Daily Bread

Through the Waters

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

When I was on the worship team some years back one of my favorite songs talked about God being in our lives through every season.

I loved the easy flow of the melody and its lyrics conjured up images of God accompanying me on a river cruise. Together we would slide by the scenery of beautiful forests and mountains. Here and there a wave rocked the boat a bit but in my imagination I just held tighter to the railing and turned to God and smiled.

Reality on the other hand has been more like finding myself in a small boat that accidentally motored too close to Niagra Falls. Once caught in the overwhelming current of events inner turmoil and emotions I was swept towards the brink of destruction. Friends and family seemed far away on the river banks shouting this or that advice helpless to save. In those hours I cried out to God for grace. Then as He amazingly brought us to a safe quiet inlet and tied us up to a resting place in the harbor of His will. That experience of through the waters has shown me how little I ever understood of eternal things and how much our Savior loves.

And as we face this New Year whatever our hopes challenges or fears we can know for certain that God is not just joining us for a luxury cruise.

He has promised instead, to pilot our ship through whatever hurricanes and tsunamis lie ahead and bring us safely home. Yes He walks with us through all seasons. Our Savior stays closest in the deepest waters and carries us to safety through the mighty power of His cross!

God’s Reason for Christmas

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV

Long before I became a Christian I was once stopped on the streets of Boston by a preacher who had a very simple message for me. He said, “I want to tell you about Jesus: That’s J-E-S-U-S Jesus!” he shouted, but I didn’t know why I couldn’t understand how God could love me and even less why this man was almost shouting as he told me. But now, almost 50 years later, the lines that penetrated my heart that night remain lodged wonderfully in my memory. Sometimes around Christmas I hear, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”  But is Jesus, really God’s reason for your Christmas?

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In the Gospel of John we do not hear a traditional telling of the birth of Jesus. His story begins far earlier than Bethlehem. John looks back to before the dawn of time. He tells us of when Jesus, the Word of God, was already with the Father. Then he says that the first Bethlehem night was special because in the manger, God’s Word became flesh.

If Jesus had never come He would have only been the word not spoken. If no child was laid in the manger that night we could never see God’s glory. If no news from angels had been given to shepherds how would we have ever known the grace and the truth He came to bring? But God did speak. Jesus did come! He came to be with us and die for our sins so that we could have eternal life!

Gifts of Mercy

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high Luke 1:78

Mercy may seem like a small thing, to someone who is an outside observer, but to the one who is receiving it, Mercy is the most necessary thing on the planet!

While we are busy shopping, celebrating and giving gifts it is important to remind ourselves that the most important gifts are unlikely to be found in stores. The gifts of greatest value can only be given after our own hearts have been touched by God’s mercy. In Bethlehem’s manger God chose to come and visit us and for 33 years He stayed until the day when His blood was given as His sacrifice of mercy. Remembering that amazing gift, then what gifts of mercy can we give to others today?

A Gift of Mercy Can be

A pint of blood for someone we don’t know

A handful of tissues when tears start to flow

A silent embrace when someone’s world falls apart

A light at the door when we come home after dark

A kiss of acceptance from someone we’ve hurt

A check in the mail when we’ve been out of work

Angel songs in the night when we’re out in the field

And the Babe in the manger before whom we kneel!

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