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Proverbs 28:13 NASB "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."I witnessed an incredible amount of strength, I have seen it many times and I always walk away astounded by the courage of those men! I am not speaking of a weight lifting competition but it is closely like that, it is men being honest with their sin and seeking forgiveness! It's as if a giant weight has been lifted off of them! Today's verse shares about the difference between concealing our sin and confessing it, one will not prosper and one will find compassion. Sitting across the table, as a man honestly and openly admits his sin, is an amazing thing to witness, the strength and courage it takes to tell another man our sin and ask for help is definitely a god thing! The next step is just as important and that is praying for each other, standing alongside each other to help walk the walk that Christ has called us men too! Wanna see true strength, true grit, then be there as a man admits our mistakes, our sin and watch how God will show compassion upon them! Maybe today is your day to find the strength in Christ to admit our shortcomings and find His Compassion! peace, tom
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Ecclesiastes 5:20 NASB "For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart."There are days when I don't even remember how I was years ago, the thought of the "angry days" are far removed from my thoughts! Today's verse speaks to us about not considering the former years of our life because God occupies our hearts with gladness. There was a time when my entire focus was on those angry days, but letting go of them and focusing on things above, brings gladness to my heart. My dad taught me an old saying that is so true "idle time is the devil's workshop!" - when men are idle, we allow the tricks and lies of satan to come into our minds and life choices and cause nothing but pain. When we keep busy for the Lord, our hearts will be full of gladness because the Spirit will strengthen us for the battle of godly manhood and the memories will slowly fade away! Let's keep focus on Christ and not our past lives! peace, tom
Matthew 7:11 NASB "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
I didn't truly understand it until I became a father! Today's verse speaks about fathers giving good gifts to our children despite our evil ways and how God our Father will give to those who ask Him! It was late at night when the call came from one of our daughters and son in law that they had no hot water! I could have just told them to call a plumber but knowing how late it was and knowing how to fix it, I took a ride! As I drove over, I thought how all she had to do was call and I would be there (sounds like good lyrics for a song! LOL) and how God works like that too - all we need to do is reach out to Him, asking that His Will be done in our lives. That asking is called prayer, speaking to God and guess what - there's no waiting or being put on hold, you don't have to press 1 to get Him or 2 to speak to Jesus or 3 to speak to the Holy Spirit - nope! Why not make the call today! All we need to do is call and He will be there!! peace, tom 1 Timothy 4:8 NASB "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."As I check my weekly progress for the amount of time I worked out, rode my bike, walked, and exercised, I realized I didn't do as well this week as I had done in weeks past! Today's verse speaks to us about bodily discipline verses godliness and how one holds promise for this life and the next. I needed to get back on my schedule of working out each day, not just doing it haphazardly but being intentional about keeping in shape. And then I thought about my walk with Christ, how much have I worked on keeping in "godly shape"?! There is not chart or graph to show how much time I spent in God's Word, in prayer, in walking by the Spirit but if there was, what would mine look like? What would your's look like? Maybe it's time we get our spiritual bodies in better shape? peace, tom
Ephesians 6:7 NASB "With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,"Keeping our eyes upon Jesus is a great saying but when it comes to actually putting that into practice, it can be harder than we thought! I wouldn't say he was an enemy of mine but he was someone who I didn't like being around. We have different views on a lot of things so I usually try and stay away from him but when he called, asking for help, I thought of today's verse! Rendering good will to another as we would to the Lord rather than to another man. My first thought was to find an excuse not to go and help, but when you think of Jesus going to the Cross, not finding any excuse not to go, we must serve those we may disagree with cause it's what Jesus did! Keeping our eyes upon Jesus, means walking the walk HE walked, and that means unconditional love even to our enemies! Find the greater good as we serve others in His Name! peace, tom
Hebrews 9:28 NASB "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.She went for the last Doctor's visit, he is in place and ready to come at a moments notice! Today's verse speaks about Jesus' second coming to earth and about those who eagerly await Him! We are waiting, and watching and praying! Our youngest daughter is getting ready to give birth, they know it could be any day now, so we wait eagerly to meet our second grandson. I couldn't help but think, with the way the world is, that Jesus Christ will appear soon. Just like our grandson, we can not predict the day or time but we know he's coming, Jesus Christ is coming again! Do we wait eagerly for Him, do we have our lives ready to meet Him, are we living with the excitement of meeting Him face to face?! Some good questions to ask ourselves as we eagerly wait for the Savior of the world to join us! peace, tom
James 4:14 NASB "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." One day they are there and the next they are gone! We lost two neighbors recently. One went on to paradise and the other family moved away due to needing larger space with the arrival of their third child. Today's verse shares about not knowing about tomorrow and how we are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. No one likes to see people leave our life, sure we can stay in touch but there is nothing like watching the two young boys across the street grow up before our eyes, or a good friend and neighbor move on to eternity, but life happens. The key of course is what we do with the time we have NOW, for tomorrow is promised to no man! One day you're walking your dog, and the next day you make the decision to put her down. Enjoying the moments, the right here and now, is so important! Let's enjoy the blessing of the moment with those we love and even those we struggle with for it is a new day to enjoy and thank God for His Blessings! peace, tom
Jude 1:23 NASB "save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh."We never went to work thinking that today was the day we would pull someone out of a burning building but each day the crew and I were ready to do so if called upon. The scriptures for today speaks of saving others, pulling them out of the fire, having mercy, hating even those polluted by the flesh. It didn't matter the color of their skin, what financial background they had, where they worked or any other factors. It was simple, if they were trapped in the burning building, we were there to lay down our lives to get them out! When we see the sins of the flesh pulling someone down, are we ready to step in and help. When the call comes to aid a struggling brother, are we ready to lend a hand? If we claim to know Jesus Christ and God's Word, the choice is obvious, but knowing Him and living Him are two different things! Live Christ because He died for us! peace, tom
2 Timothy 2:7 NASB "Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."His words came back to me as I took the time to sit and think for a moment! The problem I was facing seemed overwhelming but as I took a step back, my father's words came back to me and I remembered what he said and how to fix the problem! Today's Word shares with us about considering what the Lord has said for HE will give us understanding in everything! Rushing through the problem didn't help, trying to understand it in my own way wasn't helping, not until I stepped back and thought for a moment, did the answer come. In life, we will face struggles, trials, times when we just don't have the answer or understanding but if we turn to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, to guide us, to help us, we will find the solution to what we face in life. Let's step back a moment and listen for His Voice as we face life, we may just have a better understanding of things! peace, tom
Psalm 25:4 NASB "Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths."Sitting the guidance counselor's office, I remember asking him what direction I should go. He gave me a lot of great advice but said "the ultimate decision is yours". Today's verse shares some great advice about life, and where to go when we are facing a decision! I remember my mom and dad teaching me to make a list - the pros and cons of any decision I needed to make. Seeing it written out made the decision easier than just thinking about it. With seeking God for His Direction, we can go to where things are written down, that's God's Word. Taking the time to read through God's Word is where we find His Ways and the path that we should be on. The key of course is whether or not we are reading God's Word. Taking the time to read God's Word can make the difference between making a good decision or a bad one! Seems like a no brainer to me, how about YOU? peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
September 2020
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