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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-01-24 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Ephesians 4:30-32 (TLB) |
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Text: |
30 Don’t cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who marks you to be present on that day when salvation from sin will be complete.
31 Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| This is an awesome passage today, in that it tells us what pleases our Father; Some major things that we should strive to avoid in our character; but most importantly, some things that we should be doing that really exemplifies and pleases Christ. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
Many people look at the Bible as a Book of ‘don’ts’ for there is so much that we are told not to do. This could be the case for those who have a guilty conscience for all that they are doing that probably do not please our Maker. For I have found in several cases where, although we are told about our wrong doings, we can also find even stronger teachings on what we should be doing that would please God. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told the Ephesians, and I truly believe that his Words are still echoing to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ today, that there are some things that we do that are so contrary to the will of Christ, that it downright sorrows, or grieves the Holy Spirit. No doubt there are tons of guilty consciences hitting each reader by now, for that same sweet Holy Spirit also speaks to us personally about what displeases Him. But let’s have a look at what Paul taught, and let’s particularly draw a parallel between what the Holy Spirit dislikes, vs what pleases God:
Now, although Paul didn’t say that the first list of characteristics were not of Christ, it did say that the second list – especially forgiveness, was the image, or practice that imitates how God has forgiven us because we belong to Christ. Friends, we must always keep in mind that our natural, sinful selves will lead us towards the characteristics mentioned in the first bullet. A surrendered life, seeking to please the Master – Jesus Christ, will always seek to do the things mentioned in the second bullet. It may be a good idea to keep the two lists posted in a prominent place to remind us when we are acting ungodly and displeasing the Holy Spirit, so that we may quickly seek God’s help to overcome and change our evil ways. Being a child in the Algreen home, caused me to always strive to please my Algreen parents. Being a child of the King of all kings, should always cause you and I to strive towards pleasing Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives. There’s a song that includes the words ‘they will know us by our love’, meaning that the world will recognize Christians by their love – the love and character of Jesus Christ. How are you perceived by others Brother and Sister? Is it obvious to whom you belong, based on your actions and characteristics? |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You set an awesome example for us to follow. So in reading this passage today and hearing Paul teach on the characteristics that please Your Holy Spirit, we can reflect back on Your Word and see example after example where You demonstrated these same characteristics. Whereas, the qualities on the ‘don’t’ list are all ones that You warned about in many of Your teachings. So Lord, we have been reminded of what pleases the Holy Spirit, and what grieves Him. Please touch Your children today so that we may make wise decisions in every aspect of our lives, especially in our character. May we please You by obeying Your teachings and Your example. In humbleness of heart and seeking to serve You obediently today, I ask these things in the worthy name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN! |
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| 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: Living for Jesus
Who Has Top Priority In Your Life?
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Genesis 22:9-12 (TLB) |
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Text: |
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him. 11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Abraham had proven God in many ways already in his life, for we remember that he and Sarah were unable to have children, then God ‘opened his wife’s womb’ and blessed them with a son, to begin with. But in the scripture we see where God is now testing Abraham beyond anything we could ever imagine, for He asked Abraham to take his favorite son and sacrifice him at a mountain where He would lead he and Isaac to. I can’t help but think of the parallel between this testing of Abraham and the sacrifice made by God himself when He sacrificed His beloved Son, Jesus, on a cruel cross at Calvary. Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice, and so did Jesus in the case of carrying the wood for the cross He would be crucified on. Abraham was determined to be obedient, right down to sacrificing his dearly loved son, Isaac, if that’s what God instructed him to do, and to show his commitment and allegiance to Almighty God. Jesus was also willingly sacrificed by His Father to show God’s love for the world, and His desire to save mankind from their sin. This was God’s top priority. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When we consider what, or who, is the top priority in someone’s life, we tend to look at the area where they spend most of their time or money. I’ve always heard that looking at a man’s bank statement will tell you where his priorities are! Wouldn’t it be interesting to also ask a man to sacrifice one of these top priorities, even for a period of time? I am participating in a period of prayer and fasting that 8 local churches have committed to for 21 days. Individuals have sought God’s help to fast from the very item that tends to consume much of their time, energy or consumption, and during this 21 days, replace that with prayer and directly seeking God’s face. Friends, this is leading our county into a supernatural revival of our people, for we are finding out that there is only one thing that deserves our attention and priority in life, the very thing that has everlasting hope and eternal benefits. It is unfortunate, but when the things of this world become so prominent in our lives, the Lord Jesus becomes so dimly unimportant. We blame a lot of our non-commitment on the lack of time that we have to do the will, or work, of the Lord. You know, we have taken on so much of this world’s things and habits, that it takes most of our day to keep those things flourishing. Please allow me to share one tip that will help you deal with God on the lack of time that you spend with Him. For every prayer, worship or witness opportunity that you miss, or shorten, because you are challenged with time constraints, please consider kneeling before God at the end of the day, and as you review your day with Him, ask Him to forgive you for not making Him the priority in your life in those areas. You make time for those things that are a priority to you. Time and priority go hand-in-hand, just try using the word priority in place of time when you speak with God. Of top priority to Abraham was his obedience to God, even if it meant sacrificing His beloved son Isaac. What is your top priority, and what would you be willing to sacrifice, or fast, in order to consistently meet the priority of serving God? Is your commitment to God worth the sacrifice? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You Heavenly Father for finding time to love us, and for making it a priority to provide for our salvation, even at the expense of sacrificing Your very own Son. You found no excuses, and You made the necessary provisions for us in spite of every thing else. Please forgive us for the priorities we have allowed to step in the way of our commitment to You. Wow, what a way for us to return thanks to You. Oh how we need a Savior more today than ever before in the history of this earth. I’m sure that the world must listen to us, and look at us with wonder, and question why we think that we owe our lives to You. Because they notice how we tend to place so little emphasis on the reason that we sing, or worship, or serve, or love our Savior. Thank You Lord Jesus for giving and giving and giving to us. May we set top priorities to worship and praise You for the gift of life, and for eternal life that we will spend with You. From the depths of my heart I praise You Heavenly Father for loving me and providing this earth, and all that’s in it, plus an eternal home for me to be with You and the Father on day. Please speak to the hearts of those who will read this devotional today. Please minister to their needs and draw them closer to You in every way. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
The Suffiency of God’s Grace!
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-01-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (Voice) |
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Text: |
7 To keep me grounded and stop me from becoming too high and mighty due to the extraordinary character of these revelations, I was given a thorn in the flesh—a nagging nuisance of Satan, a messenger to plague me! 8 I begged the Lord three times to liberate me from its anguish; 9 and finally He said to me, “My grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” So ask me about my thorn, inquire about my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on—I would rather stake my claim in these and have the power of the Anointed One at home within me. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Paul shared that he could easily have become puffed up, because of all that God had blessed him with, however, we acknowledged the ‘speed bumps’ that God placed in his way so that pride didn’t develop in his life. No doubt many of us might often beat up on God because of ‘roadblocks’ that we feel are hindering our success, so let’s look at the application of this text. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| How easy is it for us to feel despondent and forgotten when it seems like we constantly face ‘roadblocks’, or ‘speed bumps’ in our lives. Friends, I believe it is times like that when we must stop and acknowledge that we are working God’s agenda, not Him working our scheduling. About a month ago I had great plans for a party I would lead for a Married Couples group that I teach. Guess what, my plans never materialized, because while I was in a hospital bed, the party was at one of the couple’s home! I believe that God made me realize that no matter how well we might plan, it is left entirely up to Him as to what will transpire, so that He might be glorified and allowed to work in the midst of it all. Now in no way am I advocating that it’s not important to plan ahead, but what I am saying is that it is God who will be victorious, and receive the glory for all that is done and all that is accomplished. The other application I can share with you is that I have had the honor of substitute teaching in a Sunday School class for a retired pastor of our church. I don’t know anything more humbling than to stand in front of a class who has been blessed with powerful teaching and the unimaginable knowledge of a great man of God. But folk, I quickly learned that it’s not about me, or about that retired pastor, for as this passage advocates, God’s strength and power becomes evident through the weakness of those who place their faith, trust and dependence in Him. I trust that we will daily surrender our all to Jesus every day, so that HE might rule and reign in all the circumstances that we may find ourselves in that day. Lord, may they see the face of Jesus as others look at us, for only His grace can fulfil their need! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, Paul shared with us how You were able to work, especially through his weaknesses. I am certain that today we will be tempted to allow our selfish pride and self-proclaimed strengths to stand in the way of our awesome God working out His will through us, so Father, I pray that You will work on us internally to worry not about our weaknesses or inadequacies, but to simply surrender our all to You, so that it might be obvious to everyone that we come into contact with who truly rules and reigns in our hearts and lives. Yes, Your grace is sufficient to meet our every need. Thank You Jesus for blessing us with Your grace. 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! | |
Grounded Decisions
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-01-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 7:24-27 (TLB) |
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Text: |
24 “All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock.
26 “But those who hear my instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. 27 For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that Jesus saw men flagging in bad decisions in His day also, so He taught them about what causes those unwarranted decisions, and what they could do about turning that weakness around. This is a lesson for people of all ages to follow, so let’s look at how we might apply this to our lives. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
Jesus is very deliberate in what He instructed, and He used an example to clarify what He taught about making sound, or grounded decisions, and gave examples of what the results might look like. In the example of building a house on solid ground, this rings real close to home with me, because I come from a country where houses are generally built super strong and deeply grounded, because of the hurricanes that often pass over those islands, The Bahamas. However, Jesus was extremely clear in what he taught, so let’s not get too caught up in the examples that Jesus used, but rather concentrate on the simple truth of His Word. Based on this, I feel like I can safely teach you that your premise for making grounded, or safe decisions that are backed by God, are based on the condition used by Jesus when He said that we are to:
Now I believe that many times we will listen and obey God’s instructions and they may not apply to the circumstances at hand. Notice that Jesus didn’t say that we become wise by handling daily situations well. He said that we become wise as we listen and obey His instructions. Remember how important it is for us to teach a child about everyday situations? Even though they don’t need that education for situations they will handle that day, they become wise and able to handle those situations as they arise later in life. And so it is with God, friends! Let’s do what He says, knowing that one day we will act on what we learned. That’s how we make sound, grounded decisions, based on the teachings of our Lord! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Every day we make decisions, some of which have long-lasting effects on the lives of people that we know, love, and want to see accept You as Lord. Unless we display the love and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, often we will lose their confidence and even sometimes cause them to create a lack of faith in us. Lord, it’s not about us. We want these individuals to clearly see the faith that we have in our all-wise, all-loving God and therefore create a desire in them to know You and accept You as Lord. To do this, please teach us to not only go in Your name, but to stay mindful of, and obedient to, Your teachings, so that our ways, and our thoughts, and our words or instructions, might better align with Yours. This requires that we empty ourselves of self and fill ourselves with You and Your teachings. Please give us the desire to do just that and embolden us to freely share Your love with others. I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, my Rock and my Redeemer, 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! | |
Don’t Miss ‘The Boat’!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-01-19 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 7:21–23 (MSG) |
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Text: |
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| This 7th chapter of Matthew records Jesus teaching a crowd that followed him even to the mountains. Addressing this crowd was probably much like one of our pastors who address our congregations each week. However, Jesus knew the hearts and intentions of each one gathered, so He was able to speak directly into their lives. In this particular instance Jesus addressed folk who may have used church, or used their act of following Him as an act to brag about. They knew what it took to be recognized as a follower, and they thought they knew what to say, although Jesus exposed that thought in His teaching here. Jesus pulled no punches! While I believe He was honored that so many wanted to be near Him and hear His teaching, He also knew that He had to correct their misunderstanding of what it takes to meet His Father face to face on that Day. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Much like the crowd that Jesus taught at the edge of the mountain, I believe that many churches are packed with folk each week that may still be under the misguided understanding that church attendance; giving to their local church; wearing a big cross as jewelry every day; or using church-like words interspersed in conversation throughout their day, would convince the world that they know Jesus in a very intimate way. The problem with that, is that the world sees through your pretense almost as much as God does. Friends, it’s not the world that we must impress, and this may come as a shock to you, but it’s not Jesus that you must impress! Jesus knows your heart, friend. Therefore He knows very well when our words are misaligned with our heart and our inner person. Jesus wants us to change from the inside out, and not vice versa. There is only one way to the throne of the Father, and that’s through accepting Jesus, the One whose blood was spilled at Calvary – the sacrifice that He made for the salvation of folk like you and me. You see, this is really simple. As we seek God’s face and His forgiveness, our lives will change from the inside out. His work in our lives, and our aim at living obedient lives to the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, prepares us with honest words and actions where the world will know and believe on the only Son of God, Jesus the Christ. Living that type of life means that it’s not something we calculate, or conjure up, but rather, the love of the Savior that resides inside of us spills out in our words and actions so that the world will know who Jesus is. Are you on the right track friends? If not, I encourage you to go back to the foot of the cross and talk with Jesus about your salvation. Reaffirm your faith in Jesus, so that you can stop trying so hard. Let Him have His way in your life. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we are nothing without You, so of course our efforts without You and Your power will have no impact on unbelievers. Time is precious to all of us, and Lord we would never want to merely pretend to be Your followers to impress those around us, for we are very much like them when witnessing or evangelizing in our own strength. Furthermore, people are smart enough to see through our pretense, for only You can speak to the hearts of Your children. Lord, I commend myself to You again, asking that I do nothing in my own strength, but that I seek Your face daily and allow Your precious Holy Spirit to guide my lips, my actions and my whole self, so that others will see Jesus, not this humble, helpless man. Please tender the hearts of my readers so that they too may realign themselves with Your will for their lives. The world needs You, precious Lord, not us. Use us if needed, but please work in the lives of those that we will come into contact with today, for I ask this in the wonderful, matchless name of Jesus, 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! | |
Faith That God Accepts
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-16 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Genesis 15:4–6 (NCV) |
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Text: |
4 Then the LORD spoke his word to Abram: “He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have.”
5 Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count.” 6 Abram believed the LORD. And the LORD accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In verses 1-3 it seems like Abram had somewhat of a pity party, feeling sorry for himself. God promised a reward to Abram, but he could see no further than having no one to pass the reward on to. However, God didn’t get impatient with Abram as He went on to promise him a son, even at his advanced age, to pass his blessings on to. Now, let’s be sure that we get the picture here, for Abram was already 85-86 years old at the time, having never had a child with his wife Sarai, yet God promised Abram that he would have a son! What would you have done? Now look at verse 6, for we see where Abram never discounted anything that God told him, not even the obvious questionable promise of him have a son at that age. And because of his faith, Abram was considered by God to be righteous, or right with God! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We often hear the saying by men “Oh ye of little faith”, when they see us falter or doubt the works of God. Friends, I believe that this story of Abram was uniquely placed in God’s Word for you and I. When we accept Jesus as Lord, and we take our daily concerns to Him, we should be reassured by this story that the action of surrendering our will to God’s will, and the act of asking for things in faith through Jesus, is a demonstration of our faith in the awesome power of the God of this universe. Yes, I realize that we often lay some pretty heavy stuff at the feet of Jesus and ask for His perfect will to be done, however, we often quickly retort to disappointment or rebellion when our prayers are not answered in exactly the same way that we demanded. Praise God that He answers in ways that are perfect and that fits within His design for our lives, and in ways that will bring glory to Himself. Please let’s try and remember that the reason we ask God is to seek His face and His perfect will. Simply demanding that God answer in the way that we ask will create extreme stress and hardship for us, for we are selfish and will only ask using the limitations we can see or expect or dream of. God is much bigger than that, for just as He made us, and the world around us, He also knows what comes next. Being His chosen people who have accepted the Lordship of His precious Son, makes us the ‘apple of His eye’, and as such, He wants for us far more than we could ever dream or imagine! So how’s your faith friend? Would God consider you ‘righteous’ because of the faith you demonstrate in His Son? Perhaps a matter of prayer and commitment today might be in asking God to open our eyes and our heart to trust Him in total faith. Please do me a favor, and consider doing that along with me today! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, You are so good and Your faithfulness endures forever and forever! We serve such an awesome God! Having created us and made every provision for our wellbeing and happiness, yet to see us falter, fail and seek You selfishly must hurt You beyond anything we could imagine. Lord, we are reminded in this story of Abram that You look for, expect and honor our faith. Abram’s faith resulted in You viewing him as ‘righteous’. Lord, please help us to put self aside and to place our faith and trust in You for ALL things. May our faith become so strong, that we never make decisions without feeling reassured that You are in control and directing us towards decision that will bring You glory and draw us closer to You. I ask these things in faith, and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
How to Obtain Success for Yourself and Your Children!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-01-12 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Deuteronomy 5:29 (CEV) |
|
Text: |
29 I wish they would always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Israelites went to their leader, Moses, after hearing the voice of God coming from the mountain, and asked him to go and speak to God again on their behalf. This time with a message – that they would be obedient to whatever commands God conveys to Moses for the people to do. Our merciful God didn’t respond with a whole list of commands that would enslave the people until their death, but instead simply responded that He would desire that they respectfully honor, or fear Him from a heart of respect – to the degree that they would come before Him trembling, and that they would always seek to be obedient to Him. Knowing how much humans like to be rewarded, God promised that if the Israelites honored these things and strived to live in this way, He would see to it that they, and their children would live and enjoy a successful life! Wow, what an awesome God we serve! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| There are probably more books written, and more seminars offered, on the subject of ‘How to be more successful in life’, than perhaps any other subject that one could think of. Yet, in the Bible, God gave the answer to Moses for the Israelites, and He had this unique formula included in the best-selling book of all times, ‘The Bible’, because He wanted us to know about this also. Friends, it is very simple to understand, for we can research reasons why God created us in the first place, and we will learn that it was to worship and honor Him as Lord and creator of all mankind. Like the Israelites who found more attraction to making their own gods, and then chose to worship those idols, rather than the God of this universe, we too have chosen to travel down every other path for success, rather than looking to the original plan that God designed. Notice that God didn’t tell Moses that the people would be more successful in His temple, or in His temple work, although I’m sure this was all included in His promise, but He simply said that they and their children would enjoy a successful life, period. Friends, this is one of the basics of life – meaning that this simple command from God is a prerequisite to all other things in life that we might attempt to do. So check this simple command out: ‘Worship God’ – recognize Him for who He is and give praises to Him for all that He has done, is doing and has promised to do for us. This is not just a church-type worship thing, but a mindset for the individual; Do this ‘With fear and trembling’ – know that your God is a holy and righteous God and above all other powers of this world, therefore come into His presence to worship Him with respect and honor, recognizing Him for who He is. When we do this, we will learn very quickly that He controls our destiny, so we learn to chat with Him about those things that are on our mind – both concerns, and our ideas/desires for the future, and we will therefore ask Him to direct our path so that we might always honor and praise Him. God’s promise to the Israelites, and to His children at large, is that He will bless us with success personally, and even bless our offspring. What is it that you would not do in order to see success for your children? God has made it easy for us to do just that. Trust Him friend, and be obedient to worship Him in fear and trembling, for He will give you and your children success! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, You are more precious than silver or gold, and we worship You Almighty God, for there is none like You! Thank You for making life so simple for us, and please forgive us for making it so complex and stressed. There is much to praise You for, because You have been so good to us. We respect You heavenly Father, for You are our righteousness and our Protector and our Deliverer from all evil. Lord, may we wrap our minds around this and be obedient to You in every way. Yes, we want success for ourselves, and especially for our kids, but more than anything else, may we be ever mindful of Your love and Your sacrifice that You were kind enough to make for our eternal salvation. Lord, You are so deserving of our worship, our respect and our hearts that should always be humbled to trembling. We love You Lord and we long to be with You in glory, but while here on this earth, may our minds be so directed towards You that Your joy will overflow through every act of love that we express towards others, so that they may be drawn to You. 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! | |
Is Your ‘Light’ Evident?
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-01-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 5:14–16 (CEV) |
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Text: |
14 You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15 and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. 16 Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that it was evident to Jesus that the witness of the people He was addressing was so dim, or invisible, that He gave them first an example of Salt. He knew that everyone would know if salt was present on food, because it added such flavor to food. Likewise, He wanted the world to know without a doubt that the love of Christ in a believer was so important that others would have no doubt about whether a believer was who he claimed to be. Just in case His hearers missed that point, Jesus gave yet another example – light. He wanted his hearers to know that if the ‘Light’ of the world played a role in their life, then they themselves would be seen as a ‘light’ to a world filled with the darkness of sin. Verse 16 stands out in my mind, because Jesus wanted His hearers to know that this was not a thing of performance or self-gratification, but rather that the example of Christ and the application of His commands might be so evident in their lives, that Jesus would be glorified, not the believers themselves. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Friends, we are taught by Jesus, that He said nothing, nor did anything without a word from His Father. Likewise, when we surrender our lives to Jesus, we surrender our will and our very being to His will and His control. When this happens, we start speaking like Him, and acting like Him. Then it becomes very natural for others to see Jesus in us, and therefore create a sense of praise, honor and glory by unbelievers to the holy Son of God. Remember, for us to pretend being Jesus, will create such a false impression on others that they will want nothing to do with us, or the one we are pretending to be. However, when we allow God to work His will and His way out in our lives, and we simply trust and obey, then the world begins to see the image and person of Jesus Christ. Whenever the people praise us, they have missed the point. Unless they praise the One to whom all glory and honor belongs, then we had best draw closer to God and become even more transparent in our actions and our words. Let’s aim at letting Jesus be glorified today because of what people may see in our lives. We are mere messengers, so let’s deliver the One whom we represent so that Jesus may be glorified, honored and accepted today. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Light of this world and the Light of my life. As each reader and I approach the throne today, we come as candles wanting to be lit with Your everlasting flame. As we enter our dark world today, we want others to see the ‘Light’ without even wondering what the candle or the holder of the candle looks like. Lord, it’s You that we honor, praise and seek to glorify and represent today. Please help us to hide behind the Light so that others might see Jesus and believe on the only Light that can save them from the darkness that surrounds them in this evil world. Jesus, Light of the world, be glorified in and through each of Your representatives today! 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! | |
We Are Blessed When….
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-01-10 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 5:10–12 (MSG) |
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Text: |
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. 11–12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had the attention of thousands when He shared, what we know today as, the ‘beatitudes’. These teachings showed the people that when they stand up for what is right, or to what is taught and demonstrated by Jesus, then they will often be living in way that might be totally opposite to what the world has ‘hung its hat on’. For the world looks to win, whether it’s financially, or being at the top of its class, or just in name through immense marketing efforts. Unfortunately, the world will do this at every expense, even if its walking over the downtrodden or seeing the poor and needy do without. Contrary to the normal trend of the world, God teaches that there is eternal hope and joy for those who follow Him and obey His commands. In fact in the preceding 9 verses of Matthew 5, Jesus teaches that in cases of obedience and faith in Him, His followers are more than conquerors, for they are blessed because of their faithfulness to Him. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When Jesus taught, it was not just for those in His physical audience group, but it was for all His followers who might follow, even till the end of time. Friends, that includes me, and I sincerely pray that includes each of you that may meditate on this devotional also. If not, I urge you to read my ‘Footnote’ and sure up your position, while you are still able to. For many that may read this, you may be like me and know nothing about persecution, other than what we have heard from others who have done missions in a foreign country. I believe that this quoted Scripture today exists because God wants us to realize that if we were to boldly proclaim His Word and live according to His teachings – in other words, live like He did, then we should expect to not fit in with the world at large. This results in us being looked down on when applying for some jobs, when trying to befriend someone who lives very differently, and be rejected by all those that will absolutely refuse to follow such narrow views and practices. Friends, we make a choice everyday, will we accept Jesus and follow His example and His way, or will we simply go with the flow and be tolerant of everything the world teaches. Today that means pretty much anything, and of course that is attractive to most people. God had a plan from the very beginning of time, and He backed that up through the intense love of His very own Son, Jesus, for all who place their faith and trust in Him. Blessed are those who accept that love and who agree to be directed by the Son of the living and true God. For theirs is the kingdom of God, for ever and for ever, Amen! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, thank You for providing for us, even though You knew right from the beginning that we would be a hard ‘nut to crack’, because of our stubbornness and desire to please everyone but You. Please forgive us for our weaknesses, and please continue to draw us closer to the source of our hope, our joy and our salvation. Lord, we want to be just like You. Please help us ignore the evil desires of this world and instead concentrate on the immense joy that’s in store for all who love, trust and obey You. We can only do this with You by our side to strengthen us and help us overcome the many sinful distractions that come our way every day. I ask these things in faith, and in confidence of who You are, 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! | |
Learn to Follow Jesus ‘At Once’
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-09 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 4:18-22 (TLB) |
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Text: |
18 One day as he was walking along the beach beside the Lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—out in a boat fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen.
19 Jesus called out, “Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men!” 20 And they left their nets at once and went with him. 21 A little farther up the beach he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets; and he called to them to come too. 22 At once they stopped their work and, leaving their father behind, went with him. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In religious circles, we hear a lot of caution used to warn students of the Word not to take things out of context. I had been taught this story over and over from even an early age, but until this morning never really caught the context of Jesus calling His first disciples. Beginning up in verse 12 we are told that Jesus went to Galilee, a place known for its unbelievers. Yet as He walked along the lake and saw these fishermen, He simply gave the call to them, and without hesitation they dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. This story is nothing short of miraculous, friends! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I wonder what has happened to cause so many who sit under the teachings of the Lord Jesus to be in such doubt about the same Lord who they’ve heard for years to be a miracle-working, loving, sacrificial, all-powerful God. I would imagine that in many of our local churches Jesus may walk in today, He could call on the pastor, or the elders, or the deacons, or the Christians who have boasted of Him over the years, and they may ‘prayerfully consider’ the request to follow Jesus into the unknown – although on second thought, to leave everything they have and follow Him wherever He may guide them, well that may create somewhat of a challenge for many! One old faithful retired missionary told us that when he was called to missions, he sold everything he had and gave the money to his local home churches, because he felt like if Jesus called him, then he would provide for him. Furthermore, it increased his faith in the one that he knew he would lean heavily on for the unknowns of a foreign land. That really takes ‘faith’ to a whole new level for me! So in my above analogy, we believe that Jesus may stand a chance getting a few to follow Him among our church leadership, but what if He went down just about any old street in your neighborhood, where people hang out for everything but church-related activities? Would Jesus be accepted there, and will the residents follow Him ‘at once’? Friends, I believe that as we study the Word of God, we are often reminded that our Lord is not just ‘anyone’ walking our streets, or the isles of our churches looking for a handout. He knows us by name, and Scripture says that He knows us so well that He even knows the number of hairs on our head. So when He calls us, it will not be a ‘hey you over there in that red shirt’ type of thing, but He could very well call you by name and give you plenty enough evidence that He is calling you personally, in spite of all the guilt you may feel about your inadequate, feeble walk with Him. If you designed and made a particular tool that you wanted to use every time that you worked on a particular engine, or that you might want to cook a particular dish with, you will remember every peculiarity about that tool. Please don’t forget that God made you also friend, and He knows every little dent or nick that you’ve received over the years. He is simply looking for your availability through which He might mightily move in His earthly ministry. Are you willing to respond unconditionally and immediately? If not, why not? Accept Him today and know that peace that passes all understanding, for He cares for you, and loves you beyond anything you can imagine! Read my Footnote if you would like more information about a personal relationship with my Lord! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, You are so amazing! You created us and gave us the freedom to either follow You in faith and savor that enormous love that You have for us, or to encounter the evil of this world where Satan strives daily to destroy us. Unfortunately, it seems like our faith never matures to the state that we are quick to obey and follow You, like these disciples demonstrated to us. Please forgive us for our lack of faith, and our desire to do our own thing, in spite of the normal bad results that we read about, hear about or have witnessed personally. Lord, we need a fresh dose of Jesus every day of our lives, for we are weak and sinful beyond anything we ever thought possible. Only You can save us, and only You can direct us in the paths that You have set out before us. Please fill us with Your everlasting love, power and commitment to be obedient children of the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. For I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord and my Savior, 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 