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Jesus Remembers

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.
Matthew 10:29 NIV

Every Thursday, I get to sing with my friends in a memory care facility. It is such a blessing seeing them light up as they hear the familiar hymns and many of them sing along. But as I greet them, some cannot remember my name, or in a few cases, even their own! Visitors rarely come. Perhaps most people think that since their loved one doesn’t even remember them any longer, that there is no purpose in coming. But the good news is that even when everyone else forgets, Jesus remembers! Jesus also weeps. Just as when Jesus came to visit the sisters of Lazarus, while he lay in the grave, Jesus wept with them before He did any miracles. Sometimes people don’t need explanations, they need our tears, our listening ears and our presence. Yes, Jesus weeps with them, but then Jesus does something more: He prays.

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:32 NIV

Jesus is not retired, waiting up in Heaven for you and I to get things right. No! Jesus remembers us, Jesus weeps with us and Jesus prays for us. Jesus also prays for every one who sits in memory care. Jesus also calls you and I to remember, to weep and to pray. Will you take time this week to remember someone who has been forgotten by most? A few minutes, a prayer, a kiss, or an arm around their shoulders, may not seem like much, but it is everything to them. Have a blessed day everyone and remember to pray for those in memory care and put some feet to those prayers this week.

Lemon Trees and Thorns

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. Proverbs 27:7 KJV

In our backyard grows an old Myers Lemon tree that my father planted. Though our tree is no more than six feet tall, it yields a harvest of lemons so abundant that we have to share them with our neighbors and friends! In today’s verse, we read about a contrast between sweet and bitter things in life and though lemons are not known for their sweetness, it is amazing how our little tree has taught us so many lessons about it. That lesson begins in February, just after the last lemon is picked and I begin pruning the tree. First, I have to be sure to put on a thick long-sleeved shirt and heavy leather gloves, to protect me from the long thorns of our little tree. I cut out any dead branches, cut off the low hanging branches and trim back the tops and sides to keep it compact. When I am finished our tree looks forlorn and bare, but just a week or two later, you would understand why. Stepping out into our backyard (or anywhere near our house) a powerful and beautiful aroma as the lemon tree fills with blossoms. What the fruit itself lacks in sweetness; God pours out in its flowers. Then God adds some really long thorns so that we must be very careful when we pick its fruit.

If your life feels like it is filled with the thorns from bitter experiences, remember our lemon tree. God is not through with you. Just like our little tree, It might be pruning time, but the sweetest blossom may be right around the corner. And just like our lemon, God often chooses to guard His sweetest fruit with the longest thorns. He knows about every sharp and bitter thorn, but He wants us to see that those thorns are simply reminders of what is still to come. So, let’s accept with patience our bitter times, knowing that a harvest lies ahead that is filled with the sweetness of all God has in store!

Mansion Medley

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:1-2 NIV

When our boys were in high school woodshop, they both chose to make wooden plaques with their names engraved on them. These they brought home and placed directly over their bedroom doors, as if to say, “This is my place in the world. Entry by permission only!” I often think of those signs when I read this verse, except that in Heaven, it is Jesus writing my name over the door to my room. Now, I can’t prove that this is true, but it does give me a clearer picture of what Jesus meant when He left us the promise in today’s verse. It is a place in Heaven reserved exclusively for us, paid for by the precious blood of our Savior. When we sang these two songs about that place, the residents all heartily joined in on the chorus. They sing knowing that their first step across the line into heaven is not far off and the value of that mansion over the hilltop is greater than ever in their hearts. Have you met the Savior, repented of your selfish lifestyle and asked Him to write your name over the doorway of your Heavenly home? He gave up His own Heavenly home for a cross, so that we He write our names over the doorway to our forever home. There is no better time than now to close that transaction!