Daily devotion

Peace After the Storm

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV

Last week we talked about having God’s peace in the storm. But we also need peace after a storm has passed. When things are calm and quiet we find the damage that the storm has left behind. Here in Florida today that means assessing damage, reopening roads so supplies can get in and beginning the very long road towards rebuilding.

Divorce, disability and death just to name a few of our spiritual storms also leave behind a wake of destruction. In those long weeks, months and years as we are being rebuilt, God will never leave us alone, but will join us in the work of restoration. If that is you this morning, listen carefully to the verse of this new rendering of a wonderful old hymn. “When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay!” In that moment when our hearts fail us. When we survey the devastation after the storm, we can rest assured that the Carpenter of Galilee will take up His tools and rebuild us again according to His perfect blueprint!

The Desires of My Heart

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4 KJV

Often, I have taken this to simply mean that, if I make God my greatest desire, then He will give me anything else that I want. While this may be partly true, it misses the beauty which another translation reveals when it says, “Let your happiness be in the Lord”. In other words, when, the Lord is our greatest delight and happiness, then He makes a way for us to find Him!

Picture a young couple in love. One evening at a fancy restaurant, the man puts his plan into motion. After enjoying a delicious dinner and once the waiter has cleared the table, he falls to his knees, pulls a diamond ring from his pocket, and with tears streaming down his face he publicly proposes to the love of his life. At that moment, he has made her, his greatest delight. Now, hopefully, the lovely young lady responds with a joyful yes, and seeing that touching moment and the other diners erupt into applause. Yet our young friend has not yet reached his goal. Instead, plans are set in motion, invitations must be sent, a hall rented, and a date agreed upon by their parents, pastor and families. By faith, both of these people in our story are incredibly happy as they anticipate their wedding, But, when that day arrives, they will say their vows, exchange rings, kiss and walk out of the church for the first time as husband and wife.

Their joy is just a tiny picture of all that God has in store for us. For of course, Jesus is the groom in our story. He has publicly displayed His love, not at a 5-star restaurant, but on the cross. He has fallen to His knees, washed our feet and pledged all He is and all He has to us for all eternity. If we will say yes, then plans will be put into motion, guests invited, and a date set on which will be joined together forever. In our daily lives, we have a joy, because we trust that He is a good and loving God. He is our most valuable treasure and the ultimate love of our lives. Even better than this, we eagerly look forward to when all we have longed for will come to pass. Vows will be fulfilled, and a celebration like no other will happen on that day at His side when He will fully grant us the desires of our hearts!

Hurricane Peace

/ pastorpete51 / 19 Comments

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV

Though we lost power last night at around 7 pm, we made it through the night safe and sound. It’s funny how without lights or television that we were able to get to sleep early with no problems! Rather than being a fearful situation it was actually kind of peaceful. Of course we spent the time to text our kids and keep our close friends updated but then we just packed all our essential food in our big cooler with lots of icepacks and went to bed. Thank God also for our Youversion app on our phones that allowed us to read our Bibles in the dark, before praying and then peacefully drifting off to sleep.

Yes, Jesus left us peace…His peace and He adds to the promise a challenge. That is to not let our hearts be troubled. Notice, He gives the peace unconditionally, but He tells us that it is our job to manage our emotions. He will keep us always safely in His hands…no strings attached….but for us to enjoy the full benefit of His gift our part is to guard against fear. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled!” Like the command that stills winds and waves (and we had plenty in Florida yesterday!), the words of Jesus will calm our hearts. He has promised that when we ask, seek and knock, that He will give us all we need. Now Jesus is asking, seeking and knocking at our hearts. We mustn’t allow fear to keep the door bolted! If we just trust the voice that is asking for us to open, if we allow the one who is seeking after us to find us and when we open our door, He has promised that His peace will carry us through whatever Hurricane is shaking our world. Now that’s a peace we can use, not only in hurricanes but every day in everything we face. Have a blessed day all. Now if I could just find a way to make coffee!