Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

Matthew 16:13-18 (NKJV) When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. When Peter answered this question that Jesus asked, he answered by a revelation from Almighty God.  Jesus told Peter that what he just said was not man-revealed, but God-revealed.  Many times in our lives, we are seeking an answer for some question we mig...

John 3:3 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." We have heard the words “born again” used in so many ways in our world.  People sing it as love songs, and use it in so many different ways.  Yet the Bible is very clear that if you are not born again before you die, you will not go to Heaven. To be born again is a free gift given to each and every person that has received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  It is passing from death to life.  You see, when Adam and Eve committed high treason, they were born again from life to death.  Can you imagine that?  One moment they had the very life of God within them, and then after they disobeyed God, death, or separation from God, came inside of them.  That is why when God called out to them, Adam said that he hid himself because he was afraid. Just before they ate of the forbidden fruit,...

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. What an amazing promise from the Word of God that God, our Father, wants each and every person to be saved.  He made this great plan of salvation within the reach of every person.  He did not make it just for the high and mighty.  He made it for you and me! I think of a man named Martin Luther.  He tried to live a holy life for God, and even became a monk, but He found out that no one can live holy enough to reach God’s standards.  Then he saw in the Bible that, “The just shall live by faith.”  He received the revelation that salvation was a gift from God, accepted by faith in Jesus Christ, and not on our own merits.  Once he saw this, it was like a ten-ton weight was ta...

Deuteronomy 28:13 (NKJV) And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. When our Heavenly Father states that He wants us to be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath, I believe Him.  How about you?  These things from the Word of God cannot be real to us until we believe them and say them about ourselves. In Romans 10:9-10, it shows us how to be saved, and this works the same with everything in our lives.  We need to confess the Word and believe it for it to manifest in our lives.  Too many people just want it to fall on them like ripe cherries off of a tree, but anything good in life must be worked on. I am always amazed how God did not make the nuts just fall for the squirrels, and how the ants store up for winter so they will have plenty to survive.  In fact, a...

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Sin has brought death into our world.  In this verse, it says that the wages of sin, is death.  Well, one thing I can tell you is that we were all “good sinners” before we knew Christ, if you know what I mean.  But once we accepted Jesus into our lives, He gave us the power to overcome sin. Sin does not have to gain the victory in our lives, because God's gift is so much greater than the devil’s power.  When we accept God's gift of grace, it brings justification into our lives, and justification means that God, my loving Father, sees me just as if I have never sinned. Can you imagine that today?  You are totally free from all guilt and condemnation.  Never do I have to go through a day looking over my shoulder thinking that God is going to get me for that.  As the old song goes, "What can wash me white as snow?  ...