blog and podcast

...for they will be called sons of God. What is your family resemblance? I mean...what is it that is common for all of your family? Is it curly hair? Is it a sense of humor, or even bad eyesight? We all have, in some way, a resemblance to our family. That is message behind this characteristic. We are adopted into God's family and we should resemble our Father in heaven. God has calmed the chaos in our hearts by putting his Spirit within us to make us a new creation. This Spirit causes great peace. We should be led by the Spirit, not led by impulse or emotion. God is the ultimate peacemaker. Experiencing this peace will overflow our hearts and pour into the lives around us. As members of God's family, we are to make peace...to strive after it and cultivate it in the relationships around us. In Romans 12, God instructs us through the words of Paul to live at peace with all men as far as it depends on us. If there is any room for you and I to be a blessing to others, we need to take that opportunity. "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord." We should not try to repay others for doing evil, but trust that God is watching over their hearts and ours. Be a peacemaker today. PETE

...For they will see God. When we would hunt "crawdads" in the creek, we had to be careful not to stir up the water and make it muddy because we would not be able to see the "crawdads". It was a lot of fun catching them, but once the water was stirred by a rock or our foot, we would have to wait a long time for the water to settle again. Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." When our hearts are polluted with even the littlest of sin, our vision of God's beauty, kindness, and love is impaired. Heaven is not just the alternative to hell, it is where we see God. Seeing God will give us full delight and joy for all eternity. "In your presence is fullness of joy" Psalm 16:11. Our prayer before God should be like the prayer from David in Psalm 51:9-12 where he asks God to "create in me a pure heart...and renew a steadfast spirit within me." David knew that more than anything, the condition of our heart before God is what was pleasing to Him. PETE