Hebrews 12:11 NASB "For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.""This is going to hurt me more than it will you! Today's Fathering Message is about discipline and the verse for today speaks right to the point! As my father began to discipline me, he uttered the words "this is going to hurt me more than you!". I couldn't understand that until I had daughters of my own and realized that it does hurt when we have to discipline those we love. Years later, that discipline has helped me grow as a man. We must remember today's verse that for the moment, discipline is not pleasant but it will yield a well trained and peaceful man. Let us father with love as we discipline those given to us to train up in the ways of the Lord! peace, tom
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Psalm 68:5 NASB "A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy dwelling."It just happens, cause we care! Today's "fathering" verse is about fathering the fatherless! There are men who gather around the families of those who gave their life while serving in the fire service. They make sure that the children and widows are taken care of. They repair homes, help financially, and they make sure the children are loved. It's cause, in the fire service, we are all family! Taking care of the fatherless and helping the families left behind by the loss of a father is a God thing. The sad reality is that many children are fatherless while their biological fathers are still alive. Let's take care of the fatherless and teach the absent father what a God honored thing it is to be a father! 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 wish I could go back and do things differently! Today's verse and all week we will be sharing about fatherhood and today's is about not provoking our children to anger! I have lived the downside of today's verse, I have sadly provoked my children to anger. The reality of life is that we can't go back and change what was done in the past but we can learn from our mistakes and move forward. Too many times, I lived anger and I am sure the outburst caused my children to be angry with their dad. I thank God I changed, a little late, but better late than never. What I am most concerned with is that my actions as a father may have damaged their relationship with God the Father for by how we father, they learn about our Heavenly Father! Let's make a better example of who He is by how we father! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 8:1 NASB "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."It was time! Today we read about cleansing ourselves, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God! It started out with my files, then the tool box, then the tackle box! It was time to clean things up. The files both on my computer and in the file cabinet needed to be gone through and cleaned up. I said to myself, why stop there and went to the tool box and got rid of the tools that I no longer use and just take up space, then finally I did an inventory of the fishing lures I use and catch fish and those that just attracted me to buy but don't catch fish. It felt good to get things back in order and I couldn't help but think that there were and are areas in my walk with Christ that need cleaning up. Taking a personal inventory of what needs to be removed from my life is perfecting holiness in the fear of God, a reverence to be holy as He is holy. How about you, is it time?! peace, tom
Ezra 10:4 NASB "Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act.”It was my responsibility but the words of encouragement helped me get it done! Today's Word shares how we need to be courageous and act but it helps with godly men to cheer us on! Who doesn't need a little encouragement from time to time?! When we are called to get it done, getting help from those around us can make the difference between getting it done and not getting it done. As I stood at the base of the 100' aerial ladder for the first time, I didn't think I could climb it and step off to the roof but with the encouragement of my training officer and others around, I began the climb to the top and stepped off! Little words of comfort, big cheers of those who have our best interest in mind can make the difference in getting things done. Let's cheer each other on to take care of our responsibilities as men of God not slaves of satan! peace, tom
Exodus 14:14 NASB "The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent.”The more I spoke, the worse it got! Today's verse has the key to letting our Lord fight for us, can you find it? Letting my anger get the best of me and the discussion I was having, made things worse. No matter what I said, I was hurting the person I was talking with by letting my voice get louder, my words get nastier and it wasn't going to end well until I learned to keep my mouth shut. Maybe you struggle with anger, and letting it run our life, and it get's you no where but more frustration. When we remain silent and let God do His Thing, we can find peace that He is in control and He is so much better at it cause He's been around forever! LOL - silence is golden at times and can bring about a better ending than if we keep on speaking. Let's let God do our talking and we will find that His Word is so much better than ours! peace, tom
Luke 14:18 NASB "And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; please consider me excused.’"It used to be me! Today's Word is part of the parable where a man was having a dinner and began to invite his friends when they all began to make excuses as to why they couldn't come! I used to be like that, thinking more about myself and what I wanted than those around me. If I got the call to help or an invite to a church event, I made up and excuse so I wouldn't have to go. When Jesus entered my life, I found that the excuses didn't hold water any more. The "what's best for me" became "what would Jesus do" and I found that going to those events blessed me more than I thought! Don't let the excuses keep us from the blessings and blessings other! Stop finding excuses and find the reason in Jesus Christ! peace, tom
Galatians 6:2 NASB "Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."I had to make a decision as to what was more important! Today's verse states the Law of Christ pretty simple for all of us to understand! When the call came, I looked at the time and realized that if I took it, there wouldn't be enough time to get to the store I wanted to go to. I took the call, noting who was calling and that he was a man who was struggling. Can we meet right now, he asked? We agreed on a place and off I went. I didn't get to the store before it closed but I did meet and pray with a man who was struggling and we left each other better than when we started. Sometimes life will have those twists and turns where it becomes all about others, rather than about ourselves and isn't that exactly how Christ lived?! Let's be there for each other, no matter what! peace, tom
Luke 15:23 NASB "and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let’s eat and celebrate;"It was wonderful to sit back and celebrate! Today's Word speaks of celebration, having a blessed time with others and enjoying time together! With all the sadness and tragedy in the world, it was nice to celebrate life. As people came to the church for our "community fun day" you could see smiles on their faces, conversations with old friends, and children having a wonderful time. We can get through the pain, by coming together and giving hope that Jesus is still on the Throne regardless of what is taking place here on earth. I am sure each of us can find one thing to celebrate. Whether it's the birthday of a child, an anniversary of a marriage that has stood the test of time, the friendship of others in our life but most importantly that God loves us, that is something to celebrate. We may not kill the fattened calf but we can enjoy a good barbecue and enjoy each other and celebrate the good things in life! peace, tom
Deuteronomy 4:29 NASB "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."I knew it was in there but where?! Today we read about searching for God with all our hearts and souls! I was 100 % sure it had put it back the last time I used it, so began the search. I was looking for that special tool I needed to get the job done but couldn't seem to find it. I remember putting it back but now, I couldn't find it. I kept searching and searching and finally found it right where I thought it would be. I must have looked over it a few times before searching hard enough to find it. When we search for God in situations that arise, we may have to search with all that we are in order to find Him right where He always is but we seem to look past Him in the quick moments. Taking time to seek Him above all the chaos of the world, means letting go of all the things we hold on to and searching with all our hearts and souls. When was the last time we did that?! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
April 2024
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