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Philippians 3:13 NASB "Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead," I had to decide what to keep and what to take with me! Today's verse is about forgetting the past and reaching forward! I couldn't carry it all, so I had to make a decision as to what I was going to bring with me on the trip. There were things I thought I needed and things I wanted, but I couldn't bring them all so I had to decided. As we face the new year, we need to decide what we will bring with us. We need not carry the baggage of our past, we need to let it go. Hopefully we've learned the lessons and can leave the guilt, pain, suffering in the past and face the new year with only the things that make us stronger. I do know one thing I always need to carry with me no matter where I go and that's God's Word - what about you?! peace, tom
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Hebrews 10:23 NASB "Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;" Where do we put our hope? Today's verse is about holding firm to our confession of hope! Over the years, I have had hope in many things - like hoping to catch the big one, hope that I get to see my children and grandchildren, hope that my plans work out. These things are were I put my hope in myself but there is a hope that is far greater, that is putting my hope in Jesus Christ! My hope in Him is not something I waver in. I read His Word and see how He always keeps His Word, like today's verse that says He is faithful. As we face the coming of the new year, let us put our hope in Christ, in the promises of God's Word and not waver because the world may think we are crazy - they will but God is faithful, we need to be too! peace, tom
Matthew 6:15 NASB "But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses."Sometimes it happens! Today's verse is about forgiveness, a gift we need to keep giving to others this coming year! When he came to apologize, I had a choice, accept it or not! I was hurt bad by what he said, and how his words cut me deeply but I needed to follow and live today's verse. Forgiving someone isn't always easy, in fact sometimes it down right hard to do but if we want our heavenly Father to forgive us, we need to forgive. That doesn't mean that our relationship goes back to the way it was before but we can begin to rebuild it. When we are hurt, it takes time to heal so take the time and forgive the way we want to be forgiven. Let's not be so prideful that we can't accept an apology - remember, are we making things better or worse?! peace, tom
Romans 14:17 NASB "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."There's more to it! Today's Word tells us that the kingdom of God isn't about eating and drinking but about so much more! I watched as the little ones opened their presents, I watched as we shared a meal together but I also saw the joy on the faces of family as we gathered to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sure the party atmosphere was wonderful but we can't forget the reason for the season and that is the fact that Jesus came to bring us righteousness, peace and the joy found only in Him. As we pick up the pieces of torn wrapping paper, may we realize that Jesus can take our broken and torn life and put is back together so that we may rejoice in His Birth. I challenge each of us to live His Birth, not only this day but everyday and find the peace of Christ in our lives! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 9:15 NASB "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"Merry Christmas! Today's verse reminds us to simply say "thank you" to God for His Gift, His Son! Sometimes I find myself taking things for granted, that things will always be the same from year to year but the reality is that things do not stay the same. We have to say good bye to loved ones along the way, some of the choices we think will work out don't, and sometimes we forget the little things in life like saying "thank you" - Let's not let the celebration of His Birth pass us by without saying thank you to God for the incredible gift of Jesus. I thank each and all of you for reading the daily devotions, for the comments, for challenging me when you may disagree with them. As we receive gifts this day, may we remember that without God's Gift, it's just another day so let's take a moment and simply say Thank you God! Have a blessed day - Merry Christmas! peace, tom
Matthew 6:34 NASB "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." One more day! Today's verse tells us not to worry about tomorrow, to take each day at a time. I can still remember the excitement that grew as we were one day away from Christmas, maybe you still find that too. Our children were always trying to rush the day, to worry more about Christmas Day than Christmas Eve, but as today's verse states, don't worry about tomorrow. Many times in life, we look past the day, look towards the future and miss the many blessings that can come our way. Like knowing Jesus will help us through the rough patches of today. Like the love of family and friends that we still have with us. We all know that tomorrow is promised to no one so let's find the blessings of today and not look to tomorrow. My Dad used to quote that phrase "yesterday is past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift, that's why we call it the "present"! Let's live that way! peace tom
Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV " “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children"Oh the memories! Today's Word states about taking care and passing on memories! It's the little things that bring back the memories of our loved ones who have passed on. As I sat watching the train go around the tree, I thought of my dad, and the memories, the lessons, and life instructions he taught me. The next thing I knew, one of my grandsons were laying on the floor with me watching the train go around and I began to tell him about his great grampa! We need to make sure we are passing on to the next generations our love of Jesus, the life lessons we've learned, the times of struggle where we felt God's touch. We may be celebrating the birth of Jesus but celebrate by making new memories with the children and the children's children! BTW - they don't have to be our children, adopt a child today! peace, tom
Matthew 25:35 NASB "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;"I wonder, could we? Today's verse gives us some great examples of what we can give! He was cold, hungry, thirsty and just wanted a warm place to sit. As I pulled into the church parking lot, there he stood. I had a choice, pretend not to see him or welcome him in. I, of course, chose the second option. I had a lot of work to do but I put that aside and took the time to get him something to eat, something to drink and we went through the donated clothes to get him some warmer clothing. As he left that day, I had the feeling that God had other work for me to do than what I had planned! As we race around, looking for those last minute gifts to give this year, maybe we can offer what today's verse is truly all about - love! peace, tom
Luke 1:14 NASB "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth."I wish it said "all"! Today's verse speaks of Christ's birth and how many will rejoice. I couldn't wait for the day to arrive, the presents, the excitement, the joy that it brought was sometimes overwhelming. As a young boy the anticipation of the day grew stronger with each passing minute. You see it wasn't for Christmas, it was for my birthday. I was born on Dec. 24th, so I waited a whole year to celebrate. Yeah sure Christmas was coming, but I was more excited for my birthday than Christmas. The reality is that many of us have other things to celebrate that we feel are more important than the Birth of our Savior. We put ourselves ahead of Him and thats never a good thing. I started the devotion by saying I wish it said all - that all would rejoice over His Birth rather than many - oh that we could find the joy and gladness of His Birth in our lives this year and not make it about us! peace, tom
Matthew 12:36 ESV "tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak," I have said some pretty foolish things in my life, how about you?! Today's verse is probably one that we don't really want to learn but the reality is that it will come true one day! Whether we are just trying to be funny or be part of the group, we've all said some pretty foolish things. I caution us that before we read today's verse, we need to make sure we are ready to live it because it's a tough one. Every careless word we speak, let that sink in! We've all heard someone say that what we speak is like toothpaste, once it's out of our mouth, it's almost impossible to put it back in! Let's not be foolish with our speech but use our words to build each other up, encourage each other to be stronger, to help care for those who are hurting! Let's think twice and speak once! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
January 2025
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