Continuing from yesterdays verses:
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:17
What is God’s will? Read your Bible and find out but to put it simply…Love God, Love others, share the gospel!
Now are you doing all 3? If not your being foolish!
Tom
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16
Chew on this today….how are you using your time…according to God not you? Are you using it wisely serving the Lord or foolishly on selfish desires?
Choose wisely my friends for we will answer to God!
Tom
“And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.””
Luke 12:15
Remember this today…the world teaches you it is all about how much you can get to make you happy! God says that true life is NOT found in material things but being in Jesus Christ!!
Is this you???
Tom
“then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’”
Deuteronomy 8:17
Here Israel is reminded that all they have has come from the hand of God! May we also remember that everything we have has come from Him as well and He expects us to use it to help others and glorify Him.
Now let’s ask ourselves if we are being good faithful stewards of the blessings of God.
Tom
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”
2 Peter 1:5-7
Again once we have life in Christ and are striving for godliness in all areas of our lives we should be supplementing our lives with theses things…strong faith, virtue, knowledge of the Word of God, self-control, steadfastness, brotherly affection, and love. Are these words that describe you and you walk with Jesus? They should be and can be by the power of the Holy Spirt!
Tom
“by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
2 Peter 1:4
Continuing from yesterday day…by His power we are granted promises. That promise is being filled with Holy Spirit by faith in Christ we overcome the corruption of the world that tempts us. Why? Because we want to glorify God with the bodies He bought upon the cross with His shed blood for our sin!!
Chew on that and glorify Him this day by remaining faithful to our Lord!
Tom
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,”
2 Peter 1:3
We will look at several verses over a few days here in 2 Peter.
This verse says when in Christ we have divine power! Chew on that. The purpose of that power is for our lives to be godly. The more we know of Him and follow Him we will grow in godliness and bring Him glory which should be our greatest desire!
Use the divine power of Holy Spirit in this life and be godly!!!
Tom
“Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.”
Mark 12:17
Let the world have what they think belongs to them which in reality is nothing and let God have which belongs to Him which in reality is everything! Especially you in whom He made in His own image!!! Chew on that today! Are you giving to God yourself?
Tom
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Philippians 4:6
The good, the bad, and the ugly….pray about it! Praise Him for the good. Praise Him for the bad and let him have the bad! Be thankful in everything for God is in control!
Tom
“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”
2 Corinthians 5:8-9
As I am now on the down hill side of life and my body lets me know it nearly everyday! lol I must remember my goal is to glorify and please God until I get home with my Lord and then I will continue to sin to please Him!!! So keep working folks Jesus is coming!
Tom
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.”
Jonah 2:1-2
Ever been in a spot in life where you cried out to God for help? I think most of us have. Spiritually speaking it is a must for when we realize we are lost and going to hell we repent of our sins and call on Jesus to save us! Praise the Lord…just like Jonah He hears us and saves us!!!
Tom
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”
John 14:16
Think about what this verse says to us. Jesus asked the Father to give us the Holy Spirit to be with us forever! To dwell in us so we have God to guide us! We must listen to His promptings and be obedient. Thank you Jesus for always providing for us!
Tom
““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”
Matthew 23:25-26
The above words of Jesus was to the religious leaders of the day! May we the followers of Jesus take note and be sure we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and that our lives are living proof of what Jesus has done!
Tom
“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:13-14
This has a message for all of us this morning. Get our children to the Lord! Sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, friends kids, neighbors, and wherever else we may have influence to get our kids to Jesus!!! Their souls for eternity are in the line. We may have to go out of our way to get them to hear God’s Word but it will be worth it as we do the Lord’s work!
Let’s get busy!
Tom
““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV
Most of us have think we have life figured out. Get a good job…make all the money you can…so you can buy what you want because you think that will make you happy. But it won’t. God says your earthly treasures will be destroyed. Through Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes we are told all under the sun is worthless. So what do we do? Put our faith in Jesus and work for Him storing up treasures in heaven! That will be what truly brings us joy and satisfies our souls!
Tom
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
Weighed down down by life? Worn out? Need to be refreshed? The answer is Jesus! Make time for Him. Worship Him. Serve Him. Obey Him! Praise Him. You will find what you truly need in Jesus!
Tom
““As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:9-11
What fills our joy meter! Nothing of the world! The love of Jesus and keeping His commandments is what fills us with joy!!! Chew on that today!
Tom
“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
I Corinthians 9:27
Following Jesus takes discipline. We must train ourselves with the power of the Holy Spirit to be Holy according to what the scriptures teach. It is a daily battle to keep ourselves under control! You can do it! Bring glory to God by being disciplined!
Tom
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;”
Colossians 3:12
As a child of God we are to reflect the characteristics of Jesus which we see above. Look at each one and be sure it is what you are reflecting to others so they see Jesus in you!
Tom
“Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.”
I Samuel 20:42
Here David and Jonathan are declaring their unbreakable friendship! King Saul, Jonathan’s dad, wants David dead and Jonathan knows it is not right! They are brothers in the Lord through thick and thin.
I pray you have friends that are in Christ in whom you know will be there no matter what!!! There is great comfort with a great friend in the Lord!
Tom
Read slowly and let the Word soak in you.
“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalms 103:10-12
Thank you Lord as I am so undeserving!
If you are a follower of Jesus this applies to you. If not why are you delaying?
Tom
When you are a follower of Jesus there is no retirement!
“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,”
Psalms 92:12-14
You will flourish and grow in Christ! Serving in the house of God with your brothers and sisters. Bearing fruit to the glory of God til the day you are called home. Keep at it you are important to God’s Kingdom!
Tom
“So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.”
Zechariah 4:6
Zerubbabel had the task of rebuilding the temple! It seemed impossible! So God told him paraphrasing…you are right! In your power and strength it is impossible! But by My Spirit you will do it! In God’s power nothing is impossible!
Remember this as you do the Lord’s work!
Tom
“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,”
Psalms 107:2
God has saved you from the pit called Hell. Jesus redeemed you!! Thank you Lord! We are to tell our stories to all about what God has done! Are you??? If not start now! It is not just the preacher’s job it is anyone who has been saved! Get busy as time is short!
Tom
Today we see a lesson that is very hard but for followers of Jesus it is one we are to do to be like Christ!
“who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;”
I Peter 2:23
We will have times we are made fun of, attacked for no reason, threatened, and suffer. Jesus desires we try for peace and point people to Him and leave God to take care of the penalty for false harms done to us!
Follow Jesus lead and bring Him glory!
Tom
“Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.””
Numbers 14:9
God has told Israel to take the Land. Israel has been told the can’t do it by most of the guys who spied it out. But 2 of them…Joshua and Caleb say WE CAN! Why? “The Lord is with us!”
May we remember that in our day to day battles! The Lord is with us…march on!
Tom
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.””
John 14:3-4
Our Savior Jesus tells us plainly here He will be back for us so we can be with Him!!!! And we know the way….Him! Praise Him for this promise from our Lord!
Tom
Job’s response after he lost everything including his children as God allowed Satan to test him:
“And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
Job 1:21-22
He praised and worshipped God as He had his priorities right in life. May we always remember this in the tough times we face in life as well!
Tom
“One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.”
Proverbs 14:16
The Bible is clear…wisdom comes from knowing and doing God’s Word. We can not be truly wise without knowing God’s Word and then we must put it to use in all situations. On the other hand a fool does whatever he wants, why he wants, and how ever he wants to fulfill his own desires. When one is reckless like this he will answer to God!
Each must ask himself…am I wise or a fool?
Tom
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
John 15:15
Jesus is not only our Savior but He is also our friend. As our friend He has made known to us the Word of God. So if it is important for Jesus to do that for us it should be important for us to share it with our friends especially our lost friends! If we truly love them nothing will stop us telling them what God’s Word says!!!
Tom
“My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;”
Proverbs 3:1
God through Solomon here speaking to His children…”do not forget my law.” The Word of God is to direct our lives. Teach our children this from a young age! It is of utmost importance! We are to keep God’s commands in our heart! Treasure them because God in His great love for us gave us a guide book for life! Thank you Lord and may we be obedient to you in every way you have taught us!
Tom
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Ephesians 1:7
Only in Christ are we redeemed! His precious blood covers our sin so we are forgiven by God. What grace we have been given. Praise Jesus for His great love to each one of us. We are unworthy but so grateful!
Tom
“so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
Romans 12:5
If you say you are a follower of Christ and have no desire to be a part of a Bible believing church something is wrong! Christ built and died for the church. He desires the church to come together and worship Him, server Him, and be there for one another. As the church we are members one another! Don’t forsake the Church that Jesus built and is coming back for which He calls his “bride”!
Tom
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,”
Ephesians 2:14
Oh what fantastic news! Jesus has broken down the wall of sin that separated us from God and we now have peace with God as followers of Jesus!!! Praise the Lord. There is no better news than that….ever!
Tom
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11
One day soon Jesus will come and we as His followers will humbly bow before our King for His great love in providing us salvation. Also those who chose to reject Him as their King will also bow and confess their error!!!
What a glorious day it will be!!! Praise the Lord!
Tom
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””
John 16:33
As we start a new week, let us remember Satan and his demons are out trying to bring us down! As Followers of Jesus we have already won the battle in Christ. Live victoriously and bring God the glory know your soul in at peace for eternity!!!
Tom
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalms 16:11
Jesus is our path. Jesus is the only One who brings full joy. In His presence will be pleasures forever. What more can we ask for and why do we look anywhere else?
Thank you Lord!
Tom
This is a quote from a John Piper book that will make you think more deeply about the seriousness of marriage in regard to Jesus and the church and your spouse!! Read carefully!
“Jesus commands that husbands and wives be faithful to their marriages. He does not assume this is easy. But he teaches that it is a great thing because marriage is the work of God himself whereby he creates a new reality of “one flesh” that surpasses human comprehension and portrays to the world in human form the covenant union between God and his people. Marriage is sacred beyond what most people imagine, because it is a unique creation of God, a dramatic portrayal of God’s relation to his people, and a display of God’s glory. Against all the diminished attitudes about marriage in our day, Jesus’s message is that marriage is a great work of God and a sacred covenant breakable only by death. Marriage: The Mirror of God’s Covenant with His People Jesus knew his Jewish Scriptures and saw them as coming to fulfillment in himself and his work (Matt. 5:17–18). This includes his awareness of what God had said about his relationship with his people when he portrayed it as marriage. For example, God said, “Your Maker is your 322 Command #40 husband, the Lord of hosts is his name” (Isa. 54:5). And “In that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband.’ . . . And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord” (Hos. 2:16, 19–20). And “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine” (Ezek. 16:8). And “Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord” (Jer. 3:20). With these Scriptures as the backdrop, it is inevitable that Jesus would see God’s creation of marriage in the beginning as a means of portraying his relationship with his people. So Jesus read in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” When God said this—and Jesus explicitly says that God said this, not just Moses, the writer of Genesis (Matt. 19:4–5)—he had in view (as he has all things in view) that he would call his people his wife and himself her husband. Therefore, the union between a man and a woman is uniquely God’s creation with a view to portraying the relationship between himself and his people. “
Tom
“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”
I Corinthians 15:14
As a follower of Christ you must believe He resurrected from the grave! If you don’t you are following the wrong Jesus and. Jesus that will lead you straight to hell! The resurrection of Jesus is proof He defeated death and sin and thus paid for our sins so we can resurrect from the grave when He returns!!!
Resurrection is of utmost importance!!! Without it we are dead in our sins and headed for hell!
Tom
Read slowly:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalms 103:1-5
May we bless the Lord with praise and service. For he has blessed us in every way! “Forget not all His benefits” as told in the verses above! Oh how good God is to us and oh how much He loves us!!!
Tom
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”
John 1:12
Jesus came as the Savior of the world. First his own, the Jews, had a chance to receive and believe. Some did but many rejected. Then He allowed the good news of Salvation in Him come to the Gentiles and once again some received and believed but many turned away! Today it is the same for all…you either receive and believe Jesus is the Savior of the world or you reject Him. There is no middle ground!
Those who do receive and believe become children of God and those who reject remain children of the devil headed with him to hell!
What’s your choice?
Tom
“Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.”
Ephesians 4:25
As the church we are to be truthful people as Jesus is THE TRUTH! God desires us to imitate Him and being truthful at all times is one way we can do that!
Are you a person of truth? To be like Jesus you must be! Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in this area.
Tom
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14
For the follower of Jesus the goal of life is to fulfill His calling on our lives. That call is to bring honor and glory to His name by our service to Him and spreading the gospel! Our ultimate prize is spending eternity with Him!!!
Like Paul may we continue to keep moving forward to the goal of our calling! God bless you!
Tom
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13
In the midst of enemies these disciples spoke of Jesus and lived lives faithful to the Lord. They serve as examples to us to always no matter the circumstances let folks know we have been and always will be with Jesus!!!!
Tom
““Hear my prayer, O Lord, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were.”
Psalms 39:12
Thankful that in the hard times as well as the good that we have a Heavenly Father who listens and reacts to our prayers because He love us! Thank you God!
Tom
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord.”
Isaiah 65:25
For the true follower of Jesus we have the above verse to look to as it describes what eternal peace in God’s kingdom shall be like. Natural enemies like the wolf and lamb with now eat together as there will peace, love, kindness, and all the other words you can put in there to describe the perfect place to live for animals and more importantly for those who are God’s children! I long for that day and I bet you do too!!
Tom
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
Daniel 6:10
Daniel had some foes when he was exiled into Babylon. They were out to get him anyway they could. They knew he was faithful to God so they got the king to make a decree that no one could pray to any god. What did Daniel do? The verse above tells us…”he prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom”! He worshipped God as he always had!
May we learn from his example and pray and worship God no matter the circumstances in life. Be faithful as God is faithful!
Tom
“Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.”
Micah 7:18 In the situation above God had warned Israel of their desiring evil, being greedy, being dishonest, and being violent. Thankfully God offers a pardon if they turn from their sin back to Him!
A pardon doesn’t say you are not guilty it is someone showing you mercy and letting you not pay the price you should! That’s what God has done for all who will call upon Jesus as Lord and Savior!
We all need a pardon…have you received yours through Christ?
Tom
As follows of Jesus we should be desiring God to show us the path He wants us to follow as we serve Him just like King David!
“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”
Psalms 25:4-5
The main way God will do that is through His Word!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
Psalms 119:105
God’s Word lights up the path we are to follow! Read it, obey it, and bring God glory!
Tom
“But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.””
Acts 21:39
Here we find Paul, bloody and beaten, by a mob stirred up by his own people who did not like his message about Jesus but rescued by Roman soldiers! Now what did Paul do? He asked to speak to the crowd that just beat him! What did he tell them…about Jesus the reason they beat him!
May we have a love for people and a love for telling folks about our great Savior so we speak no matter the situation!
Tom
Do you love Jesus? Do you love God? There is a test to prove it. Here it is:
“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
John 14:23
If we love Jesus we obey His Word! That also means we will know His Word so we can obey it. Do you know your Bible well? Are you proving your love for Jesus by obeying His Word?
Tom
A common resolution for folks in a new year is to get in better physical shape. Start a fitness routine. This is great and needed for many but what about your spiritual health? What kind of grade would you give your spiritual health. Perhaps you need to set a goal of improving it!
“But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
I Timothy 4:7-8
We are told in God’s Word that physical exercise is of profit but exercising ourselves towards spiritual health in godliness is profitable for all things!!! Read that Bible, pray, and obey God’s Word and grow stronger. Your faith this new year is extremely important so make it your first priority!!!
Praying for you!!!
Tom
