pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: assessment


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Good for Our Hearts

Reading: Jeremiah 31:10-14

Jeremiah 31:12 – “They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over God’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds.”

Photo credit: Eugene Zhyvchik

As we come to the end of the year, many will pause to look back over 2025, both for good and for bad. This review or assessment process prepares us for 2026. Some people will make resolutions, some will set goals, others will just ponder and reflect. This process often causes emotions to well up in our hearts. While some things are sorrowful, many others cause gratitude to rise up in our hearts for that special time with family, for that promotion, for that trip, for… It is good for our hearts to look back and to give thanks to God.

In today’s passage Jeremiah is giving thanks for something that God will do. The return from exile has not happened yet. In fact, Jeremiah will die in exile. Yet he praises God for what he trusts God will do. The prophet is sure that God will bring Israel home. He believes that God will deliver them. Jeremiah knows in his heart that “They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over God’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds.” Because Jeremiah knows that God is trustworthy and good and loving, he praises God for what he believes God will do.

Because God is good and trustworthy and loving, we too can pray for what we know God will do. A community of faith can pray for that just-right next leader. A church can pray for a family to become a part of their group so that there are young voices in church again. Another congregation can pray for affordable senior housing to become a part of their ministry. We can pray these things and others like them, trusting in our good and loving God, believing in where God is calling and/or leading us. And we give thanks for what God will do in and through our prayers. It is good for our hearts to look forward and to give thanks to God. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in your goodness and in your steadfast love for us. Your word tells us that you have good plans for those who love you. It is with this promise in our hearts that we rejoice in all that you will do in us, in our faith communities, and in our world. Thank you God for your faithful love. Amen.


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In the Small and in the All

Reading: Luke 16:10-13

Luke 16:10 – “Whoever is faithful with little is also faithful with much, and the one who is dishonest with little is also dishonest with much.”

As we wrap up our passage from Luke 16, Jesus focuses in on our honesty with God and with ourselves. In verse 10 Jesus says that it all matters – from the small decisions that no one else sees to the biggest decisions that can impact a lot of other people. If we are faithful to God in all of the little ways – in how we see others, in our thoughts, in the things that we do in private – then it will become second nature to be faithful in the bigger moments of life. But if we are sinful in our private moments then it will be much harder to suddenly be righteous in the times that really matter.

It can be said that as followers of Christ we are “in the world but not of the world.” We live in the world every day but we truly belong to God. As we live out our days, do we strive to remain faithful to God’s will and way or do we chase after wealth and other things that the world treasures? In this process we use the gifts and talents that God gave us either to build God’s kingdom or to accumulate and gather wealth, status, and accomplishments for ourselves. Where we invest our time, energy, gifts, and resources reveals which master we are serving – God or the world.

An honest assessment of how we invest these things quickly reveals if we are serving and loving God or if we are serving and loving the world. Jesus is blunt: “You cannot serve God and wealth.” One of these fills our hearts with light and love, with hope and grace. The other leaves us ultimately with empty hands and empty hearts. May we daily choose to serve and love the Lord our God, being faithful in the small and in the all.

Prayer: Lord God, we beg you to walk with us moment by moment, being present in the thousands and thousands of decisions that we make daily. Keep whispering your guidance and direction into our hearts, keep nudging us to walk your path in the world. Guard our hearts and minds against the great temptations of wealth and success and power and popularity. Help us to choose to be faithful to you alone again and again and again and… Amen.