Daily devotion

Stories Are the Gifts of God

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8 NIV

Jesus loved to teach with stories. When asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered with the story of the Good Samaritan. When teaching about God’s kingdom, He often recounted stories of fishermen and shepherds, merchants and farmers. One of my favorites is one about a merchant looking for pearls. He must have gotten up early each day and made his way to the docks in order to meet the fishermen as they came in with their catches. Among those who cast their nets for nice kosher fish, were others who dove to harvest shellfish to sell to the Gentiles. Every day there would be some would discover pearls of various sizes among their harvest and this astute businessman wanted to be the first to swoop up the best of the day. One day as he made his way among the unruly and smelly crowd of tired fishermen, he came across some men who had just begun unloading their catch and there in a small basket containing a few common looking pearls he spotted one whose size and luster took his breath away. “This must not be real,” he thought. So, he called out to those fellows and asked to have a closer look. On closer examination he could hardly believe his eyes. ” Trying not to show his excitement he asked as calmly as he could, “And how much for this one?”

The captain of the boat, with years of experience haggling with the merchants, smiled, knowingly. The rest of these you could purchase for a few denarii, but that beauty…he paused here for both effect and a quick calculation for how much he might get, that one will cost you one talent of silver!”

In shock the merchant drew a breath, and replied, “You must be joking. An entire talent! That is worth several years wages!” Who has that kind of money on these docks?” The captain smiled. and replied.

“Along these docks I have no doubt that you are right. But in Jerusalem, there are kings, generals and governors who could easily pay twice what I am asking today.”

The merchant paused, carefully calculated that he would have enough if he sold his entire inventory. He also realized that he could also make a handy profit in Jerusalem if he was willing to take the risk, and then quickly answered. “Done! I’ll be back in the morning!”

Though the price seems ridiculous, when we sellout for Jesus, it’s always a good deal!

God is Still In Control

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
“To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Luke 4:19 ESV

When hearing this scripture which Jesus closed with in His earliest recorded sermon, his hearers must have questioned, “The Lord’s favor?” Nothing has been favorable around here for centuries! First, we were conquered by the Babylonians, then the Greeks and now the Romans. Not only has our land been divided and impoverished, but here in Nazareth we are some of the poorest of all!”

Though we might wonder why they didn’t understand that Jesus was talking about, we are often in the same boat. Seemingly unsolvable problems, health crises and broken relationships leave us wondering where the favor of Lord is in our life. But remember that Jesus began reading one verse earlier.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18

Our world, just like that first century world is filled with bad news. with many horrifying headlines. But Jesus came to announce the beginning of something better, especially to the poor. He offered riches that never grow old or lose value. He came to give peace, joy, and kindness, along with gentleness and goodness, just to mention a few priceless things. Then Jesus talked about liberty for captives and sight for the blind. The liberty and vision Jesus gives is a liberty, not from bars and chains, but from sin, and the crushing demands of the world. Next, He came to give a display of God’s love, that even a blind man could see when He died on the Cross. Last of all, Jesus said that He had come to set the oppressed free. Maybe they hoped, that meant the freedom from Roman oppressors, but Jesus meant the greatest liberation of all. That liberty is from the fear of death which lurks on every one of our horizons. By the cross, Jesus defeated death and founded an eternal Kingdom. This Kingdom which Jesus announced 2,000 years ago is here right now and Jesus is the doorway into it. If anyone will put their faith in Him and confess Him as Lord, they can step across the border into a brand-new world. In the Kingdom Jesus came to announce, no matter how things look, God is always in control. And not only is God in control but He also is constantly working everything for good for those who love Him and He is calling us to trust Him because He has called us according to His plan!

How do we choose at the crossroads?

Shelter of the Most High

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1 NIV

Last year our church received a call from a single mother, named Darla, who was being evicted from her apartment. Through a friend she had been able to find temporary housing for herself and her two young boys, but she needed to get her things moved so I went over with some others to help. Her predicament made me stop and think about today’s verse in a new way. It begins by saying, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.” Just as in Darla’s situation, the place of shelter that we need isn’t anything we can provide for ourselves. Just as with her, we need to find a new home and the good news is that God has already built one for us! Whether we are struggling with fears, sickness, or a personal crisis, God offers rest and a safe shelter in His shadow. All the protection, acceptance, and blessing we need can be found right now, wherever we are, in the shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ!

Prayer: Father, I come to you humbly today asking for you to take me in just as I am and hide me in the shadow of the cross of Jesus.

Shelter of the Most High, along with 364 other daily meditations is now available on the Amazon Marketplace and Kindle books. These short readings are meant to start your morning with God’s word, and a short story of study, that makes it practical and applicable to ordinary people just like you and me. As a small bonus, each month also begins with a poem, so that sounds of the rhythm of the year are echoed in verse along the way.