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2 Chronicles 15:7 NASB "But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is a reward for your work."One day I found out, how it turned out! Today we read about being strong and not losing courage and one day there will be a reward! I had met a family who had been traveling, they were stuck along the side of the road. They needed some help, so I was more than glad to lend a hand. It took a few hours but we got them back on track and off they went to their destination. I had often wondered how they made out, and one day a thank you note came in the mail. Bob, the father, had taken the time to let me know how things turned out. It was a simple note but I found it as my reward for spending the time helping them get moving again. In life, we may not see the effect of our service, our giving of our time to help another, but one day we just may. Let's not do it for the reward but do it because it's what Jesus does for us! peace, tom
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Ephesians 6:16 NASB "in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."We stayed until the last bit of fire was put out! Today's verse is only one part of the Armor of God, and it's just as important as the others so be sure to go to His Word and learn about them all. When we were called to the house fire, our job was to put out the fire, not part of it but all the fire. We made sure before we left that there was nothing smoldering that could ignite again. When dealing with the flaming arrows of life, we need to be sure that our shield of faith is strong enough to extinguish all of the flaming arrows - not some, but all. Growing our faith as we put our trust in the Lord, will give us the strength to stand firm against the evil of this world. Maybe it's time we polish up our shields, for the battle is upon us! peace, tom
Romans 12:16 NASB "Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation." Finding peace with all men is something that is easier said than done but it can be done! Today's Word is about being of the same mind toward one another and not thinking we are wiser than another. I have been blessed to work with some truly amazing people. Most were smarter than myself, so I made sure I tried to learn from their wisdom. I have worked with some who struggled with some type of mental illness and I tried to learn from them as well. Finding the unity between ourselves and others may be difficult but if we keep Jesus and the Holy Spirit at work in our life, we will find the same mind towards one another. Let's not be so quick to judge who is better but use wisdom in finding the unity of Christ with all people! peace, tom
1 Timothy 3:2 NASB "An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching,"What a list of qualifications! Today we read what qualities an overseer should have, I wonder how many check marks we could make on our list?! We needed to hire a supervisor for the new position and as we sat around discussing the applications of those who applied for the position, I couldn't help but see the one line on a certain application. The line read "I can not work Sundays for my family and I attend Church Service". I couldn't help but think two things about this person - 1. He was willing to share that he was a church goer and 2. He was committed to putting God first in his life. He didn't end up getting the position for there were others who were more qualified, but my faith grew that day. To see a man, willing to state that he puts God first, is a rare man these days - maybe we need to think of putting God first and not being ashamed to say we go to church! peace, tom
Proverbs 20:29 NASB "The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair." It was a great opportunity! Today's verse shares with us about young men and older men - which category do we fall into?! It was an opportunity for young men to work with older men, and even fathers and sons came to help. When we listed the project that needed to be done, and that we needed some help, men came. Different ages, different skill levels and it was amazing to see the older men share their wisdom with the young guns. Don't underestimate the wisdom of our elders or the strength of the young guys - working together can truly be an amazing time of unity. And when we make Christ, as the center of it all, young men and older men come away blessed! Get the men together, younger ones, older ones and see what God will do, it truly will be an amazing time! peace, tom
James 1:12 NASB "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."The smoke was thick, the heat intense but we had a job to do! Today's Word is about persevering under trial. We all have those days when the struggle to continue will be intense but we must push on. As we checked each room, closet, under beds searching for the children who were reported to be in the fire building, we kept searching no matter what. Thank God we didn't find them for they were safe outside the home. There will be days when the struggle of life may seem to get the best of us but we must push on, find strength in His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. It's also a blessing to have some men in our corner to help us fight the battles so make sure we get some good godly men around us to help us stand when our strength is failing. Don't go it alone, find comfort in Christ and some godly men! peace, tom
Romans 8:26 (NASB) In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;I am sure if someone was around they would have thought I lost my mind for I had begun to yell out in words that didn't make any sense to me... after going through the electrical system at least five times, I still could not find the problem... I had started at the beginning and traced each wire together then separately and still no power at the fixture... I was beside myself... today's verse speaks of how the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness, and when we aren't sure just how to pray, the Holy Spirit will intercede for us as we groan in words too deep to understand... as I cried out that day I began to feel as if someone was saying, slow down, take your time and go through it all again... so that's what I did and believe it or not, there was a simple fix... I had forgot to reset the breaker at the circuit panel... sometimes in life, we will go through things where we end up just groaning, crying out and it's then that the Holy Spirit will speak to us and through us but we must be open to Him, to His Comforting Power... it's a type of baptism in a way where we surrender ourselves to Him and let Him be in control... whether it's a situation at work, or at home, or even at church, He is there to help in our time of weakness... so be sure to look for Him and let Him help turn the light on! peace, tom
Ephesians 4:22 ESV "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires" No one really likes to do it, but sometimes it has to be done! Today's verse speaks to us about change, to put off the old self, our old way of life! I realized if I kept going down the same path, it would not end well. It wasn't that I didn't want to change it, I just didn't know where to find the strength to do it. When I first came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, began reading His Word, I found that there were areas in my life that didn't line up with someone who said they were a follower of Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I found the strength to make the changes. I lost family and friends along the way but I began to care more about what God thought of me than them. Don't listen to lie of satan who says we can't but listen to God who says we can and will help us every step of the way! Make the changes, it's worth the pain, He did for us! peace, tom
1 Peter 3:8 ESV "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind."It's amazing! Today's verse has a lot in it when it comes to how we should be with each other, be sure to take it slow and read each part of it carefully. We sat, we discussed, we listened to each persons thoughts and ideas, we created a plan and then we went to work! It is amazing what can be done when we all work together. No matter what the project is, when we work together as one, amazing things can take place. When a husband comes together with his wife, when a family comes together as one, when a church comes together in unity of Christ, things begin to happen like never before. The key is coming on board, sharing our views and ideas that line up with His Word and then acting upon them on as one well oiled machine - the oil of course, is the Holy Spirit - so, let's follow the Spirit today and do some amazing things together! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 9:26 ESV "So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air." I had to ask myself why was I doing it?! Today's verse speaks of purpose and not going with out direction! I began to take stock of why I did what I did and when I did it. I took a serious look at what I was doing and what did I expect the outcome to be. I began to find areas in my life where it seemed as if I was just doing things to do things, there was no productive reason for doing them. I began to make changes, thinking more of the reason I was doing them rather than just doing them. When we want to move forward in our life, we need to take a good look at where we are, and how much we are willing to cut out of our life and add to our life to be productive. When it comes to the things of the Lord, obviously cutting sin out and reading His Word more is a great place to start being more productive! Maybe it's time we stop just beating the air and get down to business! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
December 2024
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