1 Timothy 2:8 NASB "Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute." It was a sight to see! Today's Word is about praying together without anger or disagreement! I love men's conferences! If you ever have the opportunity to go to one, grab a buddy and go! At a recent men's conference, I stood back for a moment and watched. I saw men praying together, praying for one another, praying for their families, praying for their pastors! I saw men praising God, lifting up their hands in worship. The speakers hit their targets in sharing the Word and the message they gave, the breakout sessions hit upon different topics to encourage us to be stronger, go deeper, and live Jesus. When men stand together as one, with the power of the Holy Spirit, nothing can stop us. Don't let a men's conference pass you by without attending it, it will change your life, strengthen your faith and you will come away blessed! peace, tom
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Romans 8:37 NASB "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us."To see his face was worth it! Today's Word tells us to be overwhelming conquerers! When he first started coming to the group, he was depressed, had almost given up but a year later, things were different! He had struggled with so many things to the point where he wanted to give up. He heard about our meeting and decided to give it one last chance. He came, he was truthful with his life choices and he asked for prayer. What he didn't know was that the guys in the group really cared about him. Each of us prayed, each of us reached out to make sure he was on the right path, each of us encouraged him to stay close to Christ and keep fighting the temptations. A year later, he announced that with Christ, he had conquer those things that he struggled with. He knew the journey wasn't over but he could face each day knowing that with God all things are possible. Don't give up, never surrender and give God the glory! peace, tom
Titus 2:7 ESV "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,"I am so glad I had him as a teacher! Today's Word speaks to how we respect others and teach others with integrity and dignity! I have been blessed to say that there have been many men in my life who have taught me things. From a father who showed me Christ, to uncles who care enough to part of my life, to instructors at rookie school - the list is endless. The key to all of them was how they not only treated me but how they treated others as well. When I look back on my life, I see a group of men who cared enough to get involved. They simply cared! Now it's my time and I pray I live up to the example they shared. Each of us have the opportunity to show respect, to be models of good works, and teach others with integrity and dignity and of course follow our greatest example, Jesus Christ! Lead well! peace, tom
1 Thessalonians 5:14 NASB "We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone."It wasn't the conversation I wanted to have but it had to be said! Today's verse urges us to admonish, encourage, and help with patience! We had been working on the same crew for a few weeks when it became apparent that his goal was to find ways to slack off, not work hard, and just kind of disappear when the heavy work started. I called him into my office and began to admonish him about his work ethic. I encouraged him to start over on Monday but when Monday came, he didn't show up for work. After work, I called him. I asked him if he was ok and what happened. He said that he didn't want to work for the company anymore, that the work was too hard and he quit. People have choice, he could have stayed and stepped up or he could quit. He did the later and never came back. I still pray for him, that he finds his way regarding his attitude towards working. It always comes down to choice! peace, tom
Romans 5:3 NASB "And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance"It's one of those verses when we say "what"?! Today we read about celebrating in our tribulations which will give us the strength to go on. It almost sounds ridiculous to rejoice in trouble, but that's what today's verse states. I don't know about you but it's not the first thing on my mind when trouble hits. To celebrate when tribulations comes our way teaches us that when they are over, we can see that we persevered and got through them. Anyone who has struggled with some sort of health issue knows how hard it is to rejoice in it but going to God, and asking Him for the strength to see us through, can be a form of celebration. We see that going to Him celebrates our faith that God will help us and He will. It just may not be as fast as we want it but, that gives us more time to celebrate the fact that He is with us through the tribulation. Hold the faith, rejoice while we are in the thick of it and He will see us through! peace, tom
Hebrews 13:5 NASB "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,”"All they really wanted was time with dad! Today's verse reminds us of what's truly important, not our money but our time! Going from job to job, I thought I was giving them what they wanted, the things I could buy for them. Taking a day off was out of the question, I had become a workaholic. Not until I was forced to take a day off did I realize what they wanted was time with their dad. To sit and play on the floor, take them to the zoo, just sit and read a book with them, to listen to them and be there to love on them. Let us not become so consumed with the love of money that we miss the things that money can't buy! Spending time with those we love and being content is something money can't buy! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB "for we walk by faith, not by sight" With each cast, I have faith that I will catch one! Today's Word is about walking by faith and not sight! With modern electronics, you can now see what's under your boat. You can see where the fish are and where they are not but with all that technology, we still have to cast the lure to catch a fish. And there is no guarantee that the fish will bite! Fishing is a lot like today's verse, walking by faith that the lure will work, that the spot we picked out will produce fish but we still have to cast the lure. When we share Jesus, we need to walk by faith and not sight. We may never know how our simple acts of kindness will reach the heart of others for Christ. So, we cast the seeds of love and let our faith hold strong that God will use them for the harvest! peace, tom
Hebrews 10:25 NASB "not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."It was simply a lie! Today's verse speaks the Truth about meeting together with others and encouraging them to keep getting together. I asked him why he hasn't been coming to the meetings, his answer was that no one would miss him if he didn't show up. That response was a lie, we did miss him and prayed for him when he didn't show up. Two things happen when we don't meet together, 1. the guys who do meet regularly wonder if he's ok, and 2. others begin to think the same way, that they won't be missed. When we gather together, we can strengthen each other, share words of comfort, pray for each other and share our struggles and our victories. Let's not get in the habit of not meeting but get in the habit of meeting so that we may encourage others to meet too! peace, tom
Philippians 2:13 NASB "for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure."It may seem funny but I like a good day of work, how about you?! Today's verse let's us know that it is God who is at work in us! Even though, at the end of the day, I am exhausted, I love to work. To get things done, to take this off the list, to get that sense of accomplishment. But there are those times when I ask myself "why". Why am I doing this or that, and I can only come up with today's verse. It is God who is at work in me. Rather than sit there and ask why, I get back to work. No matter what, I like to finish what I started. We may be wondering why we are called to a certain place to work, it just may be that God wants to us to reach someone for Him, it is His good pleasure! So let's get down to business and give Him the glory! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
May 2024
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