God’s Idea of Everything!

In the past I have to confess that my imagination on the word “everything” ran pretty shallow. My mind seemed to fill in the blank line of everything with ideas like – a nice house, a slightly newer car, or a big raise at the end of the month. But the way I thought ran into the brick wall of reality. Not that God hasn’t blessed us over the years by meeting our family’s needs in every one of these areas -but God’s everything has always been so much bigger than mine.

When the death of a loved one or a family crisis leaves me struggling just to get out the door then things that truly matter suddenly take on the luster of the eternal value system of Jesus Christ. On Calvary, all that was of greatest value to God was given for us on the cross. Jesus prayed for another way to give us eternal life, but none was found. When He bowed His head to say , “It is finished,” He wasn’t thinking of a Cadillac in front of our home or a college diploma on our wall. The “Everything” of God was given to us that dark moment when He had nothing left for Himself. In a heartbeat that stopped we were granted not only life that would be eternal but also Joy to face any sorrow- Peace that calms fearful storms- Love that stands by our side through the battle and forgiveness that welcomes His lost children home!

Symphony of Life

If you have trusted Christ for your salvation then your life is like a symphony written by the chief composer of heaven. A symphony has different movements and maybe yours includes some pain or heart break today. I share here with the nursing home residents that God has helped me to understand that we need to play every note our very best because we never know who is listening!

pastorpete51's avatarWalking With Lambs

I post this opening of our service this week at Allied Nursing Home as an encouragement to be yourself at your nursing home. We do need to follow rules and so we could not film any of the residents but your can definitely hear them in the background!! Don’y worry if everything you do is polished and professional, this is hardly a slick production in my Youtube channel. But we need to know that God will use us with whatever talents, and personalities we have to make a difference. This is the third of three services we have each week and we average about 25-30 people in the dining room. Stay tuned for a bit more live video in future posts sharing a bit more music and a brief message. Be blessed as you press toward the goal in nursing home ministry today!

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Hope of Healing

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses      Matthew 8:17 KJV

Did you know that God is so intimately concerned with our physical needs that He has even counted the number of hairs on our head? We have a great hope that whether in this life or in the next; God will heal every disease, restore all that is broken and renew our youth like the eagles!
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Whether sitting in a wheel chair in a nursing home or confined to a bed with a tracheotomy tube in order to breathe, Jesus offers the hope of complete and entire healing as one part of His promise of eternal life. That promise may be overlooked or forgotten by those in perfect health, but God does not forget. The same Jesus who was moved with compassion for lepers, the blind and the lame has promised to wipe every tear from our eyes. He not only has compassion for our aches, pains and disabilities but the Bible tells us that He took all of these onto his shoulders and carried them. If we continue reading in the chapter of Isaiah that Matthew quotes we see in the very next verse that it is by His stripes that we are healed. God is so very concerned for every one of our pains and infirmities that He allowed a whip to fall across the shoulders of Jesus. As He was wounded again and again we were being healed. Weak arms will be lifted, failing voices will sing again and deaf ears will hear the shepherd’s voice! When the things of earth have passed we will stand strong and eternally young in the presence of our ageless King!

Excerpt from 50 Days of Hope – A special devotional for residents, workers and family members of the long term care community.

50 Days of Hope

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