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2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NASB) "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!"I wish I would have found the verse and understood it when I was a younger man! There were times in my life when it seemed as if everything was so confusing. Whether I was at work or at home, life seemed so complicated and my mind was racing in no particular direction. Today's verse speaks of peace, granted by the Lord in every circumstance! Notice that the verse doesn't say that we will have peace when things are going well but in all circumstances. That's the beauty of our Lord, that despite the struggles of manhood, we may find His Peace granted to us! Why you may ask, so that we can survive through the valleys. Not every day will be filled with happiness but every day can be filled with His Peace, we just need to seek Him first above all- ask for a peace of His pie today! peace be with you, Tom.
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Luke 1:79 (NASB) "To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”"While arriving on the scene, the place was in chaos and confusion running everywhere! There were a lot of people just moving around but in no particular direction, some going this way while others going that way. Our first concern was life safety as our crew began to move people away from danger and to a safe location, checking for injuries along the way. Today's verse speaks of shining a Light upon the darkness and guiding into the way of peace. No matter who we are, when panic strikes, most begin to run aimlessly while those who have been trained for just an emergency calmly go about helping others. In life we will have chaos and misdirection but if we allow the Holy Spirit, and God's Word to be our guide, we will find the path to peace, no matter what! Be sure that we are following the right road to peace, for there are many that lead to destruction! peace, tom
Song of Solomon 8:7 (NASB) "“Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.”"If I told you that I have the perfect marriage, I would be lying to you! Carolyn and I have had our share of difficulties along the way but what we have always had and still have each day is love! Today's verse speaks of love, how it can not be quenched, and if a man would give all the riches of his house for love, he would be despised! The Bible doesn't say that love conquers all but there are so many verses that share that thought. The love between Carolyn and I has and does conquer all the difficulties we have faced and will face. The key is focusing on the love and not the struggles. As men and women, we need to focus on the love of our Heavenly Father who will always love us despite what the world may say. As we celebrate St.Valentine's Day, let us recommit ourselves to love one another as God loves us, we may just change the world! peace, tom
Habakkuk 2:2 (NASB) "Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run."It doesn't matter what job I'm doing, from building houses to laying out the train track for a new run, I always write out the plans before I begin. Today's verse speaks about recording the vision God gave and writing it down so others may read it! Whenever I go about things and don't have plans on what exactly I am trying to accomplish, I end up wasting time. When I do have plans written out, things go smoother and the work gets done faster and more efficient. In life, we can go about haphazardly or we can have a plan in place, written down so that we accomplish effectively what our goal is. God's Word gives us vision and plans written down so that we can be the best witnesses of Him to the world. If we don't read His Word daily, we won't be as effective. Read His Plans before we begin to run about, this way we will be more effective in sharing His Love! peace, tom
James 1:14 (NASB) "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust."I can walk right by it and never give it another thought and yet my wife will have this desire to grab a piece! I am talking about chocolate, for me there is no temptation to eat it as I don't like chocolate and yet my wife does! For her, the temptation comes and she must decide for herself whether to be carried away by the desire to enjoy a piece! Today's verse speaks that each of us is tempted and enticed by our own lusts. God created us as individuals, with desires and lusts different than others but the key is whether or not we allow those temptations to cause us to sin. Eating a piece of chocolate isn't a sin unless we make that chocolate our god! (notice the small "g") Each of us will have to decide whether to walk the path of righteousness or fall to the temptations and sin. Always comes down to choice! But know one thing, with each temptation, God will give us an escape path to take when the temptation becomes too great! Keeping looking for your escape path, then walk down it! Better choice than sinning, don't ya' think! peace, tom
Ephesians 2:1 (NASB) "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,"I should have stopped when I seen the sign but I knew there was a good fishing spot on the other side! As the officer approached me, I knew I was guilty even before he said anything. Today's verse speaks about trespasses and sin and how we were dead in them. The key word in the verse is the word "were"! I was guilty of trespassing, I clearly seen the sign before I climbed under the fence. I was let go with a warning and haven't been back since! In life, we have warnings from God's Word about sin and trespassing where we should be. Whether it's falling to temptation or out right doing the wrong thing, God's Word states it clearly! It always comes down to choice - BTW further on in the same chapter as today's reading, we find the key to staying on the right side of trespassing and sin- be sure to check it out! No matter how good it may look on the other side of what we are doing, sin is sin, so chose wisely my friends - peace, tom
Genesis 2:15 (NASB) "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it."He said he was done but I knew that God had other plans.While ministering to another man who had lost his will to live, I felt led to share with him today's verse. It simply states that God had placed man in the garden to cultivate it and keep it. Those are some huge responsibilities that still hold true today. We may not be in the garden of Eden but we are still in the world created by God and have a duty to keep pushing forward. The guy I was sharing with had been through a pretty rough patch but I kept sharing that God wasn't done with Him yet, he still had work to do. Finding ourselves without hope of tomorrow can be debilitating but if we start our day in His Word, walk by the Spirit and have other godly men to push and cheer us on, we can face another day. Don't let the despair of yesterday keep us from all that God has for us today! peace, tom
Mark 8:4(NASB) "And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?”"I was challenged, the question was whether or not I would step up to the plate and answer! While traveling to share with men from place to place, I find myself having a meal alone in a restaurant. One day, sitting there, I felt the urge of the Holy Spirit to ask another man sitting alone to join me. It wasn't an easy thing to do but I felt led by the Holy Spirit to get up and invite him over! Today's verse is a question asked by those who walked with Jesus, it was similar to the question that challenged me, maybe you've had that experience too! At the end of the dinner, my dinner companion simply said "thank you". We had enjoyed a wonderful meal and conversation that I would never have had if I didn't follow where He asked me to go. Having the courage to follow the Spirit's urging is never an easy thing but once we obey, it can be a delightful adventure. Follow where He leads you, you may just find a blessing you never imagined! peace, tom
Titus 2:3-4 (NASB) "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,"I don't often speak of her but I guess I write about her often because recently while gathering with some men who read these daily devotions, they commented that feel they know my wife as well as they know me! Today's verse speaks about mature woman (notice I didn't say old woman lol) and how they are to behave! I have always said that God has blessed me with a wonder wife, a great mother and even better grandmother. I share this because I watch her love on others, not just family but anyone in need. There are times when I see my wife in how my daughters live, she has truly shared her knowledge and wisdom with them. I pray that others say those things about us and our walk with Christ, that we are examples of His Love and Care upon the world around us. Happy Birthday my love! Peace, tom
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