Trials

Life is God’s Detour

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

As we had multiple Christmas Eve services, our church was closed yesterday so we decided to attend a smaller church not far from our house. We knew a few folks there and were so blessed by the pastor’s simple message that ended on the idea that we should thank God even in the detours of life. That got me to thinking over our lives as we have moved so many times that it seems that most of it has been a detour. If that is how you feel, then I hope today’s devotional would be an encouragement for you. 

 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance,  Philippians 4:11-12a ESV

Our two boys were in their early teens when we moved for the fifth time in our marriage. We had just found a local church that we enjoyed attending and there met an older couple named Dick and Chickie. Their children lived far away so they adopted our kids as honorary grandchildren. Whenever they invited us over for coffee and pie, we loved listening to their stories. My favorite was how they met in the hall in Junior High, when Dick slipped a note into Chickie’s hand asking if she would meet him after school. Well one thing led to another and not long after high school they were married and moved six blocks down the street from the school into the house where Dick had been born. Now, I had moved six times by the time I graduated from high school, so when people asked where I was from, I had to decide which place to claim. Just about all my life seemed like a detour and I longed to belong anywhere that would be willing to claim me. But whether we have lived in one house all our lives or moved a million times, today’s verse encourages us to be content. Wherever we are or whatever we have is never the key to our happiness or contentment. What matters is knowing that in every situation we are exactly where God has chosen and have all that we need for now. We just need to remind ourselves that He is our true destination, and He has designed our detour to lead us straight to Him!

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A Superglue Love!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? …Romans 8:35

I have always loved this verse, though holding on to it at times of trouble has seemed elusive at best. Usually when the going gets tough in relational conflict, under financial pressure or sickness I forget about God’s love and revert to anxiety or stressed out overreactions. But God’s love is supposed stick to us like superglue; so what are we missing?

Maybe our common weakness in situations needing God’s love is expecting to find the source in ourselves; and when that is failing we fall back into fear, stress or shame. But this morning I noticed how this superglue love that sticks through every possible circumstance has nothing to do with me or you. Its holding power is linked to who Jesus is and where He is in the previous verse.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:34 ESV

Yup…that superglue love is all about Jesus interceding for us with the Father right there in heaven. Remember He told us, “I and the Father are one.”? His love for us superglues Him to that place in Heaven. No situation of life or death, sickness or persecution can unstick His love or make Him give up on us. His love is superglued right to the throne of God and nothing in creation will ever separate us from the amazing….unbelievable…all powerful and wonderful, love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! Now that gives me hope and puts a drop of God’s superglue love in me!

Grace To Trust Him More

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Philippians 2:4 KJV

As some of you know, due to complications from a wisdom tooth extraction I became nearly incapable of singing for the last few weeks. Not being able to get notes out past the vocal chords, suddenly looked like Mount Everest had plopped right in the middle of my path. With nursing home meetings scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, I sent out an emergency plea for help and learned a lesson from friends who jumped in to help. The story of these last seven days is best summed up in three words – Immediately, unexpectedly and miraculously.

Immediately John and Barbara volunteered for the first meeting. John officiates once a month for our meetings at a retirement village and he and Barbara looked excited as they walked in with me to the memory care wing at Sunshine Christian Home. Like the Good Samaritan, they didn’t say they would pray about it, think about it or wait until they could work it into their schedule. They simply came both Thursday and Friday at another facility, sang their best and everyone loved them!

Saturday’s meeting was in the recreation building at John and Barb’s retirement village, but with John leading the meeting and Barbara helping out at an early Thanksgiving meal served to the community, I needed help with singing, but had no one lined up. After the opening scriptures reading and prayer, I came to the front. Then, unexpectedly just as I put the microphone in place, my friend Paula, walked to the front, opened the song book and with a smile began to help lead the singing. Paula didn’t wait to be asked, she simply saw the need and unexpectedly came to help.

Sunday morning as I stood next to my wife in church, lip-synching the songs, I wondered what to do about the service scheduled for 2 PM at an assisted living facility. Normally I would have worried through the message instead of listening, but after seeing God work over the last few days, I figured that God had something in mind, and I didn’t need to know about it! Church ended, we returned home, had lunch and played cards while we enjoyed tea and cookies. When it came time to leave, I wasn’t sure I could sing all the way through a single hymn, but God gave me peace that everything was okay. As I arrived, I got my temperature checked, got coded in and stepped through the doorway to see the nurse with a few of my friends waiting to sing. I began with a big smile telling everyone how glad I was to see them and started strumming a few chords, but no one was more amazed than me, that as I opened my lips to sing, that, miraculously, notes came out of my mouth! Looking back, I must say that God has been both faithful and patient to teach me again this week the lesson that how I needed to Louisa Stead taught us in her hymn 

Jesus - Jesus how I trust Him
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus – Jesus precious Jesus
O for grace to trust Him more!

This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful to not only be able to sing again but that God has given me family and friends who have prayed with me, encouraged me and come along side to help. What lessons has God been teaching you this week? Why not share a note or two or you own?