|
1 Thessalonians 5:21 NASB "but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good"Did you read it? Today's verse tells us to examine everything and hold to that which is good! If you get my daily devotions in your email or see them on FB or my website, did you just click "like" and move on without really reading it. Yesterday's devotion was filled with errors! It spoke of being prideful and should have said that I was proud to be a christian man. Not in anyway of things I did, but in the fact that Jesus went to the Cross for me, for you and that should make us proud rather than being prideful. One is all about me while the other is all about Him. Too often we don't really examine things, we just take them for granted and keep moving forward but in reality, we are moving backwards. Let's make sure we really read, examine and see if it's the Truth before we go ahead and like it! peace, tom
0 Comments
Micah 6:8 NASB "He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?"There is a difference! Today's verse speaks to us about walking humbly! The difference is that one will lift us up and the other will lift God up. Pride and prideful are two totally different things. During my BC years (Before Christ) I was filled with pride! It was all about me and how I thought that it was all about me but when I gave my heart to the Lord, it became all about Him. I am prideful that the Lord Jesus Christ would die on a Cross for my sins and I would be forgiven, that it is no longer about me but about Him. We think we know it all, we live for what we can get out of it but that's simply pride but when we make it about Him, that's were we can be prideful in knowing Jesus. Which way do you live? peace, tom
John 8:32 NASB "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."It just didn't look right! Today's verse is filled with Truth! After putting the new faucet in, it just didn't look right! Having put many faucets in over the years with my handyman business, I knew this one wasn't in right! I followed the directions but still it didn't seem right. After searching the directions, it still didn't say a think about how to put it in the right way so I leaned on my experience and made the necessary changes. When we know the Truth, it will set us free! No sooner after making the changes did the faucet finally look and work right! We need to make sure we know the Truth so that we will be set free and the best place to get the Truth is God's Word! Don't setting for "it kind of looks good" but be set free by the Truth! peace, tom
John 3:16 NASB “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life."Maybe you've seen the sign?! Today's Verse is the very one that shares about love! Many have seen the signs at sporting events, gatherings of any kind. It simply reads "John 3:16"! I thought I'd share it today and try to explain why it's so important. We all sin, we all fall short but there is hope. Hope in Christ and the love of God. In a few weeks will be celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in many churches and that sign points us to that what made it all happen. Easter is a time of rejoicing for our Savior lives but if you never had an opportunity to understand that Jesus went to the Cross first and then rose from the dead, Easter is just a day of chocolate and bunny rabbits and maybe a few jelly beans! Find a church that shares His Word and come to understand the love that God has for each of us in John 3:16! peace, tom
Romans 8:18 NASB "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."Sitting back in the fire house, we never thought of the struggle we went through! Today's Word speaks about considering the sufferings of the present not to be compared to the glory that awaits us! Hearing the words that the man that was pulled from the fire building was going to live made all the struggles, sweat and hardship worth it. Fighting the fire, we had heard that the man found inside was taken to safety. As we continued to fight the fire, we had hardships in getting to the seat of the fire. There was sweat, pain, exhaustion but the fact that the man found was going to live made all that disappear. In life, we will have struggles, pain, and hardship but if we remain faithful to the cause of Christ, the glory that we will see one day will wipe away all that struggle and pain so let's keep moving forward and keep our eyes upon the goal! peace, tom
Ephesians 6:17 NASB "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." I had to laugh! Today's Word is part of the armor of God, make sure we put it on! As my grandson wanted to see my hockey gear, he quickly grabbed my helmet and put it on. Although it was way to big for him, he wanted it on! He walked around with it on as if he was an NHL player! I laughed to myself but began to wonder if maybe we should be putting the God's helmet on more than we do. My hockey helmet will keep my head from getting hurt when I fall and at my age, falling is a real possibility! LOL Seriously, we need to protect the salvation we have and to protect our minds from the sinful thoughts that can hurt us. Let's put His gear on and enjoy the game of life! Be protected even if it's a little big! peace, tom
Exodus 14:14 NASB "The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent."Sometimes it's best to just keep it shut! Today's Word shares that the Lord will fight for us, but we have to do something too and that's to keep silent! I realized that the more we talked, the worse it got! As I was discussing my opinion with a friend, he wasn't getting my point and was getting angrier as we spoke. The subject of our conversation wasn't that important so I decided just to keep quiet. No sooner did he begin to realize that we weren't having a conversation but he was going "off' about his point of view. When one side isn't getting the point, then it's time to stop trying so hard to get our side across and when it comes to sharing Jesus, sometimes the best way is to remain silent and let the Lord do His thing! We can love on people without ever saying a word! Let that sink in! peace, tom
Philippians 4:13 NASB "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."We all need a little help from time to time! Today's Word is where we can get help all the time! No sooner did I get off the phone with one friend, when another called for help. I thank God that I have the wisdom that can help people with their home related trouble. Getting help from a friend can come from many different sources, like a parent, an uncle or aunt, or a trusted friend but when we need that extra spiritual help, the best place to go is to God. He may not give us the answers we want but He will give us the strength to get through the difficulties of life. An old pastor friend of mine told me one day to "pray and keep praying and then pray some more!" Great advice when we face the temptations of satan, and don't think for a second that they won't come. Let's keep helping each other out but get our help from the Lord! Make the call! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV "Let all that you do be done in love." They come running! Today's verse, while short, speaks volumes! Each time they come over, they run to us and hug us and give us kisses. Grandchildren are a real blessing as they share love no matter what! My wife and I get to enjoy love, pure love from our grandchildren. They share a hug, a kiss, or even when they grab our legs and just hold on. I am amazed at the love of small children, whether they are our own or others. As we were getting ready to start church on Sunday, a little girl from our congregation came up and hugged my wife. It seemed to last forever as she just didn't want to let my wife go. Pure love, like the love of Jesus shown in a simple hug. Maybe we need to learn more from our children about how to love like Jesus, unconditionally! Hug someone today! peace, tom
Romans 8:31 NASB "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"Dealing with disappointment is never easy! Today's Word is about saying to these things and to ourselves that if God is for us, what does it matter! The final game of the season was upon us but the reality was that I wasn't able to play for most of the season due to some complications from the meds I was taking. I couldn't even go to the rink because the truth was that I was disappointed that I couldn't play. Sure, I should have gone to support my team but I just couldn't find the courage to face my disappointment. As I prayed about my disappointment, I ran across today's verse and came to the reality that if God is for us, which He is, then my disappointment is nothing! There are those among us dealing with disappointment to a greater degree than mine, and maybe we are to share the love of Christ with them as we know their pain. Let's help each other get past the disappointment by sharing the love of Christ and keep moving forward! peace, tom
|
Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
January 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed