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Titus 3:1 NASB "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,"As we left the boss's office, I could tell that what he asked us to do wasn't sitting well with my co-workers. Being the new guy on the crew, I kept my mouth shut as the others began to complain about the work we were asked to do! Today's verse speaks about reminding ourselves about being subject to those in authority, to be obedient and ready for every good deed! Having been out of a work for a while, getting this job was a blessing and I wasn't going to do anything to lose it so when the boss asked us to do a rather hard, difficult, dirty job, I was ready and willing. Some of the "old timers" began to complain that the work was beneath them and that they shouldn't have to do it! As I began to do the work, others started joining in and before long, all the workers were doing what the boss asked of us. Having the right perspective about those in authority can make the difference between being ready for every good deed or spending our time complaining! The question is what's our perspective when called upon by God to do His Work?! peace, tom
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Psalm 51:10 NASB "Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me."As I finished up cleaning the inside of my vehicle, I realized just how nice it was to have it clean! Today's verse is a cry out to the Lord about creating a clean heart and renewing our spirit after we have sinned. It has been a cry of many after we have repented of our sin! Whenever it was time to sell one of my vehicles, I cleaned it up so much so that I wasn't sure I wanted to sell it for there was a renewed love of the vehicle. When our lives become so dirty by sin and bad decisions, it's time we clean it up by repenting before the Lord, apologizing to those we have hurt and asking God to create in us a clean heart. Getting things off our chest, that we carry far too long, can open our hearts to the refreshment of the Lord! Why not enjoy a new life, a new day, a new heart by being honest about our sin and repenting to clean up our act! peace, tom
John 14:5 NASB "Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”"And just like that, my GPS went off! While traveling to speak at a men's group, my GPS turned blank for no reason, and I found myself not sure what direction to go. Today's verse is a question that Thomas asked of Jesus when Jesus shared that He was leaving. Today it's pretty hard not to know the way to go due to the maps and gps systems on our phone or vehicle but sometimes the technology goes wrong and we find ourselves not sure of the direction to take. In life, we may find that we don't know the way to go, what's the best decision to make - but I share today that the Way is Jesus Christ! If we allow the Holy Spirit to be our GPS, our mapping system for life, we will know the Way and be able to make the right decisions every time! The key of course is whether or not we are seeking His Way rather than our own! Don't be lost, know the Way and follow where He leads! BTW, I did make it on time for I stopped and had to ask for directions! Remember those days! lol - peace, tom
2 Corinthians 13:11 NASB "Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."There was a sense of accomplishment as we walked away! It didn't matter whether I was building a house, putting out a fire, running a men's conference or playing a game of tag football, working together with the men I was with, with one goal in mind, made the event successful! Today's verse gives some great advice for us men working together! It simply states that we can rejoice, be made complete, comforted, be like minded, living in peace because we are on the same page! I have been in situations were the men I was with weren't working together - it simply caused chaos on every level. The job never got completed, the frustration cause many relationships to be broken and men were hurt but having the mind of Christ, working together despite our differences can and will be the difference between completing the goal God has set before us or trying to accomplish our own will! The choice is simple but needs to be made, what will YOU chose today?! peace, tom
Luke 16:10 NASB "“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."I had found out the hard way, that he was not to be trusted! My parents brought me up to always try to look at the good in people, so when I needed a helper on a customer's job, I hired a man who said all the right things! Today's verse speaks to us about how the little things matter and can show us about the character for the bigger job! No sooner had I hired him, did he begin to make excuses on why he couldn't show up for work. After three days of excuses, I came to realize that I had made the wrong decision in hiring him. A man's character will be shown in how we take care of little things like showing up for work on time, loving our wives and children, taking care of the responsibilities God has entrusted to us, especially the small things. How we handle the small details of life will show how we handle the big things when they come our way. Let's let our character resembles Christs by being faithful in the small details of life! peace, tom
Ephesians 5:1 NASB "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;"As I walked into the kitchen, I realized he was right behind me! Spending time with my one of my grandsons, makes me aware of today's verse even more. No matter what I am doing, he is watching and trying to imitate me. Sometimes his attempts are rather funny to watch as he tries to do what I do but sooner or later he usually gets it right! I couldn't help but wonder who do we imitate in our lives?! Do we follow the crowd or do we follow where the Holy Spirit leads us men to be leaders against the grain. Men standing firm upon God's Word to right the wrongs, to speak up for those who are too weak to speak, to be the hands and feet of Christ to those needing help?! The only way we can be imitators of God is by staying in His Word, remember Jesus said "I do what I see my Father do! " Can we say the same thing, that we are doing what we see God our Father doing by learning His Ways? Something to think about as others are watching and imitating us! peace, tom
Genesis 50:20 NASB "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive."I have seen it both, good and bad, and the only difference was the way it was used! Today's verse speaks about good and evil and is the reply of one brother to his brothers whose actions were meant for evil! (Be sure to read the whole story as you spend time in His Word!) What I referred to in the opening line was fire! I have spent some wonderful evenings enjoying a good fire with friends, and I have also spent nights battling fire with brother and sister firefighters and the difference was how the fire was being used! In each of us, there is good and bad but the key to living a godly life is how we use the good and leave the bad for God to deal with. God will use the bad to bring about something wonderful if we just let Him, like today's verses story. We need to focus on the good in each of us and not the bad, that's how we can find the strength to pray for our enemies! Find the good in others today and let God take care of the rest! peace, tom
Colossians 2:8 NASB "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."I am not sure why I listened to them, but I knew as soon as I did, it was the wrong decision! Sometimes in life we look to others for advice when we already know what and how to do it. Today's verse shares about being taken captive by the world's view of things rather than God's! During an evening meal at the fire house, a topic came up and some men shared what they thought I should do. Even while listening to them share, I had this check in my spirit that something didn't sound right but... I went ahead and followed their advice only to find myself in deeper trouble than I had originally started with. Following where God leads us by His Holy Spirit will bring a peace that the world can't give us. It is like being a salmon and fighting the current to get back to the place of their birth, it's a struggle but if we remain strong in Christ, we will get there! Follow Christ, not man, so we are not deceived by the world's empty deception! peace, tom
Matthew 6:26 NASB "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?"Sometimes I over complicate things, maybe you do too? While working through a problem at a customers house, I found that I had done so much extra work, trying to examine this and that, to get to the problem, that I missed a simple fix! Today's verse may seem rather simple but it's true, God takes care of the birds of the air, why wouldn't He take care of us! After going through it the hard way, I took a step back and thought for a moment. That's when it hit me and as I checked out a small part that I didn't even think about, the problem was fixed! I had done all this extra work not realizing that I had over complicated the problem and the solution! Maybe we've done that with God, overthink things, working too hard rather than allow God to be God! Remember Keep it simple stupid, I said to myself as I put all the work back in place. Simply said, God loves us and will take care of us, if we just keep it simple! peace, tom
Joshua 1:9 NASB "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”"As I sat in the chair, waiting for the procedure to begin, I took a moment and looked back at my life! I have to be honest, I was looking to see if today's verse was really true in my life, that the Lord my God was with me wherever I go. Sure enough, time after time, I could see His Thumbprint upon my life. Not only the good moments, but the struggles, the faithless times, the temptations, the painful, every moment, I can see where God was with me, I just needed to turn to Him and recognize Him. As the novocaine began to take effect, I sat back realizing that no matter what happens to me, God is always right there beside me. I wonder if you could take a moment and look back at your life and see God was with you too, whether or not you recognized Him being there?! And rest assured of this, that God will be there with us every step of the way, so let's face today, and tomorrow, and even the drilling of the dentist, knowing He is with us! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
September 2024
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