faith

Daniel Still Prayed

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Daniel 6:10 ESV

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last two years, you know that there is an important election tomorrow. Whatever the outcome, there will be a lot of unhappy people on Wednesday morning. As I thought over the various outcomes for both the presidency as well as both houses of Congress I was drawn to this verse from Daniel and have been encouraged by his example. When Daniel woke up the morning after the election, he found out that his party was the loser. His prayer life had been declared illegal, and there were deadly consequences for him if he continued to pray. But none of these facts seemed to bother Daniel. When he learned the news, he didn’t kick the cat, throw the coffee pot or run over to his neighbors to complain. Instead, the Bible tells us that Daniel woke up, had his morning coffee, opened his window, just as he always did and got down on his knees to pray! No that’s an example worth following!

When I get so drawn into the political and social storms that are raging all around, I need to remind myself that not every day will be sunny, and the roses cannot always be in bloom. Being faithful to Christ will rarely be applauded by the world we live in, and that only when we follow Jesus, can we discover that his grace and strength can carry us through whatever lies ahead. So, this morning I pray that each one of us can keep Daniel’s perspective. Pray for our nation, we certainly need it! Trust that whatever the outcome, God remains the ruler of the universe: His term will never expire, and He loved us enough to send His one and only Son, to suffer and die for our sins. Now that is good news worth living for, and it is also good news worth dying for!

Mysterious Melodies

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My mind is filled with memories
From the days and miles, I’ve run
Like aging stacks of photographs
Of people loved now gone

And yet each dawn comes once again
A song of hope and grace
That tells me I have one more lap
To finish in This race

And sings mysterious melodies
In rhythms still to learn
That teach my feet to keep in step
Along His path to home

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 ESV

Mysterious Melodies
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2024
All rights reserved

Act Like Men!

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.  
1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Today’s verse reminds me of Eisenhower’s final instructions to the troops on the night before the Normandy Invasion of June 6th, 1944. “I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. “ As the general knew, these were the final words some of those men would hear. In face of the coming battle, he appealed to their courage, devotion and skill, and then above all these he asked them to pray for the blessing of God. Thank God for such men, by whose sacrifice the evil Nazi regime was eventually defeated.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Like Eisenhower, Paul closes his letter with instructions preparing the church for a spiritual battle. He begins with the phrase, “Act like men“. In today’s society, such advice would immediately be misconstrued and soon pummeled by the press. But in Paul’s day, his instructions were perfectly understood. His readers knew how men ought to act, and it had nothing to do with their sexual prowess, if they looked amazing, or were applauded by society. They understood that grown men ought to be unafraid to face hardship, ready to defend those around them and willing to suffer without complaint. Men were expected to be motivated by concern for others, especially their families, and guided by the desire, not just to have things, but to do good for others. Paul was not appealing to the chest pounding male bravado that celebrates personal victory, but to the willingness of fathers who work tirelessly to provide for their wives and children and give a helping hand to their neighbors.

Though we men do not always live up to that standard, it doesn’t mean the standard needs to be changed, transformed or updated. When we fail (as we often do), we instead need to refocus on the last phrase of Paul’s instructions, “Let all you do, be done in love.” Yesterday was my wife’s birthday and I bought her flowers (which she loved!). But Nancy’s expectations for me do not end with flowers. I do not get to just drop off a bouquet and then act like a jerk for the rest of the year. Love is fairly pedestrian. It slogs along through the battlefield of life, pressing ahead one step at a time and dodging incoming fire, while working its way towards the goal that God sets. At what is that goal? It is the Cross of Jesus Christ, because that is where true love and courage is to be found. We need to be reminded that Jesus went to the cross, not just because he had to, or was forced into the situation, but because He chose to give His life. He set the example of what it meant to “Act like men. Our challenge on this anniversary of D-Day is to do the same and to give our lives, one day at a time, with courage, faith, and most of all by the help of Almighty God and with His blessing on the undertaking that we have before us.