pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Monthly Archives: February 2014


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Taste and See

Isaiah 34:6-8:
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And He delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

These verses from Psalm 34 really stood out to me this morning. I especially like “this poor man called” and “taste and see that the Lord is good.” God loves us all equally, but He seems to have a special, soft spot for those in need. The need may be physical, emotional, or spiritual. We see this soft spot in Jesus too!!

In Matthew 5 we are called to be salt and light to the world. As salt we preserve and we flavor. When we are salt to others we encourage them in their situation and remind them that God loves them and will help them persevere. Salt reminds us to continue to hang on, to continue to lean into God. As salt we also challenge others to action – to get off the seat of complacency and to be a part of building the kingdom here on earth.

As light we both shed light into the darkness and also provide a way back into the life of faith. At times we are that light that shines into people’s lives who are lost in darkness or sin. We call them out of that life. At other times light means helping people to see God again. At times we all get lost or off track. As the light we are called to help people find God when they are having a difficult time seeing or feeling the light.

Many out there are in need of God. Many who are hurting physically, emotionally, or spiritually. When this poor man calls, may we be there to answer the call. May we be thereto be God’s hands and feet. May we be there so that they can taste and see that the Lord is good!!


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The Radical Shift

Many people in the world like and chose to live by the Golden Rule. It is some version of the idea “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Treat people how you would like to be treated. The world would be a pretty nice place if we all lived this out. But…

As followers of Christ we are called to more than the golden rule. And the question is how do we get from this rule to living like Christ calls us to live. In 1 Corinthians 2 Paul shares that the Holy Spirit reveals to us the wisdom of God so that we may gain the glory for which we are destined. Gain implies some effort on our part. The Spirit fills us with this knowledge so that we may come to understand the things of God and to make decisions with the ‘mind of Christ’ that the Spirit develops in us.

Through this wisdom of God we move beyond ‘how I want to be treated’ to how Christ would treat me. This is a radical shift. We begin to look without instead of within. It is not a tit-for-tat thought process but a ‘how can I love this person without strings attached’ thought process? It becomes thinking about how we can serve, love, and care for our world without expecting something back.

It is coming to understand how to love like Christ loved. It is bringing people to the John 10:10 Jesus: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Through the wisdom of God that the Holy Spirit imparts we are all capable of this kind of love. May we all begin to make that radical shift that Christ calls us to!!


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Shining for the Lord

Paul was a man who was a religious leader. He was well-versed in the words of the Bible (the Old Testament at the time) and knew every letter of the Law. But whenever Paul shared the Gospel, it wasn’t usually with $100 religious terms or by spelling out a long list of what one must do to come to know Christ. Paul sought the power of the Holy Spirit as his means of delivery of the message. He knew that the people would best see and come to know Christ if they could see the power of God working in and through him.

In our lives we have many ways to share the message. We do not have to have some fantastic conversion story or experience. We don’t have to awe someone with our great knowledge of the Bible or with the great things we have done. We can share our faith through the little decisions we make about how to live out our life daily. We can share the message in the way we interact with and care for our neighbors, co-workers, and friends. Christ can shine in all we do.

We can also share our faith by our actions and commitments. This can be but does not have to be some grand thing either. It can be. It may be serving on a committee or team at church. It may be in donating time to an agency that helps the needy. It may be in visiting people at the jail or the hospital. In all we do, the love of Christ should shine through!!

The world is always watching. Be encouraged by this. Be honored by this. In all ways this day, may the love of Christ shine through you like the sun!!


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May It Be

Psalm 112 opens with these lines: “Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” When we find a healthy amount of respect for God and live into His commands, we find our lives blessed.

Often the world looks at blessings as beauty, power or position, a big house or fancy car, and so on. Often the world looks at good health and minimal worries as being blessed. Often the world looks at a successful person as having many of the things listed in the previous two sentences. And God may chose to bless the righteous person in these ways as well.

But sometimes we as Christians expect these material or worldly blessings. We may even question God and doubt our relationship with Him when or if some of these things are missing! But the blessing God brings is not about us. The blessing God promises does not guarantee happiness all the time in this life, just in the eternal.

The wealth and riches that a righteous person receives from God come out of that relationship we have with Him and that gets lived out into our world. In verse 5 we are told that good will come to him who is generous and conducts his affairs with justice. In verse 7 we are told that the righteous man will not be shaken for his heart is steadfast and trusts in the Lord. And in verse 9 we are told that because he scatters his gifts to the poor, the righteousness will endure forever.

Many people around the world are very poor by our standards and they live with little yet they enjoy a deep and lively relationship with God. They have come to fully trust in Him and His provisions for them, no matter how meager their physical world may be. On a basic level they are very content with their lives and deeply know that all they have comes from God. They share freely out of the little they have. They thank God for the littlest of things and for all things.

Sometimes I am almost jealous of their pure faith. Sometimes I wish that I could be as content in all things as they are. So today I seek humility in my contentment. Today I seek to give freely and abundantly to all whom I encounter. Today I seek a pure and simple faith. May it also be with you as it pleases the Lord!!


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Outside the Walls

God calls us not only to faith but to action as well. To just believe in God and the words in the Bible simply are not enough. We are also called to be in the world so that our faith bears fruit.

In Isaiah 58 God calls out the Israelites to loosen the chains of injustice, to break the yoke of oppression, to share food with the hungry, to clothe the naked, to house the poor wanderer. He urges them NOT to turn their backs on their own flesh and blood. These words of Isaiah are echoed several times in the New Testament as Jesus teaches His disciples how to live. These words of Isaiah, and later Jesus, are also a cry to action for us and the church today.

In each and every community these needs exist to some degree or another. We can still stand up for people who are suffering injustice and we can intervene when we see that oppression is occurring. Sometimes these are hard to see but these issues are there. The other needs are easier to see and easier to address. Whether through directly giving to individuals or agencies that help the needy in our community or through donating money to the agencies, we too can share in alleviating the burden many face. In our community there are people in need of food, clothing, and adequate housing. Our faith should call us to care for our brothers and sisters in whatever way we can and as well as we can. As the body of Christ, all are our flesh and blood.

God calls on Israel, and on us, to live out our faith. He expects us to be outside the walls of our churches making a difference in our worlds. In Isaiah 58 He goes on to say why. God promises that our light will shine out before us and our light will rise in the darkness. He also says that healing will come. (And by healing He means spiritual healing, not physical!) God promises that our call will be heard and that He will answer. Our faithfulness to Him and to the care of all of our brothers and sisters will build our relationship with Him. Is this not our call? Is this not your call? Step out in faith and into the world out there. God will be there. We will meet him in those we serve and care for and they will meet Him in us.


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With and Not For

Do you ever wonder what pleases God? Have you ever considered what truly helps us to grow in our relationship with Him?

Just because I go and occupy a pew for an hour on Sunday morning, does it necessarily mean my faith grows. Just because I go and help serve a meal at the Cornerstone Rescue Mission does it mean that I am loving and serving the needy. Just because I read the Bible does it mean I am growing in my faith. We can do lots FOR God but if it is not WITH God. Herein lies a huge difference.

A fast is not a fast simply because we skip a few meals. That is just a diet. A fast starts to become a fast when we feel the hunger and turn to God to admit our weakness and to seek His strength. When we declare our inability to do it on our own and call out to God, then we are building that relationship with Him. The physical need leads to and reveals our need for spiritual strength as well.

Similarly, when we read or hear the Word proclaimed and we take it in and claim it as our own, then we are making it a part of our lives and growing in our faith. When we sit down with someone at the Mission and share a meal with them, then we are beginning to know and understand the needy and how to make a difference in their lives. When we connect we are seeing through God’s eyes and not our own. Then our relationship with Christ grows as well.

When we choose to be a part of doing things with God instead of simply for God, then that makes a huge difference in our lives. And equally important it makes a difference in the lives of those around and with us. Ever worshipped with that guy who just seems so into it, so plugged into the Spirit? Be that guy. Ever served alongside that lady who seems that she would rather be there that anywhere else in the world? Be that lady. Ever marvel at how Jesus could love the least and the lost as if they were the only one that mattered in the world? Be that follower. Today.


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Shining the Light

 

At the end of the Beatitudes Jesus reminds us that when we share the light and love, we may be insulted, persecuted, and falsely accused. This mirrors what Jesus faced His last few days as he faced the religious leaders, Pilate, and Herod. Jesus chose to endure insult, persecution, and false accusation so that He could walk to Golgatha and bear death on the cross for our sins. In verse 12 He also reminds us why He walked that road – He knew that great is the reward in heaven!
When we chose to share the light and love of Jesus in our world, sometimes we cast that light and love into and upon the darkness that some people live in. And when we cast that light upon the darkness, sometimes people recoil and react. They respond by hurling insults, by falsely accusing, and/or by persecuting. But they have heard and seen the word revealed. The soil may be rocky and the seed will not bear fruit, but they have heard the word.

When we chose to endure the insults… we are also shining a light upon Jesus. They expect a reaction from us and when we make the choice not to engage, we shed more light. Others that do not recoil and react but have now seen the light and heard the word will be drawn both to these and to our non-reaction. This soil is a little more fertile so these seeds may begin to take root. For in being willing to model love and mercy in the face of insults, accusations, and persecution, we are modeling the Jesus that we seek to share with the lost and the broken in our worlds!!


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Supreme Blessing for All!!

The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes. ‘Beatitudes’ mean supreme blessings or happiness, according to Webster. For some of the beatitudes, they are certainly a blessing. But for some the blessing comes in how we live them out. In the Beatitudes we see some ways for us to draw near to God, some ways to share our God, and some ways God draws near to us.

When we are poor in spirit we see our need for God and move towards deepening our relationship with Him. To me this is like when I am starting to get hungry – I can begin to sense my need for food. The perceived feeling of missing something draws us near to what we need. When we are humble we acknowledge that there is a need. Then we can begin to walk toward Him that fills us. As we seek righteousness with a pure heart, God is happy to meet us in the journey and to fill us up. And thus our relationship with gains depth.

Out of these internal things and the relationship with God that forms and grows, we can allow God to flow forth from us, into the lives of others. Because we are filled with His peace and mercy, we can offer peace and mercy to those we meet who need to come to know God. The hands and feet of God become our hands and feet as we meet someone in their place of need. Their walk begins or is helped along.

And because of His great love for us, at times God draws near to us. When we mourn, He enters in to bring us comfort. When we are persecuted, He enters in to bring us the strength we need to face the trial. Through His presence with us in our times of need, we gain a depth of relationship with God that allows us to be there for others in their time of need. This too can become a way that God flows out of us and into the lives of others.

As we seek out ways to live out the beatitudes, God will be there with us. Some of the opportunities will be obvious and some will require us to see them not through our eyes but through God’s eyes. Some will become only obvious when we feel with God’s heart and not our own. As we draw closer to God in our relationship with Him, our vision for our own faith and the faith of others becomes clearer as well.

Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you singing.”