Month: January 2023

Crossing From Death to Life

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24 NIV

Before the children of Israel left Egypt, they stood on one side of the Red Sea, but as they were leaving, they crossed over to the other side. Forty years later when they came near to the border of the Promised Land, they stood on the East bank of the Jordan, but when God parted the water, of the river, they crossed over to the Western side. Throughout History we see people who have crossed over to begin new lives. Martin Luther left the Roman Catholic system on the premise that faith alone, not the church would give him eternal life.  One hundred and fifty years later, the Pilgrims, crossed the Atlantic, to what was called, “The New World”, for the freedom to worship God according to their own conscience. In the same way, Jesus has called anyone who believes in Him to cross over to eternal life. “But what does that mean? How can I cross over?” you ask. Jesus tells us that the answer is to simply believe His words more than ours. Crossing over will mean letting go of Egypt, to follow God through the wilderness, then leaving the wilderness behind to enter the Promised land. There is no crossing over, without a leaving behind. But we do not need to be afraid, because the same God who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River, is standing before us today with an invitation to believe. Jesus is stretching out His hand and saying, “You don’t need a map of the wilderness, to get to the Promised Land, you only need to follow me. He is also calling you and me this morning. “Don’t be afraid. Trust my word. Take my hand. Leave everything in this world behind and together, let’s cross over to eternal life!”

Jacob’s Limp

/ pastorpete51 / 17 Comments 
My aches and pains signed up to meet
Each morning to decide
Which one of them would get to be
The first one by my side
They moan and groan and whimper that
The straight and narrow way
Is getting harder with each step
So why not turn away?

But when I paused to open up
The book that God had given
I saw His promises of life
And the stairway up to Heaven

And read how sweet this pathway is
Our great Good Shepherd walks
For He carries lambs safe in His arms
And gently leads His flocks

And as I slowly limp along  
I hear my Jesus say
That in my weakness is His strength
That will carry me today

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 
Genesis 32:30-31 ESV

Jacob’s Limp by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2023 © all rights reserved

A Divine Hurry

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:31 ESV

We hear a lot of messages urging us to take things slowly, think them through and to wait on the Lord. “Wait on the Lord and He will renew your strength” People say, “Calm down. – Take it easy. – Just rest a while.” But I suggest that the waiting that the Lord has in mind is not a lackadaisical, let’s take it slow, attitude towards life. If we read on in that verse from Isaiah, the very first action it tells us to take is that we should, “Run and not be weary!” That got me to check out how Jesus “waited on the Lord” in His life and ministry.

Here are just a few examples:

And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” 
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:3

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
Matthew 14:3

 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.
Mark 1:21

 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, 
immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” Mark 5:30

Though we comfort ourselves with the thought that God the Father is never in a hurry, it is amazing to see that Jesus often was. He knew His time on earth was brief. Every second, each word and individual miracle performed, and healing given was done in what appears to be a divine hurry.

Photo by Nita on Pexels.com

But Divine hurry is not Divine panic. Jesus never worried that He might miss out on an opportunity. Rather the immediacy or even abruptness of Jesus actions (remember the overturning of the money changers tables) is more like the hurrying of the wind as it drives a ship across the water or the strike of a lightning bolt. God’s hurry is determined, steadfast and targeted. When we allow the divine hurry into our hearts it will motivate us to go rush to the side a friend at a car accident, grab our wife’s hand and pray for God to ease her pain after surgery or give generously without a second thought to a couple whose house has burned down. While fear motivates panic, a Divine hurry springs from an even greater force – the urgency and power of the love of Jesus. That love prayed in the garden, till His sweat fell like drops of blood. The love of Christ tossed aside caution and forbid Peter from using a sword in His defense. That same divine hurry must also be allowed to blow through our souls, like the mighty rushing wind of the day of Pentecost. When God arises, His enemies are scattered, sins are pardoned, shadows flee. away and we pray, “Come quickly Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20 KJV