|
Matthew 12:36 ESV "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,"Maybe it's not a bad thing! It appears that freedom of speech has come under attack lately but I wonder, based upon today's scripture, if that might not be such a bad thing! Oh, I can see the replies I am going to get relating to freedom of speech but let me ask you "do our actions speak louder than our words?"! Today's verse should give us pause regarding our freedom of speech, too often we utter careless words that we will give an account for, so maybe we should be very careful about freedom of speech. I thought long and hard about my words, and I had to examine my actions to see if they align with not only my words but His Word. Freedom of speech is a good thing but freedom of action, to do the right thing, is so much better- let our actions speak volumes to the goodness of the Lord and how we treat one another! peace, tom
0 Comments
Deuteronomy 4:29 NASB "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."One of our grandsons is old enough now to play hide and seek, the only problem is that he tells you where to hide! Today's verse shares with us about seeking the Lord, and finding Him when we search with all our heart and soul! Kayden loves to tell you where to hide so when he comes to find me, he knows exactly where I am. And when it's his turn to hide, he tells you where he'll be! It's a fun game to play with lots of hugs when he finds me or I find him. Sadly life isn't a game, the reality is that without Christ, we are lost but we can find Him if we search with all our heart and soul. God never will hide from us, He's always there, we just need to seek Him out and that means time in His Word, time in prayer, time seeking Him above all - God is like my grandson telling me exactly where he'll be so that I can find Him! The question is, are we searching, seeking Him with all that we have?! peace, tom
2 Timothy 2:13 NASB "if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."He said that he would be there, but when it came time, he didn't show! Today's verse speaks about faithfulness, and how even if we aren't faithful, our God remains faithful, for that is who He is! Later that day, he called to apologize that he didn't show up, I forgave him but it reminded me of today's verse and I had to ask myself if I was faithful in the things that God has called me to be and do! I am so glad that God is faithful even when we aren't but that's no excuse, I need to rely on Him and be faithful in my walk! How about you, would someone consider you faithful, are they able to count on us when needed? I know God is always faithful for us, maybe it's time we are faithful for Him and those we share life with?! peace, tom
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.”"Man, has life changed over the course of the last year! No one really likes change but we find ourselves living differently than months ago. We find that life as we knew it isn't the same! Most of us struggle with the "new norm" and desperately want to get back to how things were before the virus, before the division in our country but this is where we are. Today's verse is a great verse to hold on to as we go through the many changes and challenges - simply stated we are to be strong and courageous, not afraid for the Lord our God is the One who is with us, He will never desert us or abandon us! My wife and I have had our share of struggles, but we always say that we love each other and will always be together - it's a great feeling to hold on to, just imagine how God will hold on to us, when we have Him in our life?! The question is, is HE in our life and are we being strong and courageous? peace, tom
Galatians 6:2 NASB "Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."I have to laugh sometimes at how God can use a hearing impaired man to listen to the struggles of others! While meeting with a group of men, I found that my role that day was to just listen, and pray. It seemed that most people struggle with this and that and sharing it with another makes their burden less heavy to carry! Today's verse shares about bearing each other's burdens and thereby fulfilling the law of Christ! Many may ask, "what is the law of Christ?" - to make it simple, it is to simply love one another as Christ has loved us! We all have been given gifts and talents from our Heavenly Father, the question is... are we using them?! We can find excuses like the covid virus, or we have too much on our plate but I wonder if we may find the reason in Christ rather than an excuse from the world in bearing each other's burdens. So the question for today is... what can I carry for you? peace, tom
1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all."It was called training for a reason! It seemed that each time a rookie class of firefighters graduated, I would get one, so out each day and night and we would train! Today's verse speaks to us about admonishing the idle, encouraging the fainthearted, helping the weak and being patient with them all. When I would call for training, some of the older guys on the crew didn't want to go, some of the new recruits weren't exactly sure they wanted to go and so out we would go - and why you may ask, because the people in the city where we lived were counting on us to be there when fire broke out or they needed first aid! How many people are counting on us to do what God has called us to do?! We need to train ourselves in the ways of the Lord by reading His Word daily, walking in the Spirit and being patient with all of those we encounter in life. So, the question is... how's your training going?! peace, tom
1 Chronicles 16:11 NASB "Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually."As I began to work, one of the men made the statement, "I bet you can't do it?"! Taking a step back, I had to remember the words and actions of some great men in my life, men like my dad, uncles, other godly men who have "done it" and came away having accomplished the tasks before them! Today's Word shares about seeking the Lord, His Strength, His Face all the time! I thank God for the memories I have of those men in my life, they keep motivating me to accomplish the tasks set before me. And the greatest thought I have to keep me going is of my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! Thinking of Him accomplishing the task of going to the Cross gives me strength to face the struggles of manhood. That with Him, in His Strength, we men can accomplish whatever we set our minds to do! Walk in His Strength today when the world says we can't but Jesus says we can! peace, tom
2 Timothy 2:21 EVS "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."It was an amazing change that most didn't even recognize him! Today's verse speaks to us about cleansing ourselves from what is dishonorable and being set apart for good work! When I first met him, he was filthy, inside and out. A life of drugs, alcohol and abuse had left him living in the gutter of life but slowly he began to change. Getting cleaned up, not only from his addictions but also from living in the gutter meant working harder at keeping clean than it did to stay dirty. He was reunited with his family and lives a productive life sharing how Jesus Christ set him free! We can become so dirty from dealing with life that we forget to get clean - and getting clean with Christ means being real with our sin and those things that cause us to feel dirty and be dirty but we have hope in Christ that we can be a vessel for honorable use! So, who needs a bath today? peace, tom
Matthew 24:12 NASB "And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold."If you know me, you know that I speak about the pink elephant in the room! I am not one to shy away from speaking the Truth but always try to do it with love! With that said, what I saw at our nation's capital building yesterday was appalling! When we fight for a cause or want to protest, there are proper ways of doing so and violence is never the answer. Today's verse speaks to us about the lawlessness that we seen yesterday, and with that lawlessness, most people's love will become cold! When we fight the battles as godly men, respect comes into play - having disagreements with others is ok, it can help us grow as long as we do it God's Way and not allow violence to rule our day. I ask you to join me in praying for our nation, that we turn back our homes, schools, communities to God and allow His Law to rule the day not the violence we have become so accustom to these days! peace, tom
Romans 12:9 NLT "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good."I could tell that something just wasn't right! While eating a salad with seafood in it, I said to my wife that something didn't taste right, her reply was that the crab meat wasn't real, it was imitation! Today's verse speaks to us about not pretending to love but really loving them and holding tight to what is good! I don't think I'll order that salad anymore for the imitation crab just wasn't as good as the real thing! Love, that isn't real, can be seen miles away and we end up doing more hurting than loving when we aren't real with our love. Giving the opportunity to love, whether it's our spouses or children or our neighbors, we need to be real, for fake love is just like the crab from my salad, it just doesn't taste right! So let's love out there and let our love be real like the love of Christ is for us! peace, tom
|
Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
January 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed
Photo used under Creative Commons from Scouse Smurf
