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1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB "Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."Did you catch the theme of the week? Today's verse and all week the theme has been hard work and labor. As we head into Labor Day weekend, I wonder how our labor practices are? Do we work unto the Lord or are we working for our benefit? Do we try and cut corners so our profit is higher? Tough questions to ask ourselves but they need to be asked. My father in law said to me that I wasn't charging enough in my handyman business, that I needed to charge more but my reply was that I was more interested in helping those in need than making money. We should ask ourselves "what's our motivation in our labor practices?!" Is it to honor Him or ourselves?! BTW, thank God for the job, believe it or not, it's a blessing to have a place to go to work! peace, tom
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Genesis 2:15 NASB "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it."It's one thing to throw seed in the ground and another to tend to it! Today's Word speaks to us about taking care of the things we have. While it's harvest time for the back yard garden, I wonder if I took better care of it, if the bounty wouldn't be more?! I should have spent more time weeding, watering, checking for pests, but there were times I was lazy and didn't tend to what I had. It showed in the harvest. In life, we have been given a responsibility to tend to the things in our lives. We need to make sure that we tend to them as unto the Lord. We need to stop making excuses and find the reason to take care of the many blessings He has bestowed on us - so let's get out there and clean out the weeds, check for pests and look forward to harvest of blessings! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 9:27 MSG "I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself."It's one thing to talk the talk, but another to walk the walk! Today's Word reminds us there is a difference between telling everyone else and missing out ourselves! Right after the morning meeting, it was time to go and get the jobs done. The foreman took a quick walk around and then was gone. When trouble arose, and we needed to find him, he was no where to be found. After about an hour, he showed up, he had gone to his truck and went to sleep. The problem had been fixed but not my him and when the owner asked who did the work, the truth came out! Let's not be the guy who says the words, but never backs it up with our actions! Jesus lived the Word and His Actions were the proof of His Own Belief! What are our actions telling others about our walk with Christ?! peace, tom
Deuteronomy 24:14 NASB "You shall not exploit a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your strangers who are in your land in your towns."It didn't matter their background, as long as they were willing to work. Today's verse speaks of how we treat others. Being put in charge of the hiring for the job, I had to do interviews of those who applied. Some brought resumes, while others did not. I glanced at the resumes but I was more interested in what they said and how they said it. Some were dressed in the latest work attire while others were not. When the final decision was made as to who I recommended for the positions, it wasn't their clothing, or even their resumes, it was how they carried themselves and answered the questions asked. Each person got the same questions, each person was allowed to answer, and each person had the same opportunity to be hired. When we judge others based upon their outward appearance, we may just get it wrong. God judges the heart and we should too! Just sayin! Peace, Tom
2 Chronicles 15:7 NASB "But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is a reward for your work."When it was over, we looked back and felt satisfaction! Today's Word is about working and how we are to be strong and not lose courage! The sweat stung our eyes, our muscles ached but we knew we had to finish the job. Helping a neighbor, some of the guys in the neighborhood came together to help. He was a older man who ordered a load of dirt and needed it moved to his back yard. He was redoing his garden beds but didn't realize the amount of dirt or work it would take. After many hours of shoveling, wheel barreling, and cleaning up all the dirt, we stood back and looked. A job well done, and the feeling of satisfaction. When God calls us to work, we need to be strong, stay the course and not lose courage and give up. Sure, it will be difficult but nowhere does it say that life is easy but pushing through will bring a sense of accomplishment! To God be the glory! peace, tom
Philippians 2:4 NASB "do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." It only took a second! Today's Word tells us to look out for others as well as taking care of ourselves! They were struggling, I could have walked away but I was taught by my parents to help when I can. I set my things down and went over and helped. I wasn't the only one, others came to help as well. Many times in life, we could all use a little help. Stopping to help others may put us behind in what we want to accomplish but it should never be about us. Sure, we are to take care of ourselves but one day, we may be the ones needing a little help along the way. Let's keep our eyes open for the opportunities to help someone else for one day it could be us needing that help! It's what HE did for all of us! peace, tom
Luke 5:26 ESV "And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”"He walked down to the water, amazed and in awe! Today we read how people were amazed and in awe of God for they had seen extraordinary things! It was the first time he had ever been to a beach, a real beach and he walked with amazement toward the water. A little fear, a little excitement but he walked on the sand and into the water. Only little steps at first but slowly he began to go deeper and deeper and the smile on his face grew larger and larger. The excitement of something new can be a little bit overwhelming but if we keep walking on, we will experience extraordinary things of God. Let's not let fear keep us from giving God the glory for an amazing thing in our life! peace, tom
Romans 12:21 NASB "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Harder to do than say! Today's Word is about choice, we can either choose to do evil or choose to overcome with good! They came at us looking for trouble. A group of us were playing basketball at a local outdoor court. Minding our own business when these other guys came and tried to steal our ball. We had a choice to make - either get into a fight or simply ask them to join us. We always have the choice to overcome evil with good but it takes strength and faith and thinking of others rather than thinking of ourselves. We ended up having a great day and made some new friends along the way. We may not always know the best choice but choosing good over evil wins every time! peace, tom
Matthew 12:36 ESV "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,"It's probably one of those verses we don't want to think about! Today's verse speaks of our careless words! We probably don't even think about them but one day we will.Careless words - you know the ones spoken in anger, spoken in jest, spoken without really thinking about the damage we can do with our words. It was during a discussion when the each party began to get a little more angry - then it happened, the words turned ugly. Hurtful things were said, some lies were said, and before you knew it, fists were flying. It has happened time and again when our words have cause pain to someone else. Maybe we were intending to hurt them by our words but once they were spoken, we can't get them back. Let's be careful with our words, think twice, speak once and only in love! peace, tom
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." Oh, they will come!! Today's Word gives us what we need to stop the attacks of the evil one! We may not be able to see them coming but we know they will. The attacks of the enemy may come in different forms but let's not be naive of who is attacking. It's satan who will attack us anyway he can, to get us off our game. It's when things are going well that we don't even think that the attacks will come! The family outing that turns ugly because of the attacks, the newly wed couple trying to keep their marriage alive and healthy, the church trying to share Jesus - never see the attacks so we let down our guard. We need the shield of faith to help us stop the arrows of discord, to stop the battle against the Truth - the question is... are we using the shield of faith or have we left it with the other items of the armor of God? Pick up the shield and let's do battle, for the victory has already been won by Jesus! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
January 2026
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