pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: endures


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This Is THE Day

Reading: Psalm 118:1-2 and 19-29

Verse 24: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118 is a great place to begin the week that leads to Palm Sunday. The bookend verses found in verses 1 and 29 capture the spirit of the palm parade: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” This is the spirit of those lining the parade route as they quoted from verse 26 as Jesus entered Jerusalem. This coming Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday. It reflects the passion of Christ for you and me that leads Jesus to the cross on Good Friday. In verses 21-22 we read, “You have become my salvation. The stone the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone.” Savior to some, enemy to others. This is one of the main narratives of the weeks ahead.

Today we focus on the palms. In his own way, Jesus will echo the words of the psalmist found in verse 19: “Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.” Jesus, as always, will continue to walk in righteousness, all the way to the grave. He will do so thanking God all the way – so great was his love for us. In verse 24 the psalmist celebrates with these words: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” These words must’ve echoed in Jesus’ heart as he rode into Jerusalem, even though he knew what lay ahead. You see, he knew the truth of verse 1 and 29. This spirit of joy, it carried Jesus along the parade route, through the last week of his life, and on through the grave to resurrection. It will carry you and me too, each day and every day. May we choose joy. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Prayer: Lord God, just as the words of this song echoed that first Palm Sunday in the voices of those there, a song echoes in my heart today! “In every high and every low… Lord, you never let go of me.” How true, how true! This day I rejoice in your daily and constant presence with me. Praise be to the Lord Almighty! Amen.


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Trust and See

A bloom appears in the desert.  Hope rises up our of the midst of despair.  New life stirs as the dust of a tragedy settles.  In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.

God never promised us that life would always be happy and easy.  He did promise us that life would be blessed.  He promised us that His mercies and grace would be new every morning.  He promised that His love would endure.  It is with these promises that we can walk through our times of despair, trial, and tragedy.

As we grow in our faith, God builds us up to be able to go through bad things and to still stay connected to Him.  Jesus is for us that living water that keeps us connected to God.  In our passage for today, Paul speaks of commending themselves in every way – even in the trials, beatings, imprisonments, and hunger.  In these types of things our faith will allow us to rely on God’s grace as well.  Paul ends this section of scripture with these words: “having nothing, yet possessing everything”.  At times we feel totally lost, yet still have our faith and that is everything.

In the good and bad times we rely on God.  He alone has the love, strength, and grace to see us through. These qualities of God are always present but we most need them in times of trial.  Trust in Him and cling to faith – there we will see that God is good.  He is good because His steadfast love endures forever!

Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 5:20 to 6:10