Encouragement

A Little Firefly

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:15 KJV

One of my favorite old time songs from church is “This Little Light of Mine. It reminds me of a night when our boys were small, and we lived in a tiny second floor apartment. One night my wife thought she heard a sound coming from the children’s room. Since our flashlight was buried somewhere in a kitchen drawer, she just carefully worked her way through the dark towards their door. I half woke up as she got out of bed, but when I heard her voice suddenly pierce the night with “Oh! Oh!” she had my undivided attention.

“What’s going on?” I shouted sitting bolt upright ready to rush to her rescue. By this time though the startled little scream had been replaced by peals of laughter. “You wouldn’t believe it!” Nancy said as she quickly slipped back into our bedroom. “I was in the right middle of the kitchen when a firefly lit up no more than an inch in front of by nose!” That tiny bug had everyone’s attention, not because of how impressive the candlepower of his light, but because he chose the darkest night to shine it.

With all the problems going on in the world around us we can easily get discouraged and feel like our little light won’t make much of a difference. But it just may be that God has called you to give just a little flash of His love to someone on the darkest night of their life!

City Gates

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
 
 
Outside the City Gates 

 On cloudy days
 In shadow hours
 Or when the skies grow clear
 He speaks a word with quiet power
 For everyone who hears
  
 But some will look to earthly power 
 And temporary things
 Yet for the ones who will believe
 He is the King of Kings
  
  Who calls our name each one by one
 Then turns to us and waits
 For us to rise and come to him
 Outside the city gates 

Outside the City Gates by Peter Caligiuri © 2020 All rights reserved

Fear Not

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Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Some of our dearest friends at times pooh-pooh our fears. They insist we are silly and unreasonable about the things that make us lie awake at night. But did you know that God takes our fears very seriously? In fact God tells us 150 times in the Bible. “Fear not!” Rather than lecturing us God offers us a promise, a reminder and a solution. He has promised to be with us. He doesn’t tell us;”Take three of these, drink lots of water and call me in the morning.” No God promises to constantly remain at our side. He is there through our sleepless nights and stays close when we are afraid. Next, God reminds us that not only will He be with us but that He will strengthen us. He will pour out on us the oil and wine of His presence when we have been wounded and carries us when we can’t go on. Last of all our God is a practical God. When the apostle Peter tried walking out on the water toward Jesus we are told that he became afraid and started to sink. I am so glad that Jesus didn’t just stand with his arms folded saying, “Come on Peter you can do it!”

No! We are told that as Peter began to sink Jesus immediately reached down and took his hand. I am so glad that on days when I feel I am sinking that He helps me to walk all through this year with all 150 “Fear Nots”!