Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

1 Corinthians 2:2 (NKJV) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The mighty Apostle Paul states here that he did not want to know anything except the cross of Jesus Christ.  Think about it.  It is through the cross that we receive our salvation.  It is through the cross that we receive our healing.  It is through the cross that we receive our peace.  It is through the cross that we receive all of the goodness of God. When Jesus was separated from God at the cross, He restored you and me back into fellowship with the Father.  We were lost and we had no hope of eternal life, but then Jesus, at the right moment in time, went to the cross and became the spotless Lamb of God who took away our sins. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, and when He hung there, in God’s eyes, anyone who would believe in the gift that God has given the world, hung there also.  In God’s eyes, we are one with His S...

Romans 14:17 (NKJV) …for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For the last two days we have been looking at this awesome verse.  We have seen that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and that it is a free gift given to us when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and are washed by His blood.  Then, we saw that we can have peace as we keep our minds on Him, and not let the things of this world fill us with fear and worry.  Today, let us look at the last part here: “Joy in the Holy Spirit.”  Many people in this world have happiness, and there is nothing wrong with being happy, but the fruit of the spirit gives us joy, which is like gold! You see, I can be happy because I got a new car, but I can still have joy after I see the first scratch or dent on it.  I can be happy when everything is going good, but I can still have joy in the midst of many troubles.  The Ap...

Romans 14:17 (NKJV) ...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, we looked at how God has placed within us His very righteousness.  Jesus was made sin for us.  He who never sinned took my sin and placed it on Himself.  What a God we serve! Today, I want us to look at the next part in this verse.  In the kingdom of God, there is peace.  Oh my, how we can use this!  When I pick up the newspaper, or listen to the news, it is full of troubles. This world is so full of trouble and pain; it is all around us.  If we do not watch ourselves, we can get caught up in it ourselves.  We start by letting it get us down.  We think things like, “Have you seen what is happening to the economy?” or “Did you hear about those storms?” and on and on this list can go. We have to remember that, yes, we are in this world, but we are not of this world.  Our minds need...

Romans 14:17 (NKJV) …for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. God wants us filled, not just with eating and drinking, but with His Kingdom.  His Kingdom is full of righteousness.  Righteousness means to be in right standing with God.  When God, our Father, sees us, He sees us without sin or guilt.  He sees us the same way that He sees Jesus: holy, and accepted in His sight.  This is so amazing that we who make so many mistakes, and we who have so many shortcomings, are accepted, the same way that Jesus was when He was raised from the dead!  What an amazing God we serve, who would take our bad, put it on Jesus, and take Jesus' good, and put it on us!  This is what we call the “Great Exchange.”  He took the bad, and we get the good. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him...

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. We are a special people to God!  We are chosen by Him.  “To be what?” you might ask.  Well, this verse tells us.  We are to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people.  I will take that!  How about you?  If we want to be all that God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to be, then let us be what these verses say we are. Our Father has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  This is amazing!  To think that nothing can stand in His light, yet here it states that we can.  Why is that?  It is all because of the blood of Jesus!  Our Jesus has paid the price so...

1 Peter 2:6  (NKJV) Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." We see here our Jesus, our Chief Cornerstone.  He is the Elect and the Precious One.  He is our Redeemer and our Lord.  He is the Savior of everyone who would believe in Him. I love the last part where it says that those who believe on Him will by no means be put to shame.  What a Word!  Our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, will make sure that we are never put to shame!  He cares for us so much that He only wants the best for us.  Our King, who rules the universe, makes sure that we are never put to shame! In this life, we have many people who have put us to shame.  They put us down, took advantage of us, or even used us, but Jesus NEVER will!  He is always looking out for our well-being.  He has promised us that He would never ...

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4  (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. When a person commits a crime, the law goes after them to bring them into captivity.  In these verses, this is what Paul is saying to us.  We have to cast down imaginations that do not line up with the Word of God, and take every thought captive.  We need to keep getting to a place in our lives where we think God's thoughts, and not the thoughts of the secular news. “Oh Pastor,” you might say, “that is a tall order,” and you know what, it is!  But I have found that if I spend a good portion of my day listening to the news and checking every website to see what is going on, i...

Philippians 4:8 (KJV) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Sometimes we catch ourselves wondering what we should think about.  It seems like our minds can go off in so many directions.  The Bible tells us what to think about, and we find it in this verse.  I have found that our minds seem to want to go to the negative, so when we see here the different things to think on, it helps us to correct our “stinking thinking.” The Apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit, says that we should think on things that are TRUE, HONEST, JUST, PURE, LOVELY, OF GOOD REPORT, VIRTUOUS, AND FULL OF PRAISE.  Now, for many of us, this will take an adjustment, but the Bible would never tell us to do something unless God has put within us the ability to...

Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV) Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What is the one thing that we need to do in our lives?  What is the most important decision that we can make?  These verses tell us what it is.  It is a decision that will last throughout all eternity.  We need to set ourselves to go after one thing, and that one thing is Jesus! This world can offer us so much, but here the Apostle Paul says that all that he did in the past is nothing.   What is really important is to press to the goal of our call in Jesus. When we think of this, it is so true!  I can gain the whole world (I can gain the wealth, the power, and the fame) but it is all going to pass away.  If I gain Christ in this world, He will last me fo...