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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-06-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 40:1-3 (GW) |
|
Text: |
1 I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry for help. 2 He pulled me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock and made my steps secure. 3 He placed a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see this and worship. They will trust the Lord. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| It seems like the Psalmist was feeling a sense of despair, but he patiently went before the Lord pleading for help to overcome. In these verses he is celebrating that not only did God see him through his challenging low times, but He placed him at such a solid high point in his life, that he celebrated in what sounded like a new song, from a new heart, because it was coming from a renewed man! This not only brought joy and honor to David, but because of the awesome change in his life, this touched the lives of many others! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| How often do we feel so despondent, and really down and out? How often do we feel like there is little hope for us, because we feel so low and forgotten by God and friends? The Psalmist teaches us from his experience that we are in no position to demand anything of God, for we are to wait patiently before God. We have to remember that God always answers our prayer, so we need not feel despondent if He does what’s best for us at the time and answer differently than what we might be wanting or expecting. So when we ask of God, let’s remember our manners and always thank God for His love and awesome wisdom in answering right! Friends, if God always answered everything we ask of Him in the way that we demand it, we would be in a heap of trouble, and we would quickly lose value in God because He simply rubber stamped everything we told Him. Remember, His ways are way above ours ways, His knowledge way exceeds ours and even to His thoughts – they are way above ours. He is the creator of everything we touch, see or experience. So our most urgent and impossible requests are but a speck of dirt to Him. Let us therefore go confidently and patiently before the Lord, knowing that He loves us as His very own child, and will answer us at the best time with the very best resolution for us, and that would bring glory to Himself. We are also reminded that as we wait for the Lord, and celebrate His response to our prayers, others will celebrate with us and grow from our experience. I bet you never thought you would be an evangelist as easy as that, did you? Seek to glorify God friends, and watch how it helps others! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Precious Lord, we are such impatient and selfish individuals. Please help us to communicate (pray) openly with You about our blessings, our needs and our desires. But Lord, help us as we pray to realize that we are not God, so the reason that we ask is because we admire the wisdom, love and generosity of our awesome God. Please remind us to always ask, and then to be patient as You answer in a way that is perfect for us and that will result in glory to Yourself. Lord, as we are blessed by You, I pray that we will be filled with such celebration that others around us will also be blessed and 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! | |
Tag: Love
Our Hope is in The Lord
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-06-24 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 39:3-7 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
3 …. Then at last I spoke and pled with God: 4 Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more. 5-6 My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend. 7 And so, Lord, my only hope is in you. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Psalmist had just come through a very upsetting time where, had it not been for losing his witness in the presence of the wicked, he probably would have exploded. It was at this point that he asked God to please open his mind and his understanding about what is really important in life. He went through multiple thoughts about what humans consider important, but it all boiled down to a strong relationship with the Master, because it was the only hope that resulted in strength, stability and any sort of meaningful eternity with any sort of hope. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Like the Psalmist I believe that today we become all heated and bothered over lots of things that, in the end, really boils down to holding no value in eternity. Things such as our employment, our church, politics, family and our friendships. This Scripture reminds us that should we really concentrate on our key relationship with our Lord Jesus, we will not only secure our eternity with He and the Father, but all these other temporal things that we tend to worry back will fall into place, because we will start to look at them from a heavenly perspective instead of a worldly one. Friends it is nothing less than amazing when we take on a new perspective about the way we look at things. From a selfish, greedy, worldly view, we tend to look at things from a very self-centered way. With Jesus in our heart directing our path, giving us wisdom, and a mind fixed on serving Him and being like Him in every way, we tend to respond and act in ways that reflect the love of Jesus and the exemplified life that He portrayed for us to follow. The way that our world is headed right now, we will self destruct to the detriment of our family, friends and ourselves. Recognizing the hope that we have in our Lord Jesus, and in faith accepting His kingship, could lead us towards a mighty revival in our land that demonstrates to the world that our God reigns and that it is obvious from our actions that He reigns and rules in our hearts. Friends, it’s all about Jesus, and not us. Let’s treat those around us with the unconditional love that He showed for us. Our only hope lies in Jesus, and I am convinced that He could revive us to be just like Him. Are you prepared to give Jesus a chance to prove Himself? Our world will be so much better off, and so will we! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You for Your Word Lord Jesus, and thank You for Your direction in this Scripture on how we could help in making this a better world, through giving You full reign in our lives. Please forgive us for the times that we have messed up and done things in our own strength and in our own way. Your ways are perfect, because You have such a committed and perfect love for mankind. For those of us that know You personally, I pray that it would be very evident to those around us that we are resting our hope in You and allowing You to rule and reign in everything we do or say. Have Your perfect way in our lives oh Lord, and may You touch the lives of those that we will witness to today, so that Your will might be revealed in them also. You are our only hope oh Lord! We acknowledge that today and seek Your guidance so that we might also spread that hope to this lost world. 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! | |
Strive For Peace
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-05-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 34:13-16 (GNT) |
|
Text: |
13 Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart. 15 The Lord watches over the righteous |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| No doubt the people of David’s day were no different to us, for he pleaded with them, as he does for us, to look for ways to live in peace. In fact, David tells us that our God is a God of love and He therefore blesses those who love one another, and who creates an atmosphere of love. David assures us that God is so opposed to those who don’t follow His plan to love and live peaceably together, that He does nothing to bless them here on earth, and that He ensures that they are soon forgotten when they die. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m sure that as you read these verses, there are some folk who come to your mind. In fact you may even be reminded of how it feels in your own home, or church, or workplace when there is unrest. Countries go to war over unrest and many are often killed as a result of the battles that ensue. Homes are destroyed, bringing ill fate to couples and this often results in troubled children. Families are separated, with years of unhappiness and many situations of losing touch with each other. Friends, unless we live in peace with one another, we tend to create unrest instead of peace and love. Please let’s learn to hold our tongue and look for ways to promote peace. When we do this under the guidance and help of our Lord, and live in a manner that imitates His life here on earth, we are bound to create peace instead of strife. Verse 14 is God’s words to us, telling us to strive for, and make every effort to, ignore what the world or the devil tells us to do, and promote peace, in as much as we are concerned. Please notice that nothing is said about conditions for us to act this way. In other words, the Bible teaches just the opposite, for we are taught to love and live peaceably in every way that we can, and that means that we do this when folk are loving and kind back to us, or even if they continue to act like Satan himself. That’s why we need the overflowing love, and power of Christ inside of us, for only through His awesome grace and power can we strive for peace with folk who are bound and determined to destroy us or break down our good intentions. So friends, it’s up to us. With God’s help we can do this! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, it is very evident that what the world needs most is to have more folk living exactly as described through Your servant David. Please humble and enable us to be more like You every day, and give us the strength and grace to do this in spite of the attitude or intent of the other party. Lord, please unite our families, our churches, our towns and our country, so that we may one day look more like, and act like You in every way. Most will know that You are King when they see us allowing You to rule and reign through our lives. Please grant us the will to live in peace and love with one another. 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! | |
That’s Our God!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-05-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 33:6-9 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
6 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. 7 He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. 8 Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. 9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| This is one of those times that David just stopped and reflected on the awesome power of God. Did David have challenges in life like you and I? Of course he did. Did David have reason to be down because of life’s trials and problems? Of course he did. But in spite of it all David realized that there was an awesome God that created life and everything around him, and it was that same God that loved him unconditionally! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Like David, don’t you suppose that we have every reason to complain; be upset; feel distraught; feel like giving up; or even feel like we may not make it through another day? However friends, I want you to look closely at some of the reasons for which David found hope, and how he found cause to worship and praise his God. I believe that you will easily find many other personal reasons to add to David’s list, that might give you cause to lift up the name of Jesus, in spite of all that you face each day. Friends, we serve an awesome God. One who is worthy of our praise and honor. I believe that when we make time to concentrate on Him and give Him the praise He deserves, then we will notice a slow fade on the emphasis we once placed on our issues that we thought were so overbearing. There is no god like our God, friend. Know Him today and know peace, love, joy, and true happiness that comes from our Father above. There is no greater peace than knowing that the Creator of this universe is in charge of all it’s everyday affairs and so loves us that He is constantly looking out for our good. That’s my God, friend! Do you know Him? Trust Him today, won’t you? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, how we praise You today for who You are, and for all that You do for us. Nothing good have I done, to deserve God’s own Son, yet because of His awesome love, God sent His Son, (Jesus) so that everyone of us that believes on Him, might receive everlasting life. It’s the greatest gift of love ever given to mankind. Praise God that I am a child of the King. Thank You Jesus! Lord, please also soften the hardened hearts of my family, friends and every subscriber and reader of this blog, so that they might surrender their lives to you. Lord, we want to see Jesus! What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see! Hopefully I will also see all of these I am praying for 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! | |
What Makes Us Unfit For God
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-05-04 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 7:20-23 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
20 And then he added, “It is the thought-life that pollutes. 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, 22 wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what pollute you and make you unfit for God.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had to get the Pharisees straight on their line of thinking, for they went out of their way to criticize Jesus and His followers for not following lots of manmade rules, while all the while harboring awful thoughts inside of them. As we study this today, I can assure you that we are no different, and would therefore recommend that you do some soul searching and honestly consider whether you are truly fit for meeting the God of this universe. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
Before we think too critically of the Pharisees, please allow me to challenge us to think about the many unwritten rules that we use when analyzing (judging) the behavior of those that we come into contact with. Often this really gets into our pious minds as to whether we think a person is fit for the kingdom of God. We tend to consider whether the place a person visits make them unfit; the words they say that might offend God; the people they hang around, that makes them guilty by association; the church they attend or the frequency of their weekly visits to that place of worship; or even the duration of their time meditating on God’s Word. Does this sound familiar friends? What do you think, do we really need God to judge our friends? So what exactly is it that God is teaching us here? He certainly is not teaching us how to judge someone, so we could erase that thought! Instead, I believe that God is teaching us to:
This Brother cannot tell you what you need to do to align yourselves properly with God. So present yourselves to God and ask Him to assume, or resume leadership in your life. Ask Him to fill you with His power and His grace, so that others will see Jesus in everything that you say, hear or do, knowing that He will ultimately reflect in the way you speak or act around others. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, who is man that You would sacrifice Your life for us? Who is man that You would use us to minister in Your name and share Your gospel with others? Lord, we want to be fit vessels that will represent You well before a lost and dying world, but we can’t do it on our own. To be filled with You, we must totally surrender ourselves to You and ask You to assume control. Please work in and through us to accomplish Your perfect will for mankind, especially my family and friends within my realm of influence. The glory belongs to You as Your perfect will is accomplished oh 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! | |
The Family Of God
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-04-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 3:31-35 (NIV) |
|
Text: |
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The mother and brothers of Jesus went to search for Him to make sure that He was safe, and not getting into any trouble. At first glance, these verses may seem like Jesus was not respectfully recognizing his family members, but on closer observation, it is clear that He was using their appearance as a ministry opportunity. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| When close family members come to town, we often halt many activities in order to spend quality time with them. Some may take a few days off work; others may not attend church; while others go out of their way to find extra special activities or shows to attend and therefore entertain their guests. How does this compare to the effort we assume to win a sinner to Christ, or to entertain a new believer and disciple them in the faith? Do you see the connection that Jesus made between the two? We have no question about who our blood relatives are, but please be reminded that for those of us that call God ‘Our Father’, we automatically become brothers and sisters, for that’s what children of the same father are called, and considered. So let’s look the the parallel again with this in mind. I jumped on a plane and traveled about 150 miles to see my sick mom recently, and to encourage her in her spirit. I wonder how quickly I would be willing to sacrifice the dollars and precious PTO days off work, if that was a Christian Brother in the same condition that my mom is in? Jesus considered the connection one and the same. Don’t you think that if we considered our Christian Brothers and Sisters like Jesus did, and showed no prejudice to one or the other, that more Christians might be encouraged in their everyday lives, and be drawn closer to God because of the ministry one brother or sister to another? There’s a song entitled ‘I’m So Glad I’m a part of the Family of God’, I love that little song, but it really speaks volumes to the theme of this devotional today. I pray that each one reading this will do their part to treat mother, father, brothers and sisters so that the world will see evidence of our Father in action through us – His children! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Father/Dad/Loving Lord, thank You for adopting me into Your family and treating me like a son. Lord You are good, and Your mercies are endless and beyond anything I could ever desire or ask for. As Your son, may I please ask that You speak to the heart of Your children, as You did with me this morning. Please help us to invest our time into the lives of other brothers and sisters who need to draw close to You, or may be struggling with something beyond their control. I don’t believe we can help others, if we are personally struggling to survive the discouragement, hatred and depression brought on by Satan and his suppressors. Please help us to look heavenward to the Creator of this world and all human beings. May we see the welcoming face of our Father and be willing to share that same love with others as if they were our closest blood relative. Be glorified through Your children today oh Lord, especially this humble servant, 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! | |
Good News!
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-04-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 1:14-15 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
14 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The order of events shows that Jesus showed up to be baptized by His forerunner, John the Baptist; He was then ordered to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan; then He returned to begin His earthly ministry of sharing the best news ever – God’s Good News of the home He has prepared for His saints to settle in one day with He and His precious Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that would match this good news when shared with people of this earth! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| This great news that Jesus shared with the people of Galilee, is still the greatest news that we can share with the world today, friends! Pastors do this from our pulpits, teachers do this through Bible studies and/or Sunday School and those who have that assurance of salvation – Christians, we share this each and every day through our words and through our actions. Ever stopped to ponder what message you are unconsciously getting across to those you work with or associate with every day? Unfortunately the unsaved have chosen to reject the Bible and its teachings, but they are constantly looking for a life, or a witness, that appears happy and successful to them, so that they may seek the source of that joy. And that’s where Christians come in, it’s not how often we attend church, or how good we are at quoting parts of the Bible. Friends, they are looking for changed lives – ones that stand out and are sincerely living a life that imitates everything they have heard about Jesus. I believe that our takeaway from this Scripture today is that the Good News must still go out to the unsaved today, if they are ever expected to know and believe on Jesus. Are we conveying that message through the lives we live? May our words be reflective of the Good News of Jesus Christ that we live our lives by, so that the world might know. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and the salvation of those that believe on Him, was of super importance to Jesus. If we are to live like Him, then we must follow in His footsteps and fulfill the ministry of the saints to share the love of Jesus and the saving grace that comes form Him alone. The world needs this, but how will they know unless we tell them? Lord, please direct Your children today. As you share the Good News, may we follow in doing the same 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! | |
Committed to Give!
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-04-05 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 35:4-5; 36:4-7 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
35:4 Moses said to all the Israelites, “This is what the LORD has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Let everyone who is willing bring this offering to the LORD: gold, silver, bronze….
36:4 So all the skilled workers left the work they were doing on the Holy Tent, 5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than we need to do the work the LORD commanded.”
6 Then Moses sent this command throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as a gift for the Holy Tent.” So the people were kept from giving more, 7 because what they had was already more than enough to do all the work. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In preparing to build the temple, Moses shared with the people what God had commanded them to do as their contribution to the project. Their response was so overwhelming, that Moses had to soon stop them from bringing their gifts. Seems just the opposite to what the response Moses received when he commanded them to stop worshiping idols. Perhaps God got their attention when over 3,000 was killed after the last incidence of disobedience. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I found this to be quite the contrast to the half hearted giving of God’s people today! Often when volunteers are needed, the able ones are the first to avoid eye contact and scoot out the back door of the church, because they just don’t have time. When teaching jobs are open, it is extremely challenging to find someone willing to commit the time to the job. Most would rather see the church pay for building repairs or yard work, as they simply don’t have time to do such things. If you read yesterday’s blog, you will remember that we were encouraged to always respond with the words “I just can’t make that a priority”, rather than “I just don’t have time”! I believe that it will be much closer to the truth and reflect more accurately that your priorities are elsewhere. Oooch! I know that hurts, but friends I want you to learn to be 100% honest with yourself, for God already knows your heart! This same attitude of commitment and priority also flows over to the act of giving financially to the Lord. To the able bodied brothers and sisters who may read this blog, may I suggest that you ask a handicapped person who is unable to work, “how much would they be prepared to give to the Lord, if He healed their body and gave them a job?” and I would assure you that they will probably respond 100%. My point is, friends, that in God’s Word He gives us a command to give at least 10% as a tithe to His work at our local church. In today’s peer pressure and wanting everything our neighbor has, how good are we doing with that command? Is it done before any other expenses are taken out of our income? God doesn’t give us the remains of a beautiful day, or half blessings in any way, but He gives us His very best, way more than we deserve. Giving more of self and even in our financial giving, are ways to express our gratitude to God for all that He does for us each and every day. The Bibles says that we will receive in accordance to how we have given. How are you doing friend? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for giving of Your very best so that we may have forgiveness of our sin and one day join You in glory! You’ve not asked us to give of our only son, like You did, so Lord may we learn to be in constant awe of all that You give to us each and every day, and may we give in return as You have commanded, or even more. As we express our appreciation through our giving, may it be obvious to You that our hearts are filled to overflowing. May this be reflected in all phases of our lives so that You may use this appreciation to open the eyes of unbelievers and draw them to Yourself. I ask these things in all humility and great appreciation for Your love and Your mercy to even me, oh 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! | |
Our Protective Father!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-03-30 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 26:40-41 (GW) |
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Text: |
40 When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| You will recognize this as part of the scene at the Garden of Gethsemane right before the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. Jesus invited a few disciples to join Him for some alone time with the Father. However, I was touched by how unselfish Jesus was even during such a critical time in His life. Notice the words that I bolded and underlined, to see how Jesus was so mindful of His beloved disciples even at a time that He was asking for reprieve from all that He would soon face. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that often we recognize danger for our loved ones much faster than we do for ourselves. I often implore my wife and daughter to be careful whenever they are driving, yet I jump behind the wheel and never give a second thought to the impending danger that we each face each day on the road! Clicking on the scripture link will give you a few surrounding verses to remind you of the situation with Jesus in the context of which these verses were taken. He was about to face beatings, mockery, public crucifixion with much pain to His mother and others who loved Him dearly. However even though we know that Jesus prayed over the agony He knew He would face very soon, yet in these verses He shared His concern for the spiritual welfare of His beloved disciples. I find that immensely humbling and gratifying. In fact, I am reminded of the words of a song that I like “when He was on the cross, I was on His mind” and other included words “He knew me, yet He loved me”. Friends, that gives you an outlook on the love of my Savior for not only me, but for all who call on the name of the Lord, and that includes you! Please don’t think that you are beyond the love of Christ. This same Peter that Jesus was encouraging to pray for strength for his hour of temptation, is the same one that stood nearby and watched a sword be drawn and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers that came to arrest Jesus. He’s the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus, out of fear for his own life. Yet Jesus loved him anyway. Our weakness in caving in to the temptations of Satan is no surprise to God. However, He loves us way too much to see us settle for that. His offer of salvation and eternal security is available to ALL who call on Him as Lord – that includes you Brother, and you Sister. Will you consider surrendering to His invitation today? There are eternal rewards for those who do! Like Jesus, I would also love to see each of you reading this blog today, gain eternal life through inviting Him into your heart and life. Will you do it? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus thank You for all that You went through, in obedience to Your Father, so that I might have peace of mind and security in knowing where I will spend eternity. Thank You for drawing me to Yourself and using me here on earth to reach and encourage others for Your glory. Lord, I have friends and family that still need to make this most important decision. I pray that they, and each reader of this blog, will receive Your invitation today to surrender their lives totally and completely to You, and that they may be drawn closer than ever to the cross upon which You hung so that we might have eternal life with You and the Father. Have Your will and way in our lives today Lord Jesus, is my humble cry, 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 You Do for Others is Noticed By God
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-03-24 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT) |
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Text: |
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In evaluating the people in front of Him, Jesus divided them into two groups: the unrighteous; and the righteous. The righteous were recognized for the heart they demonstrated like that of Jesus Christ. In fact, so much so that Jesus concluded that all the things they did proved their righteousness. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| While I realize that Jesus knows and sees all things, I wonder if we had to evaluate our actions over the past week, would there be enough evidence to convince Jesus that we are among the righteous? There is a saying: from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. I believe that a heart filled with the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, will respond to needs around us like our Savior responded. For there was no respecter of persons in Jesus’ eyes; He is well known as ‘Love’, because of His amazing love towards all mankind; He is Healer; He is our Shepherd; He is the Restorer of our souls; He leads us in the path of righteousness, especially when we are so prone to stray; He set the example for us in all aspects of life – mixing with sinners, standing firm for what He knew was Truth, loving and ministering to sinners at every opportunity; Used the Word of God as His defense – when tempted. Friends, not only has the example been set for us, but our Savior stands ready to bless us, guide us, empower us and embolden us so that we might be His hands, His feet and His love to this lost and dying world in which we live. To do this, Jesus needs our commitment to serve Him no matter what. He needs us to be trusting and pliable, because His ways are not our ways, and if we are truly going to be used by Him, we must totally surrender our will to Him. I would like to challenge you with the question I started with: is there enough evidence in your actions and your words, that Jesus and/or your friends would be convinced that you are among the righteous, and being truly directed by God each day? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we come humbly before You today, knowing that we are not capable nor worthy to be looked on as ‘righteous’, especially by the righteous Son of God. However, we are reminded through this teaching today that loved ones, friends, or any one still searching for the Lord, must see and experience enough of Jesus in us, for them to truly know that the Word is true and that You are still alive and powerfully working in your children – Your righteous ones who have committed their lives wholeheartedly to You. Lord, please complete Your work in Your way, for Your kingdom, even through us, Your humble servants, 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 