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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-01-04 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Genesis 3:17–19 (NCV) |
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Text: |
17 Then God said to the man, “You listened to what your wife said, and you ate fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat. “So I will put a curse on the ground, and you will have to work very hard for your food. In pain you will eat its food all the days of your life. 18 The ground will produce thorns and weeds for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 You will sweat and work hard for your food.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| God gave some very simple rules to the very first family, concerning a tree in the middle of the garden that they were not permitted to eat from. Of course, it seems like anytime that rules are given, it is just human instinct to test the waters and see if anything would happen if we circumvent, or disobey that rule. In the preceding verses we see where the serpent was chastised and punished for his role in this whole act by Adam and Eve, then we see where God also punished Eve, followed by Adam. In each case the punishment was long-lasting, as we never hear about a serpent that does not crawl around on its stomach. Nor do we hear of a woman going through childbirth painlessly. In the above verses we see where Adam’s punishment was also long-lasting as men are still bothered today with weeds and thorns as they garden, plus the effort is so great that no one wants to do farming anymore. Bottom line is that God made it clear from the very beginning that He would not tolerate sin, and that there would be repercussions, if we sin. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Why then do we keep on sinning? It seems many times that it must really be in our DNA to rebel or fight against the standards established by God. Is it that Satan is stronger in our lives and therefore prohibits God from fulfilling His mission in us and through us? This may very well be the case friends. But no one deliberately chooses Satan as their leader, so why do we feel he is so prevalent in our lives? Think about this for a moment: if we are born into a sinful world around sinful people doing sinful actions, what exactly do you suppose one would be? Friends, we are told in Scripture that unless we confess our sins, and accept the precious gift God offers to us through His precious Son, Jesus Christ, then we remain in sin and will face eternal damnation, which is our eternal punishment for our sin. However, for those who accept the gift of Jesus Christ, to those shall be granted eternal forgiveness of sin, and therefore eternal happiness in heaven with Jesus and His Father. So to recap: if we continue in sin and do nothing, we will be worse off than Adam and Eve, for we will face eternal damnation with Satan and his cohorts. However, to be obedient to the call of Jesus on our lives and surrender our lives to Him, He has the power to save us and through His grace He will save us. This cleanses us from our sin and allows us entry into the heights of heaven to be with our Master for ever and ever. What’s your choice friend! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, I thank You for convicting me of my sin and giving me boldness to surrender my life to You. I look forward to the day when You will welcome me home to glory, because of Your grace! While remaining here on earth I need Your ongoing power and grace to help me overcome evil and to stand firm in my faith. Please be my guide and my stay throughout every circumstance of life. Lord, I have relatives and friends who are very much like the characters in our story today, but they have not surrendered their heart to You yet. In faith, I believe that You will send readers to this devotional who need to hear Your message of salvation today. Please Lord, may Your hand reach gently on the lives of these ones who need a Savior, please soften their hearts and make their will moldable so that they will stop and listen to Your voice. This is Your day oh Lord, please have Your will and way in our lives, so that You may be glorified and praised. 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: peace
Choices Today for 2017 and Possibly Beyond
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-02 |
Scripture |
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Bible Text From: |
Psalm 1 |
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Bible Text: |
4 But for sinners, what a different story! They blow away like chaff before the wind. 5 They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom. |
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Translation: |
The Living Bible (TLB) |
Observation: |
This short Psalm is power-packed with information on what each of us can expect when we come face-to-face with our Master and Lord. In verses 1 thru 3 the Psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, shared with us all that believers in Jesus Christ might expect. There are such words as: Joy; Fruitfulness; Delight; Searching for ways to please God more; Fresh; Alive; Perky (and not withering). However, God knew from the very beginning of time that there would be some who would choose to ‘do their own thing’ and ignore the commands of the Lord. Unfortunately, we find throughout God’s Word that He is a jealous God and will not stand for disobedience to His commands, or contempt, or deliberate sinful actions. Because of the deliberate disobedience to God’s commands, these individuals are considered ‘sinners’ by God. So in verses 4-6 God draws the contrast of what will happen to them. There some words used in this section that we try to also avoid in our lives here on earth: Inconsistent; Unstable; Easily swayed to believe something else; Unsafe on Judgment Day; Segregation – for they will not stand with the righteous. This all results in a destiny of doom. |
Application: |
Based on the Word of God, we know that the parallel drawn by the Psalmist is not just a ‘What If’ scenario, or a scare tactic, for God confirms throughout His word that there is a place prepared for every person. He also declares in advance what the criteria is that He will use to determine our destiny. Therefore, we had best prepare for the outcome, rightfully assuming that today might be the day that God might call us out of this world, and therefore the day that He will decide who will reign over us throughout eternity. God has prepared a place called Heaven for those of us who have placed our faith and trust in Him. There we will spend eternity at the feet of Jesus and His Father, God. The path of doom mentioned in verse 6 points to the doom that will come to those who have decided to do life alone, and don’t see the need for a Savior. In todays vernacular, these individuals are sometimes called unbelievers; or sinners; or the unsaved. The doom referred to here is the unfortunate leadership of the Evil One – Satan, in a place called Hell. Knowing that you can decide today where you will spend eternity, is there any reason why you would deliberately choose Hell? Unfortunately, the default location is Hell, because unless you make a decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior , that’s where you will go – according to the Word of God. So what’s your decision friend? You can settle the issue TODAY by reading my Footnote and following the directions included there. It is your choice! |
Prayer: |
Lord Jesus, I thank You for prompting this humble man many years ago into making a decision to accept You as my Lord and Savior, and giving me the peace of one day being with You in heaven. Many of my readers have, no doubt, made that same decision, however Lord, I pray that You will direct one to read this devotional today who might be looking for the way to make this change in their life’s ultimate direction. You have been plain throughout your Word of how the end will turn out for us, based on the decisions made while right here on earth. We claim to be smart folk who know how to make good decisions. Lord, may this be a day of good decisions, especially as we start off this New Year with so many uncertainties. There is only one way to heaven, and it is solely based on our acceptance of the awesome plan You put in place for our good. Thank You Lord Jesus for making the way and giving us opportunity after opportunity to accept that plan. 2017 could be the year You will come to take us home with You, may we all be ready and waiting for Your return, is my humble plea, 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! |
Your Response Compared to Mary’s
Saturday, 2016-12-24
Scripture
Bible Reference: Luke 1:46-50
Bible Text: Then Mary said, “I praise the Lord with all my heart. I am very happy because God is my Savior. I am not important, but he has shown his care for me, his lowly servant. From now until the end of time, people will remember how much God blessed me. Yes, the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is very holy. He always gives mercy to those who worship him.
Bible Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
My Take
In verse 30 of this same chapter, the angel who appeared before this young virgin, Mary, calmed her be saying that God was delivering this awesome news to her because He was pleased with her. Does that make you think that there was a close relationship between Mary and her God? There is a gospel song entitled ‘Why me’, and I love that song, but I believe it is evident in this example of Mary that if we have the kind of relationship with God that He is pleased with, then perhaps He will be pleased with us also! Therefore, in line with God’s everlasting goodness, there is no limit as to what He might do through you and I also! I believe that the other thing that we are taught in this greeting to Mary, is that when you have this type of relationship with God, and He decides to use you, He may very well use an agent of His to deliver the good news, as He did with the angel to Mary. Oh that we may have the grace to humbly accept the assignments that God sends our way. In accepting His assignment, I believe you are acknowledging that the God of this universe knows what He’s doing, and will do what He has planned, and He knows how He might best use you for His ultimate glory! Now consider what you may have thought of Mary if she responded to the angel that she would take time to think about it, because she is not one to make snap decisions. Or perhaps, asked the angel for a sign to prove to her that this assignment is truly from God. Wouldn’t that sound like she was second-guessing God. Friends, I believe that it is very obvious that God always looks for our availability, and He never has to worry about our abilities. Remember in Paul’s ministry, he desired that he might decrease, so that God may increase? Remember how John the Baptist said that he could only baptize with water, but that One who was to follow Him would actually baptize with the Holy Spirit? Yes, considering our weaknesses and our limited knowledge and abilities, we are limited by what we can do for the glory of God, but the Word of God reminds us that in Christ, and under the anointing of His Holy Spirit, He (God) can do ALL things. Friends, without any intention to brag, I can share from personal experience that God called me into various ministries where I was totally dependent on Him, and when totally surrendered to God, He was able to accomplish great things for His glory. When others look at us, and witness our actions and attitudes, their lives will only be moved into action IF they see Jesus. I would like to recommend that you consider joining me, as we daily connect with God – seek His face, not His hand, and give Him the place of honor and glory that He deserves. Make yourself available to Him for anything that He would consider using you for in accomplishing His will in your realm of influence. I believe it will amaze us how He could use even you and me! Can we, like Mary, praise God from the very depths of our hearts for what He has done, can do, and even accomplish through us, this Christmas?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, what a wonderful Savior You are! To create mere humans, allow them to do their own thing, then to accept our call for salvation, and unconditionally love us enough to welcome us back to Yourself. Wow, Oh What A Savior! But more than that Lord, You look at Your restored loved ones with such holiness that they are at Your disposal to even be used by You! Wow, Oh What A Savior! Scripture shows us how You used Your humble servant Mary, and I truly believe today that those who know You personally can easily be used by You as we place ourselves at Your feet and accept Your authority. Your will be done oh Lord! AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
A Well Orchestrated Plan!
Tuesday, 2016-12-20
Scripture
Bible Reference: Micah 5:2-5
Bible Text: 2 The Lord says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” 3 So the Lord will abandon his people to their enemies until the woman who is to give birth has her son. Then those Israelites who are in exile will be reunited with their own people. 4 When he comes, he will rule his people with the strength that comes from the Lord and with the majesty of the Lord God himself. His people will live in safety because people all over the earth will acknowledge his greatness, 5 and he will bring peace.
Bible Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)
My Take
Because I learned a few new things in my study today about this popular passage included in the story about the birth of Jesus, I wanted to share with you the fascination I found with how God coordinated this whole birth of His Holy One, the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of you that know all of these things, I ask that you bear with this humble child while I continue to learn the great truths of God’s Word. Look at these things with me:
- Bethlehem Ephrathah – It seems interesting why God chose the humility of one of the smallest towns around for His Son to be born. His Son that would be born to rule and reign over all Israel and be the Savior of the whole world. But:
- Did you know that in this small town, David was also born? Look at 1 Samuel 17:12 for this reference! Remember from New Testament scripture that Jesus would be of the lineage of David!
- Did you know that God didn’t need the popularity of a large town, or the extra security of a major city for His Son to be born and recognized as a major leader of the world?
- The Lord abandoned His people – The Lord had worked so miraculously among the Israelites and carefully provided for them, yet time after time He sadly saw them return to their sin and idol worship. So in this passage we are told that He answered their requests to leave them alone, for He abandoned them. But He did this while also foretelling of One that He would send to love, rule, and reign over them with deep compassion. Friends, do you see where this whole miracle has changed us very much today? For it seems like we live in a world where idol worship is still very prevalent, and our merciful God is still mocked through the blatant sin and disregard of His precious Son. Note that ‘idol’ worship is something, or someone, other than God, who attracts the attention of His people. What are those excuses again that folk use when they can’t, or won’t make it to corporate worship?
Friends, we can see from the very beginning that God had a well orchestrated plan to save His people from their sin, and I am convinced that this was not just for the people of Israel, but for all that He created to live on this earth. That includes both you and me. I have accepted Him as my Lord and Savior and therefore can boast of my eternal home in heaven. My whole purpose in sharing these blogs each day is not to help you feel better about yourself, or for you to see how guilty I feel about myself, but to encourage you to take God at His word. He orchestrated a plan for your salvation. Please consider accepting that gift today, by surrendering your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. You will see and feel Christmas in a way that you have never done before! Friends, know Him and know the peace that is often referred to each Christmas, won’t you?
Prayer
Dear God, I thank You for the everlasting gift of salvation, and for Your precious Son that You sent so that salvation might be possible. I am so afraid that our world has become as bad or worse than Israel when You removed Your hand from them. I am also afraid that we are still as stubborn about our sin and disregard even after Your special provision given through Your Son. Lord, please use this Christmas season to once again remind our people of the purpose of You sending Your Son, and the unique privilege that is ours to allow Your Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Savior, to rule and reign in our lives throughout the rest of our lives and even through eternity with You in glory. You’re my King, and I praise You Heavenly Father, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Reverence Filled The Air
Thursday, 2016-12-15
Scripture
Bible Reference: Luke 1:62-65
Bible Text: 62 They turned to Zacharias and asked him what he wanted the baby’s name to be. 63 He motioned for a tablet, and he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was shocked by this breach of family custom. 64 They were even more surprised when, at that moment, Zacharias was able to talk again, and he shouted out praises to God. 65 A sense of reverence spread through the whole community. In fact, this story was spread throughout the hilly countryside of Judea.
Bible Translation: The Voice Translation (Voice)
My Take
For those who are not familiar with the context of this story, I will add that Zechariah and Elizabeth had gone childless most of their lives, but not without praying intimately to God for a child. Finally, one day (when the time was right with God) while working in the temple, God told Zechariah about the great answer to his prayers, as his wife would bear a child. Like most other seniors, this made Zechariah seriously question God on how could this possibly happen to such an old lady. Because of his questioning, God made him speechless until the child was born. In spite of all this, Zechariah never lost hope or his faith in the Almighty, because soon enough he would see that his wife was indeed pregnant. As I meditated on these verses today, I tried to imagine how this may have gone down in today’s world, for we seldom have temple workers, other than, perhaps, the janitors. However, God is not constrained to just appearing to someone at their church building, so I believe that God would meet the individual in a place where He knows that He would be most effective in getting His point across to them. So skip forward to the story in today’s scripture and let’s imagine how this might happen in today’s world. I believe that because of Elizabeth’s age, her very close friends would probably still keep a very close eye on her, even though in today’s society we seem much too busy with our own affairs to be bothered with, or care about the happenings at our neighbor’s home. But let’s assume that a few friends and the mother’s pastor went along to the hospital to encourage Elizabeth, and to comfort poor Zechariah during the time that his wife were in the capable hands of the doctors and nurses. After seeing this birth come to fruition, can you imagine these loved ones walking away in jaw-dropping awe over this old lady having her first baby? Now fast forward to eight days later when these friends came along after the circumcision for the naming of the baby. I’m sure that it would go without saying that the baby boy would be named after his old dad, however, like everything else in this story up to this time, the naming is also way out there, and quite unexpected. Witnessing the return of Zechariah’s speech, and considering all the surrounding miracles in John the Baptist’s birth, in our world today there may be enough to stir up a sense of revival in the lives of those near to the family, and it may have stirred them to give a testimony or two at their local churches, but do you think that it would have made the local papers or television news? Probably not, because it would be sure to promote the holiness and power of God. But what does it do to you and I, Christians? We’ve read the story and heard sermons that include this story year after year, but does it fill our heard with the awe-inspiring power of God, and the encouragement to spread the good news about our Father, that He is the same today, as He was yesterday and in the actions involving the story of Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist? I’m sure that unbelievers can’t wrap their minds around this type of event, but for Christians, we should feel goosebumps every time we are reminded of the power of our awesome God! That’s my God, friends! Do you know Him? If not, would you like a personal introduction? If you are one who likes to DIY, please refer to my Footnote and see from God’s Word how important this step of faith is to your eternity.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You did it before, and I believe that You can do it again, today and every day – praise the wonderful name of Jesus! Please work in the lives of Christians, beginning with me, and miraculously work in the lives of unbelievers, to draw us to the foot of the cross and witness the love, peace, power and miracles of our awesome God. Lord, I am convinced that as we experience this in our lives, we will be more apt to share with others our experience, and the source of our experience, because of Your power and Your grace. There is so much to consider in the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, but Lord You may very well be working out Your precious plan in the lives of those of us who are dedicated and obedient to Your call today also. May we stay the course, and keep trusting in You, while You work out Your plan for our future. Others will be touched along the way and come to know You as Lord and Savior, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
A Willing Servant
Monday, 2016-12-12
Scripture
Bible Reference: Luke 1:34-38
Bible Text: 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you; so the baby born to you will be utterly holy—the Son of God. 36 Furthermore, six months ago your Aunt Elizabeth—‘the barren one,’ they called her—became pregnant in her old age! 37 For every promise from God shall surely come true.”
38 Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true.” And then the angel disappeared.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
I believe that in a normal church setting, there may be several interpretations of the subject: ‘A Willing Servant’. But before we look closer to how these words were used by Mary, let look at the whole scenario. In today’s society, can you imagine how a pastor or elder(s) might react if a mom or dad stood in a regular church meeting and publicly declared that their innocent 16 year old daughter is pregnant, and she claims that God spoke to her about carrying some special embryo to term? Now imagine if they carried it further by trying to convince fellow attendees that this is a very special occasion for their daughter, because she never had relations with a man, but she did have a visit with an angel! “OK, next” we might say, “so, who can beat that story!” Now with that as a backdrop, let’s look closely at how Mary handled a very similar experience, and what some might be saying about that story. For Mary was approached by an angel – sounding wild yet? Mary was also told that she was highly favored – ok, so let me guess the young man was about 5’8″ and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, right? No, the Holy Spirit will come upon her and she would become pregnant – now this is sounding like one of those highly fictional stories that some folk really get a kick out of reading! Wait there’s more, her auntie who is very old and been barren all of her life, will also become pregnant – by now, most would have totally closed minds about this whole story, because they would jump to the conclusion that someone has gone beyond any sense of reality. But friends, I want us to stop this Christmas and understand that everything about the coming of Jesus is the miraculous work of our Father. It was foretold through the prophets, and it all comes with a very special bonus, because through the eventual shedding of His blood – (Jesus, that same infant that we celebrate at Christmas), we can have eternal life in heaven with He and His Father (God)! However, back to Mary. May I suggest that Mary must have already had some great principles about herself and knew God intimately already? For instead of rejection, and being obstinate in trying to protect against anything that could possible damage her relationship with her fiancé, Joseph, she simply responded in verse 38 that as a servant of the Most High, and she humbly accepted the challenge, and was prepared to do whatever God said. I wonder how many, so called, ‘servants of God’ would be prepared to repeat that type of commitment by Mary the next time we ask God to bless us in our ministries? That may mean us laying bare before God and telling Him that we are His willing servant, and that we would be willing to do whatever He dictates, so that we might be the teacher, or preacher, or deacon or elder, or pastor, or children’s worker, that He wants us to be. Friend, unless you are totally sold out to God, that word ‘whatever‘ could very easily cause you way more than you would ever bargain for, so use that word only if you truly mean it!
Prayer
Lord, You know us better than we know ourselves, and You know which of us carry that title ‘Christian’ out of sincerity in our relationship with You, and which of us do it out of convenience, popularity, or even public image. You created us Lord, and You know us intimately. May I humbly ask that You gently nudge the hearts of those that have not accepted Your call on their lives at all, and on those who may just be pretending and therefore fooling themselves and their family? Father, I believe that our time here on this earth, and especially our usefulness here on this earth, is drawing to a close. This precious young lady (Mary) has shown us the importance of being ready to accept Your call on our life. This may vary drastically, because there are folk of all walks of life that need to be reached for the Kingdom. You are God, and only You can direct us into the ways of God and to the people that need You in some way today. As exampled by Mary, may I be the first to say that I am Your humble servant and ask that Your mighty will be done in my life so that I might honestly and faithfully commit to all that You would have me do. Please also speak to the hearts of my readers who are willing to make such a commitment today. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
God is With Us – Trust Him This Christmas
Saturday, 2016-12-10
Scripture
Bible Reference: Isaiah 7:9-16
Bible Text: 9 Samaria is the capital of Ephraim alone, and King Pekah’s power will not increase. You don’t believe me? If you want me to protect you, you must learn to believe what I say.” 10 Not long after this, the Lord sent this further message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask me for a sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will indeed crush your enemies as I have said. Ask anything you like, in heaven or on earth.” 12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I’ll not bother the Lord with anything like that.” 13 Then Isaiah said: O House of David, you aren’t satisfied to exhaust my patience; you exhaust the Lord’s as well! 14 All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign—a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him Immanuel (meaning, “God is with us”). 15-16 By the time this child is weaned and knows right from wrong, the two kings you fear so much—the kings of Israel and Syria – will both be dead.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
Verse 14 is a verse that we hear used a lot around Christmas time in Christian circles, but as represented in other recent devotionals, I believe it is so important for us individually to take time and read the whole context from which these popular verses are found. Today’s scripture is a wonderful example. Like us, King Ahaz thought that some things were just too trivial to bother God with, even though it was God Himself who told Ahaz to test Him. I love what the Lord said to Ahaz in the latter part of verse 9, and I know that it very much applies to me and very possibly also applies to you. In my own words, and based on my understanding, I believe that God said to Ahaz, and is saying to us: How do you expect me to protect you, or, how do you expect me to heal you or bless you, if you don’t learn to believe in, and trust me? Friends, there is so much truth in those powerful words by the Master! Will our child ever trust us to catch them jumping from a high wall if they have not learned to trust us? I don’t think so! In my hyperlink to todays scripture, I included the whole chapter, because I want you to take time to read and understand that God had given Ahaz comfort in knowing that He would take care of the opposing leaders, and He even wanted to give him a timeline that it would occur. However, God knew that Ahaz doubted what he was told, so He told Ahaz to test Him just to gain trust in knowing that He is true to His word. The timing of this event then allowed God to elaborate on the miraculous birth of His Son, Jesus. Friends, once again we are assured that our Father has a plan for His children, just like He had for Ahaz. However, we must know Him so well that we are willing to trust Him and believe what He says to us through His Word; through visions; and through His mighty warriors who deliver His messages to us each week. Wouldn’t it be ‘MERRY’, if this Christmas this concept might ‘click’ in our minds and cause us to totally place our faith and our trust in our Savior? We can’t expect God to bless us and protect us if we don’t trust Him or believe fully in Him!
Prayer
Your Word never ceases to amaze me Oh God! To read the context from which we have traditionally heard parts of the Christmas story, and still find new truths that really speak to our hearts, we can only say ‘Wow’ what a Savior! What an awesome God! Lord Jesus, we just want to worship You, praise You and honor Your blessed name for the key role You have played in our plan of salvation. God had a plan to comfort king Ahaz, and I am convinced that His plan to comfort, protect and save us, is even more awesome! Thank you Heavenly Father! Please continue to open our hearts and fill us with Your grace and Your awesome love that You have shown to us, so that we may, in turn, be a blessing to others in every way possible this Christmas season and throughout each day of the upcoming New Year. With every fiber of our being, we again say ‘thank You Father’ for Your amazing love to us in so many ways! AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Our God-Tools for Dealing with The World
Thursday, 2016-12-08
Scripture
Bible Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Bible Text: 3 Although we live in the world, we don’t fight our battles with human methods. 4 Our weapons that we fight with aren’t human, but instead they are powered by God for the destruction of fortresses. They destroy arguments, 5 and every defense that is raised up to oppose the knowledge of God. They capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 Once your obedience is complete, we are ready to punish any disobedience.
Bible Translation: Common English Bible (CEB)
My Take
I wonder if the usual observer would notice any difference in the way that Christians respond to arguments, or other daily battles and challenges, than they would notice with the ordinary person of this world! I believe that way too often we, followers of Jesus Christ, put Jesus aside while we use our worldly minds and actions to deal with individuals that we believe are getting the upper hand on us. Let me attempt to put these verses into perspective for you. This past Sunday in church, our pastor read the 23rd Psalm – a passage that we either hear read at every funeral, or at least posted inside every obituary, yet there were a few words that popped out off the page at me. In verse 3, the New Century Version reads: He gives me new strength. He leads me on paths that are right for the good of His name. Wow, it never occurred to me that the verse didn’t just say that God would lead me in the right paths, but also added that any praise attained from me walking that right path is for His name’s sake, and for His praise and His honor! Similarly, in these verses from 2 Corinthians, God is saying to me that when I was a follower of the leader of this world, Satan, I acted and spoke and did those things that were indicative of Satan. However, now that I am a child of the King, led by Him, following His example, and filled with the power of His Holy Spirit who has taken up residence inside of me, then what comes out of me, should match what’s inside of me. Why would I dare mess things up by reacting in my old sinful way, when I can surrender my will to that of Jesus Christ, and be led by His Holy Spirit to do miraculous things that only He can do? Friends, I believe these verses are written to show us how Paul dealt with everyday challenges under the unction and power of the Holy Spirit, who was able to do God-like things through him (Paul). Paul told the Corinthian church in verse 6, and I believe that God is still telling us today, that when we claim Jesus as Lord, and become truly submissive and obedient to the Him, then He will show His readiness to work through us to deal with the disobedience in those that we rub shoulders with, and/or are concerned about, every day. May I recommend that we each get before the Lord and ask Him to remove any sin that separates us from His desire to work through us to touch the lives of those in our circle of life, especially those who oppose Him?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are so worthy of our praise, for Your know our needs and our weaknesses even before we can voice them to You. Father, we will face even greater challenges today, but in full confidence we petition before a God who never changes, who can handle the challenges of yesterday, and who already knows the challenges that will come before Your saints even today. Please keep us holy, fully committed to You, and submissive to Your will and Your way of handling things. You have reminded us that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of the evil one. May we learn to look beyond the faults of others, and instead seek Your face, Your will, and Your awesome power to again deal with the evil powers of Satan, even as they affect our family and friends that we will deal with today. Personally, I have to completely surrender my will and my all to thee again today Lord. May Your will consume me and Your Holy Spirit guide and direct me. May that same power be convincing to my readers today, so they also may surrender their will and their attitudes to You, Oh lord. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
God’s Majestic Plan – In Spite of known Opposition
Monday, 2016-12-05
Scripture
Bible Reference: Isaiah 40:1-5
Bible Text: 1 “Comfort, yes, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her sad days are gone. Her sins are pardoned, and I have punished her in full for all her sins.”
3 Listen! I hear the voice of someone shouting, “Make a road for the Lord through the wilderness; make him a straight, smooth road through the desert. 4 Fill the valleys; level the hills; straighten out the crooked paths, and smooth off the rough spots in the road. 5 The glory of the Lord will be seen by all mankind together.” The Lord has spoken—it shall be.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
Israel had been dealt quite a hand by prophets who threatened what God would do in response to their wickedness and sin. However God, through His servant Isaiah, brought hope to those who trusted in God in spite of the sin that they cringed at in their wicked neighbors every day, for he told of the coming of the Messiah! In fact, in verses 1 & 2, it was like God had assured Isaiah that he should now share some good news with His people. I have heard the following verses repeated at many Christmas programs in the past and even used in sermons around Christmas time, but my study of this has really opened my eyes to the meaning of this. We will see later in the New Testament (In Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; and in John 1:23) where John the Baptist again repeated these words as he went about preaching the coming of the Messiah. The truth being proclaimed was that the Messiah would face many challenges, such as one would face in the wilderness, or the desert, or the mountains, or along crooked and rough roads. You know, similar to what churches face today or that evangelists are challenged with today. But wait a moment you might quickly retort, what challenges? Friends, the message of Jesus Christ faces as many challenges as, or more than John the Baptist imagined in his proclamation. For today we face the mountains of increasing government regulations; the crooked paths of our society prohibiting the proclamation of Jesus Christ in many public environments because they fear that some might object; the objection of prayer or Bible teaching in our schools, in spite of increased crime rates, molestation, teacher abuse, and increased costs by keeping law enforcement on site. Friends, I believe it is very obvious that we have more obstacles to smooth out, remove or overcome than Isaiah or John the Baptist spoke of in their address to the people of their day. However the Word of God speaks, and in verse 5 we are told that the glory of God will be seen by ALL mankind, in accordance with what the Lord has spoken. So are you a part of the problem, or part of the solution? Did you consider this in your recent voting (here in the US)? Do you make your voice count at school administration meetings? Notice that verse 5 says that the glory of the Lord WILL be seen – that’s not a ‘maybe, if you agree with it’ type of a statement. Jesus has come, and He WILL call us home to be with Him one day, if we know Him as Lord. Are you ready friend? Do your part by readying your world for His return, will you?
Prayer
Dear Lord in Heaven, thank You Father for sending Your one and only Son, in spite of knowing beforehand what He would face here on earth, with so much opposition, hatred and rejection. I realize that this was all a part of Your majestic plan for our eternal salvation, and I thank You sincerely for touching the hardened heart of this old sinner and convincing me of my need for a Savior. Lord, I am saddened to see the huge mountains still in place by many of my family and friends, for they have built their defenses and want nothing to do with You, the Savior who died for their sake. Lord, please continue to work on them, for these are Your children that You have placed on this earth. And it’s because of that awesome love for every child, that I believe You will continue to work on challenging them and helping them to straighten out the path towards salvation. I hurt for my Brothers and Sisters, because they are gambling with life and their decisions about meeting You, but they have no control over the very next moment in their life, for TODAY is the day of salvation. Lord, may they trust in You today, is my sincere and humble prayer this morning, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Steeped In Sin, Yet God…
Saturday, 2016-12-03
Scripture
Bible Reference: Isaiah 64:6-9
Bible Text: We’ve sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved? We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves – sin-dried, we’re blown off by the wind. No one prays to you or makes the effort to reach out to you Because you’ve turned away from us, left us to stew in our sins.
Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the clay and you’re our potter: All of us are what you made us. Don’t be too angry with us, O God. Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us.
Bible Translation:The Message (MSG)
My Take
We hear it often, and we may have even thought it at times ourselves: “I am so dirty with sin, that no one wants anything to do with me – not even God”. However, I hope that many of you who are guilty of that statement are actually reading this devotional today, because like me, I hope that you will find hope in what these verses are really conveying to us. You see, at this Advent season on the church calendar, we especially think of the reason that Jesus came to earth, and we specifically reflect on, and celebrate His miraculous birth at Christmas. Friends, I am convinced that God sent His Son for one specific reason – not just to heal the sick, broken-hearted or discouraged; and not just to raise the dead from the grave; but He also saw how bad it was getting on earth with blatant sin – murder; rape; adultery; and all sorts of wickedness. He realized that sacrificing of animals for forgiveness of sin was just not working, so in spite of the enormous sin going on at that time, He sent His very own Son to simplify the act of one seeking forgiveness of their sin. You see, God’s mission has always been to see His people live like He intended here on this earth, and to always seek His leadership and His guidance, so that we might desire to do what He originally created us for – to worship Him and Him alone. Friends, I wonder how saddened God must be with His creation, when He looks around earth and sees how far we have strayed from His design. Satan is rampant in our families; in our churches; in our cities, states, country, and indeed in our world. Unfortunately, God has given us freedom of choice in deciding who we will follow, and in spite of God’s perfect design; the gift of His precious Son; and the promise of eternity in heaven for those who believe in Jesus; yet it is very evident that the attraction of worldly possessions; fun; and self-indulgence has been more attractive to mankind – even at the expense of knowing that he will spent eternity in the pit of Hell with his worldly leader – Satan, who has nothing to offer but eternal damnation, unending fire, and nothing but pain and destruction. I believe our challenge for today is simply to open our eyes to the love of Jesus, for I don’t believe that anyone who acknowledges the love of God for His children by sacrificing His very own Son, will willfully turn their backs on Him and settle for the only other alternative – the offerings of Satan. We have a Savior who loves us unconditionally, and will accept us today, if only we will harken to His call. There really is no reason to wait friend. God will work with you to rid yourself of everything that causes you to sin against Him, so please don’t confuse the order of things. Accept Him first, and ask for His help to fully dedicate yourself to Him. This could be the best Christmas ever for you and your family and friends who ‘put up’ with you!
Prayer
Lord God, we are such a blessed people. You have been so patient, loving and kind to us in so many ways. I thank You for touching my life and convincing me of my need for Your Son, Jesus. Lord, I am very concerned for the unsaved in my family, my church and throughout my community, and I ask that You patiently tender their hearts again today so that they may hear about You and believe. I have a special place in my heart for my readers also Lord, and I ask that should there be one who happens across this devotional today that have yet to make a decision to surrender their life to You, that this may be the day. Lord, may this be a weekend that churches will be filled with seekers. Lord, may those churches release those parishioners into the world as new-born Christians, because of the preaching of Your Word, and Your miraculous touch on their lives. Lord may they be obedient to Your call on their life and accept You as their Savior, For this is my humble and sincere prayer, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Nuggets From God's Word 