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Acts 4:22 (NASB) "for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed."It's never too late, we are never too old! While helping a friend with a home project, I learned a new tip for getting the project done! Today's verse speaks about the age of a man who was healed! We are never too old to experience new things especially things of the Lord. I was reminded of that fact when I sat at the coffee shop and shared Jesus with a 60 year old man, or the time my neighbor Fred came to accept Jesus as His Lord and Savior at 101. I have heard it said that "age is a state of mind" and if we keep our minds, like those of a child, we can learn new things from God. The key of course is not necessarily acting as a child but having the heart of a child where we are willing and open to learn new things. What have you learned from God this week as we read His Word?! peace, tom
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1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB) "pray without ceasing"The sad reality was that as the ambulance drove away to the hospital, we knew he wouldn't make it! Our crew had responded to a first aid call for a man not breathing, when we arrived, we found that the man was in cardiac arrest. We began CPR and hooked up the defibrillator and waited for the ambulance. Today's verse, although short, speaks largely about prayer, something we should never cease doing. Without breathing constantly we will die, the same should be about prayer. Not that we will die without it but with it, life can be so much better. Crying out to God, listening for His Reply is prayer! Allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us in a different tongue when we just don't have the words is prayer! Hearing the need of those around us and taking them to God is prayer. With so many different ways to pray, maybe that's what Paul meant about praying without ceasing?! The question is, are we praying only when we need something or are we speaking to God daily as we do this thing called life?! peace, to
Psalm 145:4 (NASB) "One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts."I watched as he ran from one side of the dock to the other! The young father was teaching his two boys how to fish and kept running back and forth to make sure that each boy was learning the art of fishing! Today we read about one generation praising God's works and declaring His Mighty acts to the next generation! After the father had got both boys set up and had their lines casted into the water, he began to fish and no sooner did he pull in a rather large bass. His sons were thrilled to drop their poles and come see what their father had caught. Those of us blessed by the goodness of the Lord need to be sharing the story of Christ, the blessings of God to the next generation. Our children and other children and young men and woman need to see us read our Bibles, kneel in prayer, and give praise to our God. The question is... what are we passing along to the next generation?! peace, tom
Luke 11:17 (NASB) "But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls."On the first day of the job site, some workers were sent one way while others another and by the end of the day, not much work was accomplished. When we arrived for the second day, the supervisor put us all on the same job and by the end of the day more work was accomplished. Today's verse is Jesus speaking about division and how when anything is divided against itself, it will not stand. Whether we are talking about a job site, a household, a church and even our country, we can see how division will cause it to fail. When we join together, in the name of Christ, finding unity within His Word, we can accomplish so much for the Kingdom of God. Let's look for the unity in Christ and keep our homes, churches, communities and even our country growing together as one rather than ripping each other apart! Join me in praying for unity of Christ in our lives! peace, tom
Acts 15:31 (NASB) "When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement."Back in the days, when the only way to stay connected to each other was "snail mail", I remember getting a letter in the mail. There's just something about going to the mail box and finding a letter or card from a friend. Today's verse speaks about a letter that was received and how it brought encouragement! I was too young at the time to realize where my uncle was and what he was doing over there in Vietnam, but getting a letter from him was something special. I still have them today and read them from time to time and now being older, I realize that not only was his letter to me an encouragement but my letters to him were too! There is a letter that we have that needs no postage, no email sent, no text to be received, it is the love letter from our God to us, it's called the Bible! When was the last time you were encouraged by God's letter to YOU?! And don't forget to send out an encouragement to someone today, it can brighten their day! peace, tom
Jeremiah 29:13(NASB) "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."No wonder I couldn't find it, I was only giving a half hearted attempt. On the job site, I need this one tool and I knew I had brought it with me but amid the "stuff" in my vehicle, I couldn't find it. The verse for today speaks of seeking and finding, kind of like the old "hide and seek" game from our youth, the key is searching with all our heart! Once I got serious about finding the tool, there it was! When we search for God in our lives, in this crazy world, we need to do it with all our heart. Too often we only seek Him with half an effort and then wonder why we can't find Him. He is right there, He doesn't hide from us like that childhood game, but rather He calls out to us in signs, people, situations where He wants us to find Him! The question is, how much of our heart are we using to find Him, maybe we need to clean out some of the "stuff" in our life! ?! peace, tom
John 15:11 (NASB) "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."It had been a long day of work, I was exhausted and covered with dirt and grime but when I saw them, I was filled with joy! After working an exhausting 12 hour day, I decided to meet my wife and grandson, boy was that a good decision! Today's verse speaks about joy, God's Joy and how it may be in us and may be made full. My spirits were a little down from working so hard, it had been a difficult day. Things didn't go as planned making the day harder than it needed to be. I was physically hurt along the way and my heart was heavy, and that's when I saw them. Something deep within my heart smiled, for here was my wonderful wife and our little grandson. He immediately wanted to sit on my lap and gave me a big hug. The feeling of joy and love was overwhelming. When we come to Christ and sit with God for a while, we can find the joy in our life and that joy can be full. When was the last time you sat with God and let Him love you, it can change your day?! peace, tom
Psalm 9:10(NASB) "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."While driving a long distance, I became tired and came to realize that I needed her to drive. Giving up the "reins" of the car to my wife was a struggle at first but I needed to put my trust in her that she would do fine! Today's verse speaks to us about putting our trust in the Lord for He doesn't forsake those of us who seek Him! It was the old "macho" man thoughts that I had to break, to allow my wife to drive, it's not like she wasn't an excellent drive, it was that I didn't like giving up control! Many men struggle with giving up control, we like to be in charge but when walking with Christ, we need to allow Him to lead us, to control our thoughts and actions. Putting our trust in God may be difficult at first but the more we let go of the wheel, the more we find that God has our back, and our front and all that is within us. What do you say, wanna go for a ride, I know a good driver!! peace, tom
Proverbs 11:14(NASB) "Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory."Stay on the path! As we began our walk into the woods, the lead counselor kept repeating "stay on the path". No sooner had we begun when one the boys began to wander off the path and fell upon the rocks. Today's verse speaks to us about guidance, about how many counselors can help us find victory! The group had to stop so we could take care of the injuries from the fall and as we started up again, the lead counselor reminded the children how important it was to stay on the path. Many times in life, we may want to walk off the path that Christ has set before us, we may find that staying the course may not be as exciting as when we first started but if we deviate from God's chosen path for us, we will fall. Finding a group of men to counsel us when the path becomes unclear, can help us find victory against the struggles to leave God's path. Stay on the path and follow the greatest counselor of all, the Holy Spirit and we will find victory in Him! peace, tom
Romans 16:17 (ESV) "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them."There was no way to avoid it! Heading out on the open road, I immediately ran into an obstacle, it was of course highway construction. Today's verse speaks to us about division and obstacles and to stay clear of them! I wish I had listened to my GPS system tell me to avoid the area, but sadly I didn't listen and got caught in a huge traffic jam for hours! As I sat there, I was reminded of the times my parents had given me warnings about who I was hanging out with and how if I kept up with them eventually it would lead to trouble. Staying clear of those who are looking for trouble, causing division and creating obstacles for our walk with Christ would be easier if we pay attention to where and who the Holy Spirit is leading us, the key of course is whether or not we are listening to Him... let's pay attention out there, it could just save us a lot of time and trouble! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
June 2020
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