pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: God


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His Presence

Have you ever had an experience or a moment where you felt God’s presence unexpectedly?  Most of our encounters tend to be either in worship during a song or sometimes during an intense time of prayer.  But have you ever had a visit from God outside of these cases?

At times maybe you have been moved by God from something in nature – a beautiful sunset or a powerful thunderstorm.  Maybe it was in a moment of tragedy or in an experience with an act of heroism where you could sense His presence.

In all of these cases where suddenly God is in our midst, how do we respond?  Are we like Peter, scrambling for something to do, or do we move on quickly, made uncomfortable by the unfamiliar?  Or is yours a different reaction?

When God is present in a song or time of prayer during worship, I hope the moment never ends, that the song or prayer just goes on forever.  I find the same desire to extend His presence during a storm or other event in nature, but that too always ends.  Although all of these experiences come to an end, there is no denying that God has been intimately present.

And what is our repsonse?  What do we do with this amazing divine encounter?  Immediately after the expereience, our common feeling is awe – sometimes we are hardly able to express what we feel in words and sometimes we feel as if we cannot believe what we just experienced.  As the feeling of awe passes we usually move to thanksgiving and often to praise.  It is the natural response of a grateful heart.  It is essential that we always offer our thanksgiving and praise, for we have been directly blessed by the living God.  Today, may you be blessed by our living God!

Scripture reference: Mark 9: 2-9


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Times of Rest

After healing many and casting demons from many, Jesus got up early and headed out alone to find a quiet place to pray.  After spending a lot of energy He needed to connect with God to be renewed and refreshed.

We too are called to this practice of Sabbath and rest.  We too are called to find times of rest where we lay aside job and other responsibilities to center in on God – to reconnect, to renew, to refresh.

Pretty soon Simon and the rest of the team find Jesus and call Him back to work.  They tell Him all of those people need something and He is the only one that can provide what they need.  Can’t you almost hear Jesus’ heavy sigh and see the slumping of His shoulders as He rises to return to the people?

We too hear the cell phone ringing or we cannot silence the voices in our own heads calling us back into action.  Maybe we are pretty good at convincing ourselves or just maybe the world really needs us that bad – and our rest ends all too soon.  We have only claimed a bit of the rest, renewal, and reconnection that we needed.  We too sigh and shrug our shoulders as we head back to the world.

Just as the times of rest were essential for Jesus to be most effective in His ministry, so too are times of rest essential for us.  Today may we all find some space to slow down, to center in on God, and to enjoy a time of rest with Him.

Scripture reference: Mark 1: 35-39


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A Good Love

Love is not something that we instinctively know and understand.  Love and the ability to love others is something developed, nurtured, taught.  We all learn to love because others first loved us.

When a baby is born it first stays close to his or her mother, soaking up both her physical presence and her emotional presence.  As a baby grows it is showered in love.  Almost all children’s first word is ‘momma’ or ‘poppa’ or some version of one of these.  As the young child grows they learn what love is and how to express love.  But alas, not all homes are the same, so for some ‘love’ is distorted or hard to understand or difficult to express.

At some point in life, most often in early childhood but not always, one begins to learn what God’s love looks and feels like.  Through the stories we read in the Bible, through the messages we hear in church, and through how we see Christian love lived out we begin to see what pure and perfect love looks like.

This evolving relationship with God becomes personal at some point.  We realize how much Jesus loved us to die on a cross for our sins and we offer our lives to Him in response.  We begin to know pure and perfect love not because of anything we did or do, but because He first loved us.  This love continues to grow ad develop as we deepen our understanding of and commitment to Christ.  As this love consumes us it begins to spill out into our other relationships – both to those we love and to the stranger on the street.  It is a good love.  It is a love that must be shared.  It is a love that grows as we offer it to others.  It is a good love.  Thanks be to God!

Scripture reference: Psalm 147: 7-11 and 20c


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Walking in Love

God loves all people.  He especially loves those who love Him.  God loves all that He created.  He calls the stars by name and counts the hairs on our head.  His love is do vast that it is hard to comprehend.

God calls the broken to himself.  He calls those suffering physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially to find healing and rest.  Sometimes the healing and rest come directly from God, sometimes He uses one of us.  God’s love is vast.

As we grow in faith and in relationship with God, we come to love and know Him more and more.  As our connection to God deepens, we come to trust Him more and more as well.  As our trust in Him grows, we become increasingly used as a vessel to bring God’s love, mercy, and healing to those in need.

In Jesus we see God’s deep, deep love for the poor, the sick, the downtrodden, the outcast.  In Christ we see how we are to love those in need.  As our trust in God grows, our love for Him begins to extend to all of our brothers and sisters.  May we walk in His love each day, seeking opportunities to be His hands and feet, bringing light and love to a world in need.

Scripture reference: Psalm 147: 1-6 & 20c


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One Day We Will Know

In my daily walk with Christ there are two things I wrestle with: how to explain why God allows tragedy to occur and why we continue to be tempted.  I wrestle with these two especially because they are things that cause one to question or doubt God.

God loves us as His children.  He provides for our needs as our Father.  God even offered His only Son on a cross for our salvation.  There is no question that He loves us and wants the very best for us.

Maybe part of the necessity for these things that we wrestle with is to remind us that daily we must make the choice to live that day for Christ.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there is an overarching peace and presence that permeates our lives, a sense of knowing that where our eternity rests is secure.

Another part of the wrestling comes from our inability to fully comprehend God.  We know He loves us, just not how much.  We do not know why tragedy occurs or why we are tempted often, but by faith we trust that God knows.  Sometimes, after a time has passed, we are blessed with some understanding or insight into ‘why’ but not always.  Sometimes we must simply trust into Him who loves us more than we can understand.  In faith we live into this, fully confident that one day we will know the fullness of His love.

Scripture reference: Isaiah 40: 21-31


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Hard to Wait

Our God is an everlasting God.  All that was and is and ever will be is in His hands.  God is the sole creator of all that has life.  He loves all of His creation with a love so big it is unfathomable.

At times we can feel lost and insignificant.  At times we can feel like God is distant.  At times life can be hard and we can question why something is happening or wonder where God is in the midst of a struggle we are having.

When we find ourself here, it is hard to wait for God.  In the tension and uneasiness we want God to fly in and fix it all instantly.  But sometimes we do have to wait.  Waiting for God to act is hard.

Back in Isaiah 40 we hear these words: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…. those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”  In the midst of it, hold onto this hope.  In the midst, be faithful.  Read His word, meditate upon it, go to Him in prayer, seek His presence.  Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

It is hard to wait.  It is hard.  But we must trust in God and in His plan.  He is faithful and He loves all of His creation.  All of us.  Wait in the Lord, rest upon this hope, soak Him up, and He will strengthen you.

Scripture reference: Isaiah 40: 21-31


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Jesus as Center

Idols are all of those things that we invest our time in, that we put our trust in, and that, in the end, draw us away from God.  Our idols can include our possessions or money, our job or position, our looks or our body.  It is all that we place ahead of or before God.  Idols are stumbling blocs in our relationship with God.

In times of need, when we are struggling or suffering and need strength or comfort, our idols can do very little for us.  For a time we can think our chosen idol is helping as it masks the pain or hardship for a time, but it cannot take is away.  Only God can do that.  Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ do we find true peace, comfort, rest, and contentment.

Our idols can also harm others, drawing their attention away from God.  One new to the faith may see you as an example to follow.  If we choose an idol over God, they too may make a similar choice for themselves.  The same is even more true for our children.  Their little eyes are watchful and their small ears are attentive.  What they observe in our lives, they mimic in theirs.

As our lives silently speak out about what we value and where we put our trust, does your life reveal Jesus as your center?  All in our life must fall under His authority.  It is a daily struggle to put God first in all we do, but we can have Jesus as our rock if we make a conscious choice to take our stand upon Him each day.  He is our firm foundation.  Thanks be to God!

Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13


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Fact or Opinion?

In today’s reading Paul is writing to a church that is in conflict.  The issue is to eat or not eat food sacrificed to idols.  Today we do not have this particular issue in our churches, but we have others.  Paul’s advice to the Corinthians still applies to our churches today, many years later.

In our churches we all have facts and opinions.  Facts are the basic tenets of our faith – one God, Jesus resurrected, forgiveness of sins, love one another – and rules or laws that govern our church or denomination.  The tenets of our faith are unchangeable, universally true throughout time.  The second set can be changed through whatever process the church has in place.  Some of the laws and rules of a church tend to change over time, to better reflect the society and times in which the church exists.

And there are opinions – those things not explicitly explained in the Bible (like how to perform baptism) or are not in the Bible at all (like when to hold worship).  In these things we find all sorts of ways to find differences.  But arguing amongst ourselves or causing another to sin because of our actions is not living as a Christian.

Paul reminds us to let love be our guide and to be open to others.  He reminds us to always be building relationships.  He reminds us to find unity in our common ground.  Paul also reminds us to be aware of how our behavior influences others so that we are not a stumbling block.  Paul was wise.

Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13


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Ordinary, Everyday

What is your reaction when you see someone helping another?  How are you affected when you read of how one made a difference in another’s life?  When we witness God’s love being shared in real and tangible ways, our hearts and souls are lifted up.

Throughout the Bible we see God at work in the world on behalf of His people.  In the New Testament Jesus’ ministry is all about being active in the lives of the people He meets.  We see over and over again what it looks like for God to love the people of this world.

God often chose the unlikely to be His agent of change in the world.  Jesus continued this pattern when he called the disciples.  Ordinary, everyday people have always been a part of our story of faith.  Those who have been called have risen up and done great things for God, not because of their intelligence, position, or speaking ability but because they all came with a willing, loving heart.

As we witness God’s love continuing to make a difference in our world, may we too be drawn to allow others to glimpse God through us.  God calls us all to be a part of building His kingdom.  He continues to call ordinary, everyday people to shine His light and to share His love.  Can you hear Him calling?

Scripture reference: Psalm 111


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Attuned to the Voice

Who would we identify as prophets of God in our world today?  Is it the big TV evangelists or the mega church lead pastors?  Is it the pastor of your local church or the leader of your small group?  Is it your spouse or best friend?  Yes, yes, yes, and yes!  A prophet can be all of these at certain times and points in our life an it can be others not mentioned above.  God can still speak in many ways through a wide variety of people.

Surely prophets are people like Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.  While this is a pretty impressive list, the Bible is full of prophets – many of whom came from out of nowhere.  Many spoke the word God gave them and faded back into regular life.  In this sense, we live today among many prophets.  Some are here for a while and others only for a short period of time.

One of the main jobs of a prophet is to align the people of faith with the will of God.  In this sense they help guide like a shepherd.  A prophet can also offer correction as we stray from God’s plan.  In our personal lives this comes mostly when we pursue worldly idols and when we fall to temptation.

In these terms, the voice of God can be heard from the many prophets in our lives.  We too may be a prophet to others.  We all need to be attuned to the voice that God has given a message to.  God is still very much alive and well and active in our world.  May His voice continue to lead and guide us all.

Scripture reference: Deuteronomy 8: 15-20