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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-06-01 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Numbers 14:41-43 (NCV) |
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Text: |
41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? You will not win! 42 Don’t go, because the Lord is not with you and you will be beaten by your enemies. 43 You will run into the Amalekites and Canaanites, who will kill you with swords. You have turned away from the Lord, so the Lord will not be with you.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that frustration is shown in the Scripture today by Moses, because it seems like the more he did to direct his people under the careful leadership of God, the more ungrateful, stubborn and determined they were to do their own thing. Imagine how the words of Moses must have penetrated the hearts of the Israelites when the Amalekites and Canaanites came out from the hills towards them. They must have quickly reflected on some of the times that God separated the waters for them to walk through; how water came forth from a rock when it was struck by the staff of Moses, yet the same God that performed those acts honored their request and left them alone to go into the mountains. What a lonely, isolated, hopeless feeling that must have been. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Isn’t it interesting how an older child might ask parents to just leave them alone, yet they expect those parents to still be looking out for them and always ready to help them with one problem or another? In the life of a born again Christian, they may make a special effort to get out to church at least one Sunday per month, so that they don’t hear from the pastor; they just don’t have time for personal Bible study; and they really don’t feel like they know how to pray. Often it is these same ‘Christians’ that denounce God for not coming to their rescue when disaster or need comes their way. Friends, my God is honorable and trustworthy. When you make it obvious to Him that you would rather do ‘life’ alone, He honors that and gives you all the space you want. But remember, He is a relational God, not a puppet that you can pull out of the drawer the second time you sneeze, or wind up in hospital with more serious health issues. Moses told the Israelites that God would not be there for them, because they turned away from Him. Based on your relationship with God, do you suppose God is ready and willing to be your God, or will the words of Moses echo in your mind, that because you turned away from the Lord, He will do the same to you? That’s a sad moment when that occurs friend, I hope that each one reading this devotional today will keep that fire burning between you and your God. He deserves our praise and adoration each and every day, and He will be with us always, even until the very end of time here on this earth! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your very life as a sacrifice for my sin. Thank You for saving my soul from the stench of sin here on this earth, to the glories of heaven one of these sweet and glorious days! We were reminded of some very sobering words spoken by Your servant Moses this morning, and it could very easily reflect the same mindset of many who consider You as their God of convenience. Lord, You are an awesome, loving, caring God. Please help us to be the humble, committed, trustworthy servants worthy of that kind of God. May our eyes be fixed on You and our hearts totally committed 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: Loving
See Us As We Are, Not Past Failures
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-04-08 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Psalm 25:7-10 (Voice) |
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Text: |
7 Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young; instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love. Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One. 8 IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal; |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Like many of us, David felt like approaching God in the light of who he was as a teenager, might be a hopeless case. However in light of who God is, and the mercy and grace that He is known for, David knew that there was hope for himself and for all who commit to serving Christ and obeying His commands. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| It is so easy for us to listen to Satan and believe there is no hope for us because of all that we were. I found it refreshing to be reminded that when I committed my life to Jesus and accepted the outstanding grace that He offers to His children, that He not only cleansed me of my sin up to that point in time, but that He looks on me as a sinner saved by His grace. Sure I make mistakes still, but with the Holy Spirit living in me and prompting me to the way of the cross, I am constantly reeled back in and redirected to the King who reigns over me. Friends, I don’t believe I am alone in feeling this way at times, for I’ve heard from many how hopeless they feel at times. May I implore you to be encouraged by the words of David in this Psalm today and be renewed in knowing that those whom Jesus has welcomed into His fold, will never be released to any other Master. Think of your earthly mother and father – you can’t undue the fact that they are your blood parents. Jesus would never accept you into His family and then push you away every time you mess up. He wants you to seek His face daily and realign your will and way with His, every moment of every day. He loves you beyond anything you could every imagine and He wants to see you in glory one day around His throne. Would you commit to follow the last verse of our Scripture today and remain true to God’s Word and keep His commandments? The promise is that He will remain kind and true to you Brothers and Sisters! There is no better companion than to have Jesus on your side while here on earth and when we see Him face to face in heaven! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord You are so good to us. Praise God that You are able to see us as ‘white as snow’, because of being redeemed by Your precious blood. Most of us have nothing that we could brag about from our past, and absolutely nothing that we can place before You as redemption for our sins. Thank You for Your enormous sacrifice, and for Your uncompromising love for us, in spite of who we used to be. In being cleansed by Your blood, because of Your amazing grace, we are united with You in spirit and filled with the promise of eternity around Your throne. Oh what a Savior! Lord teach us daily to live like who we are, and not like who we used to be. 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! | |
Be Filled With Mercy
THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – James 4:17-18): 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
THOUGHTS: The love of God, and the wisdom of God combined with the sweet Spirit of God that indwells us, helps us to overcome the evil desires of this world and to live a life filled to overflowing with mercy that produces wonderful fruits of good works and deeds. How is this accomplished? Jesus said that if we abide in Him and He abides in us, we will be capable of doing many mighty things! So we must learn to call on, and depend on the source of our power, Jesus Christ. In these two verses we are told that God’s wisdom is:
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Pure – when I think of this I think of our lives being free from the impurities of this world that is filled with hatred, jealousy and strife. Scripture refers to us presenting ourselves blameless before the Master. Pure!
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Loving – Our Role Model loved everyone, even those who despitefully used Him. With God’s help, we must strive to do the same, for scripture tells us that even the adversary can love those who love and follow him. It takes God’s power to love those that seem to strive towards destroying us.
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Gentle – I believe that God would have us approach others in a respectful and loving way, that will show consideration for the other person, and that you are looking out for their best interest. In this way, our approach and our handling of situations involving others will be filled with gentleness.
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Yielding – Others first, you last. Be willing to give in to what the other person wants, if it aligns with God’s will and purpose for you. It doesn’t have to always be done your way!
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Not showing favoritism – Similar to the characteristic of ‘yielding’. Treat everyone with the same respect as you would expect. Treating one sex, or one race or one nationality any different will not reflect the love that God has for ALL His children.
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Sincere – Don’t do the above things because Brother Ed told you to do them, or your mom may have taught you to act that way since early childhood. Let these characteristics melt your heart and your way of thinking. Our natural character will reflect the ways of the world, however if we are truly a child of God, we will display the character of God.
Please be conscious of these characteristics each and every day. Ask God for a fresh indwelling of His Holy Spirit every day, so that you may think like Him and act like Him. Be filled with the holy wisdom of God, friend!
PRAYER: Father, as I listed those characteristics above, I was reminded of the awesome God that You are, because these describe Your very nature, yet they highlight our ungodly weaknesses. We need a touch from You Father. We need Your Holy Spirit to constantly work on our hardened hearts and to fill us with Your wisdom and Your grace. If others are to see Jesus in every aspect of our lives, we need help badly. I acknowledge that we will never be God, but I humbly plead for Your grace and Your power, so that we may consistently display the qualities taught and modeled by Your Son Jesus. I believe that the world must see a difference in Christians, if we ever expect them to see the need to change their evil ways. May we be Your ambassadors today Lord, is my humble plea that I ask in the name of Your awesome, powerful Son, Jesus, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Holiness – Work At It
THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Hebrews 12:14): 14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
THOUGHTS: I saw a greeting card yesterday that read “Short on words, but loooong on best wishes!” I found this verse to be short on words, but packed with a powerful message for us today. God’s inspired Word is warning us that living at peace with everyone and a holy life before our Lord, does not come easy or perhaps natural to us, but are two things necessary for the follower of Christ. Our natural tendency is to sin, therefore it is challenging for anyone to get along with us, or for us to accept everyone the way they are, to love them and live at peace with them. However in this chapter of Hebrews we are being taught to listen to God. We have been shown in this New Testament book that our ancestors accomplished a lot in faith, believing in, and depending on, the power of God. We are therefore challenged to call on, listen to, and depend on God to help us accomplish everything that He has commanded of us. In this particular command, I would dare say that God has proven Himself powerful, and able, over and over. He proved His love for us in ways that we would never have to, for He sacrificed His life for us, while the world hated Him, mocked Him, spat on Him and crucified Him. So I believe you will agree that He definitely knows all about how challenging it will be for us to ‘love’ someone who despises us, or may even hate us. So friends, when we are commanded to ‘Work at It’, be comforted in knowing that we don’t have to do this alone. For Jesus promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us – that means that He is always there for us. Therefore part of our working on these commands, must include humbling ourselves before the Master and seeking His help. Furthermore, I am convinced that my loving Jesus would never command something of us that would be impossible for He and us to achieve. We gladly work at being our best in our jobs, in our families, in our marriages and in our relationships. As an obedient servant, we must also ‘Work at’ being holy in our lifestyle so that the world will know to whom we belong. Also, we must determine in our own hearts to live at peace with each other as children of the ‘Prince of Peace’. We must ‘Work at It’ with all of our being and with the help of the King, Jesus our Lord.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our time here on earth is short, and we can therefore not afford to procrastinate on ‘Working At’ being all that You demand of us in Your Word. Holiness begets holiness, so if we are truly a son of the Holy God, then we are to represent that holiness in our everyday life. For one to meet a son, there should be good enough representation that they would tell the world that they have met the Father. Lord, may it be so in my life today, and may You fill the hearts and lives of all my readers that are willing to live obedient lives in conformity with Your will. Shine through us today Lord Jesus, so that our friends might see Jesus. For I ask these things in and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
A Model Prayer for One Another
The Holy Bible (New Living Translation – 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13): 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
Thoughts: Wow, what a model prayer for us to consider! I would imagine that there were any number of needs Paul could have prayer for, after all he had sent a co-worker to go and check on the Thessalonians to make sure Satan hadn’t infiltrated their new found faith in God. I believe that God wants so bad for us to just act in obedience to His Word, and to show His love that was shown for us when He sacrificed His very life so that we might have eternal life. I also believe that as we practice love for one another, and strive to live that love out in our lives, we will protect ourselves, including our relationships, from the Evil one. When we slack off in allowing God full control of our lives, we start seeing the unfortunate impact of Satan acting out through us. Friends, we can’t win the lost or impact the needy when we are infighting worse than they are. God’s love will never be evident in our lives as long as we selfishly seek to love self above all others and demand our own way. Of course we should continue to accept prayer requests from friends, but friends I want to encourage you to pray this prayer modeled by Paul for your friends also. Yes, as long as we remain in human form here on this earth, we will have illnesses and ailments, but as far as the challenges we have with each other? I believe that the more we bath our relationships in prayer and shower them with the godly kind of love, then Paul’s prayer in verse 13 will surely follow us as we enter into the presence of our Lord and Savior. So let’s aim to love others, as God loved us and demonstrated His love for us. Let’s pray that the love of Jesus will overflow in the hearts and lives of each of us. All for the glory and honor of our Lord! Let’s take self out of the equation and love as He did, and for His glory and praise, only!
Prayer: Lord, You are so good to us! Your love reaches beyond anything we are capable of, at least in our own strength. However, through faith in You and the awesome power that You are always willing to grant to us for Your good purpose, I pray that You might impress upon my readers and I today the love that we are to show for one another, if we are truly Your child. Jesus, You showed ultimate love when You surrendered to Your Father at Calvary so that Your children might enjoy eternal life with You. Please help us to show that kind of sacrificial and submissive love one for another. Please help us to take self out of the equation and love so that others might experience a touch of Your kind of love. There was a worldly song with lyrics “What the world need now, is love sweet love”. I can clarify that the world really needs the kind of love that only You can offer! As Your children and earthly representatives may we truly reflect Your love, so that You may be glorified because of us. This is my humble, unselfish prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, the only One capable of loving me and this world without limitation or hindrance, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Clothed With The Life of Christ
The Holy Bible
26 It is through faith that all of you are God’s children in union with Christ Jesus. 27 You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself.
(Bible Translation and Location: The Good News Translation – Galatians 3:26-27)
Thoughts:
Paul was addressing a people who struggled with their national, spiritual and godly differences – Jews and Gentiles. In today’s society we still struggle with various differences, jealousies and beliefs. In this scripture, Paul told the Galatian church that these differences should be set aside, and even disappear, when they consider that their belief in, and acceptance of, Jesus Christ makes them one in Him. Today is not much different than the same bunch that Paul addressed, for although we might have also accepted the same Lord, we still face fighting and bickering when we don’t get our own way, or we may even resort to ungodly acts against each other. Paul’s advice then and now is that we act like the one to whom we belong. Personally, my earthly father would have been disappointed, and even embarrassed, if I had acted in a manner different to what he taught me, or practiced in his life. I can’t begin to imagine how my heavenly Father must feel when, considering the extent to which He went to prove His love for us, yet we who are clothed in His forgiveness, grace and love, still act in very similar ways as the Jews and Gentiles acted in Paul’s day. I’m sure that nothing comes as a surprise to God, but it should hurt our hearts knowing that we may have hurt God through our actions and/or words with those who are our brothers and sisters, under the same banner of Jesus Christ. Friends, when we are clothed in the blood of the lamb, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, then we are obligated to follow in His ways – to act just like Him; Love just like Him and to be His ambassadors in this foreign land. May I challenge you to live like the King today? He has demonstrated how He wants us to live, and He will help us to do just that if we are faithful and just to ask Him. This world can be a better place in which to live, if only we will do our part as Christ’s representatives, invite Him to direct our words and our actions, and apply heavenly, Godly principles to the things we do and say!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I was challenged by Your Word today, because I realized how easily this old world, and Satan, can suck us into the attitudes and distractions that take Christians off the track of godliness and living holy lives that imitate Your perfect example set before us. You are truly holy oh God, and we are to be the same if we are truly Your children. Please forgive me of my littleness and lack of effort to stay focused on Your will and character. Please help me to stay focused on the goal of eternity with You, and while allowed to remain on this earth, may I truly live according to Your instructions and the perfect example You have shown through Your Word. Please touch the lives of friends who might meditate on this devotional today. May they also recommit to live the life they committed to when they accepted You as Lord. I ask this in Your precious and most worthy name Lord Jesus, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Nuggets From God's Word 