Hebrews 13:2 NASB "Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."Ya never know who you're helping! Today's verse simply stated is "helping strangers can be helping angels"! It wasn't any big thing, it didn't take any more time, but a simple act of kindness was all we were doing. While finishing up grocery shopping, I was taking the cart back when I seen a lady who had finished packing her bags away, I offered to take her cart back ( no one likes those carts flying around the parking lot, it always ends up hitting your car! lol) As I began to walk the carts back, my wife engaged her in conversation and found out that she knew us from some years back. Ya never know who we will be helping by doing a simple act of kindness, it could even be an angel of the Lord! The question is, who will we be helping today?! peace, tom
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1 Peter 5:7 ESV "casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you."He clung to her with all his might! While chasing our grandson around the house, and trying to "get" him, he ran to a place of safety, Gramma's arms! Today's verse shares where we can run to safety because He cares about us! Kayden loves to be chased, but sometimes I can see the fear in his eyes of being caught and so he goes to a safe place, where he knows he will be loved and secure, Gramma! Most of us don't like to admit that from time to time we need a place of safety, a secure place to let go of what troubles us and the best and only place to go is in the arms of our Savior Jesus Christ. Sitting quietly and letting the Holy Spirit comfort us is like a child going to Gramma's lap for safety. Don't let the anxiety of the world keep us from going to God, remember He cares for us more than we could ever know! peace, tom
Proverbs 14:23 NASB "In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty."It may seem kind of funny but I found myself praying for ice cubes! Today's verse shares with us about working or being lazy, and how one leads to profit and the other to poverty! Our ice maker stopped working on our fridge, it needed to be fixed. I knew if I did nothing, we wouldn't have ice cubes, but if I got a new part and worked on it, we would have ice cubes!! After replacing the part, I laughed at myself as I said a little prayer "God please let there be ice cubes! " And after a time, there was! Seems silly to be praying for ice cubes but I had done the work and the profit came in the form of ice cubes! We can talk all we want about this and that but not until we get off our good intentions and get working, will we see the profit! The question for today is, what are we working on that will bring God the profit? BTW, after working hard, I enjoyed an icy cold glass of water! peace, tom Revelation 3:16 NASB "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth."I couldn't wait to get into the shower and let the hot water run! Today's verse is a pretty strong one, I mean the word "vomit" doesn't seem a like a word to be in God's Word but here we have it and it refers to God spitting us out of His Mouth for being lukewarm! I knew there was a problem when I turned the nob all the way to hot and it didn't change the temperature of the water. Our hot water tank had become useless, it broke, and so the water wasn't really hot or cold, just lukewarm and it was such a disappointment when I really wanted that hot shower to wash off the grime of the day. In life, if God finds us lukewarm, you know not standing up for His Truth, or just getting by in our christian walk, He will vomit us and we will be a disappointment to Him. Like the hot water tank, we can be fixed, made new, so we can run hot for Him, the question is... what's the temperature of our walk with Christ?! peace, tom
Exodus 34:33 NASB "When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face."Half way to the store, I realized that I had forgotten to put it on! Today's verse speaks about masks and the mask that Moses put on after speaking with them! Moses had put on the veil because he had spent time in the presence of the Lord and the glory that shown there was too great for people to look at! I had forgotten to put my mask on before I walked into the store, ugh! As I walked back to my truck, I thought about all the masks we put on, those that hide who we truly are or what we maybe feeling. Some of us put on the mask of machoism so that others won't see our weakness, or the mask of fake smile, cause inside we are hurting but don't want to share it, or how about the mask that we wear to church on Sunday, so that people see us as upstanding christians when in reality, we are not living where we should be! Maybe it's time we take off the masks and let people see the real us, just saying! peace, tom
1 Timothy 2:8 NASB "Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute."I waited till their meal was over and they were on their way out! Today's verse speaks about men and prayer, praying without anger or dispute! As we sat and ate our meal, we noticed a man and his wife sit down at a near by table. They ordered their meal and when it arrived, they grabbed hands and bowed their heads and the man began to pray. I am not sure what he prayed for but that's not important. What's important is that he took the time to pray, in a crowded restaurant, not caring what other would say. As they passed to leave, I simply said "nice to see you pray for your meal!". Having the courage to pray in every place, like today's scripture shares is a matter of choice and commitment. Have we become so fearful of what the world may say about how men pray in public? Let's think about praying in every place, giving thanks to God for the blessings and the struggles that make us stronger, and for those in need. It always comes down to choice! Make the right one today! peace, tom
Proverbs 31:26-27 NASB "She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She watches over the activities of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness."Although it's Mother's Day on Sunday, there's not a day that goes by when I don't think of her and remember! Today's verse shares about mothers and how they live life and for those of us who have had their mothers leave this earth, we can remember them! It's the little things that she used to say, or do, or that look when you knew you crossed the line. Disciplined with love, my mom always had my best interest in mind. Just like my mother in law did and my wife does, and our daughters, who are blessed with children do, they love their children! I can only imagine the pain that Mary must have felt as she watched her Son go to the Cross for you and me, and she knew ahead of time that He must die for each and everyone of us. Mothers are special and need to be appreciate each day for we never know when they will be called home! We can honor our mothers, living or dead, by how we love others! Happy Mother's Day mom, miss ya! peace, tom
Ecclesiastes 4:12 NASB "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."It wouldn't stand alone, not until we tied the other poles alongside it, did it stand correctly! Today's verse, often used in marriage ceremonies concerning a husband, wife and God, it can be applied to men standing together to support each other! While erecting a fence for a customer, one pole needed to be placed and yet the soil was too wet and the concrete hadn't set up yet so we tied two other poles to it so that the three of them held together until the concrete cured! In life, we, men try to go it alone, thinking we don't need help and that usually ends in trouble! Getting support from other men can and will make us stronger, able to do more than we imagined alone. Don't let the "i can do it alone" mentality keep us from reaching out for help and support. Even Jesus has the Father and the Holy Spirit! Don't go it alone, reach out and ask for help! peace, tom
Colossians 4:6 NASB "Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."He stands there and points and simply says "what that be?"! Our eldest grandson has a curious mind and wants to know what everything is, what's it for, and how it works. Teaching him new things, and what things are is a blessing for he grasps the knowledge rather quickly and says "ok"! Today's verse speaks to us about our speech and how we are to respond to others! Some of the things that our grandson points to are rather hard for him to understand so I need to make sure I explain them in words that he will understand! For many of us, trying understand God's Word and His Ways can be hard to understand that's what we need to be in prayer and open to the Holy Spirit's explanation as we read His Word and we should read that Word daily to keep learning the things of God. Keeping asking God to help us understand until we can say to Him "ok"! And let's be sure to speak to each other with the grace of God to uplift rather than tear apart! peace, tom
Genesis 3:19 NASB "By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”"As I wiped the sweat from my face, and looked at the empty bag where the soil was, I couldn't help but think of today's verse. The verse reminds us where we came from, the dust of the earth! After spreading the yard of soil, I sat to rest a bit and thought to myself that the only difference between me and that pile of dirt was the breath of God! He created you and I, by taking dirt, forming into a body and breathed life into it. Every breath we breath should be a reminder of how we all got started. I remember when I was on the fire department, that doing CPR, breathing into another human being to try and revive them, was sharing the breath of God within me. Take a moment today and breath deeply and think how can I share what He has given to us with someone else! We may just be sharing the gift of life by listening, being an encouragement, or simply letting them know, they are not alone! peace, tom |
Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
April 2024
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