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Isaiah 41:10 NASB "Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand."He trusted me! Today's verse is about fear and trust and how He will uphold us! I had the opportunity to be with our three year old grandson as he went ice skating. He can't do it on his own just yet but will get there. For now, he held out his hands so I could hold him as we went around the rink. There were times when he just lightly held my hands, feeling secure and then there were times when his grasp was as tight as can be. He trusted me to hold him up, to protect him from falling, to keep him safe as we made our way around the rink. Life is like that when we have God in our lives. He's there to hold us up, to help us out, to strengthen us when we are afraid. Life is better with God! What are we holding onto that we need to let go of and grab a hold of God?! peace, tom
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James 4:17 NASB "So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin."Who hasn't said "ugh auto correct"! Today's verse is about knowing the right thing to do and doing it! Autocorrect had changed the spelling of a few words in my text and that changed the whole meaning I was trying to send. We can't expect someone else to make things right for us when we know the Truth. It's up to us to make sure that we not only know the Truth but live the Truth. The reply to my text was "what are trying to say to me?"! Making sure that we know the Truth is more than just reading His Word, it's living His Word. We shouldn't rely on "autocorrect" to do our dirty work - we must be the ones who know the Truth and do the Truth! As we head to the new year, we have an opportunity to "auto correct" ourselves - so no more excuses, let's do the right thing! peace, tom
Ephesians 2:8 NASB "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God"Another gift! Today's Word shares about another gift we have been given by God! Having a birthday so close to Christmas, I heard the saying as a young boy "Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas" and then was given two gifts. I couldn't help but think about how God not only gave us His Son but other gifts as well. Gifts like grace, repentance, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit. Actually the list of gifts given to us by God is endless. If you want to read the whole list, open His Word. And once we have received His Gifts, it's time to pass them along to others in simple acts of service. As a young boy getting gifts, the best part was playing with them with others, gifts are meant to be shared - the question is... who and how are we sharing the gifts given to us by God?! peace, tom
Romans 13:14 EVS "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."It was time to try them on! Today's Word is about putting on Jesus Christ! Yes it's the day after, when we try on those clothes we received on Christmas. Some of them will be the right size while others will have to be taken back but there is one gift we can put on that fits everyone of us - it's Jesus Christ. God gave us His Son as a gift and it's now time for us to put Him on, wear Him proudly so others can see and feel the love of God. Let's not just fold Him up or hang Him in the closet but put Him on and in our hearts so the world can see what it means that God so loved us, He gave us His Son. Let's not let the joy of Christmas be just for one day but everyday! 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."Merry Christmas! Today's Word is about the birth of our Savior! I never realized how the birth of a child can change us. When my wife gave birth to our daughters, each time, I was filled with such joy. To look upon these tiny babes and think how blessed we were. Our lives changed with the birth of each one and now years later, the birth our grandchildren has changed us again. Sure there were difficult times with the children and grandchildren but if we look past those times and see the joy that they bring us, life is better. Our lives will be better if we accept the Birth of Jesus into our hearts. He comes to save us from ourselves, we just have to let Him. This Christmas, let Jesus be born in our hearts as Lord and Savior and be changed. Enjoy time with family and friends and make room for Him in all we do! peace, tom
Luke 2:10 "And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people"It's the little things! Today's verse is about the good news for all people! That small word "all" means you and me, it means the guy we don't like, the neighbor we fight with, the family member we don't see eye to eye with. God didn't care about the differences we have in life, He sent His Son for all men and woman. We should have the same attitude towards one another, sharing the Good News about Jesus with all. It starts with the small things like respect, honor, and care. Each of us can do one small thing this Christmas that will show the love of God. We can be there for a friend, send a text and say hello you are prayed for. We can take it a step further and actually spend time with them but it starts off small - recognizing the love of God was shared to all. Let this Christmas season truly be about giving, giving love to one another! Merry CHRISTmas! Peace, Tom
2 Corinthians 13:11 NASB "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, mend your ways, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." Someone had to make the first move! Today's verse is filled with advice about how to live in peace, lets make sure we read it slowly for it is filled! We stood there for a while, each bent on not being the first to reach out. We had had a disagreement, we didn't see eye to eye but someone had to make the first move. My humanness didn't want to give in but the more I thought about the reason we didn't see eye to eye, the more foolish it seemed to me so I reached out. I extended a hand in forgiveness and understanding and waited. I could see in his eye that he didn't want to let go of his end of the argument but as I stood there with my hand extended, he eventually reach out himself. There will be conflicts in life but someone has to reach out first! God reached out to us by giving His Son to show us the love He has for us. As we get closer to the celebration of His Birth, may we show that love to others! Make amends this Christmas season, be the one to reach out! peace, tom
Hebrews 13:16 NASB "And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."We all know one person who will come to mind after today's devotion! The verse for today tells us to do good and share! At this time of the year, there are those who are all alone. No one to celebrate with, no meal to share and they wonder if they are forgotten! The celebration of our Savior's Birth is to be shared, the joy of being with those we love and yet some will be alone this year. May it be our "Christmas Gift" to reach out to that one we know who is alone this year. Invite them to celebrate with us His Birth. The smiles and joy we can share with them will be remembered forever. Let the greatest gift we receive this year be the one we give away! Our time, our friendship, our love to those in need. Let's make Christmas more about doing good and sharing than receiving this year! 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."Just imagine if we were one of those shepherds working our sheep many years ago! Today's Verse is about suffering and glory - how they are not to be compared! Lonely shepherds at work, at night, cold, tired and yet still doing their job were the first ones to see the glory of an angel as he gave the news of a Savior being born. God coming to earth as a Child who did and can save the world. The world looked down upon the shepherds and yet God gave them the glory of being the first ones to hear the Good News! No matter what we are suffering, we can still be the ones to see the glory of the Lord, we just need to be ready to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior! peace, tom
Philippians 4:9 NASB "As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."I tried to be like him! Today's Word speaks to us about those who we have learned from, received from and seen and heard. Growing up with an incredible father, I tried to be just like him. I admired him and what he stood for, not when it was easy but even when it was hard. The most important thing he taught me was to spend time with God. Many nights on fishing trips, as I laid in bed, I would glance over and see him still up, reading God's Word. He was the type of man who not only read His Word but lived it. I pray that each of us reading this be that kind of a person. One who is taught by God's Word, receive His word and put it into practice. Jesus often said "I do what I see my Father do" - may that be our motto as we do this thing called life! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
September 2024
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