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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-03-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 22:1-5 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David’s plea to God reminds me of a gospel hymn ‘Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there’! David recognized that although it appeared like God had abandoned him, yet he knew that God had been supreme to his ancestors and answered their prayers. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| In a given day, I wonder how many folk we come across that may have abandoned God because they were frustrated into thinking that perhaps He doesn’t exist, since He refuses to answer their prayer. However I wonder if there is enough relationship between them and God that He would recognize their voice, and therefore stop to listen? Friends, if you separated yourself from your earthly dad and never supported him or cared enough to call or visit him, how do you think it would go if you asked him to help you make that vacation trip to some beautiful tropical island this year? Your separation may have been to hurt your dad for something he said to you in all honesty, but now that you need something, he’s the only one you could call on. Sounds like your story, or like stories you’ve heard? Unfortunately I believe that many of us treat our heavenly Father in a very similar fashion. Mom had this primitive belief that you should give your heart to the Lord. Her pastor visited to tell you about the joy possible in accepting the free gift of salvation. Your best friend invited you to attend church with them one Sunday. But to each of these messengers from God, you said ‘no’ because you were unwilling to change your priorities and find time for Jesus. However, an unfortunate day came when your son was hit by a car and winds up in hospital with a serious threat of possibly losing his life. Who will you call on? Please don’t misunderstand me that I am suggesting that you accept Jesus and live a life dedicated to Him so you could have that ‘good luck charm’ in your back pocket should your son get hit by a car. No, what I am saying is that I would sincerely recommend that you consider the love of Jesus for even you and I. A love that took Him to the cross of Calvary, just so that you and I could be saved from the pit of Hell and instead be assured the glories of heaven with Jesus and His Father. Knowing Him gives us assurance that whether we live on this earth, or die, there is eternal hope for us to see Jesus face to face where we might glorify Him for ever and ever. Knowing Jesus gives you assurance that when you petition Him in prayer, that you can leave the matter at His feet in confidence knowing that He will answer your prayer. You will quickly learn that since you asked Jesus in earnest, His response could be yes, or no, or I have something much better in store for You, or not at this time dear child. Wont’ you know Him today friend and know that peace that comes from being one with Him? The benefits, contentment, glory and peace that comes from knowing Jesus personally, are simply ‘out of this world’! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for hearing the prayers of Your children. What a reminder today that even David had times of questioning, because we tend to do that so often. However, I praise You heavenly Father for ALWAYS answering perfectly! Only You know the perfect outcome for our situations, so thank You for hearing our cry, but answering in a way that You know is perfect! May we never lose sight of who You are, and Your awesome power to do all things that fits perfectly into Your will for our lives. To God be the 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! | |
Tag: Jesus
How Long Do I Have?
|
Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-03-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 24:37-42 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
37-38 “The world will be at ease – banquets and parties and weddings – just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the Flood; 39 people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen until the Flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be.
40 “Two men will be working together in the fields, and one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be going about their household tasks; one will be taken, the other left. 42 “So be prepared, for you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus took the opportunity to further explain how it will be when He returns to take His church/His children home to glory. Like many serious events in our lifetime here on earth, it won’t be on our timetable. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| At my church there is a group that I shepherd, and back in December we had our Christmas party all planned out, including a few things I wanted to share as part of a devotional. Well guess what, I surprisingly wound up spending that time period in the hospital and the party had to go on without me. In our verses today, there is another such story in the Bible where Noah was commissioned to find the righteous in his area. Finding none, he was ordered to build a boat in the middle of the land. This made as much sense to the people as someone today building an airplane in a high-rise downtown New York city! But Noah was an obedient servant who left the logistics of launching that huge ship up to the God who ordered him to build it. Friends, doctors today have been blessed with such talent, and they have so many technologies available to help them analyze their diagnosis of a patient, yet I believe that most of us head home from a doctor’s visit and research on the internet all side effects of any medications prescribed, or any new diagnosis shared by the doctor. I wonder how many go home from a church service and research more about what their pastor shared in his sermon! I wonder how many go to the main resource for life, the Bible, to see what God says about current world events, or personal issues they are dealing with! I wonder how many see enough of Jesus in Christians that they ask “what is your source of hope, because I need some of that!” I wonder what we will say to Jesus when questioned about a family member or friend that we never warned about the separation that will come when Jesus returns, should they not have heard about or accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior! I believe that doctors have gotten a whole lot better at telling their patients the truth about their evaluation of their remaining life. I hope that my fellow Christians and myself will do a better job of doing the same. The Bible tells us that can be at any time Jesus sees fit. Let’s not ‘sugar-coat’ that news as we glory with those who are ready, or challenge those who are not ready to go. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Come Lord Jesus, even today! Lord, I pray that we, Your children, will be honest in telling the BIG news today, even though for some that will be so challenging that they may reject us. All the same, please help us to be very honest and not tell them what we think they want to hear. Your Word is a light unto our path, and that same Word tells us that Your return is eminent, and could be at any given moment. Praise God for all who are reading this devotional and know that they are ready to see Jesus, now may we all be busy sharing with our family and friends the clear path to eternal life, God being our helper. Thank You Lord Jesus for being the Way, the Truth and the Light for all mankind, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Warning! Be Alert!
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-03-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 24:23-28 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
23-25 “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I’ve given you fair warning. 26-28 “So if they say, ‘Run to the country and see him arrive!’ or, ‘Quick, get downtown, see him come!’ don’t give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn’t something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it’s not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In this Scripture it was obvious that Jesus saw clearly how easy it was for the people to be persuaded about the return of the Lord, so He gave some clear signs for children of God to look for, and he gave warnings for things that might sway them towards misrepresentations of the return of Christ. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Unfortunately we still see lots of examples like those Jesus warned of in this passage, for we know of the glamourous attractions of various public ‘ministries’ that easily get the attention of thousands and thousands, who will travel hundreds of miles to be miraculous touched by them. Friends, I hate to burst your bubble, but these ‘men’ or ‘women’ can merely lead you to the cross for healing from the Master himself, and as the Word of God says, it’s because of your faith in God, that will heal you, nothing more, nothing less. We’ve heard the predictions of many about the day of the return of Jesus. Not possible, for the Word of God declares that Jesus Himself doesn’t have that date or hour, only the Father Himself. Do pray tell me why someone would declare that they are closer to the Father than His very own Son! Please don’t misunderstand, as I am not saying that you shouldn’t be encouraged by a public ministry figure. However, should they cross the line and meet the criteria that Jesus is warning us to look out for, please be diligent enough to know that it is time for you to move on. Know also that the only way you will know TRUTH, is to study the Word of God yourself, for if you don’t, then everything will sound right to you that may come from every teacher – true or false. In conclusion, let me assure you that the Word of God is clear that Jesus will return again to take His bride – the church, home to be with He and the Father. ‘The Church’ is made up of born again believers in Jesus Christ, so in some households or churches, one might graduate to heaven while their friend right next to them may have never surrendered their life to the Lord Jesus. When will this occur? Jesus said that He is unaware of the date or the hour, for only the Father in Heaven knows that. Being ready to go now is the only way of assuring you that should He return in the very next minute, or later in the year, or just at a future date, it doesn’t matter, for you will be ‘ready’ to go! I hope that you can share and appreciate the excitement of that return with me friend! When we’re excited about a trip or any future event, we become impatient with delays, oh that Jesus will keep us excited about our journey as we share with others today and every day! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Having just taken a trip, the impatience of delays and disruptions are fresh on my mind, so Lord Jesus I pray that You will be with Your children as we standby for the trumpet sound and the gates opening wide as You return to take us home to glory with You! We can hardly contain ourselves as we think about that! Now may we be bold enough to share that excitement with others, so that they too might catch a glimpse of the day of Your return and accept Your invitation to join the throng as we await Your return. Oh, ‘What a Day That Will Be, when My Jesus I shall See, when I look upon His face….’. Lord, may the excitement of Your return incent your children to witness to others today and every day until You return! 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! | |
Prepared To Go?
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-03-18 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 24:9-14 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
9 ….People all over the world will hate you because you believe in me. 10 During that time many believers will lose their faith. They will turn against each other and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe things that are wrong. 12 There will be so much more evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold. 13 But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News I have shared about God’s kingdom will be told throughout the world…. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus was asked to explain when the end of time will come. He responded with several signs, and in the link to our scripture reference you will find the whole chapter that details it all. However, in these verses we will look at reasons why we should be prepared even before the signs materialize. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I Find it interesting how some folk may not react to warnings but rather to certain actions that confirm the warnings, whereas some are proactive and prepare ahead of time for what is predicted. In my part of the world we particularly see this with hurricanes. In Christianity we try to teach that because God loved us so much, He gave us His very own Son to live among us, experience our challenges, then die a cruel death to make our hope a reality and our future in eternal life assured. Based on that love, many accept that offer of salvation through our Lord and Savior who died for us. However, some gamble with their very lives by thinking they could wait until the end of their life and, when given no other choice, then try Jesus. Unfortunately for the ‘gamblers’, these end of time signs include no clues as to when they will occur, and to be realistic, we are seeing many of these things quickly falling into place even now. I hope that for any of us meditating on this devotional today, our minds would become more focused on the Savior who loved us enough that He provided a ‘sign’ to us in the shape of a cross on which He was crucified, just to prove His love for us. In being reminded of, and refocused on that, won’t you show your appreciation and reciprocal love to Jesus by accepting that gift of love He produced for all who would accept it? Please don’t wait for the signs told of in the Scripture today, for many will never live to see these materialize, and you could be one of them. At the time of reading this blog you are assured of life here on earth, however the very next moment you could be facing death, with no further chance to change your mind about this loving Jesus of whom I witness and share with you about. The Bible is clear about what happens to the ones who reject the gift of Jesus also, and it is not good friend. For those who reject Jesus, or have never accepted His gift of eternal life, their eyes will be opened in the pit of Hell under the reign of Satan himself. Only you can make the above choices friend, and unless you make a deliberate choice to allow Jesus access and Kingship over your life, then your destination is determined to be under the lordship of Satan. My obvious desire is to see all of my family, friends and readers of this blog at the feet of Jesus in glory. Please don’t disappoint me, make the choice today to accept Jesus as Lord and follow Him. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You Lord Jesus for loving us enough to pay the ultimate price for our sins, giving us the hope of eternity in heaven with You, Your Father, and all of our loved ones gone on before us who claimed You as their Savior. I am flabbergasted that the King of Glory would love me enough to do this even if I was the only one needing a Savior! Wow! Lord, I pray Your emense blessings on Your Word as it is shared today and tomorrow through this blog, through pulpits in various churches, and in neighborhoods where Christians will share their testimony of the Christ who saved them from Hell. May Your Word bring forth much fruit today, and may those who have never given ear to the truth of Your love for them, hear, believe and accept the love You freely poured out for them. I love You Lord. May You receive honor and praise in many ways this weekend! 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! | |
Careful of ‘Burn-Out’
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-03-17 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 18:17-18 (NIV) |
|
Text: |
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Moses had fallen into the trap of assuming that only he could hear and solve the disagreements among the people. Praise God,someone loved him enough to challenge him about being the judge and savior for all these people,and offered a solution to him to avoid ‘burn-out’. This is a lesson we all can learn from! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, saw something coming to Moses, and he gave him good advice that would do many leaders today a world of good! Jethro saw that Moses would soon ‘burn-out’ if he continued at the rate he was going. Many leaders fall into the trap that Moses found himself in, for they are very guilty of acting like unless they do the job themselves, it won’t get done properly. Many would just as soon do the job themselves instead of dealing with the sting of rejection, or subordinates that become agitated because they feel taken advantage of, when asked to do additional work. Friends, I would never indicate that I am perfect, but I see this way too often. It is probably one of the hardest lessons for a manager/leader to learn and practice, for way too often we feel like we may not have a job tomorrow if a subordinate is capable of doing our job. I had a manager who told me at least annually that my job is not considered fully achieved, unless I have someone fully trained to do it in my absence. Friends, this happens way too often in God’s work around the church also, where our pastors; teachers;maintenance teams,deacons and elders become over burdened with responsibilities because of the above reasons. Unfortunately, while this goes on and these leaders bury themselves in pressure and endless hours, others sit around finding fault, or feeling incomplete because they are not asked to learn additional responsibilities or help in some way. Friends, may I suggest that we are doing God and our fellow men and women a disservice when we don’t give them an opportunity to help alongside of us? If we burn ourselves out before we ask someone to come alongside of us and train to help us out, I honestly believe that God will hold us accountable for our selfishness. Let me encourage you to seek the seek the face of Jesus and ask Him to open your eyes for opportunities to mentor someone else to eventually assume your responsibilities in all phases of your work life. Remember, your job is considered incomplete, unless you have someone trained to assume your responsibilities when you are unavailable to do so! Seek God’s face for the one that He has in mind to train under you and help you out. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for trusting me enough to allow me to serve in Your vineyard here on planet earth. Who am I that the King of Glory should live and die for? Who am I that this same King would choose to adopt me into Your kingdom and allow me to serve your people while remaining here on earth? I’m just a sinner, saved by your wonderful and marvelous grace! Because You have trusted me to serve, may I be very open to allowing others to serve as You direct, and may I not be judgmental of their relationship with You. For all those who will read this devotional, may God be gracious to you, and may He use you fully to reach the lost and disciple them until Jesus returns to take us, and them, up to glory to be one with the Father. 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! | |
And Why Are You Complaining Again?
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-03-15 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 16:8 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
8 And Moses said, “Each evening the Lord will give you meat to eat, and every morning he will give you all the bread you want, because he has heard you grumble against him. You are not grumbling against Aaron and me, because we are nothing; you are grumbling against the Lord.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God had brought the Israelites through so much, and He had revealed Himself through miracle and after miracle to them. Yet at every opportunity, they turned their faces on God and complained about their plight. In this particular case it was about food. For those that never complain, I know it will be challenging to try and apply this lesson today, but let’s have a look!! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| It is unfortunate, but I believe that believers are probably just as bad as non-believers when it comes to complaining and finding fault. Perhaps it’s about the pastor, because he didn’t visit us when we were sick; or he spoke on Hell instead of Heaven; or I just don’t get anything from his sermons; or I just can’t get over how everyone complains about him…. Although I know it would be challenging to admit that you participated in this type of complaining, I’m sure that you’ve heard this and a whole lot more – perhaps about the choir, praise team, elders, deacons, maintenance, janitors, etc. Ever stopped to think about the words of Moses in these verses? You see, the faithful are sincerely praying for the pastor – that he may receive a revelation from God on what his flock needs and how God might choose to meet those needs. May I encourage you to really let the words of Moses penetrate your heart and your soul, and not be guilty of complaining against what God is doing through His servants who stand in front of you each week preaching, teaching or serving in any way? May I suggest that you join those who are praying for more blessings for the same ones that you’ve been complaining about? I believe that like me, you want to hear from God at every opportunity possible, and since He has chosen to speak through His servants to us, then we must earnestly be in prayer for those who serve us, that they can step away from the world and become so entrenched in the presence of God, that they will come before us as vessels filled with a word from God, that will be applicable to us and cause us to grow in our faith and relationship with God. Something I heard a long time ago, that is still applicable today: ‘You will give out of something, as much as you have put into it’. Think about that! If you pray for your pastor and staff, perhaps you will be come away from services and teaching classes filled with the awesome power of God that you prayed down on them. May I suggest that anytime you come away from a service feeling empty and unfulfilled, ask God to reveal where you went wrong in your praying for that service? Like Moses, our pastors are nothing more than us – human beings, however the God that we pray they will be filled with, He is everything! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, please forgive us for whining and complaining so much, when in fact we have so much to be extremely thankful for and blessed through and through about. We really should be spending our time lifting up holy hands and singing praises to You at every opportunity. Lord may we endeavor to praise and thank You more than we have ever done before. May we learn to pray for the very folk that we tend to complain about and find fault with. Lord, be glorified in our lives today, is my humble prayer, 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 Promised Healer
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-03-14 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 15:26 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
God said, “If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won’t strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God had performed miracle after miracle in the process of getting His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness, yet as soon as they felt like their crisis was over, the Israelites would return to their false gods and their sinful ways. So God made them a conditional promise, that I believe holds true even today. Let’s look at this closely, as I believe it could reap benefits for the child of God even now. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I want you to be the judge in a scenario I will explain. The cops are called to a scene where trouble was reported. There are two young men at the scene. One (dressed in jogging pants) reports that he was passing by on his daily walk, and was beat up and robbed by the other man. The second man reports that the first man cursed at him and hurled insults at him while he was passing by, and provoked him to protect his ‘good name’. Fortunately, the police have never seen the first man before, whereas the second one had many encounters with the law over the past year. Who would you assume to be the guilty party among the two? As in this illustration, I believe that God was reminding the Israelites that if they live in obedience to the commands that He had laid out for them, then He will know they are serious about their commitment to Him, and for that He will spare them of the plagues and sicknesses that He was forced to send on the Egyptians to get their attention. In fact, He promised that He would be their healer. And this is where my introductory story fits in, for if you are living like the devil, why would you want, or expect God to step in and heal you or help you through a difficult time? In His Word, God is clear that He will punish the wicked but joyfully bless and heal the righteous. Based on your lifestyle, your commitment, and your obedience to God, will He recognize your cry, as one of His, when you cry for help? If not friend, may I encourage you to surrender your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, and learn to live in obedience to His Word, so that you may become one with He and His Father – God? Then we can claim the promise given to us in this verse today, that He is our Healer! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Dear God, You have already given so much for us. Thank You from the very bottom of my heart for loving each of us so much that You gave everything – for our ultimate good! After reading through the Israelites plight through the wilderness, and seeing Your willingness to still accept them and promise to be their Healer, I believe that Your children today who might meditate on this blog still stands a chance also. I don’t believe the rules have changed, for I believe that You still want to see us be obedient to Your commands that You lovingly put in place to help us be more like You. Please provoke us towards being Your obedient children willing to honor and serve You in every way possible, every day. 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! | |
Only God
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-03-13 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 14:31 (AMP) |
|
Text: |
31 When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord [with reverence and awe-filled respect], and they believed in the Lord, and in His servant Moses. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Israelites had a hard time trusting Moses and his God, as they suffered through the heat, drought and weariness of wandering through the wilderness, even though God came through for them on many occasions. Here on yet another occasion it became evident to the Israelites that only God could hold the waters back so they could walk through the Red Sea on dry land, and only God could give the command to fill the sea back, after the Israelites were safely on the other side and the Egyptians were dead center in the middle of it when it collapsed on top of them. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We could see where the episode detailed in our Scripture verses today is yet another in a series of miracles that God performed to help gain the confidence and trust of the Israelites that He allowed Moses to lead away from Egypt. At the conclusion of this particular episode, the Israelites were able to look back in wonderment of what God had just done to bring them safely through a body of water, then how He used that same body of water to destroy their slave-masters – the Egyptian army. Is this what’s missing from our culture today? I believe that miracles still occur, but are they getting passed off as happen-chance, or good luck, or great doctors? How about when a young drug addict is drawn to the Lord, is it ever said that it was because of the prayers of a praying mom and dad, that God got to the heart of that son or daughter and drew them to Himself? Friends, we are quickly approaching the Easter season where we are reminded of the resurrected Lord. He is still on the throne and still very active in the lives of His children. Yes we can tell the stories of miracles from the Bible so that we could be reminded of the power of our God, but we must never forget that He is still on the throne; He still answers the prayers of His children; and that He still performs miracles even today. Drug addicts and those trapped by Satan will quickly tell you of the dark underground where they live. Now if only Christians will be as quick to brag about the power of God in their lives each day! When you see answered prayer, believe me, that was a miracle of God, not because of any power of yours or your pastor’s. Be ready and willing to praise and thank God for the miracles, and always be ready to brag on your miracles so that others may see, or hear, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Israelites saw and believed – your friends can do the same, if you remain faithful and give God the glory! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, it took miracle after miracle to get through to the stubborn hearts of the Israelites that You carefully led out of slavery in Egypt. There are many of our friends, neighbors and family who are enslaved to the greater sins of this world today, and You have placed us plum in the middle of all this so that we could expose them to the miracle of the gospel. Please touch your children once again today dear Lord and give us boldness to declare the goodness of the Lord. We are thankful for the miracles we see each and every day through answered prayer, please help us to use those experiences to brag on You before an unbelieving world. May they see Jesus through our eyes, so they may understand the Miracle Worker that we love and adore. May they seek Your saving grace even today dear 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! | |
What Belongs To God?
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-03-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 22:17-21 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”18-19 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece.
20 “This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?” 21 They said, “Caesar.” “Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus immediately saw through the questioning that the Pharisees/Herodians were trying to entrap Him with, and follow through with a reason to arrest Him. However in Jesus’ response to their questioning He actually gave them something to ponder about themselves. In fact, this continues to challenge believers today, so let’s explore this in our application… | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| A previous pastor once told his flock that after praying earnestly for a car, his dad gave him a new one when he headed off to seminary. Of course, this became the envy of those he befriended, so they tried to entrap him by asking to borrow the car. To their surprise, he whipped out the keys, but as he handed them to his friend, he said “here you go, but this car belongs to Jesus, treat it that way”. Some may find this amusing, but friend, I want you to consider the question from Jesus, and my little story, and I really want you to stop and consider all that you can attribute to a direct gift from Jesus, or in response to prayer to Him. Let me share a few of mine to help stir your memory, or thought process: God gave me qualities to work in the financial sector, and some 45 years ago I started that career, should I whine and complain when I go to work each day, or should I praise God once again for blessing me for over 45 years of preparing and/or working in this field? Next, my wife and I were prompted to apply for entry into the US some 30 years ago, and we were quickly approved. This was much to the dismay and disappointment of my aging parents. However, we saw many things that God had stored up for us after our move: Within one year this paved the way for doctors to save the life of my dad; Shortly afterwards the life of another relative was saved; then we had a lifelong dream come true as we added a child to our family. Friends, I could go on, but suffice to say that because we allowed Jesus to lead, He showed us how awesome He truly could be to His children. This is true in many of your lives also, for who brings that beautiful sun up each day? Who allows you to have a job and another may still be struggling to find one at the moment? Who allows you to be up and moving around when another just like you, is bedridden with so some serious health issue? Who keeps you safe on the roads each day while you pass wrecks along the way? So as you evaluate these thoughts today, the question becomes: what do you do in response to all God has given, and continues to give, to you? He showed His redeeming love for you when He died on a cruel cross at Calvary, and He continues to love you as He blesses in unlimited ways that you may have thought of after reading this blog. What do you give to Him in return? How much of your time each week do you give to the Lord? How about your finances resulting from the job He directed you to and blesses you with each day? May I suggest a God-honoring, proven method on this topic? Try this: Give God at least 10% right off the top from each and every paycheck (I give on the gross), through your local church, and give it joyfully and thankfully. No worries about being able to meet the rest of your budget, for God will honor your obedience to His commands, and He will take care of the rest. If you are a God-honoring, thankful person, then be sure that you meet together with other believers at a local church at least once or twice a week, and try to bless and encourage someone there. God will see to it that blessings will be returned to you many times over! Friends, you can’t out-give God! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for all that You have given to me and the doors of opportunity You have opened to me. Lord, it seems like we are quick to honor all that’s expected of us from government, our employer and our family, yet we often wait until our luck has run out to look to You. Please forgive us for our ungrateful hearts, and teach us to become loyal to the source and giver of all things, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 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! | |
Did You RSVP Yet?
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-03-10 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 22:12-14 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In this parable, Jesus tells of a king who invited many guests to a wedding feast. When they didn’t show up, he sent his servants into the streets to invite any and everyone in. Most came prepared for a wedding feast, except one, whom the king addressed personally about his attire. With no explanation from the guest, the king had him thrown out. Let’s see out this applies to us…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I would imagine that in your church you face pretty much the same challenge as in my church, for members and attendees are encouraged to go and invite a friend or neighbor to church with you. Now, in your mind I want you to scan the audience of one of your favorite services and consider this question: If Jesus returned to gather His bride, the saved of this earth, right in the middle of that favorite service, how many do you think would remain? I know that you are not the judge, but wouldn’t you assume that there will be some who have just gone through the motions and attended church to please someone, or to keep someone from continuously bugging them, but they have never accepted the call (invitation) of Jesus to surrender their life to Him? I believe that there is no better place to find good, sincere friends and fellowship than around churches. I believe that there is no better place to be, than with God’s people who sincerely worship their God, seek His face in prayer, and understand His response through studying, or hearing the Word of God taught/preached. However, there is nothing in the Word of God that indicates that because you were invited to church and attended; or you had good fellowship with believers and actually befriended several of them; or you heard the Word taught or preached; or you attended a very serious prayer meeting – none of these things qualify you for meeting Jesus face to face. I believe that Jesus is extremely happy to see you fellowship with His children, but unless you believe on their Lord and Savior and surrender your life to His call on your life, then you will be much like the miss-dressed guest in this story when Jesus considers whether to accept you into His kingdom. So friend, you received an invitation to fellowship with believers and you accepted and did that. Hopefully you also received an invitation – a tug on your heart from the Lord Jesus to surrender your life of sin to Him for forgiveness and acceptance into His kingdom. That RSVP is the only means of you retiring to glory when you graduate from this earth. For it is only through accepting Jesus as Lord that He will see a believer as one washed white as snow, because of His forgiveness and acceptance. Neglecting this step will lead you to the same outer darkness referring to in the Scripture today. You, and only you, will make the choice about responding to Jesus. My prayer is that, if you have not knowingly made this commitment before, that you go directly to my Footnote and click the link ‘To Know Jesus’, for no one knows the day or the hour when the Lord will call either of us out of this world. Let’s be ‘dressed in our wedding clothes’, in other words, be found righteous by our holy God, and therefore ready to meet Him in the air! That meeting could take place today! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You for Your precious Word dear Lord, and I thank You for tugging at my heart’s door many years ago, and I humbly accepted Your call. Lord, may I be found faithful right up to the day that You call me home to be with You. Lord, I may have some friends, and maybe even some family, who may fit into the same scenario as the guest who was thrown out from the wedding feast, for I’m not sure that they ever completed their RSVP that You personally delivered to them. I believe there will also be readers of this blog that may fit this description also. Lord, I pray that You would anoint this blog with Your Holy Spirit that will tug at the hearts of these ones again today. May this be a day of decision by many today, is my heart’s cry in sincere prayer to the only One who can make a difference, Jesus, my Lord and King, 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 