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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-01-13 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Psalm 5:7–8 (NLT) |
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Text: |
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. 8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Psalmist was very open in declaring that it was only because of God’s unfailing love that he could even enter the house of the Lord – His temple, to worship Him. In spite of his victories in battle, David could easily have kept his head lifted high in pride, but instead he continued to plead with God for His direction – the right path that he (David) should follow. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Friends, I am so afraid that we have assumed way too much pride when it comes to church attendance. At my church, we were reminded last Sunday that our singing, our praise and our worship is intended for an audience of ONE. We don’t need to impress the Brother in front of us, or the Sister beside us, but in all humbleness of heart we walk into the presence of the Almighty God, and in spite of our sin and shameful deeds of that week, we come asking God to accept us – mere sinful humans, as we are, presenting all we have to offer Him – our act of worship. Friends, the mere picture of that, presents us with the fact that although we might seem like peons, yet we are the creation of the God that we have now come to return thanks, and offer our sacrifices of praise. We have nothing to boast of, outside of the awesome work that God has chosen to do through us. The thankfulness of heart from just the fact that He accepted us after forgiving us of our sins, is worth hours of worship and thanksgiving each time we think of it. The willingness to use vessels that were torn by sin and separation from God, is enough to blow our minds, but fill us with thankfulness because of His great love and forgiveness. Friends, we must realize that each and every day that we’re alive deserves our humble, yet ultimate act of worship as we come before a God who loved us enough to accept us as we were when we approached His throne of grace. It was because of God’s amazing grace that He listened to our plea for forgiveness, and accepted us as pure and holy, even as He is holy. To the one who has not sought that forgiveness of sin yet, you might ask ‘What shall wash away my sin’? To which Jesus and His holy saints would respond ‘Nothing but the blood of Jesus’. May I encourage the unbeliever to seek the face of Jesus today and His righteousness, please? May I encourage the saints to take another look at the way that you approach Jesus and His holiness. Re-read how David looked at this, and consider approaching Him in deepest respect and awe, just for who He is! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, You created us in Your own image, and I’m sure You were so proud of what You had created! I believe that You are still proud of us, and loves us unconditionally, in spite of our straying away from You and our tendency to lean towards those things that the adversary offers in this sinful world. Thank You for loving us in spite of our evil desires and straying hearts. Lord, You have made it clear in Your Word that Your desire is to see the sinner return to You, seek Your face and Your forgiveness. Some might read this devotional today who have not placed their faith and trust in You. May I ask that You humble their hearts as they read Your word, so that they may surrender their heart to You, please Heavenly Father? I would also love for You to touch the hearts of believers today that may have allowed the freshness of their conversion to fade into the background and now take Your presence for granted. Please dear God, always keep us humble to remember the Love that You showed for us when You hung on the cross of Calvary. As we enter your courts, Your temple, Your church, may our hearts be so fill up with praise and thanksgiving, that our time together with You will be overwhelming worship of the King of all kings! I love You 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! | |
Tag: PRAYER
How to Obtain Success for Yourself and Your Children!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-01-12 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Deuteronomy 5:29 (CEV) |
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Text: |
29 I wish they would always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Israelites went to their leader, Moses, after hearing the voice of God coming from the mountain, and asked him to go and speak to God again on their behalf. This time with a message – that they would be obedient to whatever commands God conveys to Moses for the people to do. Our merciful God didn’t respond with a whole list of commands that would enslave the people until their death, but instead simply responded that He would desire that they respectfully honor, or fear Him from a heart of respect – to the degree that they would come before Him trembling, and that they would always seek to be obedient to Him. Knowing how much humans like to be rewarded, God promised that if the Israelites honored these things and strived to live in this way, He would see to it that they, and their children would live and enjoy a successful life! Wow, what an awesome God we serve! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| There are probably more books written, and more seminars offered, on the subject of ‘How to be more successful in life’, than perhaps any other subject that one could think of. Yet, in the Bible, God gave the answer to Moses for the Israelites, and He had this unique formula included in the best-selling book of all times, ‘The Bible’, because He wanted us to know about this also. Friends, it is very simple to understand, for we can research reasons why God created us in the first place, and we will learn that it was to worship and honor Him as Lord and creator of all mankind. Like the Israelites who found more attraction to making their own gods, and then chose to worship those idols, rather than the God of this universe, we too have chosen to travel down every other path for success, rather than looking to the original plan that God designed. Notice that God didn’t tell Moses that the people would be more successful in His temple, or in His temple work, although I’m sure this was all included in His promise, but He simply said that they and their children would enjoy a successful life, period. Friends, this is one of the basics of life – meaning that this simple command from God is a prerequisite to all other things in life that we might attempt to do. So check this simple command out: ‘Worship God’ – recognize Him for who He is and give praises to Him for all that He has done, is doing and has promised to do for us. This is not just a church-type worship thing, but a mindset for the individual; Do this ‘With fear and trembling’ – know that your God is a holy and righteous God and above all other powers of this world, therefore come into His presence to worship Him with respect and honor, recognizing Him for who He is. When we do this, we will learn very quickly that He controls our destiny, so we learn to chat with Him about those things that are on our mind – both concerns, and our ideas/desires for the future, and we will therefore ask Him to direct our path so that we might always honor and praise Him. God’s promise to the Israelites, and to His children at large, is that He will bless us with success personally, and even bless our offspring. What is it that you would not do in order to see success for your children? God has made it easy for us to do just that. Trust Him friend, and be obedient to worship Him in fear and trembling, for He will give you and your children success! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, You are more precious than silver or gold, and we worship You Almighty God, for there is none like You! Thank You for making life so simple for us, and please forgive us for making it so complex and stressed. There is much to praise You for, because You have been so good to us. We respect You heavenly Father, for You are our righteousness and our Protector and our Deliverer from all evil. Lord, may we wrap our minds around this and be obedient to You in every way. Yes, we want success for ourselves, and especially for our kids, but more than anything else, may we be ever mindful of Your love and Your sacrifice that You were kind enough to make for our eternal salvation. Lord, You are so deserving of our worship, our respect and our hearts that should always be humbled to trembling. We love You Lord and we long to be with You in glory, but while here on this earth, may our minds be so directed towards You that Your joy will overflow through every act of love that we express towards others, so that they may be drawn to You. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
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! |
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!
Reasons Why Jesus Came
Wednesday, 2016-12-14
Scripture
Bible Reference: Luke 1:49-54
Bible Text: 49 …His name is holy; 50 from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him. 51 He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans. 52 He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. 54 He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors ….
Bible Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)
My Take
Beginning in verse 46, Mary’s heart is so full of the miracle of God, that she breaks into song. In fact a song that has been known over the years as ‘The Magnificat’ and song by many popular singers around the word every Christmas season. However, what really hit me as I meditated on these verses, is that after Mary had gotten over the humble admiration of being chosen to bear the child – the Son of God; the King of all kings; and the Lord of all lords; she then expanded her praise into other areas where she saw so many other things being fulfilled. In fact, she even showed proof of her ancestral teachings about the Lord God, because some words of her song almost identically quote the words from the mother of Samuel (Hannah), when she rejoiced over her miraculous pregnancy and the state of her people at that time – refer to 1 Samuel 2:4-8. Friends, I sincerely believe that the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior was not only miraculous to Mary, and reminded her of the hope for her and her people, but because we know the rest of the story in His Book, the Bible, then we also are reminded of the comfort, and the hope we have in knowing that the same babe of which Mary rejoiced before her God. This is the same Jesus who loved us enough to go to the cross of Calvary in order to accomplish His Father’s plan for our salvation! This is the same Jesus that loves us enough to save us – wretched sinners we are, who deserve the depths of Hell; He continues to look out for our good – just as Mary recognized that He would do for her people; and He has an even bigger plan for all eternity, for we have heaven to look forward to – a place where there is no division, or hatred, or envy, but instead a place of peace and solitude where we will worship Father, Son and Holy Spirit for ever and ever, amen! Mary reassured herself in verse 54 that God kept His promise to her ancestors, and friend I am here as His messenger to assure you that He has a plan for our eternity, and there is no doubt as to whether He will keep His promise. The important thing for each of us right now, is that while we are alive – and we all know how delicate that can be, but we are allowed to make our own choice about our destiny. I’ve just described the choice that I made, for I have been promised the joys of heaven. If you have not made that same choice already, then I would encourage you to invite Jesus into your life without further delay. Heaven is there for those who have accepted Jesus as Lord. The alternative is Hell, and without any attempt to bribe or frighten you friend, I want you to know that it’s a place controlled by Satan and his evil cohorts, and I would never wish that on anyone. Please don’t deliberately accept the default because you have not accepted the key to Heaven. Jesus is that key to heaven friend. Please read my Footnote and assure yourself of your eternal destiny. This is super important.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, just as Mary rejoiced in the Son of God that she brought into this world, knowing that He would serve a much greater cause, I commit myself to You all over again. Thank You for accepting me as Your very own child many years ago, please keep me alert to Your ongoing love and purpose for my life so that I may be a living witness to those that I come into contact with. For those who will read this devotional today, please may they find joy and hope this Christmas season in the One for whom Christmas was created to celebrate. As each one reflects on this day and the decision made about their eternal destiny, I pray that they will rejoice in having chosen Jesus as their Lord – the only One who could rescue them from the destination of Hell. You alone are worthy of our praise oh Lord, and we worship You for having made the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. Thank You for coming to this world as a child, and thank you for dying so that we may live eternally with You and the 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!
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!
Lessons From Zechariah
Friday, 2016-12-09
Scripture
Bible Reference: Luke 1:13; 18; 24
Bible Text: 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.
Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)
My Take
I believe that we read over the Christmas Story so quickly each year that there are aspects of the story that do not get the attention it deserves. For example, look at these two aspects of Zechariah’s part in this story and let’s see together what we can learn from him. In the link for the Bible Reference above, I have given you a few surrounding verses that will give you the context from which I have taken the verses for my text. Here are two things that caught my attention, because it quickly reminded me of where we might be in our relationship with God even today:
- Our prayers of expectancy – Our church prayer meetings are probably one of the least attended services that we have at our church, and I don’t believe we are that different to most churches today. However, I believe that most churches will acknowledge that they are a people of prayer! Regardless, let’s look at the experience by Zechariah: The angel revealed that this child of God was praying for a long time that his wife might bear a child. In verse 25 of this chapter, we are told by Elizabeth, that she felt somewhat disgraced in not having borne a child up to this stage in her life. So picture Zechariah approaching the incense altar, as he probably had done many times before, yet this time something was different, for there was an angel standing next to the altar. Knowing that he was in the temple all alone, yet to hear this heavenly being speak to him, and to speak specifically about an answer to a prayer item that he had pleaded before God on many occasions for, must have in itself be astonishing for Zechariah. But all of the same human feelings that we have today, came through in Zechariah, for he doubted. He just couldn’t believe that God was actually answering his prayer at a time like this, in he and his wife’s old age. Friends, why do we, like Zechariah, spend so much time in prayer, pleading our case before a holy and all-powerful God, yet never expecting our prayers to be answered? It’s like we pray hoping the best, but expecting the same old, same old – business as usual – everything remains unchanged. That truly is not the kind of God that we pray to friends? Why would our answer to prayer be any less of an expectation, when we consider all of the other miraculous things that God has shown to us through His Word, and that we may have been blessed to see by our ancestors of faith? Really, praise should be on our lips every day friends, for our almighty God answers our prayers every day. We may struggle to understand why a most powerful and awesome God would answer our prayers slightly different to the way we placed our order, but let’s remember that God knows what we need, if we need it, and when we need it. Let’s let Him be God, as we try harder to perfect our position as humble and obedient servants!
- Our dedication to the Lord’s work – Notice in verse 23 that even after this miraculous experience with the angel, and the awesome news delivered to Zechariah in the temple, yet he stayed on and finished up his week of service in the temple! Oh my, how many of us would ever have done that? Imagine an angel of God telling you that your blind son, whom you have been praying for his eyesight ever since birth, can now see. Can you even imagine staying the rest of the week to finish up your work around the church, or finish up the week of revival services you started? Of course with all of the new communication tools and devices at our disposal today, we would immediately get in touch with home-base to validate what thought we heard the angel say to us, but what if the angel’s message told you to wait until you returned home to see for yourself. What would you do with yourself friend? I believe there would be lots of doubt, but yet you would be very anxious to speak with your son to see for yourself if this was truly a message from God. Why do you suppose God ever answers our prayers, when there’s so much doubt by us even from the time our prayers leave our mouth?
May I encourage you, especially at this Christmas time, to look a little deeper into the scripture and see what God might want to say to You through His Word? Friends, we especially need folk with Zechariah’s dedication around our churches showing us that we don’t step aside from our God-given responsibilities for every little hiccup. We still need our Elizabeth’s who will go straight to rejoicing when they hear of miracles, even if they sound super impossible to her. Look for values in the other characters that we hear about at Christmas and see what God might be teaching you through their story, won’t you?
Prayer
Father, Christmas-time is often a time that we remember all that You gave to us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. However, stories like this one today has helped us to examine the character of others that You involved in this wonder gift that You blessed us with. Please continue to teach us to pray in great expectancy, and to praise You for the answers that You bless us with every time. We are reminded that often we pray for the benefit of others, but not necessarily ready to accept the answer that You might give in return. Zechariah was a humble man who prayed and prayed for his dear wife, yet was challenged to believe that You really answered his prayer at such an unusual time in his life. Lord, we have every reason to believe that You hear our prayers and You answer us every time in ways that You see best at that particular time. We were reminded just yesterday in our study, that You will answer our prayers not only when it is best for us, but at a time when the glory for the answer will be directed to You, the only possible explanation or source of the answer. Please continue to work on our patience to wait on You. Yes, ask as directed in Your Word, but always be willing to wait for Your answers. Lord, You are most awesome in every way, and I thank You for who You are! 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!
The reason We Pray
Wednesday, 2016-12-07
Scripture
Bible Reference: Psalm 130:1-5
Bible Text: 1 O Lord, from the depths of despair I cry for your help: 2 “Hear me! Answer! Help me!”
3-4 Lord, if you keep in mind our sins, then who can ever get an answer to his prayers? But you forgive! What an awesome thing this is! 5 That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
I believe that very often we fall into need like the Psalmist expressed in the first two verses, for we feel like our needs are desperate and that we must hear from God for us to survive the desperation of the moment. I know what it’s like to cry out to God in desperation, and I believe that many of you meditating on this devotional have probably been there and done that. But then, don’t we stop for a moment and hesitate, wondering why on earth would God listen to somebody like you, or like me? After all, if we never sinned against Him, or turned our backs on Him, wouldn’t we stand a better chance of getting through to God? We’ve learned from our earthly experiences, that we might ask forgiveness of our family or friends, but we often still get the ‘cold-shoulder’ for a long time? Why would God totally separate our sins from as, as far as the east is from the west? Friends, throughout God’s Word we are assured of His forgiveness and His awesome love for us. Further, we have endless examples of miracles that Jesus performed for ordinary people, just like us. He forgave them of their sins and brought about a miraculous change in their lives. Why, He healed them of their blindness, their leprosy, their inability to walk or talk, and He even brought some back to life again. Can you imagine Jesus weeping over us? Can you imagine Jesus going to the cross for us, indicating to His Father that He would bear the burden for our sin? Friends, it is almost impossible for us to understand the sincere love that Jesus has for us, but may I remind you today that it is because of His love that we can humbly come before Him expecting for our prayers to be heard, and it is because of His love and His awesome power, that we can wait expectantly for His help and His answers to our prayers. Will you trust Him with the concerns of your life and the deep needs that only He can meet today? He is able to deliver you, and He loves you enough that He wants to do it. Trust Him to do what He has promised, and that only He can do.
Prayer
Father we recognize, and are eternally thankful for, Your love and Your unrivaled power to touch our lives in miraculous ways. We feel somewhat ashamed to even come before Your throne, because we feel so unworthy, knowing that daily we fall into, and often concede to the temptation of this world and its awful leader, Satan. Lord, we need Your strength and boldness to stand firm in our faith, even when temptation comes, for we want to be Your loyal servants living life in full obedience to Your commands and Your will. Please shower us with Your gracious love and awesome power to stand firm today, for we ask this because of Your grace, 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!
Nuggets From God's Word 