God’s grace

Basta! More than Enough!

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

I love the word “Basta” which we use in Portuguese in this verse, which means, “Enough!” or “That’s enough!” God uses this word in reply to Paul in the way a father uses it at the dinner table when the children are all clamoring for attention, or squabbling with one another, “Basta!” In other words, “Settle down. We have more important things to do right now.” When I am sick or just plain exhausted, I often pray reminding God that I belong to Him and need His help to make it through. Though I rarely experience a miraculous answer, if I wait long enough, I always come away with a renewed sense of His grace and enough strength to keep going. In that dark moment I hear the loving voice of my Heavenly Father rising up above the clamor of my hardships, confusions and pain and He cries, “Basta! Be calm! My grace is more than enough for you!” Whatever you may face today as the sun peeks up above the horizon, if you turn your heart to the Lord He will answer. Our Jesus, who did all for us on the cross, till in agony, He cried out, “It is Finished!” “Basta!” It is enough Father; I have given all!” That grace is now so free and open to us today because Jesus gave His all, so that we might never be alone, never abandoned, never without hope. “Basta!” May His grace be more than enough and all you need for today my friends!

He Giveth

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

If anyone knows about weakness, it is the residents of nursing home and assisted living facilities. Our weekly conversations and prayer requests are filled with the news of some dear one in the hospital again, or recovering from a fall, or mourning the passing of a roommate. Maybe that is why they identify so well with this wonderful old hymn. When Annie Johnson Flint composed the lyrics, she was suffering from a severe form of arthritis which she began to experience in her early twenties and worsened throughout her life. Yet in spite of Annie’s suffering, her struggles lead her to trust more and more deeply on the grace and power of God and to write for us these timeless words:

"When we've reached the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving has only begun
His love has no limit
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundaries
Known unto men
So out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again!"

Where are you this morning: not geographically, but spiritually and emotionally? Have the difficulties in your life driven you to despair, loneliness, isolation and confusion? Have you, as Annie Johnson Flint did, reached the end of your hoarded resources? The healing news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that His suffering in our place on the cross, qualifies and empowers Him and only Him, to become the source of hope and salvation for us. No matter how far from God we feel at this very moment, the Bible tells us that, “By HIs wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). And from those fatal wounds of our dear Savior, flowed the blood that bought and redeemed us. Today, right at this very moment, if we will humbly come to Him in faith and repentance, He will receive us, fill us, and give us His unmeasurable grace, limitless love and mighty mercy. What a hope we have because of He gave His life for lost sheep, lost children, and lost sinners just like you and me!

Finding Rest Along the Path

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 ESV

After traveling twelve hundred miles for a family reunion and then staying a week or so with old friends, on our final day we stopped to visit Steve and his wife Diane. Our kids grew up together with theirs, and though we had not seen each other in a long time it felt like yesterday that they had been going to youth group together. Knowing that Steve had been battling prostate cancer and now that he has elected home hospice care, we had tried twice before to go, but between various nurse’s visits and his not feeling well, it hadn’t worked out till our final day. We really didn’t know what to expect, but when we stepped into Steve’s room we experienced something totally unexpected: the peace of God.

After a moment of greeting and finding places to sit down, Steve greeted us with a smile. Of course we asked the silliest of questions to ask a dying person, “How are you Steve?”

But Steve didn’t seem at all uncomfortable to answer and he knew we meant more than just a report on how he was feeling. So he smiled and said, saying, “I’m okay. I have peace. I know I am going to be with Jesus, but I am sad for my family. Please pray for them, especially Diane.”

Feeling that genuine peace emanating from Steve, we began reminiscing, sharing photos of our grandkids and exchanging stories. Of all the dozens of people with whom we had spent time with on our trip, no one seemed more at rest than Steve. He wasn’t worried about the future, the bills or what he could accomplish. He just knew, without need of explanation, that everything was in the hands of God. Half an hour later, as we stepped out of the doorway, got into our car, and drove away, we left Steve behind, but the reality of his trust in Jesus journeyed home with us. Now in my quiet times, when I am alone, Steve’s smile, and absolute certainty of God’s grace, challenge me to also rest in Christ along the narrow path that He has called for me to walk.