Romans 8:31 NASB "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"We have to stop! Today's Word speaks to us about God being for us! Too often I have let "others" tell me I can't when I know deep in my heart, I can because His Word tells me He has my back. When I was a young man, I would let others hold me back. Words like "you're not smart enough", "strong enough" to accomplish what you think you can. It happens to a lot of us, letting others tell us what we can and can not do. But if we turn to the strength of the Lord, believing that He has our backs, we can accomplish what He has called us to be. We need to stop listening to the world, who doesn't know our God like we do, and let Him be the power behind what we can do for Him. Let's shake off the world and let His Word give us strength to do the job we are called to do! peace, tom
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Isaiah 40:29 NASB "He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power."We had to take a break before we got back at it! Today's Word tells us where to get the strength and power when we are weary and are lacking. We had worked hard, very hard and it was time to take a break. There was still much work to be done but without taking a break, the work would have suffered for we were not giving our best. From time to time, we need to turn to the Lord for strength when it seems as if we are running out of steam. A simple moment, to be refreshed, can make the difference between just getting it done and giving our best. There's no shame in admitting that we need help, that we need His Strength to keep moving forward. Take a break in Him, let the Holy Spirit comfort us and then get up in His Power to finish well. peace, tom Isaiah 5:20 NASB "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"I'm not sure when it began, but we need to change it back! Today's Word could be found in a present day newspaper or FB feed! I would be amiss if I didn't say that I find the current world upside down. There are things going on that I just don't understand. The good has become evil, the evil has become right and many sit on the sidelines of life and never utter a word. Maybe it's time for us to get up, get off our good intentions and get involved. If for no other reason than our children and grandchildren. You see, they don't remember a time when evil was called out for what it is, or a time when right was right and wrong was wrong. Maybe we need to spend some time in His Word to remember the Truth and find courage to stand up for it again! Just sayin! peace, tom
Luke 3:11 NASB "And he would answer and say to them, “The one who has two tunics is to share with the one who has none; and the one who has food is to do likewise.”"It's not about us! Today's verse is about helping others! It was rather cold out that day, so when I met him, I had to give him my sweatshirt! I had on two jackets, one a sweatshirt and the other a jacket, and giving one away didn't really hurt me but it gave warmth to him who was homeless. They are all around us, but because we focus more on ourselves, we don't see them. The need, those who could use a little help, are out there.We just need to change our focus, look for the opportunity to help in some small way. Giving away, when we have plenty, is living the Gospel. It's not that hard to do if we change our mindset from ourselves to them. If we have two, we can give one away! Let's be open to the opportunity to give in His Name, for one day it could be us in need! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 10:11 NASB "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction,"We can learn so much! Today's Word speaks to us about what others have gone through. I love to sit with older men who have gone through things that I am thinking of doing. Their wisdom in what to do, how to do it and what not to do is priceless. They have gone through the mistakes, so learning from them so I don't have to, is just plain wisdom! Many times I am not sure how to tackle a project or fix a problem so I make a call to someone who has the knowledge to do it and do it right. When we speak of walking the walk, we can go to God's Word because it is filled with helpful and insightful ways of keeping our focus on Christ. Let's be honest, how many times have we googled something in order to find the best way to get it done, why not open His Word and learn from the best! peace, tom
Luke 10:2 NASB "And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Ask anyone who runs a non-profit, if they have enough volunteers! Today's Word speaks the Truth about not having enough workers to get the job done! Those leading charitable organizations will always tell us that there number 1 priority is making sure they can get enough help to keep them going. There are many opportunities out there to share a little bit of our time and talents. It doesn't have to be an everyday, all day kind of thing, but a few hours each week can make the difference. When I get home from volunteering, I always come away blessed. I get to meet some pretty special people and help others in the process. Why not take a moment and ask ourselves, can't I give a few hours a week to my church, a group that helps others... then go out and volunteer! Remember, Jesus volunteered to go to the Cross for us! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 9:27 NASB "but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."It's easy to talk the talk but when it comes to walking that talk, how we doing? Today's Word is about discipline and being careful that we walk the talk! There is that old saying "do as I say but not as I do!" Too often our life style doesn't reflect what we say. I know I read it somewhere about talking a log out of my eye before I try to take the splinter out of someone else's. If we are going to share Jesus by our words, we better make sure we follow up by our actions. I was asked the other day, why I was doing what I was doing - my reply was that if I am going to preach it on Sunday, I better be living it on Monday! Let's think about what we do and make sure it lines up with what we say! peace, Tom
2 Corinthians 9:11 ESV "You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God."I couldn't say thank you enough! Today's Word shares that we will be richer in ways of generosity and that will produce a thanks to God. He really didn't have to spend the day helping me, but he did for no other reason than to help. While doing some home remodeling, a friend stopped by randomly and seeing what I was try to do, he offered his help. I never thought that he would stay all day but he did! I was so grateful to him that he finally said "you can stop saying thank you now! " We are blessed and can be a blessing to others when we put them first. Helping a friend, or even an enemy can make us and them thankful. Taking the time out of our busy schedules to lend a hand, can produce thanksgiving to God, as today's Word says. Why not create a little thanksgiving in someone's life by being generous. Let's keep our eyes open for the opportunity to help for no other reason than it will bring thanks to God! peace, Tom
Matthew 18:20 NASB "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."Don't take my word for it! Today's Word is about meeting together and who joins in! There is something about it, when men gather together. Whether it's working on an old car/truck, playing some sport, sitting around a campfire, or even just sitting and having coffee together, Christ will join us! The key is gathering in His Name. It doesn't have to be at church, or a home bible study, the Holy Spirit can and is willing to join us anywhere we gather. The question is, are we gathering there, meeting men to help, share a struggle, work on a problem we are having. Going it alone doesn't encourage us but in fact makes our struggles harder. Make sure we join with other men at a local men's conference, men's meeting, coffee shop, and yes even at church. He will join us when we call upon His Name! Let's do it! peace, tom
Jeremiah 13:23 NASB "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Then you as well can do good, Who are accustomed to doing evil."Change is never easy but possible! Today's verse tells us that, although we do evil, we can do good! I found myself doing the same thing, the same way and it was time for a change. Each morning I would get up, hit His Word, do my prayer list, and then write these devotions. I had been doing it the same way where it became a habit, not a bad habit, but one that needed to change so that I wasn't just doing it to do it. Habits are hard to break but if we focus on why we do what we do, when we do what we do, we may just find that it's time to change things up. Like the verse for today says that even though we may be accustom to doing evil, we can change that and do good. Loving our enemies is a great change from revenge, but it starts with a heart change! Asking ourselves why we do what we do is a great place to see if we need to change our habits! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
May 2024
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