Faith

Today’s Service

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

In my quiet time this morning it was as if God held up a mirror to show me how little I valued those moments compared to Him. Yes I lingered for a brief prayer and spent time in His word; but all the while the wheels of my mind were sprinting ahead towards my future plans. Yet as the apostle Peter points out to us –

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 2 Peter 3:8

We all too often lose the value and purpose of the moment of prayer and quiet because the hurry within our hearts drowns out the still small voice of God. We demean the intimate contentment with the Lord Jesus as if something later in the day or tomorrow or next year has more value in His eyes.

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But God delights in the moment. He rests in it as Jesus rested by the well. He has no sense of hurry or fearful anxiety of urgency.

He is never forced into action in a crisis. He rests in the moment like a butterfly who happily enjoys each flower without wishing He could hurry on to the next. He is not only the way and the truth – He is also like the clock of life itself and all time stands still in His presence. There is neither tomorrow nor yesterday with Him. He is the Great I Am! Whatever humble word, shy smile or simple sacrifice Jesus gives us for today is more precious to Him than any act of service we are planning for the future. The God who knows the beginning from the end also knows our hearts. If we will simply walk with Him by faith in this moment, His promise is that He will walk with us all down through the corridors of eternity!

 

 

God’s Idea of Everything!

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In the past I have to confess that my imagination on the word “everything” ran pretty shallow. My mind seemed to fill in the blank line of everything with ideas like – a nice house, a slightly newer car, or a big raise at the end of the month. But the way I thought ran into the brick wall of reality. Not that God hasn’t blessed us over the years by meeting our family’s needs in every one of these areas -but God’s everything has always been so much bigger than mine.

When the death of a loved one or a family crisis leaves me struggling just to get out the door then things that truly matter suddenly take on the luster of the eternal value system of Jesus Christ. On Calvary, all that was of greatest value to God was given for us on the cross. Jesus prayed for another way to give us eternal life, but none was found. When He bowed His head to say , “It is finished,” He wasn’t thinking of a Cadillac in front of our home or a college diploma on our wall. The “Everything” of God was given to us that dark moment when He had nothing left for Himself. In a heartbeat that stopped we were granted not only life that would be eternal but also Joy to face any sorrow- Peace that calms fearful storms- Love that stands by our side through the battle and forgiveness that welcomes His lost children home!

But He is Strong

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 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

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Sometimes we sing the verse “I am weak. but He is strong.”  in a theoretical sense only. We actually feel quite fine and we sing thinking that some day when we are not feeling so chipper maybe then we will need the strength of Jesus. For today we are well – thank you – and then the thought of weakness fades as we go on with our afternoon.

But when I sing those words I sometimes think of my friend Sal. He was in his 98th year when I met him in our nursing home service. His large frame with its wide shoulders was now confined to a wheel chair. Sal sometimes would say, “I don’t know why God still has me here…” Maybe one part of the answer which only God knows for sure is the memories of our worship in the dining room at Allied Skilled services.

Though Sal could no longer walk and he was nearly entirely blind,  he could still sing and his strong bass voice would ring out as we sang the old hymns. As Sal’s voice and others like his filled the air I can picture God cupping His ear to listen while He sits among all His mighty angels bowed in worship.  Then I can see God raising His hand for quiet because he doesn’t want to miss a note of that fragile melody better than anything of the heavenly chorus. To Him those elderly voices shine with the faith of children as they sing, “We are weak -But He is strong!”

I believe that if God listens in heaven, then how much more do we need to pay attention here on earth. God inexplicably brings home some who are young because their work here is finished, but He also chooses for some to tarry, because it pleases Him. Since their faith and song are precious to Him, maybe we need to listen more carefully and value more highly those who are living out those words, “But He is strong!”