pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: goodness


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Every Moment of Every Day

Reading: Psalm 23:5-6

Psalm 23:6 – “Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.”

As we return to Psalm 23 today we do so with the key thought once again front and center: “You are with me.” As this week’s Disciplines devotional writer Magrey deVega notes, these four words are literally the center of the psalm. There are 26 words before this phrase and 26 after it. The psalm begins with rest and God’s provision, guidance, and protection. It then enters dark valley. It is here that we are often most aware of God’s intimate presence and deep love. Climbing out of that place, we turn to verses 5 and 6.

In verse 5 we see the depth and scope of God’s love. A table is set right amongst enemies. So complete is God’s protection, there is no fear even when surrounded. Blessings come too, even there, as the head is anointed and the cup overflows. Signs of God’s love assure us even in moments of threat or danger or fear. In this situation, like in the valley, the psalmist realizes, “Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.” God isn’t there just when we call on God. No, God is always there. Yes, our awareness of this can rise and fall with our own perceived need, but when we reflect back on our relationship with God, we too see God’s steadfast and constant presence in our lives. From this place of assurance, we know as David knew: “I will live in the Lord’s house as long as I live.” Every moment of every day, God is with us. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, as I sit and look out the window upon the hedge and woods beyond, you are there. As I look around the cottage, you are here. Wherever and whenever I go, you will be there too. Thank you, Lord, for your abiding and loving presence in the highs and lows and in everything in between. You are an awesome, awesome God. Amen.


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Every Day…

Reading: Acts 2:46-47

Acts 2:46-47 – “Every day, they met together… shared food… they praised God… and demonstrated God’s goodness…”

Photo credit: Spencer Davis

Returning to Acts 2 today, Luke emphasizes the importance of all four spiritual practices or disciplines. He also focuses on the intended communal nature of these practices. Luke first notes that the believers met “every day.” The main purpose of their gathering was to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. This often happened in worship. Today, in our busy, rushed world, not too many of us gather daily with other believers. Yes, we might all read the same devotional asynchronously, the Upper Room for example, but imagine how our faith would change and grow if we gathered each day to proclaim and celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ!

The believers also gathered daily to share meals. This was most likely an extension of their worship or study time. In our church and in many others we gather after worship for fellowship time. Around the tables we have a coffee or lemonade and a nibble or two and we catch up on one another’s lives. We celebrate the joys of life and we learn of one another’s needs. This enables the body of Christ to “demonstrate God’s goodness” through acts of love. Sometimes, at the table, we learn of a neighbor’s need or of a need in the larger community. This allows the love of Christ and the goodness of God to extend out into the world.

These four practices should be the core activities of all believers and of all communities of faith. Without one of these, the others are less than God intends them to be. When all four practices are healthy and vital within the life of the believer and within the life of the body of Christ, then the Lord will again do what God did in Luke’s day. Then, God “added daily to the community those who were being saved.” O Lord, stir up in us and in our communities this kind of faith, this kind of revival!

Prayer: Lord God, there is a call within these words of Luke to gather regularly. This feels almost impossible in our day and age. Yet it also feels like your intention for all believers. It’s what Jesus modeled and lived out every day. So Lord, open our eyes, widen our hearts, and bend our wills towards making this more of a reality in our lives and in our communities of faith. Stir us up, O God, so that faith is more than a Sunday morning event. Amen.


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Devoted?

Reading: Acts 2:42-45

Acts 2:43 – “A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.”

Today and tomorrow we walk with the early, early church. The Holy Spirit has just come upon the apostles and other believers. In the opening verse we see what the first “church” was like. They studied the word of God and the example of Jesus. They gathered regularly to be in fellowship and to share meals. They spent time in prayer. To all of these practices of faith, “they devoted themselves.”

Before pressing on in the passage, we must ask ourselves a few questions. Does this sound like your church or community of faith? Are the people in your community of faith devoted to these practices? And are you, an important part of the body of faith, are you personally devoted to giving daily and regular attention to these practices of the faith? Devotion to the spiritual disciplines, as individuals and as a community of faith, it is a necessity if verse 43 is to be realized in and amongst us.

In verse 43 we read, “A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.” The sense of awe and the signs and wonders – these are the actions of God. We cannot in any way manufacture these things. The awe, signs, and wonders are, if you will, God’s “response” to our faithful devotion. When we are faithful to the practices of our faith, we open ourselves up to God working and acting in our lives and in our faith communities. The Spirit at work then leads to unity, to caring well for one another, and to the revelation of God’s goodness in the world. These faith practices will, in turn, lead to adding to the community “those being saved.” So, again, the questions: Are you and is your faith community devoted to these regular practices of the faith?

Prayer: Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, upon our faith communities, and upon our neighborhoods. Filled with your Spirit, increase our devotion: to you, to the example of Jesus, to the community of faith, and to the unsaved world. Draw us day by day closer to you so that you may use us and our communities of faith in more and more transformational ways. Amen.


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You Are My God!

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

Psalm 118:28 – “You are my God – I will give thanks to you! You are my God – I will lift you up high!”

We turn to Psalm 118 today. It is a psalm about a person who comes to the temple to gives thanks to God for deliverance – even in the face of current distress and trouble. At times we pray this way, thanking God for past deliverance, hoping it comes again during our current trial. The psalm begins and ends with a declaration of praise for God’s goodness and faithful love. Like the psalmist, we too give thanks for these blessings from God.

Turning to verses 19 and 20, we hear a request to enter the temple, to come into God’s presence. For the psalmist, the presence deepens in verse 27, where he or she is invited to come to the altar. Thanks is given in verse 21 for the author’s presence in the temple. Verses 22-27 are thought to be the choir’s response to the psalmist. These verses celebrate God’s rescue and salvation. Verses 22-29 are often connected to Jesus in the New Testament: the cornerstone rejected, the blessedness of the one who comes in the name of God, the one who is present to us.

The gift of being in God’s presence is a gift that we enjoy and celebrate too. This presence is strongest and most assured when we open our hearts and lives to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides us to walk in God’s will and way. It brings us to the altar of forgiveness when we fail. It keeps us on the narrow way when the world calls us to the wide way that leads to death. Following the path of God, with this presence within, we find life abundant now and are assured of it in the life to come. Because of these blessings, we can join the psalmist as we too declare, “You are my God – I will give thanks to you! You are my God – I will lift you up high!”

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the open door into your presence. In our times of distress, you are there with us, bringing peace, assurance, guidance. In the times of worship and praise, you are there within us, drawing us closer, refining and teaching us, filling us with joy and love, lifting us high. Thank you for being our God. Amen.


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Awake Sleeper!

Reading: Ephesians 5:12-14

Ephesians 5:14 – “Therefore it says, ‘Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine in you.'”

Reading verse 12, perhaps you too had a person or a situation come to mind. We live in a world and time when I watch or read the news, when I scroll social media, or when I hear a conversation or presentation and I shake my head in sorrow or sadness or disbelief. Disgust and anger are felt often too. Many times I wonder how those in power can be okay with what our world has become. “Embarrassing” is a good word for our day too.

Paul reminds us, as he did on Friday when we read the first part of this passage, that the light reveals the truth about the darkness. Our call as followers of Jesus is to expose the darkness to the light. To that end Paul writes, “Therefore it says, ‘Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine in you.'” He is quoting from Isaiah 29 and 60. We recall that the prophet spoke to a people who worshipped the idols of this world, forgetting the Lord their God. 70 years in exile served as their wake-up call. While we may not worship Baal or other ancient ‘gods,’ there are certainly no shortage of false gods that create evil and darkness in our world today.

What might God be calling us to wake up to today? What are the evils and darkness of our time? In my little part of the world, poverty, hunger, and homelessness first come to mind. If the circle expands a bit wider, the list grows quickly. As followers of Christ, we are charged with caring for “the least of these,” as Jesus called them. We should do so in practical ways, feeding and clothing and housing those in need. But we should also shine a light on those in power who allow and often times create, defend, and sustain unjust systems that lead to these evils. We should speak, work, and be socially active in ways that seek to dismantle these systems and to disempower those who strive to maintain the “status quo” – all for personal gain. In these ways we will shine the light of Christ into the darkness of the world, bringing God’s goodness, justice, and truth to the world. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, the task at hand feels huge. In our own power, we are weak. But in and through you, we are strong. So, Lord, first open our eyes to the suffering, need, and darkness of our world. Then fill our hearts with compassion and love for the marginalized, the powerless, the voiceless. From there, use our hands, feet, and voices to provide for and to meet basic, physical needs. Then empower us to speak, to stand, and to work to create a more just and fair world. In all these ways, may Christ shine in us and out into the darkness of our world. Amen.


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Leaving Trails

Reading: Psalm 23:4-6

Psalm 23:6a – “Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.”

Photo credit: Christopher Beloch

Returning to Psalm 23 today, we delve into verses 4-6. In verse 4 we are reminded that the good shepherd of verses 1-3 is also with us in the “darkest valleys” of life. The darkest valleys are many: addiction, depression, death, grief, divorce, forced relocation, loss of employment, friendship, and security, illness, disease, homelessness, poverty, injustice, oppression. These dark valleys are situations and circumstances that we would rather avoid than go through. We’ll try and go around them. We’ll try and pretend that they are not really there. Faced with the reality of the dark valley, we’ll try everything in our power to get through or to climb out. And then, when there’s nothing else to try, we’ll turn to God. Surrendering our fear, loneliness, anxiety… to God, we feel a power and presence that walks with us. We’re not airlifted out of the valley, but God is with us, giving us hope, comfort, peace, strength… in the darkest valleys.

As we experience God’s presence again and again, we trust more and more into our relationship with God. Even when “enemies” – those listed above and more -are right in front of us, we feel safe and blessed by God’s presence. We are not alone. We can declare as David declares, “Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.” Aware of God in deeper and more trusting ways, we come to see that God doesn’t just show up when we really need God. No, God pursues us. All of the time. God fills us with goodness and faithful love – so much so that these blessings overflow out of us, leaving trails of goodness and love behind us as we live as light and love in the world. In this way, God’s goodness and faithful love fill other’s cups too, bringing God’s power and presence into their lives. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your goodness, love, and mercy that draws us to your heart, to your family, and to our place in your house. Draw us into your power and presence again and again, empowering us to truly walk with you all of our days. Walking closely, Lord, use us to be goodness and love in the world, inviting others into your power and presence. Amen.


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Living as Light

Reading: Ephesians 5:8-11

Ephesians 5:9 – “Light produces fruit that consist of goodness, justice, and truth.”

Paul begins today’s passage by reminding those in the churches in Ephasus and those in the church today that although we were once in darkness, living as people of the world, we are now in “the light of the Lord.” Our old, sinful, selfish ways have been laid aside so that we can now live as “children of the light.” The apostle paints this change as black and white terms: light and darkness. While we strive to live in the light, the reality is that we sometimes stray into the darkness and often times we live in the gray.

The journey of faith and the work of the Spirit draws us to the light end of this spectrum. As we mature in faith, we tend to sin less. Even so, we never remain sinless for long. As Peter says in his first letter, the lion always prowls. Because of this, our faith growth is not strictly linear. While we are imperfect, we also seek to be more and more like Christ. Paul reminds us, in verse 9, of why we strive to live faithfully: “Light produces fruit that consist of goodness, justice, and truth.” When our lives yield these outcomes, we witness to God’s love and care and power, drawing others to the light.

While we seek to keep away from “the unfruitful actions of darkness,” they are all around us. Paul encourages us to allow the light within us to “reveal the truth” about the evil inside ourselves and in the world. Concerning others, we must prayerfully discern when and how and where to speak truth. At times we will be led to “call out” injustice, oppression, and other evils. And at times we will be led to take a more gentle and kind “calling in” of those who have started from the faith. In both ways, we a living faithfully as the light of Christ in the world.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us to walk as children of the light. Open our eyes and hearts to the ways you provide for us to be goodness, justice, and truth first to ourselves and then to the world. As we focus on our own faith, help us to mature and to trust in you more and more. From this solid foundation, guide us in our efforts to reveal truth to the world and to our fellow believers. Guide us to always lead with love and grace. Amen.


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God’s Intended Creation

Reading: Psalm 65:9-13

Psalm 65:13 – “The meadowlands are covered in flocks, the valleys decked out in grain.”

Psalm 65 is a song of praise for God’s works. The portion that we read today celebrates God’s provision to the people of the earth. In verses 9-10 the psalmist rejoices over how God brings abundance to the earth through the “rain showers” that enrich the earth and provide grain for the people. From what was chaos in Genesis 1, God has ordered and shaped creation in ways that express God’s love to all of God’s children.

Moving into verses 11-12 we see that it is God’s goodness that creates this overflowing abundance. God provides because God is good. God’s goodness is so graciously given that even the desert is “dressed in pure joy.” This goodness and blessing extends even more to the valleys and meadowlands tended by God’s people. Of these we read, “The meadowlands are covered in flocks, the valleys decked out in grain.” This provision yields a joy that expresses itself in songs of praise to God.

As I read these verses, I think that all of creation and all of humanity should be greatly blessed with all that we need. This is clearly God’s intent for the world that God designed and created. The hard reality, though, is that there is a great wrench that “we” have thrown into God’s plan. Greed and selfishness and the desire for power have twisted God’s plan and design. A very small few are greatly blessed in all ways. And while a good chunk in the middle are doing okay, a too-large group struggles daily for food, shelter, and security. How can we, as the people of God, move our world closer to what it was created to be?

Prayer: Lord God, likely as we read this we sit in the middle group – comfortable enough in life that it can feel okay to ignore those other groups. But, Lord, you call us to more. Awaken in us your spirit of generous abundance for all of creation. Move us to be people who speak and act in ways that bring about your intended world. Amen.


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Power and Presence

Reading: Psalm 65:1-8

Psalm 65:5 – “In righteousness you answer us, by your awesome deeds, God of our salvation.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

Psalm 65 is a song of praise for all of God’s works. The psalmist intertwines and connects God’s works in creation and in our lives. In the first two verses we are reminded that God is the God of all living things. God is in the created world just as much as God is in you and me and in all of humanity. In response we praise God by being faithful in our living and in our praying. And, the psalmist reminds us, when we fall short, God forgives our sins. For David and for us, in drawing close to God we encounter happiness, goodness, and holiness. These traits of God become ours when we choose to enter God’s presence.

The focus shifts to God’s acts in verses 5-8. In verse 5 we read, “In righteousness you answer us, by your awesome deeds, God of our salvation.” God’s power and presence is evident in many ways. God holds all things, even to the “far edges of the sea.” In strength God established the mountains. In power God calms the storms and will calm the “waves” and “noise” of the nations. God’s power brings the morning and evening, day after day, giving us more reasons to praise God.

These are David’s observations and experiences of God’s power and presence in his life and in the world. We certainly experience some of these. In what other ways have you and do you see and feel God’s power and presence in your life and in the world? May these be a source of praise today.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your love and care. It is all around us. Open our eyes and hearts to see you in both the wonders of creation and in the daily ways that you work in our lives and in the world. For all of this we praise you! Amen.


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Seeking Justice

Reading: Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:7 – “Won’t God provide justice to his chosen people when they cry out day and night? Will he be slow to help them?”

In our world today one would not have to exert much time or energy to find someone to substitute into the place of the widow in this parable. The brokenness and selfishness and greed of our world makes it too easy to find someone abusing the power that they hold over another, to find someone taking advantage of another for personal gain, to find someone with lots of resources walking above the laws that govern our lives. These are but a few of the many situations that cause people to cry out for justice.

The people who create and perpetuate the injustices of our world tend to be like the judge in our parable – people who are self-centered and only care about personal gain. Justice can be had – at a price or if you walk in their social or economic circles. Doing the right thing instead? Yes, that can come at times when a voice raised will not be quieted or silenced. Or when the people rally together to raise the injustice into the public’s consciousness.

As people of faith, we have a role to play in making our world and our societies just and compassionate places. This is so because our God is a compassionate God of justice. God’s goodness and mercy are bent towards justice, especially for people like the widow – the marginalized and the powerless. As the chosen people, may we cry out to God day and night, seeking a more just world. Doing so, we better align our heart and our actions with the heart and will and way of God.

Prayer: Lord God, use us, your people, to bring about a better, more loving world. Grant us the courage to see and to act when the Spirit moves our hearts towards your heart. Give us the words to speak and the steps to take to end injustices in our world. Make us justice-seekers. Amen.