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Jude 1:24 NASB "Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy,"It kept falling off the track, so I had to make changes! Today's verse speaks about Jesus, the One who can protect us and keep us from stumbling and bring us great joy! I didn't really want to start ripping up the track but the way my train layout was, it just wasn't working. I drove the train over the track to see exactly what and where it needed to be changed. With each screw I pulled, each section of track I replaced, I looked forward to having it run without falling off, so that it could bring joy to those who watched it run. In life, we need to make changes when we find ourselves falling off track. We may have to remove things that are causing us to stumble. Jesus is our great conductor, He will lead us on the right track so we can bring great joy to others. Don't keep falling off track, make the changes and let Jesus bring us joy! All aboard! peace, tom
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Proverbs 27:19 NASB "As in water a face reflects the face, So the heart of a person reflects the person."It was easy to see but hard for him to admit! Today's verse speaks about our heart and how the status of our heart will reflect in our outward man! Just looking at him, I could tell, things were not well. He wasn't sick, he wasn't hurting or maybe he was! i asked a simple question, are you ok? and his response was "yeah, I'm fine" - the truth was that he was hurting, his heart was being reflected in his outward appearance. I could have just walked away but the Spirit had me there to see if I could help. After a long conversation, where he finally came clean with what was troubling him, we prayed together and before we finished his smile came back. We didn't fix his struggles but he felt and knew he wasn't alone. Let's keep our eyes open for where the Spirit leads us cause we may just be the "heart medicine" someone needs! peace, tom
Genesis 1:31 "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.""That's good enough!" Today's verse is from the first chapter of the Bible, and it shares that everything God made was "very good", I wonder, can we say that?! After we put it all together, we said that it wasn't the best but it was good enough, boy were we wrong! We had to return to the customers home to fix it right this time, for in our rush to get it done, we skipped a few steps and made it work but it wasn't right. We must look at what we do, at work, at home, at our church, in our marriages, basically in all we do and ask "is it very good". To do a job that doesn't cut the mustard is just plain laziness on our part. My dad taught me, if your going to do the job, do it right or don't bother doing it at all! We didn't charge the customer for our return visit, we should have done it right the first time! The question for today is, did we do it very good?! peace, tom
Colossians 3:2 NASB "Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth." Ugh, here he comes again! Today's verse speaks to us about where our perspective is, it comes down to choice! I just finished shoveling the end of the driveway, when around the corner came the town snowplow! As he drove by and the snow piled high again, I wanted to be a kid again and hit him with a snowball! I wondered if he was waiting around the corner for me to finish before he filled the driveway back up with snow! LOL - I needed an attitude change, here I was getting angry and frustrated at the snowplow driver for doing his job. He was getting the street cleared so people could go to work, others could get to the store for medicine and other needs, fire fighters and EMS people could get down the streets to assist those in need! I needed a perspective change and thinking about things other than my own world, brought me a sense of understanding! Let's keep our perspective on Christ as we go about our daily life, we may just find a different perspective about things! peace, tom
Matthew 5:16 NASB "Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."It was pitch black and we couldn't see anything but a foot in front of us! Today's verse speaks to us about letting our light shine in such a way that they can see! We knew that he was in there somewhere but with the darkness, smoke and fire, we just had to keep going! As we searched for the victim in the building, the flashlights we carried became our most important tool. Shining the lights in each room as we searched helped us to keep moving forward until we finally found him. Life can be dark, filled with things that blind us, but when the Light of Christ begins to shine in our life, we can find things we never knew we were looking for. Things like peace, joy, strength, and many others. Those who know Christ are now the Light of Christ to be shone in the darkness of the world, so let's make sure our batteries are fresh and shine brightly for the world to see Jesus! peace, tom
Titus 3:14 NASB "Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unproductive."I am not sure when I first understood the concept my dad taught me, but it has helped me through the years! Today's Word speaks of being engaged in good deeds to meet the pressing needs - basically being productive! There are two columns that I keep. One is marked with an "U" and the other an "I". The "U" stands for urgent and the "I" stands for important. When I write down the things that need to be done, I put them in the column that marks the importance of getting done. Some things are urgent and need immediate attention while others are important but can wait to get done. One thing that is always urgent is to make sure the people we love have an opportunity to meet Jesus. Without Jesus as Lord and Savior, people are going to hell, it's pretty plain and simple so it's urgent that we share our friend Jesus and invite others to know Him as we do. In fact it could be written down in each column, 'cause it's urgent and important! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day."As I sat to unlace my skates, I said to myself "what am I crazy!" Today's verse speaks to us about getting older and how even though our outward bodies are getting old, our inner person can be strengthened and renewed!
I am definitely the oldest guy on the team and as I watch the younger men skate circles around me, I find that I still enjoy the game! As we grow older, we can either hang up our skates or keep pushing on, it all comes down to choice. I find the joy in watching the younger guys "do their thing", remembering the days when I too "did my thing". Getting older doesn't mean it's time to quit, it means we need to do things smarter rather than harder. When it comes to the work that God has called us to, we can find that inner joy by how others are growing in the Lord. We can either sit on the sidelines because of our age (poor excuse) or stay in the game by standing alongside them and teaching them what we learned along the way. Let's get back in the game, others are depending on us! peace, tom Philippians 2:2 NASB "make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose."As the clock clicked down, they all were united in celebration!! Today's verse, speaks of joy and joy shared by all those who have the same mindset, intent on one purpose! Whether it's the big game, the marriage of two people we love, or pushing a car out of snowbank, people rejoice as their team wins, the man and wife say "I do", or the car is back on the road, maybe you've been a part of something like it! When people come together for one purpose, united in spirit, things can be accomplished and bring joy in completing what they set out to do. I have to wonder why we don't have that kind of joy when someone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, why our churches are hurting for those to come alongside the pastor and leadership team with same purpose... maybe it's time we find more joy in serving Christ with each other... maybe it's time we get back to being intent on Him and His Purpose to love others! Just sayin! peace, tom
Acts 15:32 ESV "And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words."There are those seasons in our life when we just need a friend! Today's verse shares about the comfort of friends! I was low in spirit, saddened but not sure why, and then some of my good close friends realized I needed a little encouragement. A simple dinner with friends, those that knew me well and could tell I needed a little boost, made the difference. I could face the future, no matter what was to come, with the thought that I had godly friends who cared! Having to step down from the Fire Department, give up building houses and let my handyman business shut down, left me not knowing what the future held. God had a plan and brought some good friends to encourage me. We all need a friend to help us when things get tough but the key was letting them know the truth about where I was and what I was facing. Don't go it alone, let others in and most importantly let Him in, He will show us the Way, and bring others to help! peace, tom
Micah 7:7 NASB "But as for me, I will be on the watch for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me."I keep checking, but still I have to wait! Today's verse speaks about being on watch and waiting for the Lord and He will hear us! It's kind of like watching paint dry, it's a slow process if it comes at all! I love ice fishing but I can't do it unless the water freezes! Each year I wait... and wait... and wait for the that one day when I know the ice is thick enough to go out and walk on water! LOL. The key to waiting, whether for the water to freeze or the prayer to be answered is in how we wait. While I wait, I get prepared, going over my gear, my hut, and the things I will need once I get on the ice. When I wait for my prayer to be answered, I prepare for how God will answer by staying in His Word, keeping my mind on things above and listening for His Voice to lead me. Let's not get into an unsafe situation by rushing in where it's not safe, we may just end up getting all wet! peace, tom |
Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
January 2022
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