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James 4:2 NASB "You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask."It is not a sign of weakness! Today's Verse is pretty heavy, there's a lot going on in it, be sure to read it slowly and to the end. I don't know when it happened to men, but asking for help seems to mean that we are not as manly as we should be. Nothing can be further from the Truth. There were many times when I called out asking for help from my dad, uncles, cousins, and others who had the knowledge and strength to accomplish what I could not. I never felt inadequate but was happy to have those in my life that I can call to for help. One person I always call out to is God, to His Spirit to help me get through the difficulties of life. The question for the day is... who do you call for help?! peace, tom BTW, He's always there for us, we just need to call!
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Proverbs 4:25 NASB "Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you."It was kind of weird! Today's Word tells us where to focus, where our eyes should be looking! I flipped the switch that let the lane correctors begin to work on the vehicle. As I drove down the street, I let go of the steering wheel (not really recommended! ) and sure enough, the sensors kept the vehicle from going to the left or right. While this is a great feature of some new vehicles, I wouldn't recommend it for our walk with Christ. Letting go of the responsibility of driving straight ahead as we walk with Christ is in fact our responsibility - we can't just let go and see where we end up because temptation and sin are right around the corner. Keep focus on Him, His Word and where the Holy Spirit leads us is our guide through the potholes of life - let's keep looking straight ahead today! peace, tom
1 Samuel 30:6 NASB "Also, David was in great distress because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David felt strengthened in the Lord his God."Keeping focus on where the strength comes from! Today's Word has distress, stoning, embitterment and strength. There are times in everyone's life when things just seem to get a little crazy. We find that people are distressed over life but if we choose Christ and His Strength, we can get through anything. While searching for the reported child in a burning building, we found ourselves crawling through the heat and smoke. We weren't sure where the child may have been but we kept searching until the report came that he was out and safe. During the search, we needed to find the courage to go on. Life can be that way when we feel others are against us but if we turn to Christ, really turn to Him, we will find the strength to go on! Let Him strengthen us today! peace, tom
Titus 2:7 ESV "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity," At first it was cute, but then I began to realize just how important it was. Today's Word speaks about being a witness, whether good or bad, they are watching! My two grandsons love to imitate me. Wearing the same color shirts or having a hat on or not (depending on whether grampa is wearing one!) and acting out what I am doing from time to time. Like I said, it's cute but the reality is, they are learning, imitating me. I pray what they see me do is honoring to God. Whether it's grandchildren, children or others we share life with, they are watching. some will imitate us, knowing that we are followers of Jesus - the question is, what are they watching?! Let's make sure our life follows His, then we don't have to worry about what they see, for they shall see Him! peace, tom
John 15:13 NASB "Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends."May they be remembered. Today's Word is about those who laid down their life! While we sit around picnic tables, enjoying that hot dog or steak, let us keep in mind that many families will be remembering their loved ones who lived today's verse. We may not know they and yet they gave all so that we can live in freedom. It should be a reminder to us about living in freedom from sin and death for our Savior Jesus Christ gave His Life so that we can be free. Paul writes "what shall we do with that freedom?!" A good question to ask ourselves as we enjoy a day off of work, a time with family and friends. What will we do with the freedom found in the death of others?! May we take some time to remember them and pray for the families of our fallen soldiers! peace, tom
2 John 1:8 NASB "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward." It can happen in a split second! Today's verse teaches us to watch ourselves so that we don't lose it all! I watched as another prominent man lost it all. He lost the respect, the honor, the blessings of working hard by making a simple misguided step in life. His record will be tarnished forever, not for all that he accomplished but for what he did in that split second that caused others to question his character. His work will no longer go on, people will shy away from him, he will struggle to find another job. In a split second, all that we have worked for, our reputation can be tarnish but worse, our witness of Jesus Christ can be called into question. One moment of walking in the flesh can kill all that was done by walking in the Spirit so let's be careful out there - think twice, act once! peace, tom
Mathew 28:20 NASB "teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."He is still with me! Today's verse shares that we are to follow the Commands and He is always with us. It was almost as if he was standing behind me, telling me to do this or that. As many of you, my dad went to be with Jesus almost two years ago and I still feel him with me. I remember the lessons he taught me, the words of wisdom he shared with me and the memories are still very real. I couldn't help but think how Jesus is the same way in our life when we read His Word, spend time praying, and keep the Commandments He gave. We can choose who we spend time with and the memories we can make for all eternity. Sure I miss my dad but he is still with me in my thoughts - I have the same feeling that Jesus is with me when I keep my focus on Him and not the world. The question is, where is our focus?! peace, tom
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NASB "Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing."Maybe we haven't started doing it yet! Today's Word is about encouraging each other, building each other up like we've been doing. Did we catch that last part of the verse, that we are doing?! Maybe we haven't been building anyone up by encouraging them, maybe it's time we start. I remember my dad telling me that I could get it done, just to take my time, think things out, and he said "I believe in you!". Those simple words made a hugh difference in my life. If I ever doubted myself, I could think back to those and remember that he believed in me. God believes in us, it's time we take hold of that and pass it on. A simple word to a friend can make all the difference in their life, a simple pat on the back to let them know they did a great job can help them, encourage them, build them up. Isn't there enough out there to tear us down, maybe it's time we build each other up! Encourage someone today! 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."We are not alone! Today's Word is about sharing the same experiences as others. When I say we are not alone, many think I am referring to the fact that there maybe life on other planets! That's not what I am referring to. I am referring to the fact that although we may think we are all alone in our suffering, that's not true. As we go through some type of suffering, there are others going through it too, maybe not as bad as ours or maybe even worse, the key is that we are not alone. Besides others experiencing the same things, we have God on our side.That doesn't mean He will take it away but He will give us strength to get through it. He may even allow us to find others who will stand by our side and pray, comfort us and help us get past it. So, don't go it alone, reach out for prayer, help, and stand firm as today's verse says! peace, tom
Galatians 5:22-23 NASB "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."I had to update my resume! Today we have a list of the fruit of the Spirit, I wonder how many of us can put a check mark next to each one?! It was years ago, when I was applying for a job, that I needed to update my resume. I went down the list of jobs, attributes, etc. When I read today's verses, I had to ask myself, if any of these qualities are part of my life. There are some I can check off but there are others where I need to do some more work. What about you?! Are there some of these fruits of the Holy Spirit that are still lacking in our life?! Maybe it's time we updated our resume as a follower of Christ, but no matter what, God will still hire us! Thank God! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
September 2024
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