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Matthew 18:15 NASB "Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother."It was weeks later when he said "thanks I needed that!". The verse for today shares how we are to handle those who have sinned. We had only known each other for a few months but when I saw what he did, I had to step in and take him aside. I spoke the Truth to him and how what he did was simply unacceptable. His reaction was the same that many of us would have, he got angry and stormed away. No one really likes to be told that their actions are wrong, or that they were sinning, but finding the courage in Christ, to speak the Truth, is what we are called to do. Of course, we do it in private with the hope that they will see the error of their way. A few weeks later, he came to me and thanked me for being willing to speak into his life. We have gained a great relationship because of the Truth! Let's not be afraid to speak the Truth in love, it will set us and them free! peace, tom
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1 Corinthians 15:33 NASB "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals."I was in trouble again! Today's Word speaks about who we hang out with! It seemed that every time I was with this one guy, we would get in trouble. I knew at the time, that what he wanted to do was wrong but went along anyway and then sure enough, trouble came. I had to make a decision, keep getting in trouble or stop being with this guy. I made the choice to not hang out with him any more. It seemed like such a simple decision but truth be told, there was a part of me that enjoyed the excitement of trying not to get caught! That's no way to live, constantly looking over my shoulder. Make a clean cut of the bad company so that we can follow where the Spirit leads and not our flesh! peace, tom
Matthew 6:34 NASB "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." The "what if's" began to build in my head! Today's verse reminds us to take care of today and not worry about tomorrow! The plans had been drawn up, materials ordered, made calls to those who were going to help build tomorrow but then the "what if's" began to come. I thought of what could go wrong, did I have enough material, enough men to help, were the plans up to code... And before I even got done worrying about tomorrow, trouble was brewing that day. I had forgotten to call the underground company to make sure there were no electric, gas or water lines below. When I started digging, I hit some sort of line and had to stop what I had planned to get done so I'd be ready for tomorrow! Trouble will come but let's not let tomorrow's trouble keep us from doing today's work. Slow and steady, facing each difficulty with the help of the Lord and a few godly men, will help us take care of today and not worry about tomorrow! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 5:7 NASB "Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed."Clean out the garbage! Today's Word speaks of new verses old, clean verses dirty! I watched as they gave away his belongings, threw out the trash and emptied his house! A few weeks ago, my neighbor passed away. His family came and cleaned out all his belongings, cleaned out his life worth of "stuff"! As I began to think about all the "stuff" in my life, I said to myself that it is time to clean out the stuff. If I was to die today, I didn't want the burden of cleaning out the stuff I accumulated to fall upon my daughters and their families. And then I began to think about the "stuff" I put between me and God. They may be small idols but they are between me and God and must go. Take some time and clean out the "stuff" in our lives, we may just be surprised and how we can get by without it! peace, tom
Isaiah 26:3 EVS "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."We've all seen them! Today's verse is about peace and perfect peace for those who keep our minds on Him! They run around, not sure what to do or where to go. It's a frantic attempt at best, to do something but they are not sure exactly what to do and they have no peace! Maybe we've been there, not sure exactly what to do or we've seen them running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I had to slow down the rookie on my crew. He was so excited to be fighting his first fire that he forgot all his training. Once I slowed him down, focused him on the task at hand, he did an outstanding job. We need to keep focus on Christ, no matter if the world around us in chaos. It's a peace, the world can not understand but we can if we keep our minds on Him! peace, tom
2 Peter 3:8 NASB "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day." Sometimes if feels like that! Today's Word speaks about time and how God's Days can be one or a thousand! There are some days, when I have a project to do, that it seems to last forever. Wanting to get it done so that I can move on to the next project, I realize that some things take longer than others. The key is having the patience to keep moving forward. Keep trying to accomplish what we set before us. Let's not get discouraged that it isn't going as fast as we want but enjoy the journey! It will be worth it one day when it's accomplished so keep our heads in the game, keep moving forward and do it all for the glory of God! peace, tom
Psalm 34:6 NASB "This wretched man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles."If we don't ask, how will they know?! Today's Verse is rather simple, cry out to the Lord and He will save us. My crew took a moment to stop and listen, that's when we heard the cry. A little boy had become lost in the woods near his yard, as we and others began to search, it was when we stopped to listen, that we heard his cries. Many times we try to do things on our own only to find out that we need help. But no one will hear us above the noise of life unless we cry out! Don't be afraid to let it out "I need help" - that's when the help will come! God is always there to hear our cries but so are the godly men we put in our lives. Men who are willing to lend a hand when life gets too heavy to carry on our own. The question for the day is "whose in your group to cry out to!" peace, tom
1 Peter 2:16 ESV "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."We must never forget! Today's Word speaks of living in freedom and how we are to do so. All across our land, the United States of America, family members of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice will take time to remember. Remember the fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, sons and daughters, husbands, uncles and all those whose lives were given for our freedom. Sadly, many of us will not give them a second thought until we pass a cemetery, where hundreds of America flags will fly on the graves of those who gave their all. May we never forget and honor the memories of their lives by thanking a veteran who is still with us. Putting our freedom into action will honor those who honored us with their lives! peace, tom
Acts 1:8 NASB "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.'It made it so much easier! Today's Word speaks of power, Holy Spirit power to be His Witnesses! We began to build the house out in the woods but things were going slow. Working with hand tools was taking it's toll on the amount of work being done but when the generator arrived on site, things began to move quickly. The generator brought us the power needed to run things like the saws, nail guns, etc. Having the power increased the amount of work we were doing. In the same way, the Holy Spirit will bring to us the needed power to get things done, like sharing Jesus to those we meet along the way of life. Get the power, plug into the Holy Spirit and watch the results happen! peace, tom
Matthew 19:14 NASB "but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."It's one of the highlights of the day! Today is an important lesson concerning our children and grandchildren! I stand on the sidewalk and wait... and then the door opens and out he runs. He jumps into my arms and gives me a great big hug. Yes, that's what picking up my grandson is like every time. He is so happy to see me, no matter how his day is going. I too am happy to enjoy his hugs and hear all about his day. God, our Heavenly Father wants that from us as well. He always stands there waiting for us to run to Him and give Him a big hug. We are His Children and He wants nothing but the best for us so let's make sure we don't do anything that would hinder that relationship and bring the kids along! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
June 2025
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