John 3:16 NASB "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life."It's probably the most known scripture of the entire Bible and yet... Today's Verse is the key to understanding the love of God. He gave His only Son so you and I may not perish! He saw me reading my Bible at a local coffee shop and asked if he could talk to me. As we talked, he shared how he used to go to church but he was hurt by someone and never went back. I asked him how his relationship was with Jesus - his reply, he doesn't have one because of being hurt at church. Too many times, I have heard the stories of how some turn away from God because of being hurt by either someone in their church, or how their father treated them. If we base our relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit by how others treat us, we will never get past the pain of what man can do. If we were to take the time to read today's verse, and let the fact that God loves us so much to send His Son to die for us, maybe we can give God another opportunity! Don't let man steal the love of God from our lives! Just sayin'! 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've all had those days! Today's Word shares with us where to find the strength and power when things aren't going the way we thought they would. I'm sure we all have had those days, days of being weary, days without the strength. You know the days when things just seem to go from bad to worse and we can't get a handle on things. It seems at every turn, another thing goes wrong to the point where we think about throwing in the towel. It's those times when we need to find the strength and power of our Heavenly Father, although we should be seeking Him at every moment, of every day. I woke up feeling bad, some recent health issues have caused some difficult mornings and if I allow them to control my day, it would be a lost cause. But going to God, asking Him for the strength and power to get through the pain is a much better way. Not sure what you're going through but know God knows and cares and so do a lot of your family and friends - and we are praying!! peace, tom 1 Thessalonians 4:18 ESV "Therefore encourage one another with these words."What to say?! Today's verse says to encourage one another with these words - guess we will have to go back to His Word and find out what exactly that means! As he came into my office, I could tell he needed some encouragement. His head was down, his walk was slow and his overall composure looked broken. The first part of any encouragement is to listen. Listen to what they are saying - sure we can just list a bunch of words of encouragement but it may not be what they need to hear. We've all heard that God has given us two ears and one mouth so we should hear twice as much as we speak. So, when we want to encourage someone, let's listen first, then speak. Some times, they don't even need us to say anything but just to listen, to sit with them and put an arm around a shoulder. And remember the most important thing about encouragement is that it's not about us but them - let's listen well today! The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say, if we need to say anything at all! peace, tom
1 Corinthians 14:40 NASB "But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way."There is a process! Today's verse is about things being done properly and orderly! While putting together a new piece of workout equipment, I had to keep checking the instructions. I didn't want to get ahead of myself and have to take something off that I had put on in racing ahead of the steps. At one point, I had to slow down, reread the directions in order that I got it put together correctly. Many times in life, we try to rush ahead, sometimes trying to be first to get it done or get ahead of others because we think we deserve it. Nothing can be further from the Truth. Jesus always put others first and if we claim to be His Follower, then we must also put things in proper order - God first, family second, others third and so on. Putting ourselves first makes us try to be a god (notice the small "g") - Let's make sure we have things in order and the proper way so things run smoothly, just sayin! peace, tom
Matthew 3:8 NASB "Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance"I shouldn't have said it, if I didn't mean it! Today's Word is about repentance, but so much more than just saying we are sorry! If my apology didn't have a turning away from what I did to hurt someone, then it really didn't mean much at all. There were times when my words hurt someone, and if I was truly sorry for them, I needed to produce the fruit today's verse speaks of. That fruit is making things right again and not just one time but every time after that. Telling my wife I was sorry for an outburst of anger meant that I needed to make sure those outbursts didn't happen again. Being sorry for our sins and asking God for forgiveness means more than just saying the words "I'm sorry" - it means turn away from our sin and turning to a life that reflects that apology. So before we go and apologize, let's make sure we are ready and willing to make the changes to produce good fruit! Come on, no one likes to eat a rotten banana! peace, tom
Galatians 5:26 EVS "Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."I was asked again the other day, why I end these with "peace, tom". Today's verse speaks to us about what we shouldn't become! To think more highly of ourselves can make others shy away from us. The reason I sign these with "peace" is that I pray the peace of Christ be ours not only in our relationship with God but also with each other. When we find ourselves conceited or provoking or envying others, we will not have the peace of Christ within us. And that can lead to the place where others may ask "do we really know Jesus as Lord and Savior?"! Living the peace of Christ means just that! When we went fishing, he caught more than I, bigger ones, and I had the opportunity to either be jealous or be happy for him. I chose to rejoice in each catch he made. He was my grandson but what if he was another man... would I become jealous and envy him? It shouldn't matter the person, we should find peace with all men! peace, tom
John 8:36 NASB "So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free."Oh, to be free! Today's Word speaks pretty clearly about who set us free! I had rented my first apartment, moved all my stuff in and felt a sense of freedom. I was living independently from anyone's rule. That first night, I thought to myself, this is what freedom must be - but the reality was that I wasn't truly free until I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. When that evening came, and I answered the preachers altar call, I knew my life had changed forever! Many years ago, some people who were seeking religious freedom from their old country found it on the shores of America. It took a few years, a few battles but they became free. Freedom isn't something we shouldn't take lightly. It costs some their life, like Jesus who gave His Life so that we may live free. Let us celebrate our independence in how we honor those who fought for freedom! peace, tom
Psalm 118:5 ESV "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free."I had to make the call! Today's Verse is about calling out to the Lord for He will answer and set us free! It was long before cell phones, so in order to make the call, I had to either find a phone booth (Remember those!) or knock on a person's door and ask to use their phone. I had slid on the ice and buried my car in a snow bank. I tried every way to get it free but I couldn't do it. I needed help! In life, there will be times when we are stuck and no matter how we try to free ourselves, it just isn't going to happen! That's when we need to call for help and the best help available to us is from the Lord. Admitting to the tow truck driver that I had lost control and slid into a snow pile was a little embarrassing but in order to get the help, I needed to be honest. When calling out to God, we need to be honest in how we got into trouble in the first place. Don't be too embarrassed or ashamed to ask for His Help, He already knows we need it! peace, tom
1 Peter 2:16 NASB "Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-servants of God." I couldn't wait for the school year to end! Today's Word is about freedom and to be sure we do not use it for evil! It wasn't that school wasn't a good experience, it was the fact that I cared more about getting out than being in school, so when the school year ended, I couldn't wait to be free from classes! Once free from school, I was able to do what I wanted to do, to enjoy the summer months hanging out with the guys in the neighborhood. While we played many games like baseball, football and soccer, there were those times we got into trouble for doing something that we shouldn't have been doing. There were even a few times that the police had to be called. Freedom and what we do with it always comes down to choice. We can choose to use our freedom for God's Glory or we can choose to use it for evil - the choice is ours - let's choose wisely my friends! peace, tom
Galatians 5:1 NASB "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." We had slipped back in! Today's verse is about freedom, and that we need to stand firm and not go back! We had gotten stuck in the mud, all four wheels were deeply entrenched in it. After digging some mud away, putting some boards under the tires, we finally made it out - freedom, but the sad reality was that it only lasted a few minutes before we slid back into the mud. We needed some help, so when the guy with the four-wheel drive truck showed up, we were more than happy to have him help. In life, we may find ourselves stuck and need some help getting out of a situation. That's when we need Jesus. He will help us get through the difficulties of life and His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit will help us stand firm and not slip back into it. Also a group of godly men around us, will help keep us out of the muck but we need to ask for help. Don't let pride keep us stuck in the mud! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
July 2024
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