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
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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
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB) "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;"As I put on the fire department uniform, I thought back to the day when I never envisioned I'd be part of a group of men and woman willing to lay down their life for others! I had seen my dad in his uniform growing up and never realized what it really meant until it was my time to wear it! Today's verse speaks about holiness, something that seems to be forgotten! Just putting the uniform on wasn't enough, I had to let my behavior model what so many who had gone on before me did. My conduct both on and off the job reflected the department so I needed to watch my step and my words. When we say that we are followers of Christ, we are in a sense putting on His Uniform and we need to act that way as well. Wearing holiness is part of that uniform which means our actions will speak louder than our words! Let's watch our behavior out there and bring Him the glory! peace, tom
Hebrews 12:2 (NASB) "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."I don't know if you've ever hit it, but when it happens it's tough to push through! There is a phrase "hitting the wall" that happens when you have reached your limit, you can't seem to go any further and the simplest tasks seem out of reach. Today's verse shares about keeping our eyes upon Jesus and if you read the verse closely you will see that it says He endured the Cross for the joy set before Him! Ever wonder what the joy was or is that kept Jesus going all the way to the Cross? It was love, the love of our Heavenly Father to us! Let that sink in and now think about the times when you've hit the wall, where taking one more step or doing one more thing seems almost impossible! If we do, what we do, for the joy of the Lord, maybe we can find the strength to take the next step, to keep on when others are giving up. Whatever we are facing, push through and think of Jesus going all the way for us! Push on my friends in the strength of the Lord! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
April 2024
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