Luke 6:29 NASB "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic from him either." It's not about getting even! Today's Word is one of those verses we really don't like to talk about much less live! It's not about getting even, it's about being odd! To allow someone to hit us on one cheek and offer the other is odd, to give our shirt to someone who stole our jacket is odd! Somewhere along the way, we have lost compassion and have turned our hearts to getting even. When we do that, it becomes all about us and not living out the Gospel! We so often want to punish others who have hurt us and as I was praying about it, I thought of Christ on the Cross who could have gotten even but instead said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do!" What a great way of being odd rather than trying to get even! Yes we need to live out even the hard verses in the Bible! peace, tom
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Romans 12:11 NASB "not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord"I found myself doing it to just do it! Today's Word is about being diligent, fervent and serving! I had to stop and ask myself "why was a I doing it" - sometimes things in life become a ritual where we just do it to do it without asking ourselves why we are doing it. I found myself just praying through my prayer list without really focusing on who was on it. I would close the book and not even remember who I was praying for, I just went through the names on a list. I had to stop just praying a list and start really praying for the needs of those I have added to it. When we are serious about the "why" we are doing it, we may just find that somethings need to be changed in our walk with Christ. We must become fervent in the why we are doing it, so that we can really be serving the Lord and not ourselves! peace, tom
Ephesians 3:14 NASB "For this reason I bend my knees before the Father"It's easy to forget! Today we read about getting on our knees before the Lord! It's easy to forget all the many blessings we have been given because usually we only think of the suffering or pain we are going through. Doing some work on my vehicle, I was struggling to get it fixed and began to complain until it hit me that at least I have a vehicle to work on, many do not! Or complaining about this or that when I am breathing and able to go about my life, many can not! The list of blessings that we have in our life are endless, we just need to open our eyes and fall to our knees in thanksgiving to our God. I ask you because I ask myself, when was the last time we fell to our knees in gratitude for the many blessings?! Today may be a good day to stop and give thanks, on our knees of course! peace, tom
Psalm 118:24 NASB "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let’s rejoice and be glad in it." I got so caught up in what's coming tomorrow! Today's Verse speaks to us about today and rejoicing and being glad in today! I kept checking my schedule and my calendar to make sure that I didn't miss an upcoming event. Every morning I would make sure that I checked what was coming tomorrow and the week ahead that I missed what was coming today. We can get so caught up in tomorrows that we miss today! My dad used to say "yesterday is past, tomorrow is the future but today is a gift that's why we call it the present!" I'm not sure where he learned it but it holds so much Truth! We must not hurry past today to get to tomorrow or we will miss the blessings that God wants to give us today! Let's make sure we enjoy today before moving ahead to tomorrow! peace, tom
John 8:32 NASB "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."He knew! Today's verse, while simple, speaks volumes!! He looked into my eyes and knew I was lying. My dad has asked me a simple question of where I had been. My first thought was to lie to him because I was in a place where I shouldn't have been. I didn't even get the lie out of my mouth when my dad told me where I had been. He knew the truth! In life, we may think that we can try and fool God and others but the Truth will come out. I remember feeling guilty about trying to lie to my dad. I had to go and apologize for trying to mislead him. After our conversation, I felt relieved, better, and able to let go of that "sick" feeling inside. Let's get to know the Truth, and live the Truth and we will not only be set free but will be free from all the guilt that we carry! peace, tom
Mark 6:50 NASB "or they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”"I can still remember it like it was yesterday! Today's Word is about fear and finding courage in Him! I nervously put on my gear at the firehouse as we were responding to my very first "working" fire. My mind began to race, thinking of this and that, the possibilities of what could happen! As I climbed on the rig, my officer turned to me and simply said "follow me and I'll show you the way"! There have been times in life when I have found myself afraid, fearful of what could and may happen next but when I take a moment and seek my Lord and Savior, I can almost hear Him say "follow me and I'll show you the Way!" We shouldn't be afraid to call out to God, we should take courage like today's verse states and not be afraid for He is always there for us, no matter what we face! Let's not be afraid to call out to Him, no matter what! peace, tom
Ezekiel 1:12 NASB "And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went." Distractions, oh distractions! Today's Word is about focusing and following where the Holy Spirit is leading us! I was trying to do one thing when my phone rang, someone came to the door and I heard my wife call my name. Distractions come in many different ways and trying to stay focused on what we were or are doing at that moment can be difficult. Some of the distractions need to be taken care of right away, like when your wife calls your name but others need to be dismissed so we can focus on finishing the job correctly. I turned my head away from the project I was working on only to find that I would have to start over again for in that moment, I lost focus! Don't be distracted by the world but stay focused on Him and where the Holy Spirit leads us! peace, tom
Jeremiah 33:3 NASB "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know."I had to make the call! Today's verse shares with us where we need to call to get the answer we seek! From time to time, I get myself into a situation where i need help. No matter if it's a computer problem, an automobile problem, or even a house project problem, I know who to call to get some help and instructions. When there's a life problem, I call out to God. I search His Word, spend time in prayer and seek Him above all else. Like when I call others for help, I get the answer but it may not be exactly as I want. Sometimes the person I call tells me to start over, to clean out the mess I made, to make things right again. That's how it is when I call out to God too. The key of course is making the call, so let's call out to God and He will answer us! It may not be what we want to hear but it will be the Truth! peace, tom
Psalm 136:1 NASB "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His faithfulness is everlasting."It seems as if it disappeared! Today's Word is about giving thanks to our Lord! As my wife and I walked through the store, I commented to her that it appears "Thanksgiving" is disappearing this year. The store went right from Halloween to Christmas without ever stopping off at Thanksgiving! As I began to think about why "Thanksgiving" is being removed from our thoughts and stores, it occurred to me that there is no money in Thanksgiving! Stores and companies make money on Halloween and Christmas but there's no money to be made in giving thanks! It's true, but that shouldn't mean that we make it disappear! Let's not let the world take away our Thanksgiving but make every day a day to give thanks to our Lord! Don't let Thanksgiving disappear from our lives but give thanks always! peace, tom
Matthew 6:33 NASB "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you."U and I. Today's verse is about priorities and putting God first! U and I, they were letters my dad taught me many years ago. They stand for "urgent" and "important". When decisions need to be made, I make sure I take care of the urgent first and then the important. Not every thing will be urgent but everything is important but if getting things out of order, then we will miss those things that are urgent. The most urgent thing is as today's verse states "seek first His Kingdom". We need to make sure we are putting God first in all things. Yes even before ourselves. If we make what we want urgent, then we make ourselves into a god (notice the small g) . Putting His Kingdom first makes Him our God (notice the big G). It always comes down to choice - choose well my friends! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
May 2024
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