|
Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-06-14 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 1:38 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
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. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| A virgin girl approached by an angel with an unheard of proposition from God, was immediately convinced of the awesome task that God had chosen her to partake in. There were no excuses, or running away to avoid the proposition, but simply an openness to allow God to have His way with His humble servant. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I would imagine that just like at my church, you are probably not hearing too many stories similar to the very familiar story of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, in the Bible. For in faith she accepted the word from God and conceded to His perfect will for her life, regardless of any possible negative reflection on her by the questioning world. For us today, it often seems like asking a person, where you felt compelled of God to ask them to share in the ministry, is like asking them how many excuses can they find to not follow God’s command to serve in His church. Fathers, may I ask you to personally imagine your virgin daughter approaching you (an elder in your church) boldly with the news that she is pregnant? Adding that “Oh, and by the way, this is by the holy spirit of God” adds no comfort to you, because you have never heard of such a thing before. As for the fiancee, he may also have faith in God, but having never heard of such action by the Holy Spirit before, he is silently questioning as to whether the baby inside is for another man. In the case of Mary and Joseph, thank God that He sent the Holy Spirit to Joseph as well, to prepare him in advance for the news he would receive from Mary. Friends, I believe that what we are being taught in this Scripture today is that when we have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, and we make every effort to follow His commands and His will for our lives, there may be times that He will summon us to do things that are way outside of the realm of our selfish, finite minds. As Christians reflect back over life, we can often see that many of the decisions we made and things that we did, that seemed way out of the ordinary at the time, we could now reflect and see what God had in mind for us the next day, week, month or years. Let’s be careful to remember that His ways are not our ways, so He may ask us to do things that is extraordinary in our eyes, but very purposeful in His eyes. Build a personal relationship with the Lord, friend. Listen to His voice and His direction for your life, and be willing to jump, move or speak when He commands you to do it. He will receive glory, and you will be overwhelmed in joy! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, I pray that each one reading this blog will join me in committing ourselves fully to Your perfect will. Whether our actions result in our personal joy, or that of a friend or relative, please help us to commit to being faithful to You and therefore obedient to Your every command. May Your perfect will be fulfilled in our lives and in the lives of others as we remain faithful and allow You to bless and work through us to touch others. Thank You for Your willing, obedient servant Mary, may we join her in also being faithful to the end, so that You may be glorified in all that we do, 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: Savior
Oh Ye of Little Faith
|
Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-06-13 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 1:18-20 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
18 Zacharias said to the angel, “But this is impossible! I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to you with this good news! 20 And now, because you haven’t believed me, you are to be stricken silent, unable to speak until the child is born….. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth were regarded as godly folk who were very careful to obey the laws of God (vs 13). Zacharias was a faithful servant of the Lord and served on a roster in the temple. They were well along in age and had resigned themselves to the fact that God did not see fit to bless them with a child. However, whether through spoken prayer or just in the depth of Zacharias’ heart, God knew that it was the desire of his heart that he and Elizabeth could have a child. This was a miraculous story that was precisely timed with the miraculous birth of Christ! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When the messenger of God stood besides the temple altar and share with Zacharias a message from the Father above, this awesome man of God was so taken aback, like many of us would be, that the shock caused him to actually doubt that God could be serious about creating a miracle for he and his dear wife. Can you identify? “Sir, I could only wish that you are serious about what you are saying, but you and God must know that my wife and I are very old – way beyond child rearing age, and now you are messing with my mind and trying to give me a ray of hope that something so ridiculous could actually happen to us?” – This might be along the lines of what I might say if approached by anyone with such a message for my wife and I at our current age. In fact if there was a slight ray of hope, I would begin thinking about what our church folk might think or say if we walked through the doors with my wife showing evidence of pregnancy! If a godly man like Zacharias doubted, doesn’t it make you wonder why on earth do we even pray for things that seem impossible to us? Friends, let’s remember that our God created this old world, He created you and I, and He created everything that we eat, enjoy and are blessed with everyday. Why again should we doubt the power of our God to answer our prayers and provide for our daily needs? Perhaps this is a matter of faith? Jesus said that with faith, we could speak to a mountain and it will be moved! How many challenges do you have that’s near that big? Trust God with the big and small things in your life. Answers to your prayers will help mature your faith and prepare you for receiving even the largest answers to prayer. Develop a relationship with God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Believe on Him and know His awesome power. Give glory to God for the awesome things that He does for you. Have faith my friend! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You made teh blind to see again, you healed teh sick and brought the dead back to life again. You even caused an elderly couple to miraculously have a baby about the same time that You caused a virgin call to become pregnant with Your precious Son. Why would we doubt or fear, when we serve the same God that has proven Himself one miracle after the other? Lord, please develop a faith in us where we could see that the God we love can do the same miracles for us as He did, or will do, for others. I adore You for who You are, my Savior, Lord, and soon coming King! 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! | |
Love In Action
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Post Date:- |
Monday, 2017-06-12 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Romans 12:9-13 (NIV) |
|
Text: |
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| As Paul wrote these words to the church at Rome, I would imagine that he was dealing with a lot of the challenges that church pastors deal with today, where most of a pastor’s heartaches come from the flock not getting along with each other. Paul’s overriding theme in these few verses is that Christians are to love one another in total honesty. Praising the good and abhorring the evil, but none the less, loving one another through it all. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Jesus set the example for us by loving people everywhere He went. He loved the dreaded tax collectors and even had one of them follow Him as a disciple (Matthew). Jesus was falsely arrested and convicted of no crime at all, yet crucified anyway. While on the cross, in pain and agony, disgraced before an onlooking world, Jesus asked His Father to forgive His persecutors. Is it any wonder that the first order of business that Jesus gave attention to when telling us to be sincere in love, is that we stand firm for our beliefs, and to hate evil. Although, I believe that this was included so early in this discourse, so that we might be reminded that although we may hate the sin, or the evil that results from the actions of some, we must never lose sight of the soul and love them unconditionally. I believe that another reason for the attention to the evil in a person, is that if we don’t let the person know that we hate the sin they are doing, then they could easily feel like we are OK with it, or may even love that sinful aspect of them. Friends, if we cannot be a positive influence to a friend for Jesus, then we should examine ourselves for the true presence of Jesus in our lives. Often our friends may be caught in a trap and invite us over, hoping that we could help them through their problem. Imagine how disappointed they must be when we just accept their sinful act and count it as ‘normal’ or ‘acceptable’ living. The rest of these verses gives us tips to look for in our everyday experiences with loved ones and friends. Think on these things as you prepare to visit someone, and ask God to help you love them unconditionally. After your visit, invite God to help you honestly evaluate your words and actions so that you may work even harder on correcting anything that you may have messed up on. Friends, we serve a perfect God, so as we strive to live like He taught us in this messed up and imperfect world, we run into challenges. Seek His guidance and His strength as you deal with others so that you may be a stepping stone in their quest for salvation, and not a stumbling block. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, You loved us enough that You went to the cross on our behalf, even though we were so undeserving of such love. Through Your Holy Spirit, You led us to the cross for Your complete forgiveness and then offered us eternal salvation from our sin. As your children endeavoring to follow in Your example, how can we but love others and understand their struggle with sin? We have been there and done that, and in many cases have the scars to show for it. Please forgive us Lord, and help us to be a forgiving people, willing to love the unloved. May they see Jesus through our actions and in our unconditional love for them, 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! | |
Are You Paying Attention?
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-06-10 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Numbers 22:32-33 (GW) |
|
Text: |
32 The Messenger of the Lord asked him, “Why have you hit your donkey three times like this? I’ve come here to stop you because the trip you’re taking is evil. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Balaam had some ulterior motives to go and see King Balak. Knowing how self focused we could be when dealing with selfish desires, God warned Balaam before he left home, but He decided to warn him yet again along the way. He did this by placing a messenger in the path of Balaam’s donkey to try and get him off track. Balaam was so upset with the donkey seemed self controlled instead of obeying his master, that he would have killed the donkey did he have the right gear at the time. Let’s apply this to our lives today…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Just as God tried to redirect Balaam, He also dealt with Jonah in a similar fashion. For He had a ministry in store for Jonah, but instead Jonah decided to take a boat elsewhere. After winding up in the belly of a huge fish for three days, Jonah got the message. What does it take for God to get our attention? Ever looked back on life and realized how disastrous life would have been had you followed your own inclination? When we sought God about moving to the US from our home country, the Bahamas, it all came through very quickly. Family members thought we were absolutely nuts and possibly going through a midlife crisis. Within one year of our move, one of those same family members told me, after having his heart repaired following a heart attack, that now he could see clearly why God moved us here. A similar incident occurred within a few years and it was once again reaffirmed that we followed God’s will. In man’s eyes, there is nothing special about this servant of God, but in God’s eyes, I’m His son, a recipient of the blood He shed for us at Calvary, and He wants His very best for His kids. Have I also been disappointed in life, you betcha, but understanding that I have the God of this universe directing me – opening doors of opportunity and closing doors that may have thrown me off-track, I am convinced that He who started a good work in me, will continue to see me through life until the day I stand in His presence in glory! I was reminded of these ‘building stones’ or highlights one night when given the opportunity to share my story with another Christian Brother. Try that some time friend. I believe that you too will reflect on times when God spoke to you and you may have declined His invitation. For those of you that did accept His invitation to permit Him to rule and reign in your life, I believe you too will reflect on times that God would have opened doors for you, and times when He placed an angel in your path, like Balaam, to prevent you taking the path you were asking Him permission to take. God loves us friend, and He will honor His Word that He will take care of those entrusted into His care. Let Him guide and protect you Friend. Pay attention to the ways that He is directing You. Always pray for guidance and His perfect will for your life, then pay attention! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, the adversary is pushing at every turn to indulge in our weaknesses and try to get us off-track in our mission to serve You and be obedient to Your every command. Please help us to keep our eyes so permanently fixed on You that our path is directed by You and very clear to us which way we should turn. Lord, I believe that there will be some who reads this blog that are currently going through testing and times of decision on which way to turn next. Please give each of us assurance today, that You are still God and that You will take care of Your own. Help us to totally surrender our will to You and be willing to accept all the ways that You will guide us, for Your eternal glory. Lord we praise You in advance knowing that as You have guided us already, You will continue. 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! | |
‘Mountains’ That Seem Impassable
|
Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-06-09 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Numbers 21:33-35 (GW) |
|
Text: |
33 Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei. 34 The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” 35 The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God delivered His people, the Israelites, from the hands of the Egyptians. He led them by day and by night through the wilderness and taught them many lessons, including how they should conquer fear; obstacles; times of need and desperation; and situations that would remind them of huge ‘mountains’ that may seem impassable in their eyes. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m sure you’ve heard the slogan ‘If God takes you to it, He will see you through it’. Real neat thought to hear from your preacher when you’re sitting in a ‘cushy’ church and everything is great at the time, right? But what happens when disaster hits; or huge medical decisions become necessary; or you encounter battle after battle each day? In fact, you begin to feel like each day you awake, you are faced with ‘mountains’ at every turn. Can you imagine what Moses must have felt when he saw the many ‘mountains’ each day that faced the thousands and thousands of people that were looking up to him for leadership, protection and direction? Let me suggest to you that your hope and your security in Jesus Christ begins with a personal relationship with Him. Not because you attend church with your parents, or even attend church now with your own family. A personal relationship begins with a heartfelt decision to accept Jesus not only as you would another friend, but to give Jesus full leadership and control in your life. Notice how Moses sought out God about the battle he and his group were facing at Edrei? We all know that in any battle, we need to strategize and get out there and fight. However, when God is your King and your Lord, you are to always seek His will. For when ‘mountains’ stand in our way, we should always remember that God created the ‘mountains’, so if He wants to remove them, or make a way through them for us, He can simply speak the word. I gave several examples of ‘mountains’ you may be facing today, may I encourage those of you that have a personal relationship with Jesus to seek His face and worship Him, for He is still God. Thank Him for the blessings and the challenges He has helped you through. Then seek His reassurance and/or direction for all you are facing, or will face in the days ahead. Allow Him to love on you and comfort you through every facet of your life, including all the ‘mountains’; miracles; opportunities; disappointments; and encouraging times. ‘He’s got this’ friend, we just need the faith, humility and confidence to let Him. Can you commit to that today? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| So many times in life we may stop and question ‘Why me Lord’. However Lord, as we are reminded of Your power shown to Moses and the Israelites, we recognize that had it not been for the challenges, they may not have sought You out at all. Had it not been for the miracles, they would not have known about Your awesome power. Please teach us to always praise You, and accept Your response to our prayer request when you say ‘no’, realizing that it is not the same as not answering our prayer at all. We petition You because we know the answer could be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Lord, we pray that we may be an extension of You to a lost world. This will include giving Your ‘no’ answer even at those times that we may personally wish it was ‘yes’. Please grant us more faith to be more like You; act more like You; and obediently follow Your Word and Your perfect will for us, and those we lead or influence. 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! | |
Consequences From Disobedience
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-06-07 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Numbers 20:12 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “You did not trust me enough to honor me and show the people that I am holy. You did not show the Israelites that the power to make the water came from me. So you will not lead the people into the land that I have given them.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Israelites complained about there not being any water to drink, and that soon they and their animals would die of thirst. Moses and Aaron petitioned before God for relief to this problem, and they were given specific directions on how God would miraculously produce water from a huge rock. However, pride set in and Moses decided to add some theatrics to the miracle by smiting the stone with his rod. God still allowed water to spring from the stone, but He dealt severely with Moses and Aaron. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I wonder how guilty we are of praying for someone, seeing God answer our prayer, then allowing the individual to praise us beyond anything we deserve. As we read God’s Word, and encounter Him daily, we must always remember that He created us to worship Him and to lift Him up. God sent His own Son so that we may again recognize His love for us and have even more reason to praise Him endlessly. When friends ask why we are so happy – it’s because the King of this universe loves us and cares for us, not because we lost weight, or our wife had a baby, or you just got married, although each of those things would place you on cloud 9 and smiling throughout the day, however when you know Jesus as Lord, and you’ve been praying for each of these things, your happiness is not necessarily in the results, but in the Savior who heard your cry and answered your prayer. Moses could have used yet another opportunity to give God praise in the presence of his people, but instead he made himself and his rod to be the hero. Also, we are given opportunities to share the love of Christ when God answers our prayers, let’s aim at giving Him the glory friends, for without Him we are totally helpless. Remember, He is God, and we are merely His humble servants doing what He says, and what He gives us power to do. To God be the glory for all that He does through even us! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You heavenly Father for working through even us to carry Your message to the lost and discouraged. Thank You for also using us when You see the need for physical hands or bodies to be present for some to believe. Have Your perfect will in our lives Lord Jesus and bless as only You can, so that all glory goes to You. May we learn to always stand behind the cross, so that the world will see Jesus. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
What Will You Do With Jesus?
|
Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-06-06 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 15:12-14 (Voice) |
|
Text: |
Pilate: 12 Then what do you want me to do with the King of the Jews?
Crowd: 13 Crucify Him, crucify Him! 14 But now he called to them. Pilate: Why? What has He done to deserve such a sentence? Crowd (crying all the louder): Crucify Him, crucify Him! |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Barabbas is an active and a militant Jewish leader. In one sense, the choice that the crowd is offered—to have either Jesus or Barabbas released—can be seen as a choice between two types of revolutions. Do they want a revolution of power, a revolution that is easily visible, a revolution that will conquer their enemies in a way they can understand? Or do they want a revolution of healing, a revolution of love, a revolution that will bring the kingdom of God to earth in a mystical, transcendental way? It’s no wonder they make the choice they do. Who wants a gentle revolution in a time of war? | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I would like for you to assume that you were in the public square of your town, and that a local judge, accompanied by military police on each side of him, with automatic rifles in plain view, is about to take the stage. Having been coached by your pastor and church leaders about what all of this involves, you stand as part of a large crowd before the judge. Now the question is posed to you, what will you have me do with your King – Jesus? The crowd all around you is shouting “Electric Chair”; “Hang Him”; and you see the smile come across the faces of the Military Police as they point their rifles over the crowd. No response is the same as agreeing with the crowd. However, remember that He’s the same Jesus that healed your mother; made your uncle to see again and raised cousin Lazarus from the grave. But what will you do with Jesus under these circumstances? I know, I made that choice extremely challenging for most of you, but allow me to challenge you with very lightly ways that could easily happen to you today. You arrive at work and immediately hear of a meeting that the president of your company has called with all employees. He comes onto the stage and in an obviously angered tone, lashes out about the reports he has received about these, so called ‘Christian’ workers who keep Bibles on their desks and use one of the board rooms at lunchtime to conduct a prayer meeting. You realize that Satan is making a dig at you and your fellow Christian workers, but what will you do? The 8 hours per day you are being paid for is expected to be worked for the company, and not evangelizing. However, you are convinced that you can’t leave Jesus at the door until you knock off. Friends, the Holy Spirit resides inside of you to guide you, protect you, give you wisdom, tip you off to digs from the evil one, love on you when you feel all alone and encourage you when you feel like you’re losing the battle in testifying for your Master. May I remind you that what’s inside of you will come out in the words you speak, your mannerisms and in the actions you take. I love a recent verse God placed before me, and it read something like this: when placed in situations where you don’t know what to say, simply open your mouth and speak what’s on your mind, as the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you will give you the right words! Wow! Let’s learn to stand up for Jesus, knowing that He’s got our back and will lead us in ways that will glorify Him! Glory to God on high!! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, thank You for being my Savior, Lord and soon coming King! You were mocked, beaten and suffered pain and embarrassment on a cross for my benefit. You already know the limits that each of us can take before we ‘break’, or cave in to the opposition. Thank You Father for filling us with Your sweet Holy Spirit as our strength, our guide and our deliverer. Please help us to be bold in our witness, and give us the strength to endure all things, for Your name’s sake. May You be glorified in all things that we do, all places that we visit, and all things that we say, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Our Awesome Lord!
|
Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-06-05 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 37:3-7 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
3 Trust the Lord and do good. 7 Wait and trust the Lord. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| This is a very positive Psalm where David gives those of us who trust in the Lord some very positive actions: Do good; Feed on the truth; Enjoy serving the Lord; Depend on the Lord; Trust in the Lord; Wait on the Lord; Don’t envy others who get rich or succeed. In concentrating on these things, our goodness and fairness will shine like the sun! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
I found that some of these very things that David mentioned, are some of the very things that Christians struggle with today. So I believe that it is important that we take note of key points that David teaches us on how to achieve favor with God and be happy in our life experiences:
Friends, verse 6 sums up our rewards in ways that this world cannot understand or appreciate: our goodness will become obvious, and our fairness will be recognized just as the noonday sun! In other words, our efforts to be like Jesus and show His goodness to the world will please God and ultimately bless us in return! Glory to God for His goodness to us, His humble servants! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Dear Father, thank You for using Your servant David to encourage us to live our lives pleasing You and blessing others. Lord, You bless us in so many ways and we are eternally thankful. May we be encouraged through Your Word today to be Your hands extended to those in need, and may we love and encourage just as You have done for us, so that You may be glorified in all that we do and say. 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! | |
God Defends His Leaders
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Post Date:- |
Saturday, 2017-06-03 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Numbers 16:19-22 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
19 Korah had stirred up the entire nation against Moses and Aaron, and they all assembled to watch. Then the glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people, 20 and Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Get away from these people so that I may instantly destroy them.”
22 But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the ground before the Lord. “O God, the God of all mankind,” they pleaded, “must you be angry with all the people when one man sins?” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Three Levites who had served in the temple, gathered 250 others to support their cause in going to Moses to question him about his leadership. Moses had no argument with them, but simply humbled himself before them and submitted to God’s decision and action against the leadership for their revolt to know for sure who would continue to lead the Israelites. I found it humbling when Moses and Aaron bowed before God the next morning at the entrance to the temple and they pleaded with God not to eliminate the whole bunch of the revolution gathered, just the one who stood defiant to the will of God. However it really upset God that sinful men were questioning His decision for leadership. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that this story could be a sequel from one of many churches today. For members, or even attendees decide that there is something they don’t care for in their pastor, and they begin gossiping with others. This often leads to a revolution forming against the pastor. The church then becomes useless in ministry, because factions form against the pastor and the revolution quickly places their own sins aside and decides to track those of the pastor and those close to him. What if the God that we serve – the same God who stepped in against Korah and the Levites, decides to settle the issue once and for all on those who oppose His leadership for each of our churches? I wonder how many would fall into the instant sinkhole because they are fighting against the man of God, instead of praying for him; lifting him up with encouraging words; looking for ways to support him in all that God has placed on his heart for God’s people. Friends, it is one thing to know what happens to unbelievers, but for those who claim salvation while still acting like the world, and looking for ways to disrupt the work of the Lord, I dread to think of God’s actions for them when He has taken as much as He could out of their negative impact on His ministry. Friends, may I draw your attention to this whole chapter in Numbers so you could read for yourself, then allow God to minister to your heart about which side of the fence you are on. Are you for the ministry of Christ to the lost of our community through your local church, or are you doing and saying things that tear down and destroy the ministry. One option pleases God and He blesses you and the ministry. The other option destroys the ministry, discourages the worker/leader/pastor sent by God, and you are therefore warned through this study in Numbers, that the same destruction could be in store for you and all those you might encourage into your revolution. Allow God to be your guide and redirect you today, if needed. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, it is so unfortunate that many a good church has been destroyed by things very similar to the incident Moses faced with his very own temple workers. Should there be anyone guilty of such a revolution today that reads this devotional, please get their attention and work a miracle in their life. There are so many that needs salvation in our communities that our energies would be much more effective evangelizing rather than internal destruction of Your army. Please have Your precious will and way in our lives heavenly Father. 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! | |
Asleep On The Job
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-06-02 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mark 14:37-38 (CEV) |
|
Text: |
37 When Jesus came back and found the disciples sleeping, he said to Simon Peter, “Are you asleep? Can’t you stay awake for just one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| A crowd followed Jesus up to the garden, however He took just three disciples along with Him to a place of solitude so that He could pray. At the place of prayer, Jesus asked His disciples to stop, watch and pray, while He went on just a little farther for some one on one time with the Father. Knowing what was in store for Him, He had some very serious conversation with His Father, yet He was also concerned about His disciples, so He kept checking on them. I feel like those three disciples vividly represent ‘Christians’ today and, with God’s guidance, I will expand on that in our ‘application’. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Jesus was praying so earnestly with the Father that His very heart was broken. I would imagine that He should have felt some relief knowing that His inner circle of disciples were right there praying with Him, or were they? God created this beautiful world in which we live, and He also created each of us especially to worship Him while living on this earth enjoying it. While we are definitely living on this earth and being blessed by everything around us, how would you think we are rated in truly worshipping the one who provided all this for us? Simon Peter had just sworn to Jesus, a short time before the garden scene, that He (Jesus) could depend on him to be faithful right until the end of time. Yet when Jesus returned to check on His three disciples, they were all asleep – including Peter. I often feel like a very large percentage of ‘Christians’ are ‘asleep on the job’ as we plunder through our time here on earth while placing priority on everything else, besides our commitment to worship our Lord and be His faithful followers and missionaries. Some attend church services, while most others are asleep on the job and can’t find an hour a week to join with believers in worship to our Savior and Lord. Unfortunately, many that attend a worship service pretty much represents the three disciples in our Scripture today, for our arms are strapped to our sides, our lips are sealed, and our expression shows that we can’t wait for the service to be over. Many will listen to the pastor pray, the praise team sing and, if we could stay awake, we may listen to the pastor share his heart about something from the Scripture. Excuse me, but where did ‘our time of worship’ fit into any of that I just explained? Our presence inside of a church does not count as worship to the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Ghost. Where was our heart, our thoughts and our concentration during that time together? How would we respond to Jesus if He returned today and asked us the same question as He did to Simon Peter? Are we truly appreciative of the sacrifice made for us at Calvary? Is Jesus pleased with our daily expressions of gratitude? In most workplaces employees are fired for falling asleep on the job. How do you suppose God should act about us falling asleep on the job of worshipping Him, witnessing in His name, being good honest representatives of His to a lost world that needs Jesus? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| What a sobering reminder to us today dear Jesus, for I feel like Your saints here on earth are very much in the same boat as Peter, James and John. Please forgive our unfaithfulness and today fill us with Your unction to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus as we face a bitter world where most have no appreciation for the sacrifice You made and the love that You share with us every day. Regardless of their position in life, please grant us the boldness and deep desire to bear Your cross and be a living witness before them, and all those that we are privileged to come into contact with. Please awaken Your church, so that together our communities may witness the outstretched arms of our Savior and 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! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 