Month: November 2020

God Still Answers Prayer

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

When you think about prayer; have you ever stopped to consider all the prayers of the Bible that God is still answering? Maybe it would help to think about them somewhat like going out to eat or stopping at the grocery store to buy milk and eggs. The first thing that happens whenever we start out in the car is that my wife begins rummaging through her purse for coupons. Somehow, whether we are going to Olive Garden, Pizza Hut or Walmart she finds one that we can use, then she looks to see if the date is still valid. Prayers in the Bible are somewhat like those coupons. We only get to take advantage of them if we ask to redeem them and the good news for us is that there is no expiration date!

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This morning as I was reading Paul’s prayer of blessing for the Corinthian church I stopped and went back over the words realizing that in my own life I desperately need the grace, love and fellowship that Paul asked for. These blessings are much more than just words on a page or the sound waves generated by our pastor as he prays them over us at the end of a Sunday service. This 2,000 year old prayer is a valid coupon, redeemable in our prayer closet to whoever presents it by faith to God.

God still wants you and I to experience the Grace of Jesus Christ every day. The love of God is more than a gift given long ago; it is valid and waiting for us to experience it this morning. And just as they say on television; “But wait there’s more!” remember that in these days of stress, fear and change; the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit is a gift that God longs to put into our hearts if we will only ask.

So why not put aside a moment right now as you are reading and ask God for:

Grace for every weakness, sin and sorrow

Love for all people you will meet in every place and hour

Fellowship In every conflict, disappointment or disaster

These are God’s precious promises; still active in the words of this ancient prayer. They never die but they wait on our faith to remember and believe!

The Everlasting Arms

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Years ago when our forty something year old boys were small we used to swap baby-sitting duties with friends. Whenever it was our turn to watch theirs I usually ended up being the one to rock the two year old in my arms at bedtime while my wife put down our boys and their two older girls.

Debbie liked nothing better than hanging out with me as long as I kept rocking or walking around with her. It seemed the only thing that gave her the feeling of being safe enough to eventually get to sleep. That memory reminded me of Deuteronomy 33:27 where it says

The eternal God is our refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms! What a comfort in these tense times to know that God is holding us and he will keep us safe. This week’s song session includes Leaning on the Everlasting Arms and Bind us Together. I hope these will be an encouragement to you to trust more deeply and rest more completely on the Everlasting Arms of God!

Our Home at the End of the Way

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 To follow our Jesus one step at a time
 Keep pace with His slow steady stride
 Hold tight in the shadows our dear Shepherd’s hand 
Let the touch of His rod be your guide
  
 We trust Him because with a baby’s small feet
 He walked onto Bethlehem’s street
 And He followed until on a rough Roman cross
 They nailed both His hands and His feet
  
 Till then from the tomb one step at a time
 He walked out to new life the third day
 So you see up ahead that He’s waiting for us
 In His home at the end of the way 

Our Home at The End of the Way by Peter Caligiuri Copyright 2020 all righta reserved. Use by permission only