Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

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 ...

1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I want us to look at the last part of verse 8, where it says: “God is Love.”  It does not say that God uses Love.  No, it says that He is Love.  He is Love in all that He does and all that He is.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Love.  Some believe that God uses love like He uses faith, but this verse makes it pretty clear that all God does is because of His Love.  He created you and me as an act of love.  When Jesus walked on the earth, all that He did was because of His great love for us.  When the Holy Spirit moved upon the waters in Genesis, He was getting the earth ready for His children, because of His love. Sometimes our little minds cannot really comprehend this amazing love, so what we need to do is accept it by faith.  See you...

John 1:1-5 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Jesus is our life.  Jesus is our light.  He is our everything.  When we fall in love with Jesus and see Him for Who He is, the One who created all things by His Word, it opens us up to see the fullness of the Godhead in Him. I am always amazed when I think that the Creator laid down everything to become like us, so that we can become like Him.  What amazing love, forgiveness, and acceptance.  He loves me just the way I am, with no strings attached.  He accepts me for me, not who I am going to become, but for who I am. He was in the beginning.  He was not created.  He existed before all ...

1 John 4:4 (NKJV) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. If we could ever really get within us what this verse truly is saying, it would change us forever.  The Greater One lives within us!  Not upon us, like we see in the Old Testament, but really in us.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in us.  They are not there to do nothing, but to help us in our course of life. They want us to live the abundant life that Jesus promised us in John 10:10.  He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus wants His words fulfilled in our lives, and He is the promise that they will be.  We need to stop looking at ourselves as just a nobody, or like the world wants to say, “Just a dirt ball.”  We need to see ourselves as children of the Most High Go...

Psalm 55:22 (NKJV) Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Have you ever gone through a day (or a week) when you are discouraged, and it seems like nothing is going right?  Well, be of good cheer, because you are not the only one.  When we look through the Bible, we see many of the great men of faith having times of discouragement.  Moses had it with the children of Israel, yet he got through it.  Elijah, after his great victory on Mount Carmel, had to fight a great bout of depression when Jezebel said that she wanted to take his life.  He said in 1 Kings 19:4, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my father’s!" Wow!  Here is this great man of God who just had this great victory over the prophets of Baal, and one lady, Jezebel, so intimidates him that he wants to die.  And it can be the same with us.  We forget what the Lord did yesterday,...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. God's Word is profitable.  I do not know about you, but when I make an investment, I want to make a profit.  I do not invest something like money and say, “Well, I hope I lose on this investment.”  That would be foolish!  It is the same with the Word of Almighty God.  If we take time each day and deposit it into our hearts, it will bring a good return for us.  It says here that the Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.  Each of these points that Paul brings out by the Holy Spirit will totally change us.  If we let the Word work in our heart, it will bring peace into our lives, it will bring joy, contentment, healing, provis...

Luke 10:20 (NKJV) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Jesus, in this verse, is telling us not to rejoice just because spirits are subject to us, but to rejoice because our names are written in heaven.  Have you ever made a reservation for dinner at a restaurant, or maybe at an event?  If so, you know that when you arrived and you told them your name, they said, “Yes, you have a reservation.” Well, this scripture is saying just about the same thing.  Jesus went before us, and because we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, we now have reservations in heaven.  Just like we go to the restaurant or hotel and they open their book to see if our name is in there, the Bible says that God does the same thing. On that day, He will open the Book of Life and say to us, “Yes, you have believed on the Name of my Son.  Yes, you have received the gift of salvat...

Luke 10:19 (NKJV) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. In these words of Jesus, He tells us that He has given us authority to trample on serpents and scorpions. Well, we know that He is not talking here about snakes, but as the next part brings out: "And over all the power of the enemy." Jesus is telling us here that He has given us power over all the works of satan, that He has placed him under us, and that we can keep him in line through this promise, and the many more promises that tell us that he is defeated. I joke around when I preach and I make statements like, “Satan is defeated, so he has no feet,” and “Satan is disarmed, so we know he has no arms.”  All kidding aside, he is powerless against a blood-bought, Spirit-filled child of God! So what are the powers of the enemy?  Anything that is under the curse, such as sickness and disease, la...

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Yesterday we looked at the power of the Name.  Today, I want to look at the second part of this verse.  It says, "The righteous run to it and are safe."  As I look at this, I have to say that this verse is talking about us.  We see from God's Word that Jesus has made us righteous, and that through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary, my sins have been forgiven, and I have been restored to the place in Him of right standing with God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus Christ (who never sinned, and no sin was ever found in Him) was made sin with our sins and our unrighteousness.  When Pilate examined him he said, “…I find no fault in this Man.” (Luke 23:4) No sin was found in Jesus, yet my sins were placed on Him so that I can now be ...