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2 Thessalonians 1:9 NASB "These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,"Shhhh, we don't like to talk about that! As the conversation went on, a subject came up that he didn't want to talk about, he tried every way to get us to change the topic but if I was a true friend, I needed to ask him the hard question. Today we learn about paying the price, time forever away from His Presence, and that means an eternity in hell! He began by sharing how his life was hell on earth, things just never seem to go right and he and his wife were at odds all the time. Knowing a lot about him, I asked the hard question, did you cheat on her? Sometimes we wonder why we suffer but a lot of the time its because of the choices we make! The question is, are we cheating on the Lord? peace, tom
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Isaiah 1:18 ESV "“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."We had to find the common ground or it was over! I had an employee of the company that, well let's just say he didn't have his picture on the wall of employee of the month! Today's Word speaks to us about how Jesus cleanses our sin! At the monthly evaluation, I had to be honest that if he continued his ways, he wouldn't make it through the month! He began to apologize, told me how much he enjoyed working there and that he would change his ways. I had a choice, believe him or not! I chose to believe him and at the end of the next month, I was glad I did. Jesus wants to reason with us regarding our sin, He wants nothing more than to have them white as snow and like wool. If we sat down with Jesus for our evaluation, how do we think it would go? He did His Part, are we doing ours? peace, tom
2 John 1:8 NAASB "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward."What we didn't know was keeping us from getting it done! Today's Word gives us some great advice for finishing strong and getting a full reward! As we continued to pump out the customers basement, the water level wasn't going down. What we didn't know was that the other end of the hose was into a pipe that was leading the water right back to the basement! Many times we may think we are doing well only to find out that what we thought wasn't actually the Truth. We need to watch ourselves, keep vigilant in checking our work to be sure that we finish well. Today would be a good day to do a "health" check, are we reading His Word, spending time in prayer, listening for the Holy Spirit. Little things that can help us make sure our work isn't going down the drain! peace, tom
Ephesians 1:10 NASB "regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth."As I wrote the date, I realized that Christmas was 6 months ago and is 6 months from now!! I know you probably didn't need to hear that but it's true and I can't help but think how fast time goes! Today's verse speaks to us about God's plan to unit all things together. I recent spent some time with a man who had a strained relationship with his father. He said he had tried all things to get them back on speaking terms. We prayed together and we let it go to God for His Plan to come together and you know God always comes through. They spent a wonderful father's day together!! God wants all things united, so if you have a strained relationship, where you don't see each other or even speak, let God do the work and ask Him to open the door to communication - and if our relationship with God is strained, let's get that worked out, simply call to Him, cry out to Him, and He will answer! We don't have to wait 6 months for Christmas! peace, tom
Colossians 4:8 NASB "For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;"I don't even think they knew that God was using them! Today's Word speaks about being an encourager! There have been times when life has gotten harder than normal, struggles become greater, temptation even harder to avoid and yet during those times, God always sends another man into my life to help strengthen and encourage me. Whether it was a simple text, a phone call, or even a visit, I always come away blessed and strengthened to continue the fight for godly manhood. And one day, years ago, I realized that God was asking me to make a difference in another man's life, to be the one who texted, called or stopped for a visit, to encourage another man to keep up the fight against sin. I pray that as you read this, you become inspired to send a text, a call or visit to that one guy you know is struggling! WE are stronger together with Christ so follow where the Spirit is leading and send out that text! peace, tom
1 Peter 2:24 NASB "and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed."He paid for it but I heard about it all the way home! Today's Word speaks about sin, and who paid the price for our sin and because of that act of love, we are healed! As young boy, I got caught up in a group of boys that went the local penny candy store to see how much candy we could steal when the owner looked away. He was not a foolish man and knew exactly what we were doing and when the time came, he spoke to my father about my stealing! The owner wanted to ban me from ever entering the store again but my father paid the price of the candy I stole and I was once again allowed in the store. My dad payed the price for my faults, not unlike Jesus who pays for our sin by going to the Cross. The key is whether I stopped stealing candy and learned the lesson, or shall I say, have we stopped the sin that put Christ on the Cross? The question is are we healed?! peace, tom
Luke 12:35 ESV "“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,"Ya never know! I kept moving it around, putting it here and there, never wanting to throw it out! Today we get some great advice, about staying dressed for action and keeping our lamps lit! It may sound funny but more times than not, I have exactly the part I was looking for! I keep some parts for that "what if" time and it usually comes when you least expect it! The unexpected always happens on a late Sunday night when all the stores are closed! Many years ago, I got the call from one of my daughters that her hot water tank wasn't working. All it needed was a new thermocouple, which I had! I was ready for action and had kept that part from an old tank. It was replaced with a new one, once the stores opened! The question for today is are we... are we dressed for action and is our lamp of Christ burning? May it's time to check how hot our water is?! peace, tom
Romans 12:21 NASB "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."There's always a little bit of me that wants to get even but I have to fight it and do the right thing! Today's verse is about evil overcoming us or we over come evil with good, always comes down to choice! I love to drive, I consider it a privilege and look forward to it as I remember the days of walking here and there. The only problem I have is that I have to share the road with some that are, well let's just say, not driving the greatest and as they cut me off, or swerve into my lane, my first reaction is to get even, or get back at them but I have learned that thats not the best response. It's hard not to allow the evil of getting back at them to overcome me so I constantly have to remind myself of Jesus' Words, turn the other cheek! Not easy but doable! There is always a better way to handle the evil we face, and that's overcoming it with good! Make the right choice today and let it bring God glory! peace, tom
Ephesians 6:4 NASB "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."I'm sure we have all heard that old adage "monkey see monkey do"! That couldn't apply more to our children, they do what they see us fathers doing! So, the question is, what are we doing that they are seeing?! Today's verse speaks to the father's and relates to how we should be with our children. The sad reality is that the statistics are overwhelming that our children are suffering due to fatherless homes. It's one thing to be a dad and a completely different thing to be a father- one takes 30 seconds of pleasure and the other a life time of love. I am blessed to still have my father in my life, still showing me the example of what it means to be a godly father and for that I am blessed. Happy Father's Day this weekend to all the fathers and if you don't have children of your own, there are many who are fatherless, this could be your year to be a father and share the love of God our Father! peace, tom
Proverbs 12:11 NASB "One who works his land will have plenty of bread, But one who pursues worthless things lacks sense."I know the day will come when I want to enjoy them but for now, I need to do the work! The verse for today speaks about working to get bread verses pursuing worthless things! As I cleaned the dirt out from under my nails, I looked back at the weeded garden and thought "one day"! One day I will be able to enjoy the fruit of my labor but thats not today. I still need to weed, feed and water so that one day I can enjoy the harvest. God has called us to work, for His Kingdom and that may mean getting our hands dirty, being vigilant in working each day, but if we pursue the worthless things of the world, we will not see the fruit of our labor. Let's be smart and do the work today, so we can enjoy the fruit one day, now doesn't that make sense?! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
December 2024
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