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Matthew 24:44 NASB "For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."When it rang, you better be ready to respond! Today's Word is about being ready, always! I remember the words of my officer like it was yesterday - when the go bell rings, you better be ready to respond! When you're a fire fighter and the go bell goes off to let the crew know we have to respond, we needed to be ready. There was no time for finishing up what you were doing, no time to sit back - it was go time! If a crew member was late in getting to the rig, two things may have happened 1. the rig left without them and 2. you know the officer would chew you out when the rig got back! Jesus is coming back, when, we are not sure but He will return - the question for today is "are we ready when His Go Bell goes off?! Don't be left behind, be ready today! peace, tom
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Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven"No matter how bad I want it to happen, I have to wait for the appointed time! Today's verse is rather simple but so profound! I've had enough, enough shoveling, ice chopping, throwing salt etc. I am ready for Spring. No matter how much I try, I do not have the power over the seasons. I must let them come and go at the preset time of nature. Many times in life we try to rush or hurry things along. We, as a people, don't like to wait but then God will bring a thing or a situation where we take a step back and see the beauty. While driving in the snow storm, the sun came out and there in the sky was a beautiful rainbow and I thought of the covenant God made with man. I guess sometimes things aren't as bad as we make them out to be, we just have to have patience and keep an open eye for the blessings! peace, tom
Mark 9:24 NASB "Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”" Maybe there's a part of it in all of us! Today's Word is about belief and unbelief! I wanted to believe it could happen, but there was this part of me that felt it wouldn't. Maybe it's happened to you too, where there was a part of you that believed it could happen but there's that part that says "it never will"! Having doubt can keep us from believing with our whole hearts. We allow the unbelief to hold us back from what could be. I became the weakest link when I didn't fully believe we could get it done. Eventually I came to believe but that was after it happened. Let's not let our unbelief keep us from all God is asking of us, but believe without seeing! peace, tom
Colossians 4:5 NASB "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity." Wisdom comes in many forms and ways! Today's verse is about our behavior, how to conduct ourselves with others! There is that old story of where a group of engineers stood and were trying to find a way to remove a truck that had gotten stuck under a bridge. They stood there for hours discussing this and that and how expensive it was going to be to remove the bridge to get the truck free. Along comes a young boy who stood listening and asked if he could speak - the engineers said they were too busy to listen but finally gave in - the young boy said "why not just let some air out of the tires on the truck!" Wisdom can come from anywhere, the key is being open to listen to the wisdom of others - and the best place to find wisdom is in God's Word! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 8:21 ESV "for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man."He could tell right away! Today's verse speaks of honesty and being honorable in the Lord's sight as well as mans. No sooner did we do it, we got caught! I have to laugh at myself, thinking that we would have gotten away with it but knowing my dad, I should have known better! While doing some of the chores around the house, I was taking short cuts and not really doing the jobs to the best of my ability. When he came and checked on us, he knew right away that I had not done things the right way. When asked, I lied, another mistake, another not being honest. He had a choice, punish me or sit me down and talk to me about being honest in both word and deed. When was the last time we had a conversation with God and was honest about our life choices? Maybe its time we did, cause He already knows! peace, tom
Ephesians 6:4 NASB "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." It was some great advice! Today's verse, while speaking to fathers, is good advice for any adult dealing with children! While going through some old material, I found a letter written to me by my dad. I took a moment and began to read it. He wrote it during a difficult time in my life and was filled with advice and scriptures to help me get through the rough patch I was going through. Some of what he wrote was pretty hard to swallow at the time but it was the Truth of what I needed in my life at the time. Looking back at having a father who cared meant the world to me. While he is gone on, his words of discipline and instruction still ring true. Let's make sure we are passing on wisdom to the children of today by being honest with words of discipline and instruction of the Lord - it will make a difference for years to come! peace, tom
Romans 12:15 NASB "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." It was if I was watching today's verse lived out in person. It simply states to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who are weeping. Taking two grandsons to the ice rink brought a grandfather some great joy. One was a good skater while the other was going for his first time on ice skates. We walked slowly on the ice and that's when it happened. The young one and better skater took over. He began to help the older grandson skate slowly, helped him up when he fell and encouraged him to keep going. As I watched these two boys I began to realize just how important having a good friend by our side is. Reaching out to a good friend, to help us walk the walk in good times and in bad is living the Gospel. Find someone who will encourage you in life and go for a skate! peace, tom
Ephesians 4:3 NASB "being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."It's always better together! Today's verse is about being diligent, to keep the unity of the Spirit. Whether it was fighting a fire, building a house, playing ball, whenever the team or crew I was on worked together, we found success. Sometimes it took a little while before we found our stride together as one but once we did, things seemed to get better and more was accomplished. Too often, we try to do it alone, we struggle with this and that only to realize that help would make things better. We also need to be careful in who we ask for help. Asking those who have a different opinion could lead to trouble so lets make sure we seek the Holy Spirit to lead us to those who are willing to keep the unity and bond of peace. Don't go it alone, there is help available! peace, tom
1 Peter 5:9 NASB "So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world." I would never had imagined that a snowplow driver could be considered as a tester of my faith! Today's Word speaks to us about being firm in our faith and know that others are suffering too! I had just finished shoveling the heavy snow at the end of the driveway, when out of no where came the town snowplow! Burying the end of the driveway again with large amounts of snow as I stood there and watched. It made me want to curse him in some way. For a few minutes it became all about me and shoveling that heavy snow away again but then I realized that he made the street drivable. For those needing to get to the hospital or get their meds, or many other important reasons than my being exhausted. The testing of our faith can come in many ways, even snowplow drivers, so let's make sure we keep the faith and look for the good in all things! peace, tom
John 10:10 NASB "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly."It was a total disaster! Today's Word speaks of life and death and how one comes only to steal and kill but another comes to bring life, abundant life! They had broken in when no one was home. They trashed every part of the house, even walls were destroyed. When the customer called me to come and give an estimate on doing all the cleaning and repairs, her voice was low and sad. When I met her at the place, she was even more depressed than on the phone. I agreed to do the job and began to clean and repair. When finished, she was amazed. She couldn't believe that the house could ever look that good again! In life, we see devastation but we never realize that coming to know Christ can repair all things. We just need to believe He can because He will. Let Christ bring new abundant life back into your house! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
March 2025
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