Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

John 15:1-2 (NKJV) I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. What an amazing and loving Heavenly Father we have!  He is always at work within us to help us grow up.  Many people look at verse two and see the words "takes away" and think that God gets rid of those who do not bear fruit.  That is not what it is saying.  This verse means that God lifts up those who are having problems bearing fruit, and He works with them. A wise farmer does not destroy his branches.  He lifts them up, cleans them, and reties them to the vine.  Our loving Father does the same thing.  He is out for our best, and will keep working with us to produce much fruit. Remember, good trees naturally bring forth good fruit.  We are good trees planted in the house of the Lord.  If you love God and y...

Matthew 5:10 (NKJV) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We have all lived long enough to know that whatever we do, we will be criticized.  Even if you do not do anything, you will be criticized and persecuted.  I do not know about you, but I would rather be criticized for doing the right thing, than for doing the wrong thing.  I would rather be called a fool for following God, than be called a wise man for following the devil. Remember that people will persecute you, but God will always justify you. Peter gives us a great portion of scripture to prepare us for this.  In 1 Peter 4:12-19 he says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 ...

Matthew 5:9 (NKJV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be  called  sons of God. Matthew 5:9 (AMP) Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually   prosperous — with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation,   regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of   peace, for they shall be called the sons of God! God wants us to be peacemakers, not PEACE-BREAKERS! He wants us to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem. Have you ever been in a room where everybody is negative and complaining?  Everything is going wrong.  Then a person walks in and says something that causes people to change their attitude. God wants peacemakers at home.  God wants peacemakers in His church. God wants peacemakers in the workplace.  God wants peacemakers out in the world.  He wants people who do not dwell on the negative, but concentrate on the positive, and s...

Matthew 5:8 (NKJV) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 (AMP) Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually   prosperous — possessing the happiness produced by the experience of   God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace,   regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall   see God! The Greek word for “pure” has a number of interesting facets. It was used for dirty clothes that had been washed clean.  It was used to describe grain and flour that had been carefully sifted, or cleansed of all impurities.  It was used when describing milk or wine that had not been mixed with any other liquid.  It was not diluted or watered down.  It was pure. So this beatitude could be translated, “Blessed is the man who is genuine in heart, who is authentic, who is not a phony, and who is real, because such a man will see God.” ...

Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 (AMP) Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous — with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of   their outward conditions)  are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy! Mercy means to show compassion or forgiveness.  Easton dictionary says it means to have compassion on the miserable.  Well, that is me!  God had compassion on me, how about you? Jesus made being merciful, or showing kindness to those in distress, a major part of the Christian's life.  We see this in the story of the Good Samaritan: Luke 10:30-37 (NKJV) 30 Then Jesus answered and said, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when h...

Matthew 5:6 (NKJV) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for   righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Are you hungry for the things of God?   Do you thirst for Him and His Word?  We, as born-again Christians, need an attitude of hungering after God and the things of God. We need to have a burning desire for Him.  Then, as this passage says, we will be filled. Look at the Psalmist as he hungers for God, and God alone.  When we hunger like this, everything else comes in line.  We will be filled. Psalms 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Psalms 63:1 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalms 27:4-6 One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I...

Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the   earth. Some people think that meek means weak: a spineless person without any backbone at all.  But meekness is not weakness.  In the original language, meek is used in bridling a horse, or taming a wild animal. The word meek is a picture of power under control.  So when we talk about a meek person, we are talking about one whose life has been brought under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  God is in control of his or her life. This beatitude tells us that we are to drive our life, yet allow God to be our navigator.  It is like saying, “Jesus, I will drive, but I need you to tell me where to go. If you say turn left, I will turn left.  If you say turn right, I will turn right.  If you say turn around, I will turn around.  I am surrendering my destination to you.” In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and l...

Matthew 5:4 (NKJV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. In this beatitude, Jesus is talking about those who mourn over their sin. This is a godly sorrow that produces repentance and leads to salvation.  2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Do you remember the story of how King David sinned?  He had an affair with Bathsheba, which was wrong in the first place, but in order to cover it up, he had Bathsheba’s husband killed.  Did you know that David felt sorrow, remorse, guilt, and shame for what he had done?  He mourned over his sin.  In fact, in Psalm 51 David expressed how he felt about his sin: Psalms 51:4 (NKJV) Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. In all the evil that David did, God forgave H...