Lose my soul

The song for today's devotion is "Lose my soul" by Toby Mac. This is a pretty self-explanatory song. Is there anything is this world of ours worth losing our soul over. NO! Jesus has died for our sins and our lives now belong to Him. Are you living like hell or are living like Jesus. True life is found in serving Christ with all of our lives not just when we feel like it! Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [ Blessing and Admonition ] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. James 1:21 [ Doers—Not Hearers Only ] Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Matthew 6:25-33 Do Not Worry 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Let God's Word speak! Tom

I can only imagine.

The devotional song for today, as I continue the series on songs that speak to my heart, has been around for several years now. Every time I hear it the song brings out many emotions and thoughts. First, heaven is a place we should long for. We were created to be with God and oh what a day that will be! Second, I can't wait to see loved ones who have passed on and have trusted in Christ as Savior. So sit back and worship as you listen to this song: "I can only imagine" by Mercy Me Many fear death but when we are in Christ we have nothing to fear but everything to look forward to! John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Matthew 6:19-21 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 7:21 [ I Never Knew You ] “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. 2 Corinthians 5:1 [ Assurance of the Resurrection ] For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 1 Peter 1:3-5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. Wow....I can only imagine! Tom

Give me your eyes.

This should be our mindset as we are in Christ! We get so busy in our day to day lives. Do we take time to notice others and try to minister to them? Jesus was busy to but He always had time to stop and talk or heal or proclaim the gospel. We as followers of Christ must learn to do this also. We are the only Christ people may see and God has given us all a ministry to serve Him. Don't miss the God-given opportunity to serve Him. Have the eyes of Christ to see others as He sees them! Notice how here Jesus is was on His way to one place but took time to help another...a great example for us! Matthew 9:18-25 A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. Give me your eyes Jesus so I may serve others! Tom

Fishing with my son!

We had a great morning bass fishing on TN River. Caught this one on a crankbait first thing this morning, then only one more keeper the rest of the morning. Caught several small ones. Who cares great time with my son! Thank you Lord for this time together!

Not Alone

Continuing with songs that speak to my heart devotions. The song today is "Not Alone" by Red. This song just speaks LOUD to me. It is so comforting to know Jesus is with me in all situations. I jotted down a few of the lyrics, listen for them: "I am with you", "I will carry you", I won't leave you", Your not alone", "I am here", "Love has a face", I don't know about you but those are Word I need to hear just about everyday! Listen to this song and enjoy! Well what did you think? I hope it spoke to you as it has me so many times. Thank you Jesus for ALWAYS being there in the good and the bad. I don't know what I would do without you! Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Isaiah 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” John 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Tom

What do I know of Holy?

As I continue on in writing devotions about song that speak to my heart, this song is one of my favorites. It wasn't that long ago that I did a devotion on this but I want to do it again. I have been in Michigan for a week visiting family, turkey hunting, and doing a little walleye fishing. Many times when I am out in God's creation I think about the holiness of God....I know so little about this great God and how Holy He really is...think about that when you listen to this song by Addison Road "What do I know of Holy": Wow that song is awesome. Do you realize this morning how Holy and awesome our God is? We will one day bow before Him. Remember in the Bible hoe Moses wanted to see God but all God could give him was a glimpse of His backside because to see the face of God would kill him. Think about the sun next time you see it rise and light the day. In heaven their will be no need of sun because the glory of God will be our light. I think about how little I am compared to God...nothing can really describe our Holy God. Exodus 33:17-23 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” Exodus 34:1-9 34 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” Revelation 21:23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Revelation 22:5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. So this morning...what do you know of Holy? Tom

In Better Hands

This morning I am getting ready to head to Nashville to fly to Michigan to do some turkey hunting and walleye fishing with my brother and dad as well as visit my mom and rest of the family. These days flying brings some anxiety! You never know if your pilot is going to freak out or if the plane will hold together or if a passenger is going to get out of hand. So as i was thinking about songs that speak to my heart this one by Natalie Grant came to mind, "In better hands". No matter what you are going through this morning if you have given your life to Jesus Christ you are in better hands. In life we have very little control over anything, but God does. This morning as I head to the airport and get on that plan I know without any hesitation I am in the hands of Jesus! So what do I have to fear? Nothing, nothing at all. This is the peace of mind that Jesus offers, the peace that is beyond our understanding. So my brothers and sisters won't you join me this morning in rejoicing over being in the hands of Christ, it don't get any better! Hebrews 1:10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; Tom