Daily Verse

A Heavenly Echo

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 
Luke 2:14 ESV

As Jesus neared Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, it seemed that the world finally understood why He came. But it was not to be and Jesus wept because in the.midst of apparent triumph, He could see could see the cross just ahead and the destruction of Jerusalem in the not too distant future.

And yet for just that single moment the message that the angels had once told the shepherds echoed in the hearts and on the lips of those who loved Him. The same is true in our world this Christmas Eve. With bombs falling in Ukraine and churches burning in Nigeria, it might seem that peace on earth is never to be. Yet in the hearts of those who have not only run to the manger, but have come to love Him, there is a heavenly echo of all that God intends to be one day. Just as surely as the sun will rise this morning, Jesus will return one day. He will sit on David’s throne and all the world will bow before Him. Then the true peace of Heaven will rule and the glory in the highest will shine on us forever. Merry Christmas everybody! May God bless us today with an echo of all He has for those who love Him and rejoice in Him no matter what is happening in our lives. Glory to God who is in the highest and who reigns above it all!

He Knows Your Name!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
"To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:3 NKJV

Does it bother you when people forget your name? Are you offended, or at this holiday season when the song says “There’s no place like home for the holidays.”, are you wondering if there is anyone who wants you around or knows what you are going through? In the chapter just before today’s verse, we are introduced to a blind man who receives a more detailed story than anyone else in John’s gospel (except of course Jesus), but we are never told his name. The disciples asked if he were a sinner and his neighbors just referred to him as the blind beggar. His parents simply confessed him as son, then the Pharisees named him; a sinner. Not one person uttered his name. Maybe he felt invisible, anonymous and rejected. But no matter whether, they knew his name, the most important part of this story is that Jesus did! If we keep reading we find that Jesus came to meet him after he was rejected by others and called him individually to believe and follow. Today, just like that blind man, Jesus has come for you. Jesus wants to spend time with you. If no one else on earth remembers you, this Christmas, remember that Jesus has not forgotten. He is calling you and has come to lead you to come and follow someone who will always remember your name!

Sold Out!

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 
Matthew 13:44 ESV


When I worked in a grocery store in days long before optical scanners and when no one imagined our store being open on Sundays, Saturday was the number one shopping day of the week. That meant that on Friday afternoons I was assigned to make sure that my aisles were stocked and ready for the morning mayhem when the housewives of West Plains Missouri could empty the shelves faster than I could restock! Then also meant that when the doors opened again on Monday, most of our shelves stood empty. We were sold out until I could drive to the warehouse for more merchandise.


That kind of “sold out” was an avalanche of circumstances that took a weekend to experience. The “sold out” that Jesus teaches us about is not something that happens in a single prayer at the altar or over a weekend retreat. That kind of sold out for the kingdom of God takes a lifetime. The only things of value that we have to give are our days and we must sell them one by one if we are to have the treasure hidden in a field. When we have no further claims in this world to hold and we sell our last day, then we will take full possession of Jesus Christ our only inheritance and our treasure. Then we will have the full field and we will be hidden with Him in The Kingdom of Heaven forever!