Daily Bread

Castaway

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. Hebrews 10:35 KJV

The film, Castaway, starring Tom Hanks, tells the story of a pilot who after crash-landing his airplane in the ocean, ends up on a desert island. As the slow plot line dragged on, I found my mind wandering and wishing that something dramatic would happen. Just about anything would do! But the reality was that until help came, there was nothing for this guy to do but talk to a soccer ball he named, Mr. Wilson. In today’s verse God urges us not to do this with our faith. Don’t give up! Don’t lose hope! Don’t become a castaway talking to a soccer ball! Yet when we face what appear to be never-ending challenges to our faith, we are tempted to do just that. But the confidence we have in God is a hope that doesn’t just sit around wishing for rescue; it is spiritual reality with a great reward! “That sounds great,” I can imagine you saying, “But where do I begin?” I suggest we start by another kind of casting.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7 KJV

If we were thrown overboard in a storm, I am pretty sure that none of us would unsnap our life preserver and cast it away. Yet when we face hardships and the very real problems of life, we are sometimes tempted to think that letting go of our faith and trust in God will bring us some relief. The Apostle Peter urges us to do just the opposite. Instead of casting away hope, He tells us to cast away our cares. In the middle of trials, we need to remind ourselves that God still cares for us. His mercies never fail and are new every morning: even mornings that dawn in emergencies rooms or on battle fronts.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 KJV

In the middle of the pressures of life we can have confidence because God cares for us and He carries us, and just as He did for the multitude on a hillside one day, He gives us multiplied bread to provide for our need. Now He is waiting to see what we will do with the bread of His compassion and mercy. Will we just gobble it all own for ourselves, or will we do just a little more casting?

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Ecclesiastes 11:1 KJV
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Home Sweet Home!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

I sincerely thank God for the privilege and ability of being able to complete such a long road trip as the one we returned from last night. Over the last 3 weeks, Nancy and I travelled through 17 states (not counting our home state of Florida). These are just a few random photos from our 5,500-mile jaunt. While away, we visited all 7 of our grandchildren, both our sons and their wives as well as many close friends. We were also able to stay in the beautiful small town of West Plains, Missouri, which is close to the village where we were married 50 years ago. It was really neat going to the old church, which is now Immanuel Southern Baptist of Pomona Missouri, and worship with those lovely people. While we sang the old hymns, I noticed that they are still using the piano on which Nancy played on the worship team before we were married! Now that we are home, we have to mow the lawn, go shopping, pick up the mail, wash the car and reconnect with our local friends and neighbors. But as I was resting and rejoicing in being, “Home Seet Home” I remembered that while He was here on this planet, that Jesus rarely had any such privilege. In fact, while responding to an eager listener who said he wanted to follow Him, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Matthew 8:20 NKJV

Then it hit me that after I had unpacked all my thing and settled in, that I would still not really be home, because as a Christian our only true home is with Jesus. As the Apostle Paul once said, “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6 NKJV. But God does have a home prepared for each of us who by faith have followed Jesus and given our lives to Him. No matter where you call home today, whether things are going well or terrible, whether we are loved and accepted or rejected and unloved, Jesus has a home for us in Himself and we can have great and unmeasurable peace as we unpack our spiritual bags, come home to Him and find rest in Him alone! Some on Home! Jesus has left the lights on for us!

I Doan Like This Kinna Pancake!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 ESV

Years ago, wanting to spend more quality time with our boys, I served in Royal Rangers, which was our denominations variety of Boy Scouts. Though the weekly meetings were okay, what I loved most was camping out. The group I worked with was consisted of 7-8 years old boys and for most of them, camping was a brand new experience.

On one of them after getting a few hours of sleep in our tents, we began making pancakes and bacon over the campfire. Now the interesting thing about cooking over a wood fire is that sometimes a few ashes settle into the pancakes or atop a bacon slice. But the kids eagerly lined up for breakfast, and wolfed their food down so fast you would have thought they were eating manna from heaven. Everyone was having a blast: everyone that is except for Tony. He came back to me, not having taken even a single bite and stood silently holding his plate. It was bent under the weight of the food and syrup dripped off its edge then he looked up and uttered words that have stayed with me ever since, “Commander Pete – I doan like this kinna pancake!”

I laughed then, but after forty years, if Tony were here, I would say, “Me too Tony, me too” There are some days when I come to Jesus and say, “Jesus, I doan like this kinna daily bread. Is there something else on the menu?” But our Lord looks patiently at me and replies, “One day, I was betrayed, unjustly accused and sentenced to a terrible death, I also didn’t at all like what was put on my plate, but I finished it all for you.” Then I bow my head and give thanks for the pancakes that God has chosen for me. Yes, I may not like “This kinna pancake,” – but I know that one day we will sit down at a table together and feast on the manna of Heaven!

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