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Matthew 6:27 NASB "And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span?"I stood by the train tracks, wondering and worrying if I missed it! Today's Word speaks of being worried and how it can't add anything to our life! Waiting to see the largest locomotive still in operation, I stood with some friends and a few hundred people and waited anxiously to see a childhood dream come true. A hobby of mine is toy trains and seeing the largest engine going by was something to wait for but in waiting, I began to worry, maybe I missed it. No sooner did the worry take over my mind, the train came barreling down the track. It was all I thought it would be and more. As I drove away, I realized that all that worry was for nothing. It didn't being the train any faster and only caused my mind to focus on something other than enjoying the wait! As we wait for Jesus to return, let us not worry about when He is coming back, but enjoy the fact that He is! Don't worry today, God's got a plan for each of us and it will be even more than we ever thought! peace tom
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2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?"No one likes to fail a test but... Today's Word speaks of testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith! I had to reexamine why I was doing what I was doing. Not that it was a bad thing, but I wanted to see exactly why I did what I did! Self examination can be painful, it can even hurt when we find the answers may not be as we originally thought! We may have started out with good intentions, but somewhere along the way, we lost sight of Him and it became all about us. Taking a step back or taking a good look in the mirror, may just get us back on track or we may have to stop doing what we are doing and refocus on a new adventure. The key is taking the time to see if we are truly in the faith! peace, tom
Mark 13:33 ESV :Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come."She finally arrived! Today we are told to be on guard, to stay awake for we never know when the time will come. Whether it 's good news, like the birth of a new granddaughter, or the call that there's a problem, we need to be ready. In the fire service, you never knew when a call would come in. A first aid call, or a building on fire, but we needed to be ready. We had our gear stored where we could grab it and put it on in seconds, and within minutes we were on scene of whatever we were called to do. In life, we need to be ready, not fearful of what may come but ready to stand firm and face the temptations that can cause us to stumble. Staying in prayer, reading God's Word and walking by the Holy Spirit, are all things we can do to say ready. The question is, are we ready, are we awake, are we on guard for the attacks from satan - knowing they will come! peace, tom
Psalm 78:72 NASB "So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands."I was intentional in who I learned from! Today's Word speaks to us about integrity and the men who we learn from! Throughout my time on the Fire Department, and in my time learning how to be a carpenter, I made the decision to follow only those who not only spoke the words but lived those words. Men of integrity, who put their knowledge and skill into the hands of the next generation like me. They taught me the important lessons of not only the fire service, and carpentry but of life itself. When the time came for me to start my own business, I used the lessons these men taught me. But there were others who I learned from as well - men of integrity like my dad, my uncles, pastors I listened to. The questions are, are we learning to be men of integrity by the company we keep and are we teaching others about integrity by our actions?! peace, tom 1 Peter 4:9 ESV "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." It finally got to me where I had to say something! Today's Word speaks of hospitality and doing it with a cheerful heart! No sooner did we start the project, when the complaining began. We had offered our time and talents to help a local family with some house repairs and right off the bat, the complaining began. I tried to dismiss it but it got to the point that I had to say something. I told the guys who did the most complaining, that if they didn't want to be there, then leave. We were offering our services free of charge to help others, not to help ourselves. Maybe it was the guilt they were feeling or they realized the purpose of volunteering but the complaining stopped and we got back to work. Sometimes the Truth hurts but if we are honest with where we are and why we do what we do, we may just stop complaining and get to work! peace, tom
Job 4:17 NASB "Can mankind be righteous before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?"A simple question can lead to a great discussion! Today's Word is two questions that can lead us to read more of God's Word for the answers! As we sat and talked, he asked a simple question, how can I be saved?! No we weren't in a building on fire, or even in a dangerous situation but we were just sitting and having coffee together. He came over to me when he saw me reading God's Word. He asked if he could talk to me and then asked the question about being saved. There was more to it than just the question as he was willing to share where he was in life, about his marriage, children and his job. As we talked more, he finally accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior. These kind of discussions can take place anywhere, at any time if we are willing to be open to the questions. Be open to the opportunity to share Jesus by answering a simple question! peace, tom
Genesis 2:15 NASB "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it."As I pulled the weeds, I remembered one of the first times I did it with my grandfather! Today's Word comes from the first Book of the Bible, Genesis and tells us what God told us to do. I couldn't have much older than 5 or 6 when I spent a evening with my grandfather. We spent time in his garden and he taught me how to weed out the weeds and protect the young plants. Now many years older, as I pulled the weeds out of my own garden, I began to think how we need to pull the weeds out of our life and protect what is good. Learning from those who have gone before us can give us some great insight in how to live. Going to God's Word and learning what God has required of us, is a great place to start. But it doesn't end there, we need to pass on that knowledge to the next generation. So, the question is...who are we teaching and what are we teaching...?! peace, tom
2 Samuel 10:12 NASB "Be strong, and let’s show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight."The group had blocked our path! Today's verse tells us to be strong and courageous for the sake of the people! When we arrived at the fire scene, the group had formed to stop us from putting the fire out. It was a turf war between different gangs in the city. The fire was a retaliation for something else done to another group. We took an oath to do our job, to put out the fire and protect life. We could have turned back, but instead we pushed forward and put the fire out. Sure, things were thrown at us, verbal assaults took place but at the end of the day, we know we stood courageous in the face of adversity. When we stand courageous for Christ, we will face adversity but remain strong in Him and He will see us through! peace, tom
Proverbs 3:5 NASB "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.What was I thinking?! Today's Word tells us where to put our trust - in the Lord! It was my first fire as a rookie firefighter and as I followed my officer into the building, I thought to myself "what am I crazy?"! Most people run out of buildings on fire, but here I was running in. I remember saying a little prayer as we headed in. When we put our trust in the Lord, we may find ourselves doing things that just seem crazy to other people. Things like...praying with your waiter or waitress, helping the neighbor down the street with a project, stopping to see if the person by the side of the road needs any help. The list could go on and on but when we trust in the Lord and not our own understanding, we will find ourselves in some rather crazy situations but know that God has our back, no matter what! Start a new month, with a new attitude, where Christ is first in our lives! 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."It won't last forever! Today's verse speaks to us about our sufferings and pain and how it's not even close to the glory we will see one day. Some one asked me recently if I ever have a bad day. My answer was "more than you think". We all have bad days, when the pain of life can get us down, get us to not want to move forward or even try. But if we keep our eyes focused on His Light at the end of the tunnel, we can get past the pain. Keeping focus on His Light, may not take the pain away but it will help us focus on moving forward. For the one who is struggling today, look to Jesus and He will give us the strength to get through it - no matter what! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
June 2026
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