Invisible God

The Hem of His Garment

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. Matthew 9:20 ESV

My wife has completed many a long sewing project by placing a hem on the material she is working on. In a traditional men’s shirt there are a least a dozen hems, but on the garment of Christ there was only one. We know this because the soldiers gambled to see who would get his robe because it was all one piece. The only hem available for this woman to touch was the very lowest point of the robe of Jesus Christ.

Like this woman in the crowd, our own needs may have dominated our focus for years. Friends, family, and even her ability to enter a place or worship all were affected by that need, until the day Jesus passed by in the crowd. We are not told if she had listened to Jesus’ words herself or if she had simply believed what others had told her about him. What we do know is that the message she had heard about Jesus Christ was enough for her to determine that she would do anything to get to Him. For that one single moment, the power of her need had no ability to prevent her from pressing through the crowd and falling to her knees to reach up and touch the hem of His robe. The miraculous healing and acceptance of Christ was the good news for her that day. The good news for us, is that our invisible God gives us a visible point of contact but it is often only found in the lowest of places. When we are ready and willing to kneel down to touch the hem of His garment He will pass by and give us a visible point of contact to His invisible power and grace!

Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble James 4:6 

Walking With The Invisible God

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

This post is from a devotional book I wrote a while back but I posted it today because it is so much like the battles many of us are going through today. It is a reminder that when our spiritual walk seems more like a spiritual trudge we need to remember who we are trudging with! We walk with an invisible God on an invisible road to an invisible destination! What a totally insane thing it is to live by faith – and yet – God delights in exactly that. The apostle Peter puts this crazy walk of faith in different words, 

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Peter 1:8

If your walk of faith feels like you are wading through mud, remember that God has chosen those times for us to have opportunity to know Him better. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a mysterious letter written from the future as happened in the film “The Lake House”? If you haven’t seen the film it has an odd twist of two people from different times who have never met yet through their letters they come to know each other and fall in love. That is in some ways like our own mysterious love letter “The Bible”! 

We would love to know more details but by God’s design we are given His word. It is our staircase to heaven. The word of God is a light that shines in our dark place and it is our shelter from the storm. God’s word is a treasure hidden in a field and it is our pearl of greatest price. The more we don’t know or understand the more precious the riches of God’s eternal word become. I don’t understand this plan God has chosen yet by faith I am walking with my invisible God on His invisible road to His invisible destination!

Though I did not write this post to promote this book, ff you would like to order a copy you can find it here _ God bless and have a great week

God’s Invisible Things

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

When Jesus sat down for dinner with a well-dressed and wealthy Pharisee their pleasant meal  was harshly interrupted by a weeping woman who burst into the room and began kissing the feet of Jesus and wiping them with her hair. Simon was shocked! It was well known in his community what flagrant sins this woman had committed. How dare she enter his house, and furthermore how could Jesus allow himself to be touched by someone like her?

India and Nepal 115

Yet Jesus saw the circumstances quite differently than Simon or you or I. He didn’t focus on the fine tableware or savor the gourmet cuisine. He hadn’t been impressed by the beautiful columns or the handcrafted door at the entrance of Simon’s home. What Jesus saw was the coldness of Simon’s heart. Jesus had noticed that Simon had not given him the customary kiss on his cheek, or offered water for his feet to be washed. But Jesus saw quite clearly the repentance and gratitude of this woman and He treasured that.

God does not see things as we see them and as we enter this 3rd month of societal shutdown. He does not focus on our abilities, resources of political party.  Instead He sees the worthlessness of the things that I cling to and the value of the people that I avoid. Two years ago during an eye exam I learned that my eyesight was deteriorating because of  pterygiums which were blurring my vision. For those who are unfamiliar with the term those are things that happen to people like myself who spend most of their time outdoors. We have literally just seen too much! But after surgeries to both eyes I am thankful that I can see clearly. Maybe we need to ask God for a spiritual eye exam because the challenges that we face demand 20/20 vision. Even if it means spiritual surgery and a painful recovery it will be worth it when we come out seeing clearly and treasuring the invisible things that Jesus values most of all!