Humility

Big Things for Little People

/ pastorpete51 / 8 Comments 
 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, 
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
Matthew 18:4

Did you ever notice that Jesus always seemed to have small children close to Him? They must have felt comfortable just hanging out with Him, and today’s verse zeros in on one of those little ones. That day, the disciples, were arguing about who was the most important. Maybe Peter started it off by telling everyone how he had walked on water – at least a few steps.  Matthew could have mentioned that he had given Jesus the biggest party and of course John probably burst in by saying, “But he loves me the most!” While their debate raged on and they were trying to prove who was the best, they had not noticed a young boy who was listening – but Jesus did. Then Jesus took him by the hand and put him right into the middle of their circle and said, “This one (who you didn’t even notice) is the most important to God.“

Does that sound as familiar as your most recent family argument? Haven’t we all sometimes lost perspective on our attitude and the example we are setting? It is easy to get so worked up over the big important things we are doing for God, that we forget that what matters to Him the most is the “little people” around us. Often the little things we could do for them go undone because we are so busy trying to do “big things” for God. But to God there are no big or little things – no big or little people. What is big to God is whether we are doing the small things that He asks. Today people sometimes say, “Dream big!” with the focus on us. But God will never help us to do those “big things”, until we are willing to become like that child who simply wanted to be close to Jesus.

Coming to the Throne of Grace

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Luke 7:37-38 ESV

Luke doesn’t try to put a positive spin on the fact that this woman was a sinner. Actually, this story hinges on the sinfulness of the woman and the grace of God. Many of us are like this woman except that we wear 21st century clothes. What has not changed is that we have exactly the same problem. If we follow this woman’s example, we will find that Jesus has exactly the same solution!

Are we willing to go into the Pharisees house and put ourselves in a vulnerable position before Jesus Christ? Are we ready to go into a place where we might be criticized, ostracized or tossed out? This woman came and wasted no time going to Jesus. She must have decided that if she was going to be tossed out at least she would have time to pour out her alabaster flask. Yet as she drew close to Jesus something unexpected happened.  She began to weep for her sins and the tears fell on His feet. Then seeing the tears coursing through the dust on His feet she knelt and began to wipe them with her hair and kissed them and anointed them with her oil. She might not have understood what was happening and the Pharisee certainly had no clue.  The throne of grace is an awesome place. We never know what will happen when we get there.  What we can know is that when we get there Jesus is ready to receive us and forgive our every sin!

Can I Help You? – Special Guest Post

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

A few of my followers know that one part of our nursing home outreach is a weekly newsletter which is distributed in 8-9 different facilities in Florida and Western New York. Sunshine Newsletter is a collaboration between me, Pastor Janice Burnett and Rob Keller. Rob provides the layout and graphic design for every issue but sometimes he also submits a short article and last week’s piece was such a gem that I begged his permission to include it on my blog. I pray you will also be blessed as you think about the question that Rob must answer every day.

Can I Help You? by Rob Keller

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 NIV

“Can I help you?” – I hear this question daily because my disability is apparent. I struggle with many simple, everyday tasks. These challenges range from opening food packages to keeping my balance while walking on uneven terrain. Some things are impossible for me, no matter how hard I try. I cannot afford to be too proud to accept help because I can’t live without it. Each morning, the first thing I do is tell God how much I need His help. That prayer has never gone unanswered. God’s compassionate heart and great strength carry me through all my difficulties. I have learned to accept help with a grateful heart. I see the people who assist me each day as God’s agents and His love for me takes on flesh and bones. In the darkest days of my life, I have learned that our Lord is an ever-present help.

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9a ESV

That is amazing! God is actively looking for opportunities to strengthen you, so you don’t have to beg and plead, hoping that He will answer. All He requires is that you ask Him and trust Him to provide the help that you need. When God asks, “Can I help you?” – what will you say?

Photo by Eren Li on Pexels.com