As The Fog Lifts

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Roman’s 12:1-2 ESV

Paul appeals to us to offer to God daily, our will, our choices, and desires as an act of worship. Then, he promises that by following this new way of thinking about life that we will gradually be able to make out our surroundings as the fog lifts (discern). Then we will see clearly what is good in God’s eyes: what is acceptable to Him and how He would have us take the next step towards becoming perfect like Christ.

Eyes

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17 ESV

Eyes were made to see
Since the moment of creation
Watching dust specks in the sun
Spinning wildly with elation

Each sunrise with its colors
The wave tops as they break
And the smiles on lips of mothers
And the raindrops on the lake

He gave them light and focus
And His word to show them how
Our great unseen Creator
Is walking with us now


Eyes Were Made to See by Peter Caligiuri © 2021 
All rights reserved

God is Watching Out the Window

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
 May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary,
 and give you support from Zion!
Psalm 20:1-2 ESV

One day when our seven-year-old son was walking home from school, a group of three older boys began pushing him, throwing his books in the snow and giving him a hard time. Unfortunately for them, my wife, Nancy, happened to be watching out our apartment window, and immediately went into action. In seconds she flew down the stairs and out the door. You never saw three kids runs so fast once they had caught sight of their victim’s angry mom bearing down on them. Fortunately for everyone involved she never quite caught them, but it was the last time that they picked on Chris that year! In the same way God is looking out the window and watching for us as we are on the way home to Him. But you might think that asking God for help when we have problems is a spiritual no-no or even a bit selfish. But nothing could be further from the truth. God loves to answer our cry. Just as Nancy was not annoyed to immediately come Chris’ defense, the Lord eagerly runs to our aid. Today’s verse also tells us that the name of the Lord is our protection. When we call for help in Jesus’ name, our enemies are terrified and scurry for cover, not because of us but because they see Him angrily chasing them down! Finally, the Psalm tells us that God sends help from His sanctuary. Now this sanctuary is not some place that God goes to hide, instead it is the holiest place in Heaven. It is where the Father sits on His throne, surrounded by millions of angels and saints falling down in worship. Its floor is pure gold, and its support columns shake at the sound of His voice. Yet surrounded by all this eternal splendor, God is not irritated when He hears our cry. He does not mind putting down what He is doing to get involved in our life. No! God rushes to our rescue because we are His. He cares about us and we are precious and loved. So, if you are facing trouble, grief or even life-threatening circumstances today, remember that your Heavenly Father is watching over you. He is listening for your cry and will eagerly answer our prayers when we cry to Him in the day of our trouble!