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Matthew 24:44 NASB "For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."It's one thing to have an appointment, but quite another when they just show up! What a wonderful surprise it was to see them, they just showed up and we got to spend time enjoying each other's company! Today's verse speaks about being ready, ready at a moment's notice for the Son of Man is coming! Most people don't like it when people just stop by, we may be "caught" in the middle of something, or doing something we shouldn't be doing! Being honest with ourselves, we should be ready at a moment's notice to welcome someone who just shows up at our door, but sadly that's not the case, we would rather get a phone call or text, letting us know they are coming. Jesus will not call or text - He WILL just show up and the question is, are we ready, waiting and looking forward to His Return? Ya' never know, it could be today, so let's be ready! peace, tom
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2 Timothy 2:2 EVS "And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also."I am not sure who taught them, but I am so grateful for them! Taking a moment and thinking of all the men who passed on knowledge to me, helped me, taught me and showed me how to do life, made me realize that the greatest thing we can do is pass it along to others! Today's verse shares that very point, that what we hear and learn, should be shared with those who will teach the next generation! The key of course is that these men, my dad included, didn't just show me, they lived it! As I watch my two grandsons growing up, I need to live Christ, to teach them about God and His Word, so that they will pass along that to the next generation when God has taken me home! Let's not let the things of God die with us and our generation but become teachers of the young so they can be teachers themselves and that starts by us living His Word! Teach well today! peace, tom
Happy Thanksgiving!
Colossians 3:17 NASB "Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."It should never be just one day!! Today's verse shares that we should give thanks for whatever we do in word or deed, in fact everything we do should be done in the Name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks! I can't imagine only loving my wife on one particular day, or loving my children on just one day, or going to work just one day - somethings in life should be more than one day! Giving thanks to God shouldn't be just one day but a lifestyle where we are grateful for His Love, but that means knowing His Love for us, just like making sure my wife and children know I love them each day. And I can share that with them by having a relationship with them, talking to them daily, spending time with them etc. That's how it should be with our Heavenly Father, spend time with Him daily and thanking Him daily! So while we give thanks this day, let it be the beginning of a daily habit of giving thanks! May your celebration of giving Thanks be blessed! peace, tom 1 Timothy 4:4-5 EVS "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."Who would have thought it?! Years ago, I was disciplined by my parents for some unbecoming behavior, and today, I am grateful for their discipline! Today's verse says to us that everything created by God is good and not to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving...! I would never have thought as a young boy to thank God for the discipline of my parents but older now, I see the wisdom that was given to me by those times of discipline. And thanking God for those things in our life, yes even discipline, is truly receiving all things of God with thanksgiving. We may not realize it at the time but God does love us and wants the best for His Children, so when He disciplines us, let us be thankful! I know, hard to do when we are going through it but one day, we can be thankful, maybe today's the day! Be thankful - peace, tom
Job 38:22 NASB "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, And have you seen the storehouses of the hail,"I am sure some of us can say "yes" to today's verse - seeing the storehouses of snow, especially those of us living in colder climates! As our area heads into winter, we will see snow and for some of us we will take it for granted! I happened to be looking out the window as the first snow began to fall and watched our new neighbor's children play in it, it was their first snow fall! They were so excited to see it and played and played! I wonder if we have become so accustom to the blessings of God in our life, that we forget to rejoice in them, to give thanks for them and for all that God has done for us. Let us never become so complacent with the things of God that we don't give thanks and rejoice like little children at the first sign of snow! peace, tom
Philippians 4:6 NASB "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind! As I cleaned up the yard and did repairs from the damage from our neighbor's tree, I happened to see him out in his yard and wanted to "let him have it"! But the more I looked at him, I realized that he needed some help. Today's verse shares about not being anxious, about praying and pleading with thanksgiving to God! As I went over to his yard, I asked God for the strength to keep my mouth shut about my anger and allow me to lend a hand. As I walked over there, I began to thank God that no one was hurt during the event, the things broken were only stuff and life is more about being thankful for life. Sometimes God gives us opportunities to help our enemies, and how we chose to do that can either show how thankful we are or how selfish we can be! I was taught another life lesson about being thankful and going where He calls us to go! May you follow where He leads and be thankful despite our own selfish feelings! peace, tom
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 NASB "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God."As we stood looking at the pile of wood and debris that needed to be removed from the yard, we began to laugh!! My wife commented " look at all this and we don't even have a tree in our yard!". Today's verse shares about rejoicing, doing good, and eating and drinking and seeing good in all our labor! We began to laugh realizing that without a tree in our yard, we had branches, leaves, large parts of the tree trunk all over our yard and removing them was going to be an all day event! I think it all goes to our perspective in looking at life. We could have made this job more difficult by complaining or we could have had fun as we did it, we chose the later and enjoyed time together and got the job done. What's our perspective when it comes to life and the time we have on this earth... do we complain more than we enjoy? Just a thought! One is definitely more fun! peace, tom
Matthew 5:13 NASB “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people."Anyone who lives in colder climates, understands the importance of salt! AS I prepare for the winter months, I make sure I get a good supply of salt! Not that my wife's cooking is bad but our winters tend to leave icy driveways and walkways where we use the salt to make safe passage amid the ice! Today's verse speaks to us about the salt of our life and how if it has become tasteless, it is no longer good for anything but to be trampled under foot! At first it may seem like a pretty harsh verse but in reality, when we find ourselves not being the men God has called us to be, it's like salt that has become tasteless! Salt can add flavor to our meal and so can the salt of the earth, (that's us!) add flavor to the life of those who are in need! Let us not become trampled on by the world but add the flavor of Jesus Christ to the world! peace, tom
Philippians 1:6 NASB "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus."The waiting... and waiting... seems like sometimes it can go on forever! While waiting for the power to be restored to our home, I watched as four crews from our local electric company worked tirelessly! Today's verse speaks to us about confidence in Christ, that He who began a good work among us, will have it completed!! Putting our confidence in the ability of the many who came out to restore power to our neighborhood meant we needed to have faith in their ability to get the job done. As I waited, I wondered if people who know us, have the confidence in our ability to get our jobs done, completed in a timely fashion, and then I thought about how we must put our confidence in Christ, to give us the strength and faith in Him to complete the task He has called us to?! Whether it's helping the poor, sharing Christ with a stranger, loving our wives and children, our confidence should be in Christ that what He has called us to, will be accomplished!! Stay strong in Him and He will see us to completion! Power ON!!! peace, tom
Ephesians 3:20 NASB "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,"No power but we got to see God's power up close and personal! With a recent wind storm, we got to see God's power as He gently broke a huge limb from a tree and it crashed into the telephone pole and snapped it in half! Today's verse speaks about Him, God, and how He is able to do more that we ever think by the power that works in us! With no power in our house, we couldn't do a lot of things, life changed, and we had to change with it until the power comes back on! It is amazing to realize just how important the power is, and just how important the power of the Holy Spirit is in our lives, He is the power that God can work thru us to do abundantly more than we could ever imagine! Walk in the power, and realize what a blessing it is to have His Power! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
October 2024
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