Faith

Crossing the Finish Line

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
My running days are over
Now slow walks are more my style
Though some days God is asking me
To go the second mile

And He’s teaching me His patience
To be kind in what I say
With truthfulness spoken in love
Forgetting hurts from yesterday

He reminds me of Golgotha
Where all His strength had failed
And how love held Him steady
As His hands and feet were nailed

That kind of love means courage
That will trust in God’s design
And when all else has failed goes on
To cross the finish line!

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NKJV

Crossing the Finish Line
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2023
All rights reserved
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Peace Beyond Our Understanding

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 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
Philippians 4:7 NKJV

Part of the joy as well as the sadness of nursing home ministry is walking with dear friends along their path of faith but then having to say goodbye when they reach the end. This past week our friend Don walked out of his room at Gulfcoast Hospice and into the presence of Jesus. The amazing legacy of his faith is a treasure indeed and the peace that Don showed to the very end was an inspiration. I hope you will be encouraged, rather than saddened by my short testimony and that this old song, “Peace Like a River” will lighten your load and brighten your path.

It is Easter Again!

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Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; John 20:8 ESV

I like the conflicted kind of faith that John had because it is so much like my own. After all, he had not seen a vision of angels as the women had, nor seen Jesus Himself as did Mary Magdalene. John had not had the chance to walk with Jesus to Emmaus or see Him vanish as He broke the bread. All John had in his hands was an empty burial shroud, yet that slim shard of evidence stirred within him the words that Jesus had spoken, “and after three days I will rise again.” and John believed.

I love this simple disciple, who never even ventures to name himself, though we know from the early accounts that it is John. He is so much like us, on this Easter morning. Not one of us has literally heard the Savior’s voice, nor touched His wounds as Thomas did. We hold only copies of the words His followers wrote, are stirred by the whispers of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and yet it is enough! The miracle of God’s gift, and the faith He stirs within us, fills us with joy. It is Easter again! We have received the amazing good news with what seems to others only a few shreds of evidence. Together we have become brothers and sisters with John and everyone else who has believed in Jesus for 2,000 years. Happy Resurrection Day! It is Easter Again! He is risen indeed!