate your position with Him urgently. Why urgently? Because you have no assurance that you will have another opportunity to do so. There is a very old hymn that addresses the subject “Is your heart right with God?”. That’s my plea that I trust you will ponder today friend. Read my Footnote and click on the menu item above to read more scripture on the matter of “To know Jesus”. There’s no greater assignment for you today friend.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am reminded that if I am a child of an earthly monarch, then I will feel like, live like, and present myself to everyone that I meet, as a ‘prince’. My default lifestyle will imitate the sinful nature of this world in which I live. However, having accepted You as my Lord, and asked You to rule and reign in my life, then my words should sound like Yours, my actions should remind folk about Your actions while here on earth, and my thoughts should always reflect the hope, joy and love of Your sweet Holy Spirit that resides inside of me, and leads me throughout my day. My prayer is that You will not only touch my life miraculously with Your Holy Spirit every moment of every day, but Lord, may that be multiplied times over in the lives of those that may be touched by Your Word today. May the world see Jesus very much alive in Your children today, is my sincere prayer that I ask in the matchless 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!
Be Ready to Say Why….
May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Today you will be encourage to openly share where your hope comes from. Can you do it? Read today’s devotional and seek to obey God’s Word. He will reward you for speaking up about the hope that lies within you! Recognize your blessing today and be ready to share it with someone else, friend!
Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Peter 3:15–16
Today’s Bible Text: Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)
My Take Away: The very first sentence in our scripture today is a given, but a great reminder – that we must honor our Lord Jesus, by the way we live. It should be evident whether we are living free of any restrictions, without any type of guardrails at all, or whether we have a purpose in life and that our direction for getting to our goal consists of a very narrow road with lots of guardrails to help prevent us from running into issues. We are reminded that when we live this way, others might question us about the hope and determination that we have, and where could our strength possibly be coming from to live so differently in a world that is filled with evil, crime, hatred, envy and strife. It is at this point that we should feel honored to share exactly who is incenting our actions, why did we choose to take the route we are taking, and what we know that we can expect at the end of our journey here on earth. Most of all, although we know that we will have trouble containing the excitement, we must learn to share our response with deepest respect for the one asking and in the same love that Christ first spoke to, and encourage us to redirect our lives. Friends, throughout God’s Word we are reminded that God rewards those who obey and live by His commands, but He envies those who don’t and will bring eternal damnation on them. Will you make Him proud today because you had the audacity to speak up about the hope that lies within you? Pray that I will, as I continue to lift my readers up in prayer, especially with these encouraging instructions today!
Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name in all the earth, as I sing Your praises for all that You do in my life each day. Praise God that my readers and I enjoy this same blessing, because we serve the same God! As the world recognizes that very special gleam in our eye, or reactions in our demeanor, may we be quick to share with them the source of our joy, our strength and our everlasting hope. May it not be the norm today where friends get together to tear someone apart, but may we instead share the hope of eternity, and the source of our joy and hope about living a joyful life today because of the hope of tomorrow, all because of Jesus our Lord! I celebrate You, Master and Lord! May I do that in humble adoration with deepest respect for all that we come into contact with, for I ask this in the name of 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 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
The Prayer of A Father
THE HOLY BIBLE – John 17:13-17 – New Living Translation (NLT): 13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
THOUGHTS: I believe that any reader will agree that our hearts are overwhelmed and humbled when we hear a parent praying for our wellbeing and success. In fact, we probably feel the same when any believer takes the time, and seems to be concerned enough about us to pray for us, or with us. Now, consider that our Savior is praying for us here in this passage of scripture! Can you even imagine how special that is? I want you to read the whole chapter for the full prayer, but look closely at this portion of Jesus’ prayer:
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He is acknowledging to the Father that He has shared a lot with us so that we might be filled with His joy. These shared blessings are still available for us to meditate on as we read His Word today!
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By speaking to His Father about the tough times we will face as His followers, He is comforting us in the fact that this is expected, because it happened to Him, therefore Jesus prayed for mercy for us as we face persecution;
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He asked for our protection from the evil one, because He knew that we would be a target for our enemy, Satan;
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He is reminding us through His prayer that although we physically reside in this world, we no longer belong to it, but we are merely ambassadors for Christ while we remain;
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Jesus wanted us to know that He is concerned that we remain holy, just as He is holy. And the way to do this is through our ‘input’ in life – through the constant truth of God’s Word. Friends, if we feed our ‘input’ with God’s Word, we will express that in all that we do and say, as it will saturate our lives and our minds.
So this prayer is very much for our benefit, and it is very obvious of the love our Savior has for us, because it is very evident of the concern He has for our Christian walk and representation of Himself. Our Lord loves us friends, and He wants His very best for His children. Be encourage with that today! If you are reading this and realize that Jesus could not have included you in this prayer, because you are not His child. May I remind you that there is still time for you to change that? Check out my ‘Footnote’ for tips on how to accomplish this. You will find my contact information, and I would love to pray with you or counsel with you on any spiritual matter friend.
PRAYER: What an awesome picture, Lord God! To know that our Savior has prayed, and is praying for us. Wow, what a Savior! It seems impossible that You would think of mere man and love us enough to be concerned about our spiritual wellbeing! This is yet another reason for us to look at Your unconditional love for Your children! Praise be to God! Lord, please touch Your children again today and fill us with the boldness, wisdom and strength that we need to be a better witness for You today. May it be evident from our words and our actions that we have been transformed into Your likeness, so that lives that we touch today might be impacted for You. I so appreciate Your love, concern and prayers for me. Please bless my readers in amazing ways today and strengthen us all for the mission we will face today. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, 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!
The Main Attractors
THE HOLY BIBLE – John 12:17-19 – New Living Translation (NLT): 17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”
THOUGHTS: Like the folk in Jesus’ day, we also have many folk today who are anxious to know what this ‘Jesus’ is all about, that they keep hearing friends talk about. But I wonder, what are they seeing? Are they seeing any difference in Christians than what they see in their sinner friend from work or in their friends they meet at the local bar? Let’s take a moment and consider some of the similarities and/or differences between the folk in the story told by John and in our particular scenario today. Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the grave, and they were spreading the good news to others they came into contact with. Now granted, most of us may not have actually seen someone brought to life, but what about the answer to prayer for various challenges in your life that you have no explanation for, other than a miracle from God? Here’s my challenge for you: how many family or friends have you shared the good news about this miracle? If like me, I bet you’re ashamed to respond that you have shared no where near as much as you should have, considering the unbelievable miracle(s) that occurred in your life. So friend, what have we done to encourage those in our realm of influence to gain a desire to want to see, or meet our Jesus? Just like the Pharisees did, wouldn’t it be exciting to hear Satan’s cohorts give up in disgust, or throw their hands up in surrender, because there is nothing else they could think of that would help them regain their power over God’s children? Friends, the unsaved will be encouraged to see our Jesus, if they believe that we have enough value in our relationship with Him that might be attractive to them. But how will they know, if we don’t make that known? I was challenged in reading this because I realized that the welfare of others may be contingent upon my openness to share the goodness of my Savior. How about you?
PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for hearing our prayers and answering so powerfully in so many ways and in so many circumstances. Please forgive us for keeping that awesome news to ourselves and not sharing that openly with our friends. Just as John shared how the crowd showed up to see You because of the publicity by those who saw Your miraculous works, I pray that the ‘crowds’ today will have a greater desire to meet You and know You, because of our witness and the awesome story of Your great works. I ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus, the great healer and miracle worker, 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!
Blessings Based on Priorities
THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – Haggai 1:8-11): 8 But first, go to the hills and get wood for my temple, so I can take pride in it and be worshiped there. 9 You expected much, but received only a little. And when you brought it home, I made that little disappear. Why have I done this? It’s because you hurry off to build your own houses, while my temple is still in ruins. 10 That’s also why the dew doesn’t fall and your harvest fails. 11 And so, at my command everything will become barren—your farmland and pastures, your vineyards and olive trees, your animals and you yourselves. All your hard work will be for nothing.
THOUGHTS: I found it interesting how God got His point across to Haggai about why his people were not being blessed. I believe it is obvious that our God is a jealous God, yet we have clearly been forced to think about what a selfish and ungrateful bunch we are. Let’s reflect for a moment on how we act. We were created to worship and serve God. We are blessed beyond compare in the homes that we have and the food that we eat, plus the rich churches and church leaders who welcome us under their care. We enjoy fair health, and many of us enjoy jobs that help us to care for our families. So I believe you might agree with me that God keeps His end of the bargain in our lives. In the case of Haggai’s people, the Israelites, is it any wonder that God became upset when He declared that the people thought so little about Him that they allowed His temple to run into disrepair while their houses were extravagant and plush? In other words, their priority was definitely not on worshipping God and giving of their best to Him in their lives. So now let’s see how this might relate to us today in a comparative scenario. In spite of fairly high levels of unemployment and poverty, I believe that there has never been a people as blessed as we are. Yet we still see folk starving in our world, and we see churches closing their doors because of lack of finances. We make decisions about our church attendance based on the weather – good weather equals beach and/or family time versus bad weather means that since there’s nothing better to do we may as well go to church. Some have enormous incomes while others have only minimal wages, yet some won’t give a tithe because it sounds like way too much to give to the church, while others feel like they can’t afford a tithe, even though God promised to bless the remaining 90% in both scenarios, beyond anything we could imagine. When God orders that we give, do we not trust Him to properly handle the gifts we give, or the remaining portion to meet our needs? Did He really mean for us to put conditions on everything that He ordered for us to do or give? Yet we have become a people that expect everything promised without any conditions being applied to us! John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that He gave…. No conditions, just that He gave… Can we love Him enough today to just give…. without conditions? Perhaps our blessings are in direct proportion to the heart of our giving, friend!
PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for giving unconditionally to us. Please continue to work on us so that we might eventually learn to give in appreciation for all that You give and do for us. May we give of ourselves and in in return for all the ways that You bless us. May we learn to trust You to do all that You have promised, and to properly handle all that we give in response to Your commands. You gave out of love for us, may we learn to love You enough that we will gladly give unconditionally back to You. Please forgive us for our littleness and selfishness, and make us obedient servants willing to do, or give whatever is asked of us by the Master. This I ask in the blessed name of Jesus, my wonderful Savior, 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!
Why You Believe What You Believe
THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy To Read Version – 1 Peter 3:15-16):15 … keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have. 16 But answer them in a gentle way with respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then people will see the good way you live as followers of Christ, and those who say bad things about you will be ashamed of what they said.
THOUGHTS: I believe that it would be amazing to ask, as a survey of those exiting our church buildings over the weekend, “Why do you believe in Jesus Christ?” or “Why do you believe what you believe?” The importance in these questions become very important when we are asked by a coworker first thing Monday morning: “So what did you do over the weekend?” I find that often I will talk about everything else besides the blessing I received at church, or the refueling I received in worshiping with other believers. What about the close call you had in driving down wet roads over the weekend? What do you attribute that to when explaining it to your coworkers? In the case of most of my readers, I believe that it is probably still safe in each of our countries to attribute the blessings just suggested, to the powerful hand of the Master that watches over us, keeps us, protects us and loves us so very much. Why then would we try to avoid giving credit where credit is due? Imagine that most of you are blessed, as I am, to have a wonderful wife. When asked about your happiness, or how well your clothes look, or your packaged lunch looks that you brought from home, do you find every way to avoid giving credit to your wife. What will that say about the great wife that you married, and your relationship with her? What if your wife was in an adjacent room hearing you trying to avoid giving her credit? Further, Paul cautioned us to also keep our attitudes in check. Don’t be obnoxious in the way you respond, for you may win a Brother, or encourage a Sister, if you handle the response humbly and respectfully give credit to Your Savior. Remember, it is only the grace of God why He would bless you in such a rewarding way. Nothing deserving, based on your goodness. The other caution that Paul gave, is that we respond with a clear conscience. I interpret this as meaning that we are totally honest and totally upfront with our response. Don’t respond in a way that you think the inquirer wants to hear, but respond from the depth of a thankful and appreciative heart. It is amazing how folk can see through pretense, but how quickly they feel sincerity and honesty. We have nothing to be ashamed of in our responses friend. Our Savior died so that we might live eternally in the glories of heaven. How can we be anything short of appreciative when talking about our Savior? The scripture says that if we are ashamed of our Savior here on earth, He will be ashamed of us before His Father in heaven. I believe that the opposite is also true, which is that our Savior will boast of His saints before His Father when He sees our obedience and boldness in telling others about His goodness and mercy! You have a choice today friend!
PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for boldly showing Your love for us when You willingly surrendered to the cruelty of the cross. Thank You for Your patience with us as we try to be politically correct in our responses to loved ones and coworkers and find every possible explanation for our blessings, instead of giving You supreme credit. Lord, You are so good to us – every day and through every circumstance of life. We are quick to call on You in times of trouble and despair, please help us to be equally as quick to give You credit for answers to those prayers and so much more, for we are such a blessed people! I believe that people who need the Lord, must be convinced that we have the real thing before they will want to know that One of whom we speak. This should be evident in our speech and in our actions, so oh Lord I ask that You saturate us with Your love and bless us with boldness to proclaim that it’s You we live for and You who bless us daily beyond anything we deserve. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, while thanking Him sincerely for all His manifold blessings, 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!
He’s Still God!
The Holy Bible (The Good News Translation – Isaiah 30:19-21): The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. 20The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more. 21If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”
Thoughts: Friends, I am a firm believer that our God never changes, and that He is the same today as He was yesterday and He will be same until He calls us home to be with Him in glory. I also believe that God inspired His written Word, the Bible, so that we might be drawn to Him, grow in Him, encouraged in Him and be counseled and/or corrected by Him to enable a consistent walk with Him. I therefore believe that just as these highlighted verses were prophesied by Isaiah to challenge the people of Israel who had strayed from Him, that God is also encouraging us today to keep our heads up, to return to Him, and to be encouraged in knowing that no matter what struggles and discouragements and challenges we face, that He’s still God, that His love for us is everlasting, and that we can come to Him, or return to Him, in confidence knowing that He is compassionate and that He will answer our cry for help. Please be reminded that God is not a yo-yo, or a puppet, but instead He loves you enough that He will answer your prayers in ways according to His will for You, and that would best satisfy your needs. In other words, if you ask Him for a new Cadillac and He knows that you will remain humble, and could afford a Toyota Corolla better, then you may receive transportation (answer to prayer), just not the car you asked for, because it would increase your struggles and not help your situation. Some reading this devotional today may also feel like they, or a loved one, is ‘at the end of their rope’, because life seems so impossible. May I encourage you to look to God, place your faith and trust in Him, and surrender your life totally to Him? As you do this friend, You will:
- Have peace in knowing the ‘hand-off’ has taken place!
- Find peace in your circumstances, knowing that the God of this universe is working on your behalf! Remember, He is a great big God, who has this world in His hands, so He can easily handle your circumstances;
- Be encouraged in knowing that God loved you, even as a sinner, enough to sacrifice His only Son so that you may have life, and have it more abundantly in and through Him. And it is that type of deep love that is your today as you trust in Him!
Because He’s still God, I must remind you that He loves you today friend! I believe that His love is even more intense, but He will not force Himself on you. He wants you to take the first step, by surrendering your will to Him and allowing Him to do all that I have shared above. If you have never made a personal commitment to Jesus and invited Him to rule and reign in your life, then I would encourage you to make this most important decision today. Perhaps there is one meditating on this devotional who has previously invited Jesus into your life, but has strayed far away from Him. Friend, you will see from these verses that Israel had strayed far away, yet God was ready to welcome them back and love them with the intense love possible only by God. He’ll do the same for you, if you recommit to Him! I have included helps for you in the ‘Footnote’ below. Please make this the first day of ‘real’, ‘committed’, life in Christ today!
Prayer: Thank You Jesus for the reminder in these verses today of Your awesome love for us, and how You are so ready and willing to accept us, Your children, when we call upon Your name in humility and forgiveness. Many of my friends are hurting and filled with one disappointment after another because of worldly circumstances or possibly bad choices by them. Please use Your Word, and possibly this devotional to encourage them, to soften their hearts to the point of surrender, and a new life in You. This my humble prayer that I ask in faith, and in the name of 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 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 blogger.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!
Woe To You……
Scripture: Genesis 36 – 37; Matthew 11
OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God.21 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today.24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.” Matt 11:20-24 (NLT)
APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)
I believe that too often we tend to think about how good we are as a church, or a nation, that God would surely bless everyone in it. I also think that we tend to take it for granted that because we go to this or that church every week we will also go to heaven. Friends, there is only one way to get there, and that is to accept Jesus as Lord of you life. Just like Jesus may have done numerous miracles in our church, or in our family, so we may be tempted to think that we too are among those blessed, and will surely reap God’s blessings. These verses tell us that although Jesus performed many miracles in these towns, yet they (the people) will surely die and go to hell if they don’t make personal decisions to accept Him. We too must turn to God, and not think for a moment that we can depend on our blessed lineage to also slip into Heaven. It just doesn’t happen that way. Woe to any that believe that way. A personal decision to accept Jesus is THE only way to ever see Jesus and/or Heaven. The one good thing is that, if you are able to read this devotional today, there is still time for you to make the type decision of which I speak about here. Don’t delay your decision friend, we are not promised one moment past the present breath. Contact me if you would like a friend to talk with about this decision. Directly from God’s Word I will find the words to help you in your decision to accept Jesus. Respond to this posting today, please?
PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)
Thank You Father for saving my soul. please help me to be sensitive to those who have yet to make this most important decision. Please direct me to someone today that I may help in their dilemma so that they may personally know that they will see You one day, regardless of what may go on around them. Thank You for making this provision for us and providing a means for forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.
A Covenant Relationship
Scripture: Genesis 17
OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! Gen 17:1-6 (NLT)
APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)
Much is said in God’s Work about covenant relationships. In this particular chapter there were several covenant relationships made with Abram (Abraham) and they all were similar in form. God made a covenant that He would do certain things and this was either preceded, or followed by, certain things that would be required by Abram and/or his people. In this particular covenant God told his servant who was once fatherless, that he would become the father of countless descendants and of many nations, and to mark this his name would be changed to reflect the new him, because Abraham actually means ‘Father of Many’. Now prior to all this being revealed, God demanded of Abram that he vow to serve Him faithfully and live a blameless life. Throughout God’s Word He makes many promises to us, the greatest of which was the gift of His Son Jesus. In this particular covenant, God sent His Son so that those of us that believe on, and accept Him as Lord of our life, would have eternal life. At Christmas time we celebrate the gift that was presented to us. I trust that for all who may read this devotional, You would truly accept this gift and complete the covenant presented by God, for I guarantee you that He will live up to His part of the covenant by opening heaven’s gates and receiving us into eternity with Him. Friend I pray that your eyes will be opened to this invitation, because the alternative is not very bright for those who refuse to accept Jesus. An eternal life of damnation and the unpleasentries of Hell is not anything that I can imagine anyone wanting to set as a goal in their life.
PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)
Father I thank You for the greatest gift ever given – Your Son. I thank You also for touching my life and encouraging me to accept Your gift some 35 years ago. I am concerned about the numerous number of family and/or friends and/or co-workers that have chosen to ignore Your gift and the covenant You have offered to us. I pray that this will be an important Christmas weekend in the lives of those that You have touched my life through, because I pray that You will once again overly sensitize their hearts so that they will understand how hopeless life is without You. May they experience the real meaning of the reason that we celebrate Christmas as they surrender and submit their lives to You this week.
Nuggets From God's Word 