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."They finally found him but not until he had done damage to many! Every night at the fire house, we responded to another fire set by the same person, the arsonist was set on destroying homes by fire and did so at his leisure! Today we read God's Word that speaks of the thief coming only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give life and life abundantly! After the arsonist was found, the people in the neighborhood could breath easier, knowing that the recent fires were over. When the news reported it, they left out a key part. That after each fire, the Red Cross would show up and care for those displaced from their homes. Giving food, shelter and helping them get life started again. So, we have two groups of people, those who come to destroy and those who share the abundant life in Christ- the question is... what group are we in?! peace, tom
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John 3:3 NASB "Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”"As we threw the football around the warehouse, the boss finally came out and said "it's time to go to work, stop fooling around!" He had let us have our fun but now it was time to get serious and get to work! Today's verse are Jesus' Words and they are pretty strong words concerning our life after death! Be sure to read them and let them sink in! In life, there will be time for fun and frolic but at some point we need to be serious about our life and where we will spend eternity. Jesus says plainly, unless we are "born again" we cannot see the Kingdom of God! Yeah I know the words "born again" seem to have a stigmatism to them these days - where people don't want to admit that they are born again but the reality is that unless we are, we will not spend eternity with God! That should be a sobering thought for if we are not with God for eternity, all eternity, we will be in a place of gnashing teeth, flame, unimaginable pain and suffering!! Don't know about you but I'd rather get serious about where I will enjoy eternity and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! peace, tom
Jeremiah 33:3 NASB "‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’"I am not sure if you'd call it cheating but I needed to know! Most people don't know this about me but I am a closet gamer! I don't do it that often but I enjoy playing on my PS4 but sometimes I get into a game where I need a little help, not sure where to go next or where to find a critical piece of advice to move forward in the game. Today's verse shares that if we call out to God, He will answer us and tell us great and mighty things we didn't know! After searching the internet for someone who has played the game before, I can find the answer I didn't know and continue on in the game. In life, there will be times when we aren't sure which way to go, what's the best decision, etc., that's when calling out to God gives us the answers we were looking for. It may be from time spent in His Word, or the calming voice of the Holy Spirit, it may even be the words of a godly friend that tells us the great and might things of the Lord. Don't let fear of the unknown keep us from calling out to God, it will help us in this game of life! peace, tom
Acts 20:35 NASB "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”"I have seen it time and time again and I'm sure you have too! Watching others give to those in need brings a sense of warmness of what life truly should be about! Today's verse shares about giving, helping the weak and doing so as we remember the words of our Lord! It really doesn't take much of our time, our effort or even our thought process if and when it becomes a way of life, that's giving, giving to others in need! Some of my fondest memories of my time on the Fire Department was when we gathered to carry, push and help the children with challenges, walk our local Zoo. The smiles on their faces, not only the children's but also on the men and woman who helped, shared how wonderful it is when we give. I wonder, when we see and hear the words "it's more blessed to give than receive", what comes to mind - I pray that it becomes our motto for living! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 9:7 NASB "Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."It warmed my heart to see him give his cousin a toy! While babysitting our two grandsons, I watched as the older one gave his cousin one of his toys which I know was one of his favorites! Today's Word shares with us about what's in our hearts and to give as a cheerful giver! Thinking back of the times when I was asked to give something of mine to another when they were in need, made me pause to see if my heart was reluctant or just doing it out of compulsion. Giving away something that's dear to our hearts can be difficult but we must come to the place where all we have is from the Lord and it's really not ours but His. No one ever said that the road of being a godly man was easy, it wasn't for Christ as He climbed to His Death, where He gave all of Himself for you and me. I think the least thing we can do is to give with a cheerful heart knowing the gift given to us of eternal life far outweighs anything we can give. Maybe we need to be like little children whose hearts haven't been spoiled by the evil of the "it's mine" mentality! peace, tom
Matthew 6:33 NASB "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you."Spring is coming and with it brings a season of open water fishing, time to put the ice fishing equipment away and get out the open water gear! Before I head out on the water, I do my due diligence. Checking fishing reports, making sure my "fish finder" is charged, doing all I need to have a successful day of fishing. Today's Word speaks about seeking God's Kingdom first and His Righteousness and then all these things will be provided to us! Yes, I have prayed to get fish but the reality is, those are the silly prayers of a man wanted to catch the big ones. The prayers that really matter are the ones I pray while waiting for the fish to bite. The prayers for my family, those on my prayer list needing God's touch. Putting things into perspective, keeping my mind on things above help me seek His Kingdom and Righteousness, this way no matter if there's fish in the boat, I know I seek Him first. The question is, who and what are we really seeking in this world?! peace, tom
James 1:5 NASB "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."You are never too old to learn something new, the key is whether our hearts are open to the advice of those who have gone through it before us! Today's verse speaks about wisdom and asking God for it and it will be given to us! Time after time in my life I have needed the wisdom of others, whether it be fatherly advice, an uncle's and/or cousin's mechanical advice, the wisdom of an old pastor friend, the love and support of a godly wife, or the hard questions asked by those in my close men's group, God delivers. Sure there are times when I think I know it all only to find out how wrong I was or how much I still need to learn. Asking for help isn't showing weakness but actually showing the strength we need to gain God's wisdom. Don't let fear or the "macho" image keep us from seeking wisdom, we may just learn a new thing by the answers we get! peace, tom
1 Timothy 4:8 NASB "for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."If I had known then, I would have exercised more often! Today we learn about the difference between bodily training and godliness and the benefits hold promise for now and years to come! As we all get older, we find that many of our body parts slowly stop working as they did when we were young. Trying to "catch up" with daily exercising when we are older is harder to do than say! With all the "staying at home" due to the covid pandemic, many of us have stopped using our muscles to share the Gospel! Maybe it's time we get out and do some godly training to keep our godliness in shape! There's an old saying "if you don't use it, you lose it!" - let us not lose our godly muscle but start putting into action! One way is just picking up our Bible daily! peace, tom
Ephesians 5:15 NASB "So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,"Knowing the different sound makes all the difference in the world! While walking out to ice fish, I began to hear the cracking of the ice! Early in the season, I know that sound to mean ice is being made but as the season begins to end, I know the sound means it's time to get off the ice! Today we are told to walk as wise people and to be careful where we walk! When another man comes out ice fishing with me and hears the cracking of the new ice being formed, they are very skeptical to keep going - only after I share that it's new ice being formed do they feel confident to keep going. In life, we will hear "cracks" in our walk but knowing the difference between the good cracking (where we are growing better) and the bad cracking ( where we are falling short) can make the difference between walking as wise men rather than foolish men. Let us be careful in where we walk and more importantly, why we walk where we do, hopefully it's to bring God glory! peace, tom P.S. Stay off the thin ice!
John 8:31-31 NASB "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”"It was too good to be true! While listening to a presentation about an investment, I felt as if something was wrong, it just didn't sit right with me! Today's Word shares about continuing in God's Word and knowing the Truth and the Truth will set us free! The longer the presentation went on, the more uncomfortable I became until finally I had to stop him and ask the hard questions about what he was trying to get me to invest in. As it turned out, the whole presentation was a scam! In life, we will find things that don't "sit right" in our spirit, that's if we know and follow the Truth. But to know the Truth we must be in God's Word, walking by the Spirit not the flesh and above all, pray for wisdom. Let's walk this life with our eyes open but more importantly, our spirit open to the wisdom of God! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
April 2024
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