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Ezra 10:4 NASB "Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act.”"I remember the first time I was about to speak to a large group of people, the butterflies in my stomach were highly active and wondering to myself if I was going to be sick before I got up on the platform! Today's verse speaks to us about our responsibility and how others will be with us but we need to act and be courageous! When God calls us to something, we must act, find strength in Him and others to step out, speak boldly, and share what God has given us to share. As I walked on the platform, I remember two things 1. my prayer to God to use me and 2. the peace of the Holy Spirit guiding me. To be honest, I couldn't really tell you what I shared but I know God was with me and the support of my family. Don't be afraid to go where God calls you cause you ain't going alone, He is right there with you to help you act and be courageous! peace, tom
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Titus 2:13 ESV "waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,"If you're like me, waiting can seem to last forever! We are eagerly waiting for the phone call to tell us that our youngest daughter is delivering her child but the waiting seems to go on forever! Today's verse tells us about waiting for the Lord to return, the blessed hope found in Christ, and trust me, He will come sooner than we think! Waiting for our next grandchild is like watching paint dry! You know it will happen but the wait can drive you crazy! I can't help but think that prayer can have the same feeling, we pray for this or that and the waiting begins. It is God's Timing for everything under the sun, so we must be patient, keep focus and in time, it will take place. God's Word tells us Jesus will return, when that happens is up to God but we must wait patiently and keep on keeping on until He arrives. Just like waiting for the birth of our grandson, the wait will be so worth it! peace, tom
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—"I am not sure how it is in other parts of the world but here the nights begin to get colder, the leaves begin to change color and the darkness of night comes sooner! It a time of seasonal change and that means some things will be different! It's never easy to let go of summer but with fall approaching and winter right around the corner, there are things that need to be taken care of! Today's verse speaks of an appointed time for everything, every event under heaven. While we enjoyed the days of summer, now it's time to get ready for the next season. Change can be difficult, letting go of things we love is hard but with each new day comes the beginning of a new adventure. Finding strength in Christ to move from one season of life to another is a great place to start as change begins to take place in our life. Keeping focus on Him and where HE leads us, is the key to allowing the changes to be peaceful and calming! The question is... what season of life are you in and are you getting ready for the next one, in your walk with Christ?! peace, tom
Proverbs 28:13 NASB "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."I witnessed an incredible amount of strength, I have seen it many times and I always walk away astounded by the courage of those men! I am not speaking of a weight lifting competition but it is closely like that, it is men being honest with their sin and seeking forgiveness! It's as if a giant weight has been lifted off of them! Today's verse shares about the difference between concealing our sin and confessing it, one will not prosper and one will find compassion. Sitting across the table, as a man honestly and openly admits his sin, is an amazing thing to witness, the strength and courage it takes to tell another man our sin and ask for help is definitely a god thing! The next step is just as important and that is praying for each other, standing alongside each other to help walk the walk that Christ has called us men too! Wanna see true strength, true grit, then be there as a man admits our mistakes, our sin and watch how God will show compassion upon them! Maybe today is your day to find the strength in Christ to admit our shortcomings and find His Compassion! peace, tom Ecclesiastes 5:20 NASB "For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart."There are days when I don't even remember how I was years ago, the thought of the "angry days" are far removed from my thoughts! Today's verse speaks to us about not considering the former years of our life because God occupies our hearts with gladness. There was a time when my entire focus was on those angry days, but letting go of them and focusing on things above, brings gladness to my heart. My dad taught me an old saying that is so true "idle time is the devil's workshop!" - when men are idle, we allow the tricks and lies of satan to come into our minds and life choices and cause nothing but pain. When we keep busy for the Lord, our hearts will be full of gladness because the Spirit will strengthen us for the battle of godly manhood and the memories will slowly fade away! Let's keep focus on Christ and not our past lives! peace, tom
Matthew 7:11 NASB "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
I didn't truly understand it until I became a father! Today's verse speaks about fathers giving good gifts to our children despite our evil ways and how God our Father will give to those who ask Him! It was late at night when the call came from one of our daughters and son in law that they had no hot water! I could have just told them to call a plumber but knowing how late it was and knowing how to fix it, I took a ride! As I drove over, I thought how all she had to do was call and I would be there (sounds like good lyrics for a song! LOL) and how God works like that too - all we need to do is reach out to Him, asking that His Will be done in our lives. That asking is called prayer, speaking to God and guess what - there's no waiting or being put on hold, you don't have to press 1 to get Him or 2 to speak to Jesus or 3 to speak to the Holy Spirit - nope! Why not make the call today! All we need to do is call and He will be there!! peace, tom 1 Timothy 4:8 NASB "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."As I check my weekly progress for the amount of time I worked out, rode my bike, walked, and exercised, I realized I didn't do as well this week as I had done in weeks past! Today's verse speaks to us about bodily discipline verses godliness and how one holds promise for this life and the next. I needed to get back on my schedule of working out each day, not just doing it haphazardly but being intentional about keeping in shape. And then I thought about my walk with Christ, how much have I worked on keeping in "godly shape"?! There is not chart or graph to show how much time I spent in God's Word, in prayer, in walking by the Spirit but if there was, what would mine look like? What would your's look like? Maybe it's time we get our spiritual bodies in better shape? peace, tom
Ephesians 6:7 NASB "With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,"Keeping our eyes upon Jesus is a great saying but when it comes to actually putting that into practice, it can be harder than we thought! I wouldn't say he was an enemy of mine but he was someone who I didn't like being around. We have different views on a lot of things so I usually try and stay away from him but when he called, asking for help, I thought of today's verse! Rendering good will to another as we would to the Lord rather than to another man. My first thought was to find an excuse not to go and help, but when you think of Jesus going to the Cross, not finding any excuse not to go, we must serve those we may disagree with cause it's what Jesus did! Keeping our eyes upon Jesus, means walking the walk HE walked, and that means unconditional love even to our enemies! Find the greater good as we serve others in His Name! peace, tom
Hebrews 9:28 NASB "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.She went for the last Doctor's visit, he is in place and ready to come at a moments notice! Today's verse speaks about Jesus' second coming to earth and about those who eagerly await Him! We are waiting, and watching and praying! Our youngest daughter is getting ready to give birth, they know it could be any day now, so we wait eagerly to meet our second grandson. I couldn't help but think, with the way the world is, that Jesus Christ will appear soon. Just like our grandson, we can not predict the day or time but we know he's coming, Jesus Christ is coming again! Do we wait eagerly for Him, do we have our lives ready to meet Him, are we living with the excitement of meeting Him face to face?! Some good questions to ask ourselves as we eagerly wait for the Savior of the world to join us! peace, tom
James 4:14 NASB "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." One day they are there and the next they are gone! We lost two neighbors recently. One went on to paradise and the other family moved away due to needing larger space with the arrival of their third child. Today's verse shares about not knowing about tomorrow and how we are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. No one likes to see people leave our life, sure we can stay in touch but there is nothing like watching the two young boys across the street grow up before our eyes, or a good friend and neighbor move on to eternity, but life happens. The key of course is what we do with the time we have NOW, for tomorrow is promised to no man! One day you're walking your dog, and the next day you make the decision to put her down. Enjoying the moments, the right here and now, is so important! Let's enjoy the blessing of the moment with those we love and even those we struggle with for it is a new day to enjoy and thank God for His Blessings! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
October 2024
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