Arrival in Heaven

Featured / pastorpete51 / 21 Comments

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”

It was not by His Mighty Word

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It was not by His mighty word
When He commanded light to shine
But by a gentle prayer of thanks
That He blessed bread and wine

And He who made the storm to sleep
Chose the price of sin to pay
He showed in His surrendering
 That He would not run away


Then when nails pierced hands and feet
And His fate on earth was sealed
We were not saved by mighty words
But By His wounds, we’re healed



Not By His Mighty Word
by Peter Caligiuri
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2026

Only by His Wounds

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But I say to you who hear, “Love your enemies, do good for those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28 ESV

Trying to love real enemies, is neither easy nor normal. It’s one of those commands that Jesus gave that we like to put on the back burner. But God loves our enemies, cares about our persecutors. He blesses those who scam us, cheat us and lie about us. Sometimes we secretly wonder, “What is wrong with God? Why would He do that?”

We can squirm, and make excuses for ignoring Jesus’s command as long as we like, but the Bible points us to the cross. There at the cross is the place where Jesus showed God’s love for us – while we were still His enemies! So, this morning in a world filled with violence, terrorism, political power plays and media manipulation of truth, only that kind of loving enemies can still work a miracle. Only radical love, the true love of Christ, turns enemies into brothers and haters to a loving Savior who still changes hearts and nations. And this morning  He reminds us that, it was not only by His power, but by His wounds that we are healed.

Finding Wells in the Wilderness

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Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. Genesis 21:19 NIV

Yesterday a post by Hope over at Patientlyhopeful struck a chord with me. As caregivers for an elderly friend whose home was lost 18 months ago in a storm, we find that our entire life is stretched. There is time for prayer, meals and church, but everything else is a great challenge. Not only writing, but any sort of spontaneous parts of our lives have been on hold for a long time. Yes, there are little windows of refreshing and opportunities. But life in general feels like a long wander in the wilderness. Thank God that the wilderness is exactly the spot where God often comes to meet us. Where we find hidden wells, and new directions. Hope’s post reminded me a bit of Hagar’s situation, and this poem came slowly came to me overnight.

Twice Rejected
 

Though she wandered in the wilderness
Cast out and left alone
Her cry was heard by One who sees
At her farthest place from home

For no green pastures grew in that place
And no quiet waters flowed
She could not see the hidden well
Till God called and came and showed

This Castaway now twice rejected
Without hope or plan or plea
Found that God who watches sparrows
Will in deserts set us free


Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. Genesis 21:19 NIV

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