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Ephesians 6:12 NASB "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." No wonder we get tired! Today's verse shares where some of our struggles come from, be sure to read the list. As I sat with him, he began to relate to me how tired he was. He felt that every turn, he was facing difficulties that were beyond his control. He had been divorced, lost time with his children, his parents had lost faith in him but now he had accepted Christ and trying to put his life back together. We discussed today's verse, I told him, we all face battles and to continue to fight against the feeling of giving up. We shared that Jesus conquered all for him, and all of us who struggle but there will come a day when we see the victory, so keep on fighting, be strong and courageous and He will see us through. We prayed, then prayed some more. As we left each other, I shared one of my favorite movie lines "never give up, never surrender!" peace, tom
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Matthew 18:14 NASB "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven for one of these little ones to perish." He followed me around like a trooper! Today's verse is about the love God has for the little ones, maybe we should too! I had a list of things that I needed to get done but having to babysit one of my grandsons, meant that he would be with me all day. I love time with my grandchildren, they bring such joy to my life but this day, he brought even more. No matter what I had to do, he was right there, willing to help every step of the way. Never complained, never put up a disagreement, he just wanted to help. When the work was over, it was play time. We played football, hockey, soccer and even played in the sand box. We both ended the day with big smiles on our faces. Why anyone would want to hurt a small child is beyond me but sadly it is happening. We need to take care of these little ones, protect them from some of the worldly things going on. Let them feel the love of Christ through us, even if they aren't our blood. peace, tom
Deuteronomy 31:6 NASB "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you."It's one of my favorites! Today's verse speaks of our part and His. There are certain verses in the Bible that I have memorized and use to keep my life focused and today's verse is one of them. It contains two parts - our job and His Response. We are to be strong and courageous, never giving up or giving in but standing firm. And His Response is that He will never leave us - that's no matter what!! We will all go through those tough times, maybe the loss of a loved one, the physical struggle and pain of a disease but if we are strong and courageous, and face things head on, God will not leave us alone. He may bring people into our life to hold our hand, listen to our struggles, help our need so let's never give up or give in. He will see us through! peace, tom
John 16:33 NASB "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."It was nice to know that he took care of it! Today's Word gives us some great news, that Jesus will give us peace, cause He took care of things! I had a long list of "to do" things so when I asked a friend to take care of one of them for me, it was a joy to hear that he did and all went well. Sometimes we can get so caught up with life, that we loose our peace. We go from thing to thing and never find joy or peace in getting things done. In fact, we can let the chaos of the world creep in where we don't have any peace at all. But when we turn to Jesus, we can find the peace because He did overcome the world, and not for Himself but for us. Find the peace in our life again, by laying our burdens at His Feet! We will always have tribulations, but He will get us through and bring peace back to our life! peace, tom
1 Peter 3:15 NASB "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;"Why are you doing it that way?! Today we are told to make sure we have a reason for the hope that we have, when asked! He had followed me around the job site and kept asking the same question, "Why are you doing it that way?! He was a young man who wanted to learn the trade. He asked so many questions that it was almost getting annoying but then I thought back to the day when I was just trying to learn the trade and asked the same questions. I could have just told him this or that but I began to explain everything he asked. He had a right to the truth and not just some quick answer to get him to stop asking. We need to be ready to answer the questions, even the hard questions about our beliefs in Jesus Christ. It one way people can learn about Him. We need to be asking questions too, to grow deeper in our relationship with Christ. peace, tom
Luke 14:28 NASB "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?"They had options! Today's Word is some great advice about planning ahead! As we sat with the customer, we gave them the options they had relating to the building of their new home. I sat and watched as they made their list of what was important to them and what was not, things they wanted and things they just couldn't afford. When all was said and done, they had chosen the options that fit their budget and their lifestyle. One choice we should always choose is to be a follower of Christ. The option of choosing Him over the world is ours but one will cost us our life while the other will bring new life. Let's make sure we count the cost of living with Jesus as our Lord verses life without Him. I choose new life, how about you?! peace, tom
Titus 3:14 NASB "Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unproductive."It was just a quick moment but it warmed my heart! Today's Word is about learning to engage people and the pressing needs of life! As I sat and watched one of my grandsons playing with a group of children, one fell down and he immediately offered his hand to help him up. It took only a moment and then they were back playing around. I thought to myself, more adults need to learn that lesson, to help those who have fallen down in life. We can become so preoccupied with self, that we don't even see those in need. Learning to put others first and helping them is what Jesus is all about. May we learn the lesson for one day it may be us who have fallen. Let us never be to busy to help! peace, tom
Colossians 3:22 The Message "The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work."I was held responsible for my work, good, bad, and ugly! Today's Word is from a Bible translation called the Message - it puts God's Word into modern day language and speaks the Truth! I have been called into my boss's office many times. Some of those times were to correct my work habits, other times it was to let me know how well I was doing. The times when I needed that correction or discipline was because my work wasn't up to the standard the company had set. When I look back, I can see those were the times I didn't give my best. No matter what, we, who call ourselves followers of Christ, need to give our best, do our best at every opportunity because we are representing the King of kings! Let that sink in! 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." When it was finished, it was worth all the pain and agony! Today's Word simply states that the end will be so much better than the way getting there! My legs hurt, my breathing was rapid, my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest, but when we reached the summit, the view was amazing! The journey always seems painful but when we reach the end, the results can truly be glorious! We can't give into the pain and need to press on. Sure, it's easy to say but if we think about the end, we can find the strength to push through and having Jesus with us, the power of the Holy Spirit working through us, we will see that it was all worth it. So, let's not give up half way or even a three quarters of the way but finish strong! His glory will truly be amazing! peace, tom
2 Timothy 3:16 NASB "All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;"I really had no idea what I was doing! Today's Word tells us a little about what God's Word is! As I tried to fumble through it, I finally came to the realization that I had no idea what I was doing. Doing a rather large car repair, I had gotten in way deeper than my skill level. I needed some help and turned to those who knew better, had the knowledge and the willingness to help. Thank God for uncles and cousins in the auto repair business. They not only helped me through the rebuild, but taught me and corrected me in the error of my ways. God's Word is here for us, to each us, rebuke us and correct us! May we never become so prideful to think that we don't need His Help. Let His Word teach us to be humble and admit, we need help! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
December 2024
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