Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

John 13:34-35 (NKJV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Oh, the goodness of God!  When He laid aside the law and gave us a new commandment, it took away all of the guilt, the shame, and the condemnation.  You see, God has now given us the greatest commandment, and that is the commandment of love. I do not know about you, but I would rather have two commandments than hundreds.  And the amazing thing is that when I choose to walk and live in love, all of the rest just happens!  The law condemned us, but grace has lifted us up.  Grace gives me the empowerment to live out the entire Bible! So many people try to live the Bible standards in their own strength, and they fall flat on their face, and then feel like failures and leave the faith.  When we choose to do it the New Tes...

Romans 5:8 (NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Think about this verse for just a minute.  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  If Christ would die for me while I was still a sinner, how amazing is His love for me now that I am redeemed and in Him?  The Bible shows us so clearly this great love of God, that no matter what, we cannot get God, our Father, to stop loving us. In John 3:16 it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Whoever!  Not perfect people, not people that do everything right, but people just like you and me; people that wake up and make a mess of their day.  These are the people that our Father loves. Now, do not get me wrong.  Each and every day we want to become more like Jesus.  We want to live a life of holiness....

Pastor Diane Feola Psalms 9:9-10 (AMP) The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation). And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God's Word and the right of their necessity]. This is a scripture we need for today, right?  In these days of political unrest and economic uncertainty, God lets us know He is our refuge and high tower.  High cost, destitution, and desperation are words many people could use to describe our world right now!  Yet God says if we know His Name, if we lean on and put confidence in Him, He will get us through. Are you glad our Father in Heaven is not affected by this world's economy?  He says He owns the cattle on a th...

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NKJV) Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. The prophets of the Old Testament foretold of the One that would come into the world and give His all for us.  We see in these two verses what this One would do, and in Jesus this has all been fulfilled.  Jesus became the one and only sacrifice that is accepted by the Father. In verse 4, we see the word “grief,” which means our sicknesses, and we also see the word “sorrows,” which means pain.  So we see that Jesus bore our sicknesses and our pain!  Praise God!  In verse 5, we see that Jesus was wounded for our “transgressions,” or our sins.  Jesus took my sins, and your sins, and nailed them to the cross, so today, I do not need to be sin-co...

Hebrews 1:3 (NLT) The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. There is just something about the name of Jesus!  His Name is the most beautiful of all names.  This verse shows us that Jesus radiates God’s very glory, and He expresses the very character of the Father.  Jesus said that he who has seen Him has seen the Father.  He and His Father are one. The reason this is so important is that many times we do not fully understand God, because we have never seen Him.  But when we look into the Gospels and we read about Jesus, He shows us who God the Father is.  You see, Jesus was a healer, and a provider.  He let John lay His head on His chest.  Jesus is the One that calmed the storms and raised the dead.  He is th...

Titus 3:5 (NKJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Works, works, works!  So many are caught up in works, but God is caught up in relationship. Now I am not saying works are bad.  In fact, we will be rewarded for the works that we do here on the earth.  But too many churches preach that the only way to please God is to do works. This verse shows us that we are saved by His mercies, and that it is a work of the Holy Spirit.  It says in Ephesians 2:8-9, ”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  You see, salvation is a free gift.  It is God saying man cannot save himself, so He will give Himself for us. What amazing love the Father has for us!  He knew we could not do it, so He did it for us.  When we wo...