Daily Verse

No One is Too Small for God’s Purpose

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

 Saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” Matthew 21:2-3 ESV

Neither the disciples nor anyone in the village, could imagine why Jesus sent for the donkey that morning. God’s revealed that He had a plan and purpose tied alongside the donkey since He had spoken to the prophet Zechariah about it 550 years earlier. It is also important for us to know God’s purpose for our lives, but they aren’t always big purposes in our way of thinking. Though God’s big purposes aren’t about a bigger house, a bigger car, or a bigger bank account. Instead, He takes great joy in showing us that our small car, our small house and our small bank account can accomplish His plans if we will simply follow Him. And because God’s purposes are different for every person, we need don’t need to worry what others around us are doing. That morning the donkey only had to focus on the gentle tug on his reigns, to know when to slow down, to turn and when to hurry. He didn’t need to understand what people were doing around him, or know where Jesus was leading, he only needed to take one step at a time through the crowd that day.

So, what lies straight ahead on your path? Does it seem confusing that others are racing ahead of you, or do you feel confused by the sea of voices that seem to drown out yours? Be like that donkey this morning and just listen carefully for the quiet voice of Jesus, be sensitive to his touch when he pulls back on the reins and be ready to hurry forward when He urges you on. God has a big plan that includes our small part and He only asks that we trust Him about the destination He has chosen today!

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Resurrection Joy

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Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). John 20:15-16 ESV

When Charles Wesley penned these words back in 1739, he put into song, the joy that Mary Magdalene must have felt on that first resurrection morning. Remember that she had come to anoint the body of Jesus, not meet with Him. Her main concern had revolved around the question of who would roll back the stone, so she could get in to pay her last respects. Little did she realize that Jesus had chosen her to be the very first person to see Him after He had risen from the dead. Sometimes our biggest worries must seem awfully small to Jesus, and yet He takes time to come where we are, call us by name and is willing to show Himself to us as well. Will we only dare to believe?

Kept in God’s Pocket

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And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV

After a brief bout of sickness, it was great being back with my friends at Life Care Center this Friday. After we sang the hymn, “Take my life and let it be” I shared about what it means to be “Consecrated, Lord to Thee.” Religious sounding words like consecration, or as the New Testament calls it, sanctification, may make us think of some special ceremony. But the wonderful reality behind consecration is far more personal than some formal ritual. When Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood, He paid the price for us to belong personally to Him. Another way of looking at is is that, just as my car keys are kept in my pocket, because that Red Kia you see parked outside is mine (or actually mine and Nancy’s!), God puts us in His pocket. I keep my keys safe, because they are precious and of great value to our family. In that same way, when God receives from us the key to our hearts, He takes us and puts us in His pocket. There He keeps us safe, because from that moment on we are His! Have you surrendered the keys of your heart to Jesus? There is no experience more personal, than for Him to receive you into His family and to be exclusively be set apart for Him!