Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NKJV) And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. A father is a gift to his children.  A father needs to have the heart of the true Father, Almighty God.  Of all the attributes that Jesus brought out about Almighty God, the greatest is that He called Him Father.  True fathers are not perfect, but they have such a love in their heart for their children that, at times, it feels like their heart wants to burst. A father wants the best for his kids, yet he knows that the best for his kids is to let them make mistakes and hit bumps in life. I read this little quote and it is so t...

Acts 7:9-10 (NKJV) And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. God's favor is a wonderful thing, and those who are in Christ Jesus have it!  The Bible declares that we are children of God.  I do not know about you, but my children have special favor with me.  If that is how it is with me as an earthly father, how much more with our Heavenly Father?  God loves all the people of the world, but like it says in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  God is looking for people that believe in His favor, that trust that His Word is true, and that know that He is a good Father Who showers us daily with...

Judges 6:22-24 (NKJV) Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." 23 Then the LORD said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die." 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. God is a God of peace, and He wants us to live in His peace.  As we look at the world around us, and at all of the troubles that people have, we, as children of God, can live in this supernatural peace that only God can give.  I am always amazed to watch some people look to rich people and want what they have.  I think that the most important thing we can have in life is this peace of God that passes all of our understanding. Here Gideon thinks that He is going to die because he has seen the angel of the Lord, but the angel tells him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."  All throughout the Bible w...

John 16:7 (AMP) However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. The Holy Spirit.  We talk about Jesus, we talk about the Father, but we seem to forget the One that Jesus said to wait for; the One that would fill us with the power of God.  We seem to forget to acknowledge Him as part of the Godhead, yet He is as much God as God the Father, and our Lord Jesus.  So let us take a little time and get to know Him. Jesus, in this verse, tells us that it is expedient that He goes away so that the Holy Spirit would come.  I do not know about you, but I would say, “NO WAY!  I want Jesus!”  I would like to have been with Him like Peter,...

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJV) Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. So many times in life, we can get weary.  Maybe you feel that way today.  You have done all that you know to do, and it seems like it is still not going to work out.  Well, today I want to say to you, “Get on those eagle’s wings, and let them help you soar above the problems.” You see, an eagle has amazing wings.  When a storm comes to an eagle, he does not have to run and hide.  No, he locks his wings, waits for the b...

Zephaniah 1:14 (NKJV) The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly.  The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. Jesus is coming back!  Let me say that again: Jesus is coming back!  he came the first time, as was prophesied that He would, and the Bible states that He is coming a second time.  This time, He is going to set up His Kingdom, and no one is going to stop Him. For the world, the unsaved, this is not going to be a good day, but for those of us who have accepted the free gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus, this is going to be the greatest day of all!  Listen to what the scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in th...

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." What a promise from the Bible, here in Hebrews, that God said He would never leave us or forsake us.  When I look at the word never, to me it means never.  He does not leave me when I am good or bad.  He promised me that once I receive the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, He would never leave me.  What a comfort this is during the hard times of life! The Holy Spirit has been given to us as our helper.  When we think of the Holy Spirit, we must always remember that He is God.  The same as Jesus is God, and God the Father is God, the Holy Spirit is God.   He is with us throughout this life to help us and make sure that we get everything that the Bible promises us. In life, we have had many people that say they are with us no matter how tough times get, ...

Nahum 1:7 (NKJV) The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. Our God and Father is a good God.  He is ever faithful.  He is always there, and when we think that He is not, well guess what?  He is!  God promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us, and if we will take Him at His Word, He will always come through. I like how this verse says this in the Message Bible, “God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help.”  God is good!  He is our hiding place in hard times, and He does welcome us and knows us when we have troubles.  He is ever faithful, because it is impossible for Him to lie, so He is true to His Word. Do not just look at what is coming in this world, but look to Him Who is the light of the world.  The darker the world gets, the brighter the light shines.  This world is falling apart, but our God has the s...

Obadiah 1:1 (NLT) This is the vision that the Sovereign LORD revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom. We have heard a message from the LORD that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say, “Get ready, everyone!” I like that, “GET READY!”  God wants us ready no matter what comes against us in life.  Jesus spoke many times about being ready, because you never know when He will return.  Too many people are playing around with the things of eternity, but I want to say today, “Let us get ready, and stay ready!” You might ask, “How can I get ready, and how can I stay ready?”  Well it is not that hard.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  He is the author and the finisher of our faith.  He is the One that has started the work in us, and He will bring it to completion.  Jesus is totally for us, and He wants us to get to heaven one day and receive all the rewards that He has in store for us.  Get ready, because the way this wor...

Philemon 1:4-7 (NKJV) I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Wow!  What a pat on the back to receive from the great Apostle Paul.  Here is this mighty man of God, and he takes time to tell his friend, Philemon, how much he appreciated his faith and love that he had towards Jesus, and the other believers that he was praying for. We all need a pat on the back, and in today’s devotional, that is exactly what I want to do.  It seems like so often we hear of all the bad that we do, or what we did not do, but God, our dear Father, wants us to know that He loves us and that He is proud of us....