Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

Pastor Diane  Hebrews 13:20-21 (AMP) Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament), 21 Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it). Today, I would like to encourage you with a scripture.  Hebrews 13:20-21 says that it is because of our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and His amazing sacrifice on the cross (His broken body, shed blood, and resurrection from the dead) that we now have peace with the God of Peace. And then verse 21 says that He is also the One Who equips us for every...

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. What comfort to know that God, our Heavenly Father, tells us not to fear or to be dismayed.  Why is that?  Because He is with us, and He will strengthen us.  No matter what life may throw at us, and it does throw a lot at times, He has promised us that He will hold us with His right hand. Our Father looks for one thing from us, and that is trust.  He wants us to trust that He will do what He has promised us in His Word.  The Bible is a book filled with promises from our God, and as we find them and put them deep within our heart, God promises us that He will do His part. So we see so much in this one verse.  He tells us to fear not and not to be shocked or baffled.  Why?  Because He is our God!  He will strengthen us, He will help us, and He will hold u...

2 Timothy 2:19-21 (NKJV) 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Today, I would like to look at verses 20 and 21.  God is looking for a people that want to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary; from the life of wood and clay to a life of gold and silver.  Many people believe that what God wants you to be, you will be, but that is not what this verse is saying.  In verse 21, it states that we make the decision of what we will be. You might be asking, “What do you mean?”  Well here it says, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself f...

2 Timothy 2:19-21 (NKJV) Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Today I would like to look at verse 19, and then tomorrow we will look at verses 20 and 21. When a king put a seal on something, like a letter or a package, that item became very valuable.  If you messed around with it, you could be killed.  God has put His seal on us, and that makes us very, very valuable.  This verse states that God knows His special people.  I do not know about you, but I am glad I am one of His special people! God’s love for us is so amazing that He...

2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. To rightly the divide the Word of God takes times of reading it, meditating on it, and also studying it.  Each way opens up the truth of the Word.  I look at the Word of God like rock, and I am a miner seeking for gold.  Yes, I might get lucky and find some on the top, but most gold takes a lot of digging and working.  When we open our Bible and start reading it, sometimes things can jump right off of the page and we go, “Wow! That was good!” and we get all excited.  But there are other times that we read the Word and nothing really hits us.  That is when we need to ponder and chew on it for a while.  Do this during the course of the day. You might say, “How do I do that?”  Let me show you a couple of different ways.  When you find a verse that speaks to you, write it down or ...

2 Timothy 2:13 (NKJV) If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Our God is a faithful God.  Even when we are without faith, He keeps on keeping on for us.  So many times we get upset, or we just do not understand why something happened, or why it did not go the way we prayed, but God is still there! During times like this, it is best not to run from God your Father, but to run to Him.  Run into His huge arms, and let Him love on you.  Let Him embrace you and bring you the comfort that you need.  We will always have times throughout our lives where things happen, but God is there.  He is there to meet us where we are. So today, no matter what is happening around you or in your heart, know that He is there.  Know that He will never leave you or forsake you.  Even if you feel like you have let Him down, He remains faithful; He remains true to His Word and to His character.  Our Father cannot deny Who He i...

Psalms 103:1-5 (NKJV) Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The psalmist here is saying to his mind, “Mind, it is time to bless the Lord!”  There are times that we have to tell ourselves what to do.  Here, he is telling his mind to remember all the benefits of God.  Let us look at a couple of benefits that he brings out.  The first part of verse three says, "Who forgives all your iniquities." Well, I would say those are some good benefits!  I know that because of Jesus Christ, all of my sins are forgiven.  He did not say some of them, but all of them.  You can know t...

Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV) Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Many times in our lives we do not feel too joyful, but here the scripture says that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  When you feel like you have no joy in your heart, lean on Him and let His joy overflow you.   His joy will carry you no matter what is going on in your life.  You can have all the powers of hell raising their ugly head at you, and yet still have a smile on your face and joy in your heart. I think of the Apostle Paul who had so many tribulations come against him, yet in the book of Philippians he talks over and over about joy.  Let us look at a few of these verses: Philippians 1:4, “Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” Philippians 1:25, “And being confident...

Psalm 27:4 (NKJV) One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. Many times in life we go after things, but this scripture states that all we need is one thing.  What is that “One Thing” that we should desire over anything?  What is that “One Thing” that should burn in our hearts?  I know for me, it is to know Him.  I have found that when I put Him first, everything just seems to work out. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  As we seek Him first and make Him the main part of our lives, it just seems that everything comes together. So today, make a decision to make Him the “One Thing” that you desire above anything.  Fall in love with Him, and enjoy His goodness.  Your Heavenly Father loves you ...