Daily devotion

Honor the King

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king ! 1 Peter 2:17

We hosted an exchange student from Eastern Europe several years ago. He arrived in September to begin school and landed right in the middle of a bitterly election fight for governor akin to our present presidential race. I had become deaf to the ads stating that this man was a liar and the other a thief but our student had not. “Wow!” he said one day. “They couldn’t say those things back in my country! They would arrest you or someone would come and beat you up!”  “They always do that here” I explained. It is just part of any election.” Whether or not insulting and rude behavior has always been this way is a debate for the historians but what is not in question is God’s attitude toward our disrespect of those in authority.

Photo by Tove Liu on Pexels.com

“You don’t know how bad these politicians are today!” you might say. But the rulers in the days of the early church were kings like Herod, governors like Pontius Pilate and Emperors like Titus (Who burned Jerusalem to the ground, crucified thousands of people and had their fields plowed with salt) In other words those rulers whom Peter told us to honor were sometimes violent and ruthless people, Yet the honor we give as Christians is not really just to them but to God who has given them authority. Honoring them has nothing to do with agreeing with or even obeying their commands – Check out Daniel in the lions’ den!  When we honor the king we are saying, “I trust that God is still in control!” God is giving us the chance to show the world God’s way. As followers of Jesus Christ we should respect everyone even those politicians we do not like. Remember that they are all made in the image of God! 

Listening or Hearing?

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Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus. John 12:1-3

Many years ago as we sat through an average Sunday service our pastor began to preach about the cross. First he described the terrible beating that Jesus received and then how the crown of thorns was pressed down on his head. “Next they took the nails” pastor went on, “And they drove them through His hands.” While we adults who had heard this message many times sat quietly; suddenly the stillness in the sanctuary was pierced by a tiny voice. “EEEW!” a little girl in the back cried out. The rest of us had heard the message. But in God’s eyes she was the only person actually listening to the message!

In our scripture passage today it seems that just like that little girl; only Mary seemed to be listening. Only she understood that Jesus would not be with them much longer. Jesus had told them many times that He was going to Jerusalem to die. But Mary who chose to sit at Jesus’ feet listening did something to give Jesus her best blessing while she still had time. Others people were celebrating and relaxing at the supper but Mary poured out her alabaster box of perfumed oil on the Master’s feet. Everybody listens to someone. Who you are listening to today? Filling the room we are in with the fragrance of the presence of Christ all depends on listening and then acting on the words of Jesus Christ!

God’s Narrow Way

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For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14 ESV

It little counts how smooth the road

That leads the wrong direction

Or the beauty of the view from there

If it is a distraction

From following those nail scarred feet

To the place of resurrection

Where on tiptoe angels long

To catch a glimpse of Him

Who by His blood tore down the wall

That barred the way before

That straight and narrow holy path

That leads to Heaven’s door

God’s Narrow Way by Peter Caligiuri 8-12-20

Photos by Peter Caligiuri 8-11-2020