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Isaiah 40:29 NASB "He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power."I am always amazed that when I admit my weakness, I find strength in others to get it done! No man knows it all and trying to pretend that we have all the answer can lead us into trouble! Today's verse shares with us about strength and weakness, and how God will strengthen and increase our power when we go to Him! Time after time in my life, I have found myself needing help and only when I let go of the "I can do it alone" mentality and ask for help, do I get the jobs done! Some may think it's weakness to ask for help when in reality it's being strong to ask for help! There are other who are gifted in areas that we are not and asking them to help is how the Lord can help us when we are weary and lack the might to get things done. Don't let fear or pride keep us from finding true strength in Him and others! peace, tom
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Matthew 5:28 NASB "but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.""Ouch!!" It was early in our marriage when my wife caught me looking at another woman and gave me a good punch on the arm. Today's verse is one that many men will likely stay away from for it speaks to us about the Truth in lusting after woman. I could have made an excuse, that I was looking somewhere else but that would have only made it worse. I admitted my sin, asked for forgiveness and from that day forward, only look at my wife! I guess it really hit home when I had my three daughters and watched as other men gazed upon their beauty. Keeping our eyes on Christ, and the love of our life that He has blessed us with, maybe easier said than done, but all things are possible for those that love Christ! When we focus on our wives, we will see the beauty that God has blessed us with! Let's keep our eyes on the prize as we walk as godly men! peace, tom
1 Peter 2:2 NASB "and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,"He watches me get it ready and can't wait to get it! Babysitting our youngest grandson, I am always amazed at how he watches me when it's time for his bottle. His eyes never leave me or the bottle as I get it prepared! Today's Word shares about being like a newborn, longing for the pure milk of God's Word, that we may grow in our walk. He's not able to speak, talk or walk but he knows the importance of getting feed. He eagerly awaits bottle time and enjoys every last drop. I wonder if we crave God's Word like a newborn, eagerly reading it daily, ready to let it strength us for our walk on this earth. The milk nourishes our grandson so that he will grow up strong and healthy. Maybe we need to be in God's Word so that we may be stronger, and healthier in our walk as followers of Christ?! Crave the milk of His Word! peace, tom
Job 8:7 NASB "Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly."When I invited him to attend, he simply said "I don't know enough so I'd rather not!" I had invited him to join the bible study group of men that met each week, but he didn't feel he knew the Bible well enough to attend! Today's verse shares how our beginning may be small but by the end it will increase greatly! Sharing with him that we all start somewhere, no one knows it all but we can learn! Whether it's reading the Bible, learning a new trade, or job, we all start out at the beginning but if we stay at it, keep learning, we can finish stronger than when we started. The key of course is getting started and finding the reason to continue! A few weeks later, he agreed that going was one of the best decisions he made, for he was learning more than he ever thought possible! Don't let the fear of not knowing keep us from courage to learn! Get started today and we will know more tomorrow than we did today! peace, tom
Romans 8:11 NASB "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."It was if I was breathing a new life, something within me had changed! Today's verse speaks of death and life, and how the Spirit of God will give us new life, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead! Sitting alone in my room, I had asked Jesus to take my life, for I was not living as I wanted or should. Spending time in prayer, crying out to God, and feeling Him say that it was my responsibility to live as a mature man woke me up to the fact that my life had to change! That change came as I realized life would no longer be the same, I needed to live for Christ and that meant my actions, words, thoughts, and attitude needed to be more like Christ's! In life, we will face many different types of death but the one that brings new life is found only in Christ! May the Resurrection of our Savior NOT be just for one day but for our lifetime! peace, tom
Luke 22:8 NASB "And so Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”"I thought I'd have one more time to visit him, I wasn't prepared but he was! Today's verse shares about being prepared, and getting things in order for what is to come! My plans were to visit him the next day but when the call came, I realized I wasn't prepared for what came. The Lord took my friend home, to be with Him, he was ready to go, but I wanted one more day, one more time to tell him what a man of God he was, what a bible teacher he was, what a mentor he was, what a friend he was, but sadly I didn't prepare for the day when he would go home to be with Jesus. We always think we have the time or one more day, or one more visit to prepare but the reality is that death comes in a fleeting moment. We all face death but the question is are we prepared for it?! And let me ask us, are we prepared for life, living today, as if it was our last one. Jesus had His Disciples prepare for their last meal together, may we be prepared for what comes this weekend as we celebrate the Rising of our Savior! peace, tom
Luke 12:20 NASB "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’"It was and still is a day I watch my back! My family loves to play practical jokes on each other, this day April Fools Day! I am not sure how it got started but there have been many times when I find myself playing the fool and coming away with a learning experience! Today's verse has some pretty strong words concerning death and how we are not to be foolish and realize that all we have cannot be taken with us when we die! Some of the foolish pranks played on each other have gone to the extreme, but the stories we've shared afterwords brings us laughter and joy recounting how we each pulled it off. We never know when or how the pranks will be played but they will be. God will call each of us home, we may not know how or when but we all face death and the things that we have accumulated in this life will not be with us. I would rather build up treasures in heaven than on earth - those will be there and the others will be left behind! Don't be foolish, live ready to see Jesus face to face at any time on any day! peace, tom
Colossians 1:13-14 NASB "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."I had put in a transfer from one department to another and waiting for the paperwork seemed to go on forever! Today's verses speak to us about being transferred from darkness into the Light because of what Christ did on the Cross, and in that transfer comes the forgiveness of sins! It was like starting over, a new beginning, an opportunity for change. When the transfer went through, I was refreshed to begin again, as if I was born again! The old job left me feeling stagnant, just going through the motions where the new position allowed me to be productive again. In life, we may find ourselves so deep in sin, so deep in just going through the motions, so deep in not really living but existing, that we need to make a transfer and the best transfer of life comes to us through the work of the Cross. Spend time this week at the foot of the Cross and see the transfer available to us through Jesus Christ! BTW, the only paperwork needed is time in God's Word! peace, tom
1 John 3:16 NASB "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters."I am sure you've heard this from me before but going through an old box of items I found a patch from my fire department uniform. I once again took time to look at the words "Ut Vivant Alli", which mean "that other's may live". Today's verse shares about the love of Christ, and how that love was shown to us by Him laying down His Life for us! As we face the week of His Passion, the road to the Cross, let us take time to think of what it really means to lay down our life for others. It may not mean that we go to the Cross, but we may have to endure some pain along the way, it may cost us our time, energy or even our money to put others before us. It may mean praying with someone in the middle of the grocery store, or hardware store, or even at our desks at work. The question is... how far are we willing to go to show the love of Christ to others?! May our journey to the Cross remembered this Friday, be one of self reflection of where and how we share God's Love! peace, tom
Job 42:10 NASB "The Lord also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased double all that Job had."Bringing it back to new life meant hard work but in the end, it was worth it! Today's verse speaks of the Lord and restoration, the restoration of all that had happened to Job and it was increased double! Restoring an old car, or an old tool is nothing compared to restoring a relationship that has gone sour. It may have been something they said, or we said but it caused division to the point where our relationship suffers. God is in the restoration business and anyone who has spent time restoring an old car, or tool, knows the hard work that goes into it. God is willing to and has done the hard work for us by sending His Son to the Cross, all we have to do is walk in the Light of it. Yeah easier said than done, but all things are possible for those who love Him! Follow where the Lord is leading so our relationship with Him and others can be restored. It's well worth the effort to hear the words "I missed you!" peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
April 2021
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