pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Monthly Archives: October 2014


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Invited and Chosen

In Matthew 22 the king has some difficulty gathering some guests for his son’s wedding banquet.  He finally gathers up some folks off the street to fill the hall,  But he finds one guest without wedding clothes.  In the culture of the time, by wearing a wedding robe you were agreeing to the responsibilities to uphold and care for the new couple.  So the guest that is saying ‘no’ is bound up and cast out into the darkness.

When we take on the mantle of ‘Christian’ we too are, in essence, agreeing to some things.  First, we are agreeing to uphold the teachings of Jesus.  The two primary ones are to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength and the second is to love neighbor as self.  On a personal level w are committing to a growing relationship with Christ.  We cultivate and grow our relationship with Jesus through prayer, study of His word, worship, and so on.

But, sadly, Jesus’ words at the end of the parable will apply to some sitting in the pews on Sunday – “For many are invited, but few are chosen”.  May we each live beyond ‘invited’.  May we live as the chosen.

Scripture reference: Matthew 22: 1-14


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Focus in on God and Good

Paul encourages us to stand firm in the Lord and to rejoice in the Lord.  He directs us to go to God with our prayers and petitions.  This brings the peace of God upon us.  Paul also reminds us to do our part – to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, admirable, and praiseworthy.  Simply put, he calls us to focus in on the good.

How we look at the world really affects how we live our life.  For example, if one spends a lot of time complaining, then life is generally unhappy and what they focus on is dominated by bad thoughts.  Loving God and neighbor is a difficult task when all are against you.  On the other hand, when one focused on God and all the good in the world, then life is generally happy and content.  “Life” still happens but the issues and situations carry less weight because God carries the bulk when we focus on Him.

Also, as we fill our minds with what is true, noble, right, … then there is less time for evil or impure thoughts.  As we focus in on the good and God, then He guards our hearts and minds so that our energy and efforts dwell on God and His plans for us in the world.  And the God of peace will be with us.

Scripture reference: Philippians 4: 1-9


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Home Again

It is a little amusing how God and Moses play the game we play as parents.  Sometimes, when a child does something especially good (or wrong), we often recognize them as MY son or daughter (or as YOUR son or daughter when it is something wrong).  In Exodus 32, the Israelites are Moses’ children because they have sinned and created an idol.  God is intent on destroying them.  It is easier when they are someone else’s children!

But Moses draws God back, reminds Him that they are His children.  He connects them to God through Abraham, Isaac, and Israel and the promises and covenant made with them.  And God remembers, softens, and relents.

Do you think God and Jesus do this with us?  When we sin or create distance between God and ourselves, does God look toward Jesus and say, “Look what you brother/sister is doing”?  When we repent and draw near to God again, does Jesus look to God and point out what good children God has?  In reality they are like good parents – sad when we do wrong and proud when we do right.  Like good parents, they love us unfailingly through it all, always pleased when we return home again.

Scripture reference: Exodus 32: 7-14


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Mercy’s Promise

God promises to always be with us, to never leave us.  Yet at times we can question this as we feel all alone and seem to have lost touch with our creator.  But we must remember His promise as it is always us that creates the separation or the distance.

It can happen in big things and in little things.  In Exodus 32 Moses has been gone up the mountain just long enough for Aaron and the people to start worrying.  Moses is their connection to God.  The solution?  Gather up all the gold and make a new god to worship and be led by.  Seems crazy now but at the time I’m sure it make perfect sense.

It can happen in our lives too.  We can easily allow ourselves to be drawn into conversations and activities that have God nowhere in sight.  When we suddenly realize where we’ve wandered to we ask, “How’d we get here?!”  Thankfully we serve a merciful God.  He says, “Yup, I’m still here” and “Welcome back my child”.  And just like that we are back in a right relationship with our creator.  Praise be to God!!

Scripture reference: Exodus 32: 1-6


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Open and Willing

Ah, Monday morning.  Welcome to the new week!  Some people face Monday full of expectation, hope, and wonder at what God has in store for them in the week ahead.  The rest of the people… well, they should wish for the same thing.

For most of us, our week ahead will be much like last week in the sense that our ‘job’ is probably the same.  The structure of our week and the tasks ahead remain mostly the same, but the details and the interactions will be a little different.  For most of us, it is in the small things that we encounter God and the possibilities He lays before us in the coming week.

In Psalm 106 we read, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.”  We worship and know a mighty God.  He has big plans for us this week.  Who in your day today or in the week ahead can you share this wonderful truth with?  May our eyes be open and our hearts willing to meet God when and where He provides those opportunities in the day and days ahead.

Scripture reference: Psalm 106: 1-6

 


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Day by Day

Have you ever faced a task that seemed monumental or so large that you didn’t even  know where to begin?  Maybe it was a huge pile of dirt or rock or wood that needed to be moved.  Maybe it was 30 years worth of pictures that needed sorting and organizing.  Sometimes it is hard to get started and sometimes we even want to give up in the middle.  Yet when we step back and look, we can see that the pile is smaller or that things are starting to take shape.

In our faith journey, that perfection in Christ that we are called to can seem monumental or huge.  At times we feel lost in the race, unsure of our footing, not quite able to see around the next curve.  Sometimes we feel that there are more questions than answers.  But we do not lose hope.

Paul knew the goal and the call of God heavenward through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Paul also knew the journey was made day by day, step by step.  Our journey is the same – day by day and step by step.  On this journey too, we can step back and see progress and growth.  In this we find the encouragement to continue to fight the good fight, to pursue the prize of our own call heavenward.  And day by day we draw ever nearer.

Scripture reference: Philippians 3: 12-14


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Life is a Choice

Right up to today we each have a story of our life.  For some, Christ has been a part of the story for as long as they can remember.  For other, Jesus entered their story at some later point.  Our story has been shaped by our family, friends, and the events of our lifetimes.

Each day we continue to be shaped and influenced as we ‘write’ the story of our lives.  We have, to a large degree, some choice about how it is written.  If we make or continue to make the choice to include Christ, then He will shape and influence the story of our lives.

Jesus is a choice. If we choose to be in the Word, to spend time in prayer, to worship regularly… then Jesus will be a large part of our story.  But if we choose to allow the world to influence and shape our story, then it will read much differently.  Life is always a choice.

Joshua 24: 15b reads, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Scripture reference: Philippians 3: 4b-11


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Pleasing the Owner

In the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21) the bad tenants reject those sent by the owner.  At first they reject the servants and then they reject the heir, the owner’s son.  Some they beat and abuse, others they kill.  They kill the son for his inheritance, thinking then they will own the vineyard.

On the hidden level the scribes and Pharisees are the bad tenants.  They have ignored and beaten and even killed some of the prophets that God has sent.  They now are choosing to reject the heir, God’s own son.  They will even go so far as to kill the heir because he threatens what they have.  They rejected the cornerstone.

Jesus is still the firm foundation upon which we are called to build the church and to build our own faith.  Although much of the time we ‘get it’, sometimes we don’t.  Our churches can creep into country club territory, where the walls become the vineyard walls. We don’t like anyone that is not ‘us’ to come inside.  We just want to exist for each other and to be comfortable in our exclusive, private Sunday worship.  But I fear that if this is the norm, the stone will fall and crush us too.

Jesus calls us to leave our walls and share the fruit of the vine with others.  We are to share Christ’s good news with others and to invite others inside the walls, into the community of faith.  As we share our fruit, the gifts and talents that each of us have, the kingdom grows.  The walls are spread wider as more are welcomed into the kingdom of God.  Then the owner is pleased because we are learning to act like the heir, His Son.

Scripture reference: Matthew 21: 33-46


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Bearing Fruit

God’s love is unfailing and unending.  His pursuit of us is constant.  God’s mercy and grace is a constant stream flowing to our souls.  His patience is vast.

In Matthew 21 we find the parable of the vineyard owner.  He plants a vineyard and rents it to some tenants.  This scenario parallels God’s creation of His kingdom and we are the tenants who inhabit it.  We are not owners and this earth is not our final destination.  We exist here for a short time.  Eternity will be spent elsewhere.

As we live out our lives, God expects us to bear fruit.  As His children, we are called to care for those in need, to give out of the abundance that He blesses us with.  Like the servants who came to the vineyard for the owner’s share of the fruit, God sends people into our lives that we can yield some fruit to.  Maybe it is something physical like food or shelter or clothing, maybe it is our time that we give to others.

May we hear the warning in this parable and not be like the wretched tenants who want to keep it all for themselves.  May we see that all we have is from God, the owner.  May we seek to build His kingdom by allowing our blessings to flow out to others, bearing them up in love, grace, and mercy.

Scripture reference: Matthew 21: 33-46


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Words of Life

In Psalm 19 we find some great insights into the Word of God and its role in our lives.  This Psalm shows the value of the word and its effect on our lives.  It is not a burden but a delight to live as a child of the word of God.  It guides us as we seek to walk in His ways.

In the word we find God’s perfect law, which revives our soul.  The word is trustworthy and brings us wisdom.  His word is right and clear, bringing joy to our hearts and light to our eyes.  God’s ways revealed through the word are true and yield righteousness in us.

God’s words guides and leads us along the path that He intends us to walk.  It is vibrant and living and remains relevant to the choices and decisions we make n our lives.  May we learn to love to spend time in the Bible, growing in our depth of faith, drawing ever nearer to God.  His word is a lamp to our eyes and a guide to our feet.  May we grow dependent on the Bible and its words of life.

Scripture reference: Psalm 19: 7-12