pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: faith


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From Doubt to Love

Have you ever been a second late to a really funny happening at work or at home?  Have you ever looked away from the game at just the moment the ‘big play’ happens?  The laughter or cheers draws you to the fact that you just missed it.  Then you want ‘instant replay’, right?

Oh doubting Thomas!!  Thomas is the first one to be called to believe in the risen Lord on faith alone – without seeing Jesus.  I don’t think Thomas thought all the others were lying to him, he too wanted to see Jesus for himself.  Can you blame him?

Jesus again appears to the disciples and this time Thomas is there.  And Jesus, ever the same, meets Thomas where he is at and offers him just what he needs.  As always, no judging or condemnation.  Oh loving Jesus!!

We relate to Thomas, often wrestling with doubt, often questioning.  That is natural.  It is good for our faith.  We relate to Jesus too, but if you are like me, could do so more often.  Jesus simply offered what was needed to the one before Him.  He calls us to do the same.


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Into the Fray

The ‘Prince of Peace’ came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, symbolic of a king entering in peace.  The crowd welcomed him with shouts of praise and songs of joy.  But the week ahead was anything but peaceful.  The week ahead caused turmoil and stirred things up in Jerusalem.  Just in case any of the religious leaders missed Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the next thing he did was head to the temple and he cleared it out.

Although Jesus does bring us peace, once we begin to walk with Him, He also causes a great deal of turmoil in us too.  His Spirit stirs us up and causes us to live and act differently.  We do not see the world and all of its hurts, pains, and injustices the same.  When we begin to see with Jesus’ eyes and to feel with His heart, the turmoil begins.  We cannot see and feel without becoming a part of it.  We are called to step into the fray and become a part of the turmoil.  As much as it can be uncomfortable and unknown, we know that we do not step in alone.  He is there too.

As we head into Holy Week, as we walk alongside Jesus his week, it should cause some turmoil and some clearing out in our lives too.  May we see the example that Jesus sets before us and fearlessly enter into the world He calls us to.


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Our Words

Isaiah 50:4 reads, “The sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.”  God’s word is a guide to us too and can also be a mean of holding us accountable.  His word is always true.

Our words can be both good and bad, truth and lies.  We can use our words to teach about God, to encourage and bring hope, to counsel and correct.  But we can also use our words to bring conflict, strife, and disagreements.  Because our words are so powerful, we must choose them carefully.  The expression “Think before you speak” comes to mind.

Despite the power of our words, our actions often ‘speak’ louder.  Anyone can talk.  Anyone can say almost anything they want.  But most think that what we do is more indicative of who or what we really are.

The reality is that for all of us, both our words and our actions must mesh, must come from the same source.  The Word of God is that source.  To matter in our world, as Christians we must act and speak the words of love, healing and justice all the time.  The message of Jesus needs to come through loud and clear in all of what we say and do.  In order to speak and act on God’s word, we need to be in the word.  Happy reading!!


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Who Are You Today?

What would it be to be there in Jerusalem that day Jesus rode in on a donkey?  Could you imagine being there and not knowing what was to unfold in the next week?  We read the Palm Sunday story through the eyes of knowing what is to come on the cross.

But imagine if you were just there!  Imagine if you were one of the disciples sent ahead to get the donkey and her colt.  And they were just where he said they’d be and you simply get them and bring them to Jesus.

Imagine if you were just in the huge crowd that day.  You’ve heard a few stories about this Jesus and here he is processing into the city.  People are cheering and laying down their cloaks and also palm branches.  Can you feel the excitement?

Imagine if you were a Pharisee!  Standing atop the wall, watching all of this unfold as you reviewed the plan your crew has been hatching to be rid of this Jesus.  And in he rides to cheering crowds and shouts of “Hosanna!”

There were lots of people.  There was lots of excitement and anticipation.  There was a lot of hope.

Think about the day ahead of you with Jesus.  Which one of the three are you?  The hopeful disciple?  The curious onlooker?  The Pharisee who just wants to be rid of this Jesus?

If you are the first, think about how you can share this hope.  If you are the onlooker, how can you know more?  If you are the last, may you meet lots of the first today!  God bless!!!


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Martha, Martha… Martha!!

When we first meet Martha in Luke’s gospel she is too busy with the work to come sit at Jesus’ feet.  She is upset with her sister Mary who is ‘just’ sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him teach.  Are we sometimes like this version of Martha?  Too busy to see wh or what God places before us?  Of worse yet, do we see it yet think we are too busy and rush right past to get to what we think is a more important meeting, event, project, task..?

But sometimes we are the Martha we find in John 11, the story of Lazarus’ resurrection.  Martha comes to Jesus in her grief and acknowledges Him as the Messiah, the Son of God.  She professes that Jesus and God are connected, that God will do whatever Jesus asks.  But I don’t think that Martha is thinking Jesus will resurrect Lazarus at this point.  I think she is making this profession because she knows her faith is what will get her through this difficult loss.  Most of us have been there.  After questioning why God has allowed something to happen, we turn to Him and acknowledge His Lordship in our lives.  Our faith carries us through.  Yet it is a faith that is always there.

At times we display this rock-solid faith displayed by Martha.  We truly know Jesus as Lord of our life.  We acknowledge that all we have and all we are is His.  As we draw near to Easter, when we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death, may we have faith like Martha – fully walking with God, living in that faith that is always there.


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Walking a Spirit-led Life

In Romans 8 Paul calls us to live a life in the Spirit instead of a life in sin.  In one we choose the things of God and in the other we choose death.  In one we ask the Spirit to come and dwell in us, to become a part of our very essence.  We humbly admit to God, “I need You.  I cannot walk this path on my own”.   In the other we say, “I can do this on my own.  I can handle this.”  Yet we fail.  Even when we choose to live the spirit-led life, we stumble and fall.  But He is right there to pick us up, to dust off the sin, and to set us back on our walk with Him.

Paul promises that when we choose to live a spirit-filled life, we will find peace.  He is not promising a life of no problems.  But Paul is promising that within the trials we will have peace because of the spirit dwelling in us.  Living with His guiding hand upon us is of great comfort and peace.

Choosing a spirit-led life will exceed any expectations we have for these earthly bodies that we inhabit.  When we choose to let Him lead, we begin to live into an external promise.  We begin to live with an eye on His kingdom that will come again and with an eye on bringing that to reality.  As we dwell in and live into that promise, life is exciting!  The journey is much better when we know where our end will take us.

Guide us this day, O Lord, to choose to walk your path today.  Lead us to live into the Spirit so that we may walk as your child today and to honor You in all we do.  Amen!


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May We See

In John 9 Jesus heals a man blind from birth.  It is really a pretty simple event.  No begging for Jesus to heal him, no pre-healing conversation, no post-healing event.  Jesus notices the man, puts mud on his eyes, and tells him to go wash in a pool.  The man does and now can see.

The Pharisees become stuck over the fact that Jesus healed on the Sabbath instead of seeing the working of a miracle.  They are blind to the truth before them.  The Pharisees are spiritually blind.  They bring in and question the man and then his parents and then the man again.  The man simply tells what happened but the parents are afraid of the leaders.  They play it close to the vest.  But the man boldly retells tha story and angers the Pharisees.  He doesn’t care because now he can see.  After this witness, some amongst them must have begun to see the miracle, but they kept their eyes squeezed shut.  They too were afraid to be cast out.

The man that was healed had been physically and spiritually blind.  The Jewish society believed that his pre-birth sin (or his parent’s sin) had caused him to be blind. Because of this, the man lived on the outside of Jewish society.  And then he encountered Jesus.  First Jesus heals his physical blindness and then later his spiritual blindness.  In between this man offers a simple testimony to the Pharisees, almost a childlike faith.

But the Pharisees are still stuck, blind to the miracle.  How many people do we know who are stuck at this rule or that requirement or that misconception about our churches or our religion?  How many need to simply see or experience Christ-like love and service to begin to see our faith?  How can we be that experience for one who is blind?  May our own eyes be open and our hearts be willing so that we can see and seize that opportunity before us!!


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Waiting Long Enough

Interesting thought in one of my devotionals this morning: what would an encounter with Jesus at the water cooler in the break room look like?  It is a pretty cool twist to put ourselves in a modern version of the Samaritan woman from Sychar meeting Jesus at Jacob’s well.  I may not have 5 wives and a current live-in, but Jesus would certainly have plenty of other sins to pick from!  JC: “John, what about that control that you like to keep such a tight grasp upon?  Or what about how you like to judge so-and-so?  Or …”  Would you, like me, be begging for Him to stop?  Would I be more astonished that He knew all these things or more embarrassed that He did?  Would I stick around or “remember” another meeting that I had to get to?

I really admire the woman at the well for sticking it out.  In her culture a Jew did not talk to a Samaritan, especially to a woman.  But here a man she does not know is talking to her.  And He is telling her things about her life that He shouldn’t know.  Being a woman who has had five husbands and is now living with a boyfriend, she must have been used to begin looked down upon.  But she must have sensed that Jesus had something more to offer than an insight or two into her life.  She digs in and connects with Jesus.  She leaves this encounter wanting to bring everyone she knows to meet this Jesus.

Today in our little daily routines, will we encounter the living God?  He will certainly be there.  The question is: will we be willing enough to stick around long enough to meet Jesus?  Will we be aware enough to see the potential of the situation? Will we be resolute enough to drink of the living water that He offers?  Will we wait long enough to be filled so much that we go forth seeking to share what we have just found?  Today, may we wait long enough to encounter Chrst in those we meet!


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The Questions

This week’s gospel lesson from the lectionary is the story of Nicodemus visiting Jesus at night to ask him a few questions.  Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is sent from God – they know this from the miracles Jesus has done and from the teaching he shares.  Yet Nicodemus and friends (who are not here with him) don’t quite get that Jesus IS God.  Jesus and Nicodemus speak of begin born of the spirit and this confuses Nicodemus.  Jesus tells him that belief in Christ leads to salvation and eternal life.  This passage contains the famous John 3:16.  “For God so loved the world…”  It also contains verse 17: “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Many people today have faith like Nicodemus.  They keep their faith pretty secretive, hidden or kept neatly tucked into Sunday morning  They prefer to keep their faith a private affair.  If others knew they went to church they might expect certain behaviors…  It’s just easier to keep their faith private.  Are you living an easy faith?

Others out there also have a curiosity like Nicodemus.  They see, hear, and catch glimpses of what true faith is all about.  They want to know more.  They will be in the lookout for you so that they can quiz you.  There are some questions they want to ask.  The question for us is:  will they recognize you?

Hopefully the answer to these two questions is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – but which answer goes to which question?  May we choose to live boldly for our faith so that Jesus’ light shines into all of the dark places that we will walk by today.  And may we be attuned to the call of God, so that when someone whispers, “Hey, can I ask you a question?” from out of the shadows, we hear their voice and stop to talk with them.


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What Gets You Into Heaven?

Does being a member of a church or attending worship equate to salvation?  Does being saved require going to church ‘x’ times a month?  Paul writes that we are justified (or made right with God) only by our faith.  Yet in our human nature we often go to the question, “Am I good enough?”  Am I good enough to be loved by God?  Am I good enough to attend church?  Am I good enough to find happiness?  Am I good enough too….   Yes, yes, yes, and YES!!!

We are put into good standing in our relationship with God becuase of what we believe, not because of what we do.  When we come to trust in God with our lives, job, money, family, time… then we are living in a right relationship with God.  Do works or what we do matter?  Of course.  Later in the Bibe we read that faith without works is dead.  As we grow in our relationship with God, we come to see that His great love for us calls us to share that love with the hurting and broken world in which we live.  Why?  So that they too can come to know His saving love.

We cannot buy or earn righteousness or a right relationship with God.  We don’t get saved through membership or attendance, but by living and walking daily with God.  When our lives are guided by a trust and belief in God, then we come to live by faith.