Cross

It was not by His Mighty Word

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It was not by His mighty word
When He commanded light to shine
But by a gentle prayer of thanks
That He blessed bread and wine

And He who made the storm to sleep
Chose the price of sin to pay
He showed in His surrendering
 That He would not run away


Then when nails pierced hands and feet
And His fate on earth was sealed
We were not saved by mighty words
But By His wounds, we’re healed



Not By His Mighty Word
by Peter Caligiuri
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2026

Only by His Wounds

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But I say to you who hear, “Love your enemies, do good for those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28 ESV

Trying to love real enemies, is neither easy nor normal. It’s one of those commands that Jesus gave that we like to put on the back burner. But God loves our enemies, cares about our persecutors. He blesses those who scam us, cheat us and lie about us. Sometimes we secretly wonder, “What is wrong with God? Why would He do that?”

We can squirm, and make excuses for ignoring Jesus’s command as long as we like, but the Bible points us to the cross. There at the cross is the place where Jesus showed God’s love for us – while we were still His enemies! So, this morning in a world filled with violence, terrorism, political power plays and media manipulation of truth, only that kind of loving enemies can still work a miracle. Only radical love, the true love of Christ, turns enemies into brothers and haters to a loving Savior who still changes hearts and nations. And this morning  He reminds us that, it was not only by His power, but by His wounds that we are healed.

The Heavenly Price Tag

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I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels. Psalm 22:14 KJV

As a teenager I always remembered the Christmas presents I got from my stepmother Amy, because when she bought me beautiful and expensive clothes, she always left the price tag on! Now, it was not that Amy was bothered by spending the money, but she wanted to be sure that I treated her gifts with special care! In some ways God is a lot like Amy because He loves lavishing us with His grace, but He also wants us to know its cost. When we are singing about our salvation, home in Heaven or the forgiveness of our sins we should humbly remember the price of those gifts.

When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said that His soul was sorrowful unto death, and He agonized in prayer in order to accept the suffering of the cross that lay ahead. He begged His Father asking if there were any other way and then sweat ran down His face like great drops of blood. Then just hours after Jesus had finished praying, His hands and feet were nailed to the cross. The Bible tells us that He was poured out like water. Finally, a long spear pierced His side and then the last drops of HIs blood flowed down the cross to the ground. So, today when we bow our heads to thank God for any of His blessings, we should also look again at the price tag that is still attached. Though Jesus gave Himself freely for our salvation, we will treat His gift with greater loving care, when we are reminded of the astronomically high price that He paid for us!