Sovereignty

God is Still In Control

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
“To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Luke 4:19 ESV

When hearing this scripture which Jesus closed with in His earliest recorded sermon, his hearers must have questioned, “The Lord’s favor?” Nothing has been favorable around here for centuries! First, we were conquered by the Babylonians, then the Greeks and now the Romans. Not only has our land been divided and impoverished, but here in Nazareth we are some of the poorest of all!”

Though we might wonder why they didn’t understand that Jesus was talking about, we are often in the same boat. Seemingly unsolvable problems, health crises and broken relationships leave us wondering where the favor of Lord is in our life. But remember that Jesus began reading one verse earlier.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18

Our world, just like that first century world is filled with bad news. with many horrifying headlines. But Jesus came to announce the beginning of something better, especially to the poor. He offered riches that never grow old or lose value. He came to give peace, joy, and kindness, along with gentleness and goodness, just to mention a few priceless things. Then Jesus talked about liberty for captives and sight for the blind. The liberty and vision Jesus gives is a liberty, not from bars and chains, but from sin, and the crushing demands of the world. Next, He came to give a display of God’s love, that even a blind man could see when He died on the Cross. Last of all, Jesus said that He had come to set the oppressed free. Maybe they hoped, that meant the freedom from Roman oppressors, but Jesus meant the greatest liberation of all. That liberty is from the fear of death which lurks on every one of our horizons. By the cross, Jesus defeated death and founded an eternal Kingdom. This Kingdom which Jesus announced 2,000 years ago is here right now and Jesus is the doorway into it. If anyone will put their faith in Him and confess Him as Lord, they can step across the border into a brand-new world. In the Kingdom Jesus came to announce, no matter how things look, God is always in control. And not only is God in control but He also is constantly working everything for good for those who love Him and He is calling us to trust Him because He has called us according to His plan!

How do we choose at the crossroads?

Every Detail His Design

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. Exodus 26:2-3

Though I love Nancy more than the day, fifty-two years ago when we said, “I do!” sometimes she makes me crazy! Sitting down to dinner, I get told there is a right way and wrong way to set the knife and fork by my plate, and that the napkins can only point in one direction. But when I read the book of Exodus, I find that in many ways God’s attention to details is a lot like hers. In today’s verse I wondered about the thoughts running through the mind of Moses while God dictated to him His instructions for building the tabernacle. Did he ever question why all of this was important. After all, when God had met him at the burning bush, He spoke of delivering the Israelites from Egypt to, “…bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” Exodus 3:8

But what About that Promised Land?!

Somewhere between the purple curtains and the goatskin outer covering, Moses might have wanted to ask, “Hold the presses God! Where is the milk and honey that You mentioned at the beginning?” But Moses had been through too much to question the God who went from sending frogs into the Egyptians bread dough to parting the Red Sea. Every step of the way, through every detail of their struggles, and fears, God had been working out His plan. And, in the middle of all the details, issues, bumps and bruises of your life God is still working out the details. He delights in watching over sparrows and lost lambs. The same God of Niagara Falls is the one who fills the brook with crawdads. He directs everything in His creation, and this same God of tabernacle curtains, and plagues also cares for us. He has generously given us both daily bread and the life of His only Son to forgive our sins. And right now, God invites us to a place of wondrous purple curtains, angels and lampstands, and best of all, a place at His table. There we will discover that through each major stumble and tiny heartache, every frustration and forgiveness that He has been working for our good through every detail according to His loving and mysterious design!

Photo by Mason McCall on Pexels.com

He is Calling Twice

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

I have always been intrigued at the times when God called people twice. The first I find is with Abraham, after by faith he had prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar, and God sent an angel to stop him, “Abraham, Abraham!”. (Genesis 22:11). Because Abraham trusted God, God called him to a deep friendship, and later, the Bible tells us that, Abraham was called, “The friend of God” (James 2:22; Isaiah 41:8)

Four hundred years passed till Moses became the second one called twice. While he was watching sheep, he noticed in the distance a bush on fire, but not burning up. When he came closer to see it, Moses heard God calling. “Moses, Moses, and he said, ‘Here I am,” Moses didn’t know what God’s calling meant, but he trusted God and made himself available.

The third person we meet is a young boy named Samuel. God came in the middle of the night; not because of anything special that Samuel had done, but because he had been dedicated from birth by his mother to God, and he had become a servant to the priest. “And the Lord came and stood calling, as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, “speak for your servant is listening.” Though Samuel’s call originated in his mother’s faith, God’s purpose for Samuel could only be fulfilled by Samuel’s own response. Samuel listened to hear what God had for him to do.

The last person we find with that double calling, lived almost a thousand years later, and her name was Martha. “But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha! Martha! You are anxious and troubled about many things, “Luke 10:41 The Bible later tells us that Jesus loved Martha, as he also loved Mary who sat at his feet and Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead, (John 11:5) God called Abraham, tested his faith, and called him a friend, He loved Moses, and called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. God loved the young boy Samuel, even before He knew Him, and He loved Martha, who was so busy serving that she hadn’t taken time to listen. And just as God loved each of these very ordinary people, He also loves you and me. He calls us like Abraham to be a friend. He also calls us like Moses, to be used to rescue others. He calls in the middle of the night, like Samuel, even before we know Him, and He calls us like Martha, even when we aren’t listening. He loves us and is calling us to trust Him when we can’t understand, to come closer to His presence, to wake up to service, and yet also slow down, take a seat, and listen. Which of these calls is He calling you to today?

Prayer: Father God, I am here, unworthy of your calling, yet I really want to know you, to obey your will, and to learn what it means to be your friend!