Daily devotion

Blessed Assurance

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

Yes the parades, with green hair, green beer and even a green river here in Tampa are past, but Saint Patrick’s day is not till this Thursday. It is interesting to remember that Saint Patrick wasn’t even Irish! The best part of his story did not even begin until after being kidnapped and enslaved, then escaping back to England when he committed his life to Christ. Later Patrick returned to Ireland with the message of the gospel and his story is in many ways like each of ours. Like Patrick we have plenty of unexpected and unwanted events that happen to us. But whatever difficulties we face that keep us up at night we can also have that same blessed assurance when we choose to follow Jesus. We will never know just where He will send us with His message of hope and grace until we surrender to Him and receive His Blessed Assurance in our soul.

Are We There Yet Dad?

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Be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6 ESV

When our two boys were about four and six years old, my wife and I decided to travel cross country to stay with some friends, while enjoying a bit of camping along the way. “Okay guys we are going to Missouri.” I explained to the boys. “We will be traveling for three days and will be sleeping in our tents for two nights along the way. Don’t worry about when we get there, just enjoy the ride, play games and don’t fight! “I told them enthusiastically.

The next morning with our little car packed to the max, we headed down the highway. I felt confident we were well prepared for our first big family road trip until about twenty minutes down the highway when our older son tapped me on the shoulder and asked.  Hey Dad. Are we there yet?” I can’t remember if I laughed or cried, but either way I saw that, despite my best efforts, I had not communicated very well with our boys about the road ahead. I am sure many of you have experienced this same scenario and have discovered that whether we laugh, pull our hair out or try repeating our explanations, our kids aren’t satisfied with details. What they really want is a regular assurance that everything is okay – every mile along the way. It is the same with us as we travel the Christian life with God. But the wonderful difference between God and me is that He didn’t just give us an explanation of the road map; He promised to stay with us and guide us every mile along the way!

The Road That Lies Ahead

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. Luke 24:15 KJV

Sometimes we look at Easter as a single defining event of our faith. But the Good News of Easter morning is that, as we walk (or run in Peter’s case) from the tomb, Jesus comes and walks with us. If we believe that living for Jesus means we have to do everything just right, then we will often want to give up. You should be encouraged to know that on the first Easter, Jesus decided to walk with disciples who were far from perfect. Let’s listen in on their conversation a bit:

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel…. Luke 24:21 ESV

In other words; they had given up hope. They just didn’t get it. Why had Jesus died? On those kinds of days Jesus draws near and asks:

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? Luke 24:26 ESV

Just like a doctor treating a wound Jesus pokes and prods with questions that can make us feel uncomfortable. But His examination is for the purpose of healing and focusing our thinking on Hs cross, His forgiveness and eternal life.

Prayer: Father my hope this morning is no longer that I have everything right, but that You will come along side today. Come Lord and walk alongside me to the cross that meant death for You and eternal life for me.

The above devotional comes from my 2022 Easter Devotional book, ‘The Joy of Easter” this is available in both large and standard print as well as in eBook format.