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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."I didn't get it all done! Today's Word is about keep focus and finishing well because He began the work in us. At the start of every year, I make plans to do this and that but the reality is that by the end of the year, some things just don't get done. I never give up on them and strive the next year to try and get them done. The process is the key, whether we are focused or just fooling around can make the difference between getting it done or having to do it again next year. Maybe your "to do" list never got done this year but look on the bright side, we have a brand new year coming. Let's make every opportunity this coming year to get it done and of course we have God giving us the strength to finish well! peace, tom
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Matthew 12:36 NASB "But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment."Words, our words! Today's scripture may just scare us as we think back to what we say and how we say it! With the new year approaching, we may be thinking about a new year's resolution and for me it's to try and watch what I say and how I say it. Our words and the tone in which we say them, can either make things better or worse. I recently sent our a text, meaning well, but without the tone of love, the text was taken wrong. I had to get on the phone and share that I was really trying to make things better by offering some constructive criticism rather than putting them down made the difference. Let's be careful to use our words to share the love of Jesus, even in a text message or in our daily conversations, for words can hurt or help! peace, tom
James 1:22 NASB "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves."I didn't want to go back out there! Today's Word is about doing and not just hearing! I could almost hear my father say "get out there and help!" I had been taught about Jesus and how a follower is supposed to act so when I looked out the window after shoveling and snow blowing for over 5 hours, I knew I had a choice to make! I could have turned away and pretended that I didn't see her trying to shovel out her driveway or I could get dressed and go help. Life is alway about choices. But if we know Christ and how He lived, there isn't really a choice but to go. People need help, whether it's praying for them, helping them financially or going out and doing the work, we need to be doers and not just hearers. It comes down to choice! What will we choose to do today?!
2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB "for we walk by faith, not by sight"I had to keep moving forward! Today we learn how we should walk, by faith in Him and not sight of ourselves! Little by little, we began to clear the driveway. Sure, there were times we wanted to give up but then the snow would never have been removed. At first glance, it seemed impossible to remove all the snow but as we kept moving forward, little by little, we found ourselves at the end of the driveway and the snow was shoveled away. Many times we look at the whole problem and think, there's no way but if we keep our faith in Christ, we can get through anything. The journey may be difficult, look as if it would be impossible but we must remember, with God all things are possible! Don't let what we see with our eyes cause us to lose faith but let our faith tell what we see that all things are possible! peace, tom
Psalm 107:29 NASB "He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed." It may be over, but it's not finished! Today's verse speaks how Jesus will calm the storm and the waves will be hushed! Christmas storms come in many different ways, maybe it's a snow storm, or the disagreement with family, or struggling to make ends meet but the storms can be stilled if we turn to Jesus. We may have passed through the storm but others are just getting it, and we need to be the ones to share that Jesus will help us through the storms of life. Many of us, up north, didn't get to spend time together on Christmas due to the blizzard that came but you see, Christmas isn't just for one day -it's for a life time! Recognizing the birth of Christ is a daily thing, where we choose Jesus over the world, over the struggles, over self. We can make everyday Christmas, when we share the love of God! Isn't that what Christmas is truly all about?! peace, tom Matthew 1:21 NASB "She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."I was in trouble! Today's Word shares where we can be saved! I never thought about the danger, I knew it was there but I pushed it to the side. Running into burning buildings seems crazy and yet there I was, doing the crazy thing! My officer and I got deep into the fire building when I lost my way, not sure where to turn I needed to stop and think, clear my head and look for a way out. The second in crew found us and helped us back to safety. In life we may find ourselves in situations where we aren't sure where to turn but we know we are in danger. We need to turn to Jesus and like the verse says, "He will save us from our sins!" - no matter what we are going through, Jesus is there! The hard part is asking for help. Don't be a superman, but call upon Jesus to help us and get some godly men to support us as we do this thing called life! He is our way out! peace, tom
Luke 1:30 NASB "And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."You'll be just fine! Today's Word speaks about a young girl finding favor from God! Having three daughters, I find myself making sure that they know they are loved and proud of who they are. Making sure I tell them that is key. Like Mary who was told not to be afraid, for God had favored her, I need to make sure that my daughters hear an encouraging word about how they live. It's not just our daughters, but daughters all over the world need their fathers to be encouraging, uplifting and tell them that they make us proud. So, even if they are not our own daughters, let's make sure the young woman have a godly manly influence in their life. Support them in making the godly decisions that will find them in favor of our God! peace, tom
John 5:8 ESV "Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk."I won't lie, there have been some pretty tough days! Today we read what Jesus told the man who was healed, to get up and keep moving forward! There are days when I want to stay in bed, to bring the covers over my head and just stay there but I need to get up and walk! You see I miss my dad, my friend, my fishing partner, my mentor. I know that He is with Jesus but I miss him. As I go about my days, I see him, in the little things around our house and I think back to memories! Sure life can be a struggle when we lose those we love but we must keep moving forward. I wonder if we see Jesus around our life like we see those we loved and lost. And the key is that we will never lose Jesus, He is always with us, like the memories of our loved one. So, let's keep moving forward, and one day we will see them again and Jesus face to face, but for now, we get up and walk! peace, tom
1 Peter 4:10 NASB "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God." Maybe it's not about finding the perfect store bought gift! Today's Word challenges us to use the gift we have been given by God! Working over 100 hours a week, to make the money to buy my wife and kids the store bought gifts wasn't the answer. They didn't need store bought gifts, they needed their dad and my wife needed her husband. Not until I was forced to stop working all those hours did I realize the best gift, besides Jesus, that I could give my family was ME! Time with their dad, time with her husband. Let's not get caught up in the world's view of giving gifts but realize the importance of giving our families the gift of ourselves. You can't buy that in any store or any on line purchase! They will relish that gift more than any other! In fact that's the gift God gave the world, He gave Himself in the form of Jesus. peace, tom
1 Timothy 2:5 NASB "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus"Someone had to step in between them! Today's verse is about going to God through Jesus Christ! sometimes on the job site, men get into disagreements, and this particular day you could tell there was going to be trouble. One of the guys tools were missing and he was dead set that he knew who took them. The discussion turned into an argument and the argument turned into an all out fight. Myself and another guy had to step in an break them up. As the fists were flying, we grabbed the guys and separated them. It was found out later that the guy whose tools were missing had actually left them at home! No one took them. There was an apology and things got back to normal. I couldn't help but think that sometimes we do things that separate us from God, those things are sin and the only way to get things right with God is through Jesus Christ! That's what the Cross is all about and that's what we celebrate in a few days, the coming of the Son of God to restore us with God! No matter how wrong we are, how many sins we commit, we can always go to Jesus! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
September 2024
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