God’s love

God’s Great Symphony

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His faithful love endures forever! Psalm 136:1 NLT

If we look at Psalm 136 as if it were a grand symphony we could think of, these first verses like the trumpets blasting out an opening about the goodness of God. They alert us and fill our ears with the knowledge that our God is higher than any other power in the entire universe and above every other god. Then the composer plunges ahead with soaring strings that reach higher and higher ringing out with the beauty of creation and how God made the heavens, the earth and the sun, moon and stars. But with each new measure that is played we hear again a harmony note reminding us of God’s eternal love. Then the orchestra hushes as the score moves on to recount a specific list of each thing that God has done for His people Israel.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Pexels.com

Next a military drum roll marches out the victories God has led them through. First the deliverance from the empire of Egypt, then the crossing Red Sea and finally the defeat of the armies of the Amorites. Each verse sings out that God is faithful and with every note that is played we see His goodness. When thunderous rising notes of opposition challenge His children, God’s unfailing melody of love assures us to rest. No wail of lament or minor key of sorrow will last. They will all pale in comparison one day to the beauty and power of God’s love that echoes in every verse. They carry us from the beginning of creation, through every problem that we have faced and show us that only His love lasts forever. Then the crescendo of praise hushes to a silence at the final fading note of the symphony causes us to pause in awe remembering all that God has done and we give thanks In that glorious amazement we realize that both our blessings as well as our difficulties will pass away but the great symphony of the love of God will last forever and forever!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A Legacy of Love

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Philemon 7 ESV

When we think of great leaders, there are few who compare with Alexander the Great. He became King of the small nation of Macedon at the age of 20, after the assassination of his father. At first Alexander simply consolidated power in the region of modern-day Greece. But what happened next was truly amazing. In just 12 short years Alexander went on to conquer all of the middle east, including Turkey, Iran and Iraq, along with Israel, Syria and Egypt. When at the age of thirty-two Alexander died, he left an incredible legacy of military conquest though his kingdom was soon divided between his generals.

Photo by Miggy Rivera on Pexels.com

Philemon on the other hand was a different kind of leader. Though Paul begins his letter mentioning that a church is meeting at Philemon’s house, the New Testament says very little about his position. In fact, when Paul writes to the Colossian church he does not even mention Philemon. What we do know about is Philemon’s love. Paul begins his letter by calling Philemon beloved, and then goes on to say he thanks God in his prayers because of the reports he has heard about Philemon’s love. Then we come to today’s verse and Paul tells his friend that he is comforted and joyful because of his love. While Alexander was great because of battles, Philemon was great because he refreshed the hearts of others when he shared the love of Christ. Philemon’s legacy is not the cities named after him or the statues carved in his honor, but his love for others. What greater legacy could anyone leave than that?

Little Things

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’  Luke 15:8-9 ESV

Sometimes we think that God is only interested in big things important events and milestones in our lives. But the wonderful thing about our big God who created the universe, is that He is also interested in even the tiniest detail of His creation. Those of you who have followed this blog may remember that my wife spent almost five months, 3,000 miles away in California caring for her sister Diane. Thankfully Diane is stable for now and is being cared for by home health aides in her own home. Her trip involved the big things of life and death but one of the little wrinkles was that Nancy lost a dental crown. The day it fell out she was busy taking care of medications, cooking and cleaning, and so she simply put it into a Zip lock bag and set it aside. When the day came that she could return home to Florida Nancy just tossed it into one of her suitcases and headed for the airport. But the next day when she unpacked; that crown was nowhere to be found! After the dentist informed her that a replacement would be over a thousand dollars she made the date for the work a month later so she could keep looking. Of course we prayed and asked our small group to pray also. All through the next four weeks, Nancy ransacked the bottom of her purse, went through her jewelry box and searched every nook and cranny of the suitcases – but still no crown! Today the fateful appointment for the dental work came and we resigned ourselves to the fact that God must have not been concerned about that detail of our lives – that is until 15 minutes before it was time to leave! As Nancy checked one more time in a little jar of odds and ends on her nightstand – BINGO! There was her crown! Immediately she called some of the ladies from our small group to tell them and everyone laughed for joy. God brought to Nancy’s mind the verse about the woman with the lost coin. Just like Nancy’s dental crown, most people in that lady’s town didn’t care about her coin. But it mattered to her, so she just kept looking, because it was precious to her. That’s when it hit me that every detail that matters to us matters to God. He cares about little things and He loves little people because in the big picture, we are all small. Isn’t it wonderful that God’s love is big enough to care for every one of us and the tiny details of our lives – even dental crowns?!

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com