pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: grace


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Bearing Fruit

God’s love is unfailing and unending.  His pursuit of us is constant.  God’s mercy and grace is a constant stream flowing to our souls.  His patience is vast.

In Matthew 21 we find the parable of the vineyard owner.  He plants a vineyard and rents it to some tenants.  This scenario parallels God’s creation of His kingdom and we are the tenants who inhabit it.  We are not owners and this earth is not our final destination.  We exist here for a short time.  Eternity will be spent elsewhere.

As we live out our lives, God expects us to bear fruit.  As His children, we are called to care for those in need, to give out of the abundance that He blesses us with.  Like the servants who came to the vineyard for the owner’s share of the fruit, God sends people into our lives that we can yield some fruit to.  Maybe it is something physical like food or shelter or clothing, maybe it is our time that we give to others.

May we hear the warning in this parable and not be like the wretched tenants who want to keep it all for themselves.  May we see that all we have is from God, the owner.  May we seek to build His kingdom by allowing our blessings to flow out to others, bearing them up in love, grace, and mercy.

Scripture reference: Matthew 21: 33-46


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Our Call Too

God is a god of hope, love, grace, and generosity.  We each receive these things in abundance.  We are called, in turn, to share these gifts with others – to those we know and to the person we meet for the first time.

In the parable at the start of Matthew 20, Jesus is teaching us to offer these things to all.  The landowner pays all of the workers the same amount.  He begins by paying those who started late what he promised those who started early.  They grumble when they only receive what was promised.

We can relate to their complaint!  They think they deserved more.  We see this two ways.  We too often think that if we have been a follower of Christ for a long time we “deserve” more than one new to their faith.  Wrong.  God loves us all equally.  We all equally deserve God’s blessings.  The other way we see this is in judging who is worthy of our love, our time, our help…  This is equally wrong.  We are called to be like Christ.  He set the standard – He loved all, especially those who we think are hard to love.  This is our call – to love all as Christ loved and loves all.


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Trust in Hope

All on this earth will have trials and tribulations.  All will experience doubt and fear.  All will endure pain, loss, and suffering. These things are part of life. What separates Christians is their hope and faith in God.

God never promises us an easy life or constant smooth sailing.  He does promise to always be with us, to never leave us or forsake us.  The maker of heaven and earth promises to be with us at all times – in the good and in the bad.  God is on our side.  He is our hope and our ransom.

When the waters of life boil up around us and threaten to engulf us or when our foot strays too near the snare, we ned not fear.  Jesus has paid the price, we have been redeemed.  By His grace we are welcomed into eternal life.  Once we call on His name and call Him Lord and savior, we have life.  Our eternal life begins then, not the moment we die.  This grace allows us to see the waters and snares of light in a new way, in a way that knows they do not control us any more.

In Psalm 124 we read that the waters cannot trap us.  They cannot hold us.  They cannot define us.  It is God who holds and defines us.  Life will be hard at times as we pass through trials and difficulties.  But God will always have a hand on us, will always love us through.  Trust this hope.  Trust God.

Scripture reference: Psalm 124


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A Great Mystery of Faith

One of the things universal to mankind is our proclivity to sin.  In our daily lives, temptation is all around us.  We can do certain things that makes us less likely to sin, but Satan is always at work.  Even for those that do not have a belief in God, they too have an innate sense of right and wrong.  Sin is all around us and the world’s messages are ‘just go for it’ and do whatever feels good.  But these are not God’s messages.  His message is to be like Jesus.

One of the things that is offered universally by God is grace.  His mercy and the grace offered is available to all.  His prevenient grace rests upon each and every person.  His mercy is a free gift that cannot be earned.  It is a birthrite to be claimed by all through faith in Jesus Christ.  Once a child of God, His mercies, grace, and forgiveness flow freely.  Once a child, His grace works to sanctify us, to make us daily more like His son Jesus.

God’s grace is one of the great mysteries of faith.  God’s grace is present with us from the beginning.  Once we enter into relationship with Him, we are changed, born anew.  Although we are still bent towards sin, we are bought with Jesus’ blood and begin the daily battle to ‘sin no more’.  This is a battle that we sometimes ‘lose’ but, thanks be to God, His mercies are new every morning.  Each and every time we seek His forgiveness, His grace pours down like rain.  We are washed clean and made new.  Thank you Lord for this great mystery of faith!

Scripture reference: Romans 11: 29-32


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What a Shepherd!!

Sheep have a reputation for being animals that lack intelligence.  They are known to do stupid things at times – they wander off and find themselves lost or in danger.  When the shepherd isn’t around or when they cannot hear his voice, they can become lost or worse.

Sheep are a pretty good metaphor for us, aren’t they?  Not the lacking intelligence part – humans are pretty capable intellectually.  But this make it all the more ironic that at times we too wander away from Jesus, our shepherd.  We know He paid a price.  We know he bled, suffered, and died to pay for our sins yet sometimes we are prone to wander off down a different road.

When the shepherd notices a sheep is missing, he will search for that sheep until he finds it and bring it back to safety.  At times, danger comes near the sheep.  The shepherd takes up staff or sling and protects the sheep.

When we wander away, surely we will hear His voice.  When I hear Him calling, ‘John, where are you?’ then I respond, ‘Here!  Here!  Here I am!’ and I come running back.  As I come to walk again with the shepherd I wonder why I ever went astray.  But Jesus just smiles ad welcomes me back into the fold.  There is no “tsk, tsk’ or sad look in His eyes.  Just a smile and love in the eyes.  At times, do you hear Him calling?  Run to Him!  He will do the same for you.  Jesus offers love, grace, and mercy to all.  What a Good Shepherd we have!!!


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The Word is Enough

In our society there is often a quest for “more”.  People want more money, more prestige, more time off, more friends, more and more.  The quest can be consuming and the goal can become their god.  But Paul found the secret, how to be content in plenty and in want, hether well fed or hungry.  In Philippians 4:13 Paul writes, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  Today it seems many cannot be content.

In John 20 it is revealed that there are other words and miracles of Jesus not recorded in his gospel.  Should that spur our natural instinct to want more?  No!  But it does make me wonder.  It makes me wonder, would more stories help more people to believe?  Sadly, I think not.  God led men far wiser than I to make prayerful and divinely inspired decisions about what writings to put in the Bible.  Similarly, God led John to write what John wrote, no more, no less.

Our faith rests upon Jesus as risen Lord.  He died for our sins.  That is really the story we need.  True, we want more.  And there is value in knowing more.  There is much written in the Bible that teaches us how to live a Christ-like life and about the nature and desire of God.  If we delve in and study the Word, it is enough.  We do not need to know more.  God has provided all we need to be content. Continue reading →


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Taking Notice

Sin can be a lot like bad food you ate at a restaurant.  When you partook, you certainly enjoyed it!  Yet later, as much as you try to keep it down, it just gurgles away and makes you take notice.  In a fit of kindness, you may even think it is not the restaurant’s fault.  As we gaze in the mirror of our souls, we may even think it is the other driver’s fault they didn’t sense we wanted to change lanes or that our spouse didn’t know we were upset with something that happened at work or maybe it was the overly sensitive person at the meeting that should’ve known you were only joking.  But when we lean in and take a closer look…

The sin in our lives doesn’t go away either if we just try and pretend it is not there.  It festers away and begins to sap our strength and energy.  It wedges the guilt right in there – between us and God or between you and a friend, co-worker, or spouse.  As with bad food, it is often only later that we realize, “Uh-oh…”

Yet there is great news!!  When we confess our sins before God we can find love, and mercy, and forgiveness.  He draws us back to Himself and teaches us a better way.  He wants to guide us to a new and better way – His way of love.  God desires for us to love others as He loves us.  And when we go to our friend, co-worker, or spouse and humbly confess our sin and seek their forgiveness, they too will welcome us back into relationship with them.  And then we rejoice, for the lost has been found, the broken has been fixed.  We rejoice in our mighty savior as He pours out His love upon us each and every day.  Thanks be to God!


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And so they ate…

In the Garden Adam and Eve had all they really needed – food, each other, God’s daily presence.  Yet there was one thing that they did not have.  It wasn’t that they needed it – they just did not have it.  And so they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  It is not that they needed to know about good and evil.  But their desire to have more got the best of them.  Eating the fruit gave them the one thing they knew they did not have.

Aren’t we often the same?  We so often want to have more than we have. We are so blessed in so many ways yet we see a better position, better pay, more recognition, a newer car, a bigger house, a more beautiful spouse, … and we “want” it.  The want has nothing to do with need or necessity.  It is much like the fruit of the forbidden tree.  We think, ‘wouldn’t it be nice to…’ and off we go!  And God looks down and says ‘All you need is right here.”  Yet we can be so busy in chasing after the next ‘x’ that we don’t even hear Him.

We treat the control over our lives the same way.  God will do a fantastic job of leading our life.  Yet we are constantly wrestling with him over the steering wheel.  If we can only see that life is always best when God is driving the bus.  We want to set the course and call the shots.  We are blessed in so many ways yet how often Satan whispers, “Hey, look over here” and he instantly has our attention.  Satan doesn’t much tempt us with fruit but his offerings are vast and shiny and make us take notice.

As we prepare to enter into this holy season of Lent, may we do so fully acknowledging God as the provider of all good things.  I’ve heard that He is an excellent driver too.  May we come to trust in Him and to be content in the rich blessings that He so graciously gives.  May our thanks to Him flow out of us abundantly so that we may see God for who He truly is: a loving father who wants to give His children all they need.  When we do, He is faithful and will fill us with joy, peace, and contentment.  May we eat fully of His abundance.

 


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Always Calling Our Name

“You are my strength when I am weak,
You are the treasure that I seek.

Seeking you as a precious jewel,
Lord to give up I’d be a fool.”

These words from an old Dennis Garrigan song came to mind as I read Psalm 40 this morning. No, the song above is not based upon this Psalm (For that honor, I think that’d be Jesus, Lover of My Soul!) In the Psalm, David seeks God. He allows God to fill his heart and this leds him to desire to do God’s will. David sings of God’s love and salvation in the assembly and rests assured that God will protect him.

When we look at our lives, we will see times that we wander from God. We may go for long stretches where God is central in our lives, but occassionally go through a valley. In the Upper Room today the author told a childhood story about when he ad his brother were lost in the woods during a snowstorm. Just when they felt all was lost, they heard their Dad’s voice calling out to them. When we are in our valleys and feel lost from God, we just have to pause and we will hear Him calling our name.

Yet for some, lost is where they are. Many people feel that they can do just fine on their own. Problems can be solved, errors can be fixed. Life hums along with its slight ups and downs. No need for God. Until something comes along tht they cannot solve or fix. In the times of desparation they cry out to God. And God does NOT turn a deaf ear to them. For in their time of need or loss is when He comes to them – still full of love and grace and mercy. For He always loves us. All of us!

“Taking my sin, my cross, my shame,
Rising again I bless your name.

When I am down you lift me up,
When I am dry you fill my cup.”

As we grow in our faith we learn to walk more faithfully and more steadfastly with the Lord. We begin to know Him in our hearts all the time and begin to desire to do His will as a result. We come to rely on Him in the good and in the bad. As we are called to be God’s light in this dark world, hold your light up for all men to see. Let the world know what the song proclaims: You are my all in all!!