1 John 3:17 NASB "But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him?" I had to turn back! Today's reading asks us an important question, does the love of God remain in us? As I drove by him, I seen him wave his arm. I wasn't sure if he knew me or I knew him but I had to turn around to see if he needed any help. He was gone by the time I got back to where he was so I am not sure if he needed help or not but I was willing to help. Having the courage to help those in need is a living example of knowing Jesus Christ. There will always be those in need, and those who have been blessed with worldly goods, the key of course is whether or not we are willing to lend a hand to those in need when we are blessed. It's a simple question to ask ourselves but a hard question to answer when we make it all about ourselves! Let's keep our eyes open for the opportunity to help someone today! peace, tom
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Ephesians 6:7 NASB "With goodwill render service, as to the Lord, and not to people," I must have answered her questions a hundred times! Today's Word speaks to us about where our focus is when it comes to serving others! Our granddaughter loves the word "why" and as I began to answer each of her "whys", I began to ask myself the same question. Why this grandpa and why that grandpa - it became almost comical. When I took time to think of the answers to the whys, I began to see that she was just curious as to why we were doing what we were doing. Stopping and asking ourselves why we do what we do, for what purpose are we doing it, and what is the "real" reason should be answered by today's verse -it is to bring God the glory not ourselves. When the answer to why we do it, becomes to make ourselves look better or to get the praise, we've lost sight of Him and made ourselves more important. Take a moment and ask why we are doing what we are doing! peace, tom
Romans 15:5 NASB "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus,"We worked together like a well oiled machine! Today's Word is about working together with the same mind and focus! I have been blessed to work on and with some amazing team members. On the fire department, the crews that I was on, could respond to any situation as one. I have been on sports teams where we all had the same objective. the list could go on and on. The key to any successful team is how much we all have the same mindset, the same goal, and the same attitude about accomplishing our goals. When the church works together as one, with our mind set upon Jesus Christ, nothing can stop us. The question is... what team are we on and are we pulling our weight?! If we are not working as one, we become a heavy burden for others to carry! Let's lighten the load by being of the same mindset! peace, tom
Romans 8:18 NASB "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."A job well done, despite the pain! Today's Word is about suffering and how it doesn't compare to what awaits us! While helping a son in law, we had to move some wood, that meant getting a few splinters in my hands. After the job was over, as I was pulling out the slivers, I realized that the pain of those slivers was nothing compared to the job we had done. In life, getting things done, we may have to go through some suffering along the way, but the end will be worth it. I can't help but think of Jesus Christ, the pain He went through for me and you to be available to be forgiven, and spend eternity with our Heavenly Father. Someone once said "no pain, no gain"! How true that is when it come to our christian walk! Let's not focus on the pain but keep our eye on Jesus! peace, tom
Leviticus 5:5 NASB "So it shall be when he becomes guilty of one of these things, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned."It's easier to say than to do! Today's Verse speaks about being honest with our failures and our sins. I had to come clean, I had to tell the Truth, I had sinned. When we do what is wrong, we need to admit it and stop hiding it or trying to blame others. For years, my anger ran my life. For years I blamed others. Not until I admitted that my anger and my actions were sin, did I begin to really live. I thank God my eyes were finally open to the Truth about how I was living. Once I had admitted and repented of my sin, the work didn't end there. I needed to walk in the Truth every minute of the day. No more excuses, no more blaming others - it was time to grow up and let my actions speak for Him and the forgiveness He offers each of us when we admit our guilt. Don't keep lying to ourselves or blaming others - come clean before the Lord and let the healing begin! peace, tom
2 Timothy 3:16 NASB "All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;" It's a little word but means so much! Today we read that "all" God's Word is beneficial! He began to circle this toy and that, with the turn of each page, he circled more and more! I was watching one of my grandsons with the new toy catalogue and he was circling things he wanted for Christmas. I sat and watched him and began to think, we should be paging through God's Word the same way! Circling and underlining verses where God's Promises, rebukes, and training are written. I came across today's verse and realized that we could underline the entire Bible for it says that "all" Scripture is inspired by God. When was the last time we opened God's Word like a child does with the excitement of circling things that we need in our life?! We won't know what's in there until we open the Book - so read His Word - it will change our lives! peace, tom
Colossians 2:8 NASB "See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ." He said it would work, I should have known better! Today's verse is some great advice about who we listen to, where we put our trust! Working with a new foreman, he promised me that what we were trying to do was going to work. I had been on the job longer than him and knew better but I followed along. It was a complete disaster! I should has spoken up sooner! The world is filled with philosophies that don't line up with God's Word but if we don't speak up about what God's Word says, we will find ourselves in a total disastrous situation. You see our very lives depend upon God's Word, not the word of man - so let's be careful who we listen to and make sure it lines up with God's Word! peace, tom
Proverbs 10:7 ESV "The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." It happened again! Today's Word speaks to us about what will we be remembered for! A total stranger came up to me and asked if I was Jim's son. I replied I was, and they began to say how their life was touched by the kind acts of my father, not only once but many times. My dad, who has passed on over two years ago, still has made an impact in peoples lives. As I listened to their stories of how many dad lived Jesus Christ, I began to wonder "what will I be remembered for?"! I wonder if we ever thought about how we will be remembered by those we interact with on a daily basis? Will we be remembered as a follower of Christ, a servant of the poor and weak, a shining example of how Jesus Christ lived? Let's take some time and think about what we leave behind as we do this thing called life! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad." It was time to tell the truth! Today's Verse is about coming clean, facing judgement for what we do, good or bad! I didn't wait till I was caught in a lie, the guilt was driving me crazy! I came clean about what I had done, how I lied about it for days. Living with the guilt of doing the wrong thing had gotten to me, so I had no other choice but to come clean and tell the truth, to face whatever punishment was coming. In life, we have the choice to do either good or bad, but we will all face the judgement of those decisions. There may be rewards for doing good but there will be punishment for the bad things - so what we choose in this life, will have eternal consequences in the next - so choose well and live! We must think before we act for how we act is our witness of whether or not we know Jesus! peace, tom
Hebrews 12:3 NASB "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Getting knocked down only hurts if we stay down! Today's Word tells us how Jesus was treated by us sinners and that He kept going, and that we should not lose heart or grow weary! They laughed and poked fun of this young man as he tried to state his case. It even got physical as they knocked him down, but he stood back up. I was curious to see what his reaction would be after being pushed to the ground. He stood up, wiped himself off and continued to speak the Truth with love. Having the courage and the strength in Christ, to keep on keeping on shows we understand what the Cross can teach us. That no matter what "they" do to us, we can keep focus that Christ, despite the pain, finished what He was asked to do. May we find the strength to keep on keeping on by looking to the Cross of Christ, and not grow weary. It always comes down to choice, so let's get back up and get going! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
November 2024
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