pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: faith


by Leave a comment

Living and Vibrant

In our worlds I think we appreciate and prefer the routine.  We are creatures of habit.  A slight variation or small twist is okay now and then, but in general we like the predictable.  Life is more manageable when we know what to expect at work, at home, at church.  We have our role and we fill it.

In our faith I think we also prefer the known.  On Sunday morning we sing, pray, read a little scripture, hear the message.  And we pass the offering plate!  In our private faith lives we have our own routines – maybe time with God in the morning or maybe it is time before going to bed.  Even our prayer life is probably predictable to a large extent.

While we prefer the comfort and predictability found in the routine, it can become too comfortable.  We can show up, punch the clock, and go through the motions – at work, at home, at church.  And in each of these places, when we are too comfortable with the status quo, we can miss the opportunities that God places before us.

Sometimes God is disruptive – a major event or a person or situation we cannot avoid happens into our life.  But more often He is quiet – it is a person we could normally pass by or it is a line from a reading or the sermon that catches in our mind.  Instead of moving on and ignoring that tug or nudge, stop and engage that person.  Instead of just letting go of that line, wrestle with it.  Allow God to be a living, vibrant part of your life.  Allow this to become your new ‘normal.’  He is an amazing God who has amazing things for His children.  He will not disappoint.


by Leave a comment

Head to Heart

Faith rests upon the bedrock of Christ crucified and risen.  It is only through His sacrifice that we are made right with God and only through His resurrection that we have the promise of eternal life.  We ourselves can do nothing to earn forgiveness or to earn our way into heaven.  It is only by His grace and with the power of the Holy Spirit that we walk daily as a child of God.

For many today, this seems foolishness and is very hard to accept.  Like the Jews and Greeks in today’s reading, people today still want amazing signs or miracles or they want to be able to reason out faith.  Many in Jesus’ day saw miracles but failed to believe.  Many today believe that Jesus exists but fails to follow Him.  They observe the rules and diligently check off the boxes.  They know the stories in the Bible.  They practice religion but do not have a living faith.

But until Jesus makes that journey from head to heart, religion is all one has.  Once Jesus starts to live in our hearts, our lives change radically.  Instead of thinking how nice it was that Jesus did all those wonderful things for people, we want to go and do in His name.  Once Jesus lives in our hearts, our faith grows hands and feet.  The Spirit comes to dwell within us and life is never the same.  It is then that we can see with Jesus’ eyes, love with His heart, and serve others in the saving name of Jesus Christ!

Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 1: 18-25


by Leave a comment

Resurrection Eyes

How often could Jesus look down at the decisions we make and the actions we take and think to Himself, “Get behind me, Satan”?  How often do we disappoint our savior?  How often do we fail to live up to our full potential?

Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples.  Yet when the end was nearing and He told them so, it was Peter who rebuked Jesus.  Peter saw Jesus’ power and authority growing almost daily – why death now?  Peter was trapped and he could only see what Jesus was describing from earthly eyes.  Peter didn’t yet have resurrection eyes.

Sometimes we don’t either.  Ok, maybe often we don’t.  That is why we are often less than we could be.  That’s why we don’t always feed the hungry or clothe the naked.  Maybe faith is not the top priority.

Each day that we choose to walk with Jesus Christ, we are more than we used to be.  As we get to know Him more, we grow closer to Him.  It is a pretty neat little circle.

How do we come to see more and more with resurrection eyes?  How do we focus in more on God’s priorities and less on the world’s?  Time.  T-I-M-E.  In this season of self-examination, may we see ourselves more clearly and allow Him to lead us on His path.  When we walk His path, we see the things He sees.

Scripture reference: Mark 8: 31-33


by Leave a comment

His Response

An Old testament belief and one that persists in some Christians today is the belief that bad things or trials are punishment from God.  It is true that in the Old Testament there was punishment.  The flood is perhaps the greatest example of this.

In the New Testament God is revealed in a different way.  In Jesus we see a new way.  Jesus teaches that a person’s blindness, for example, is not the result of the parent’s sins or even the sins of the person being afflicted.  God does not choose to smite us.

Jesus also reveals that at times, hard choices are required.  He also makes it clear that it is we who have to make the choices.  One example would be the rich young ruler – he would not give up his great wealth to follow Jesus.  It was a hard choice for him, but still his choice to make.

When adversity comes our way or when we face a hard choice, how our faith figures into the situation is paramount.  Often in the trial we become closer to God because in our weakness He is made strong.  When we depend on Him, we find He hears us and draws near and walks with us.

When we face a tough decision, in many of the cases we know what we should do, what God wants us to do.  In some of these cases we still may make a poor choice…  Sometimes though we are unsure.  It is then we need Him most. And His response is the same – He hears us and draws near and walks with us.  Thanks be to God for His faithfulness.

Scripture reference: Psalm 22: 23-25


by Leave a comment

Walking Closely

“I promise.”  When do we have to say these words?  It is not usually in everyday life – your boss doesn’t make you promise to finish the project…  We have to promise when we have been exceptionally forgetful or when the other person doubts we will follow through or thinks what we have said is unlikely or impossible.  As adults, in general we do not have to make promises.  Saying we will do something if usually sufficient.

God never has to promise.  His word is always good.  When we come to the point of trusting in God, we come to faith.  True, at times we can struggle, but this too passes.  We may momentarily wonder how God could ever forgive ‘that’ but in time we see God offers forgiveness to all who come with a truly repentant heart.  And we get ourselves to that point and find His grace and love again.

Sometimes we are called to believe something that seems impossible or highly unlikely.  Sometimes our faith calls us to step out into the unknown.  Abraham is a great example for us.  At almost 100 years of age, God told him he would not only have a child but would be the father to many nations.  Abraham chose to believe God with all his heart.  He did not waver.  For this act of full obedience, abraham was credited as being righteous.

Paul tells us that we too are credited with righteousness when we actively pursue and fully trust in God.  Our willingness puts us in a right relationship with God.  When we walk in righteousness, God is close to us.  When we pursue Him, He is easy to find.  May we walk closely with God today, removing all doubts and barriers, so that we can experience His full love, mercy, and joy!

Scripture reference: Romans 4: 18-25


by Leave a comment

Active Faith

Faith leads to transformation.  Faith, at its roots, is an active trust in the One who created us, the One we come to know.  Faith moves beyond belief.  It is in the space beyond belief that faith works in and through our lives to change us within.

We have many examples in the Bible of people who allowed faith to be their guide.  For example, once Abraham and Sarah encountered God there was no looking back, only trust in the One who called them forward.  The same was true for many others – Gideon, Esther, the disciples, Paul, Timothy – just to name a few.

Our faith is also a saving faith.  Once we have personally encountered God, our faith rests on His grace.  His grace saves us from our mistakes and reconciles us to Him.  His grace always welcomes us back into relationship with our creator and king.

Like the many who came before, once we start to live into this trust, life will never be the same.  In faith we begin to live into God’s promises, trusting His plan for our lives, seeking to be a part of the opportunities He places before us.  In faith we allow His love to flow through us and into the lives of others.  Our active faith leads us on a journey.  The journey is always towards God presnce and perfection, living into all He has to offer for our lives.

Scripture reference: Romans 4: 13-17


by 1 Comment

Trust and Being Faithful

Trust is an interesting concept.  Trust is something we build up over time and we base it upon our experiences with that person.  It is not universal – I may trust a common friend more than a mutual friend does. Once a trust is broken between friends, it is hard to get it fully back.  In our humanity, we struggle with fully giving our trust back to someone who violated it.

How much do you trust God?  How much do I?  Three years ago I entered full-time ministry.  I left teaching after 23 years.  I felt a call to ministry that had gradually built over many years and I finally surrendered to those whispers of God that I felt in my heart.  There was some trust involved – a lot.  But there were also some things that made the decision feel safe – same town and church we had been in for 20 years, tons of family and close friend support…

In Genesis 17 God comes to Abram and Sarai when they were 99 years old.  As they are ready to slide into retirement, God comes along and tells them they are going to start having babies.  He tells them to move to an unknown foreign land.  He tells them that they will be the father and mother of many nations and to change their names, accordingly, to Abraham and Sarah.  And they did.  Trust.  They trusted God completely.

I often wonder where my trust level is.  It is high?  Do I trust God completely?  Or is it low?  One doesn’t really know until put to the test.  God’s call to me was many nudges over a period of time, with a few human voices sprinkled in for good measure.  I never heard God’s voice.  But if a nudge came to move far away, to a distant place, to minister – how much would I trust?  If a nudge came to leave all I know to enter the mission field – where would my trust level be?

I think that if I had a real conversation with God, even if only one-sided, that I would go without question.  But then I wonder…  I hope I am found faithful.  We all do.  Lord God, make me faithful.

Scripture reference: Genesis 17: 1-7 and 15-16


by Leave a comment

A Child’s Faith

When a baby is first born it is totally dependant on others for care.  Most babies bond right away with their mother as they are fed, held, and loved.  Soon a father becomes a known, loving presence as well.  Babies bond and come to expect parents to be there when they cry, when they want to be held, when they need changed, and so on.  Even though no parent is perfect, the baby comes to love and trust them.

God is our perfect parent.  As we mature and grow in our faith, we learn that God will take care of our needs.  We learn that He will forgive our sins and restore the relationship with us.  We learn that when we cry out to Him, He will be there.  We learn that no matter how long we wander away, He will be right there by our side when we turn back towards Him.

Perhaps this is the kind of love and trust that Jesus was talking about when He said that we need to have the faith of a little child.  Maybe Jesus is calling us to live a life totally dependant on Him.  Maybe Jesus wants us to cry out only to Him when we are in need.  Maybe Jesus wants us only to come to Him when we find ourselves in sin or are wrestling with temptation.

The more we grow to love and trust in Him, the more we come to live and to love like Him.  May we come to develop the faith of a little child.

Scripture reference: Psalm 22: 25-31


by Leave a comment

With the Spirit

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit.  For forty days, Jesus was tested.  Today this forty day period of testing is represented by Lent, which is under way for us.

Lent began a few days ago with Ash Wednesday – a day when we put ashes on our forehead and acknowledge that we are mortal.  In many places, the ashes were imposed with a prayer to create a pure heart and a steadfast spirit within each child of God as they received the ashes.  This is to prepare us for the journey of Lent.

During Lent we are especially in tune with our faith.  In tune with God as we seek His strength and love as we honestly face the sins we wrestle with.  In tune with Holy Spirit as we accept the conviction of our sins and as we use the Spirit’s guidance away from our sins.  In tune with Jesus as we pursue His example of a holy life and as we accept grace and forgiveness when we fail.

If we delve deeply and reflect honestly, our self-examination during Lent will reveal spaces to grow and will enrich our lives of faith.  Our spiritual disciplines will yield much fruit in this season when we practice them faithfully.  We cannot do this on our own.  May we depend on the Spirit to lead, guide, and empower us to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, yielding a willing heart and mind bent on a better relationship with Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Scripture reference: Mark 1: 8-15


by Leave a comment

Taking Stock

In 2nd Corinthians 5, Paul writes a long list of the things believers endure and a long list of the ‘rewards’ that make it worth enduring those things.  He proceeds the list with the warning not to accept God’s grace in vain.  If we accept the invitation to relationship with God, we must be prepared to endure now and then.  Paul is preparing us for a journey.

All believers have times or seasons where we feel a bit distant from God.  All believers go through trials and hardships that cause us to question God.  All believers wrestle with temptations that are not of God.  When we succumb to them, afterwards we question our strength of faith or wonder why we stumbled.  All part of the journey.

As we continue along the journey, we don’t only find these challenges, we also find growth and a deepening of our relationship with God.  The good things that Paul writes of are in essence the ‘why’ of staying on the journey.  We grow in patience, kindness, purity, knowledge, holiness of spirit, love, truthful speech, and the power of God.

In the midst of trial it sure is easy to see what we are facing or wrestling with.  But when life is ‘normal’, when things are sailing along, sometimes it is hard to identify progress and growth in our faith.  As we edge up to Lent, may we take a few minutes to take stock – to see where we have grown and drawn closer in our relationship with God.  Once an accounting has been made, give Him thanks!

Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10