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Nahum 1:7 NASB "The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him."It doesn't say that He will take us out of the storm!! Today's verse speaks of the day of trouble and taking refuge in Him! Oh they will come and some of them will be fierce! Storms, whether we are facing hurricane winds, or lightening strikes, we need to know where to find comfort from the storm! Recently a lightening strike knocked out the power, the phone and the wifi but our communication lines to God are always open! In life, we will face storms, some that will get us to question our faith in God, a struggling marriage, a wayward child, a sickness that comes upon one we love but if we keep focus on Christ, we can weather any storm with Him by our side. He can be our stronghold when the winds of storm try and take us off course, but He knows us who take refuge in Him so no matter what, let's anchor ourselves to Christ! He will see us through! peace, tom
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John 14:14 NASB "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."If he could have, he would do it! Today's verse, while rather simple, is filled with an amazing promise! No matter what I asked of him, he would do it or at least try to do it and get it done. And as the stories of how he helped others keep coming it, I find my dad not only knew Jesus but lived Him as well. Countless people keep calling, texting, sending cards to share how my dad touched their lives by doing little things and even some big things, all to share the love of Jesus. I can only pray that the example my dad set, which was how Jesus lived, can be an example to us all. If we are asked to help, let us do it with the love of Jesus, for we know from today's verse that Jesus will do it for us if it aligns with the will of His Father! peace, tom
Luke 24:45 NASB "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures"I had no idea what I was doing! Today's Word speaks about understanding God's Word! As I tried to repair an old switch on my train layout, I had taken it apart but couldn't find the problem of why it wasn't working! I called a man who repaired the older switches and as he spoke to me, I began to understand exactly what needed to be done to get it working again. In life, as we read His Word each day, there will be times when it just doesn't make sense, that is when it's good to have some godly mature men in our life to go and ask. Having the courage to admit we need help isn't a sign a weakness but of strength in knowing our weaknesses and that we need the wisdom of others! Come to think of it, that's what we should be reading His Word each day, for it is filled with godly wisdom to help us manage life! peace, tom
Matthew 28:20 NASB "teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."Oh, there are those days... Today's Word speaks to us about teaching and we are not alone! There are those days when I want to call him, or stop and visit him but the reality is that he has left this physical earth. Yup, my dad went to be with Jesus a few weeks ago and I find myself wanting to be with him. I have these moments where I want to reach out, to call him or stop by but I know he's not there. And then I think about today's verse, where my dad has taught me lessons in life and that by the way I live and do things, I see my dad within me and I find comfort that he will always be with me. That's how it is with God too! When we know Jesus as Lord and Savior, we get the package of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit who will walk with us each step of the way. We may not see them physically but they are there! peace, tom
Matthew 7:7 NASB “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."I knew I couldn't do it alone! Today's verse can be summed up in one word - ASK! I wanted to get my dad's train layout to my house but I knew there would be no way I could do it alone. I had to make the call and when I did, my daughters and son-in laws stepped up to the plate. They came and helped, it wasn't easy but we got it done! So many of us try to do this thing called life alone. We either don't want to admit that we need help or we are just too stubborn to ask. God's Word simply says "ask, seek and knock" and it will be opened to us! It's pretty simple so let's not make it more complicated and simply ask God for help! We can get it done with the help of our God and those who come alongside us so let's just admit we need help! peace, tom
Genesis 2:7 NASB "Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person"It wasn't much fun to play with, it just sat there! Today's verse speaks about what makes us different from just being a pile of dust! Playing with one of my grandsons, he had found a balloon but it wasn't much fun to play with until we blew it up, then it came to life! Hitting it back and forth as we tried to keep it from hitting the ground became a wonderful time of laughter and fun. Life without the breath of God is just like the un-inflated balloon - it just kind of sits there and does nothing! We have within each of us the breath of God, it's what makes us different from a pile of dirt so let's rejoice in the knowledge that we are the living breathing spirit of our living God - no longer sitting around doing nothing! Get up and bounce across the room - it will make others laugh and smile! peace, tom
Isaiah 6:8 NASB "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”"We needed someone small enough to fit through the hole! Today's Word asks a simple question, how would we respond? We were locked out of the job site and the only way in was a small window in the back of the building. In order to get someone in to unlock the doors, we needed someone small enough to get through the opening. The foreman turned and called out his name. One of the young guys on the crew, who immediately stepped forward and crawled in! God will be calling us for that one special job, the question is how will we respond?! Some will back away while others will step forward and go where called. Let's be the ones to step forward and answer the call, so we can let others in! peace, tom
2 Thessalonians 3:10 NASB "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either."If I don't do the work, I won't get the results! Today's Word is about work and being willing to! No matter how much I want to lose weight, if I don't do the work, it won't happen! I walked by my bike that I haven't ridden in awhile and thought of the many excuses I used to not feel guilty about getting on it and going for a ride! I bought the bike to lose weight, to keep my physical body in shape but if I don't get on it, it's good for nothing other than hanging clothes on it! I wonder what excuses we use when it comes to keeping our spiritual life in shape? Not enough time to read His Word, life is too busy to spend moments in prayer, Sunday's are for football games... the list is endless but the reality is that if we aren't willing to do the work, we can't expect to keep in shape! No more excuses, but find the reason in Christ to get it done! peace, tom
James 4:8 NASB "Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."I was called in to dinner that my wife had prepared! Today's verse is about coming close to God and making sure we have clean hands and hearts! As I began to walk back into the house, I realized my hands were filthy from working on the my vehicle! They were covered with oil and debris and needed to be washed before I could enter the house and sit to eat with my wife. Taking the time to clean up meant that I respected my wife and the meal she prepared rather than eating with filthy hands. I couldn't help but wonder how many times I had come to the Lord with less than clean hands or a full heart?! Having sin in our life and asking God to bless our day just ain't gonna happen. Let's make sure we aren't double-minded when we come to Christ. It's hard to keep one eye on us and one eye on Him, so let's focus on Him and be respectful! peace, tom
Matthew 11:28 NASB “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."We sat and did absolutely nothing! Today's Word is about rest and those who are weary and burdened! We were blessed to take a vacation where we sat and did nothing but relax. The only problem was that my mind kept going over all the work needed to be done when I got home, so the first few days weren't restful. Giving our mind rest of the many "to do" lists is probably a lot harder than getting physical rest. The key is allowing our minds to focus on Christ, that He will take care of our needs and things will get done, for we are not god! Many times we try to be god and expect that we can get it all done, but the reality is that without rest and faith in God, we will become overwhelmed! Let us let our mind rest in the fact that God loves each and everyone of us and will give us rest, we just have to turn off the "noise" of the world and listen for His Voice! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
December 2024
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