miracles

Ordinary Miracles of Grace

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” 
Numbers 11:5-6 ESV

The illusion of recalling small delicacies made them forget their bondage, suffering and prayers for deliverance. Their longing for meat caused them to discount both the mighty miracle of the Red Sea as well as the daily miracle of manna. Just as the children of Israel grumbled about missing the food of Egypt, we must be careful of our own heart’s ungodly longing for things of our past life. In the same way we must be careful, not to miss God’s miraculous in His ordinary means of grace. The sameness of every breath and each heartbeat may lull us into complacency and ingratitude for the astonishing beauty of another sunrise, another meal shared with a loved one, another walk through our neighborhood or trip to the grocery store. We long for fireworks, excitement and the spectacular, yet God reveals His greatest beauty in small sparrows, golden lilies of the field and His ordinary miracles of grace!

Today’s Prayer: Lord Jesus, may we truly come to see you where we are, sitting right here and right now in exactly the place where you have chosen for us to be this morning. Tune our ears to hear your voice and our voice to sing your praise, for the ordinary miracle of grace given us daily through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Messes Become Miracles

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In my morning quiet time yesterday I was reading a devotional by Diana Derringer in The Secret Place and was inspired by her final thought: “Messes become masterpieces in our Creator’s hands!” That line of hers led me on a journey to write this week’s poem. I hope it will be a blessing to you as well. 

Messes Become Miracles

The dove whose nest the serpent robbed
While sleeping in the wood
Still sings her song at sunrise
Though no one thinks she should

And messes become miracles
In our Creator’s hands
Neither sorrows, nor our sufferings
Change His Almighty plans

For by His wounds our healing comes
And His sufferings took our sins
So by those hands once pierced with nails
He leads us home to Him!

Messes Become Miracles
by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2024
All rights reserved

My Easter Miracle

/ pastorpete51 / 14 Comments 
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV

I asked my friends at Life Care Center this week to think about what the greatest miracle in the Bible was. Was it the Red Sea crossing, multiplying Bread or raising Lazarus from the dead? Now those are amazing, but the foundation of our entire faith is based on the miracle of Easter morning. And yet for me, the greatest miracle of all is not just that Jesus came, died and rose from the dead. The miracle is that He loved me and gave Himself for me. Why would He do that? Why would He even be interested, much less willing to die in my place? The love of God is both the greatest mystery and the greatest miracle, and this is my testimony of how I found Him, or rather, of how He found me.