pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: heart


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Anyone? Someone?

Reading: Romans 9:1-5

Verse 2: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.”

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

This week’s Epistle reading comes on the heels of one of the greatest passages about the power we find when we choose to live our life in Jesus Christ. Paul has passionately built the case for faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Romans 8 is one of the most convincing and moving arguments for choosing Jesus as Lord that can be found in the New Testament.

After completing this passage, I bet Paul felt drained. He poured his heart and soul into those words. Concluding that section, I can picture him letting out a big sigh, accompanied with a “Phew!” It was truly a monumental effort. And then his heart and mind turned to the great number of Jews who refused to see Jesus Christ as the Messiah, who refused to believe anything about having a saving faith in Christ.

In verse 2 he writes, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” Paul is heartbroken over the peoples’ refusal to even consider Jesus Christ as the Messiah. His compassion for his own people is so great that Paul would gladly be “cursed and cut off from Christ” if the people of Israel would just come to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, as the Son of God. That is a deep compassion.

Is there anyone in your life that you long to see come to Christ? Is the someone for whom your soul aches and your heart longs for because of their refusal to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? For most of us, the answer to both questions is “yes!” Through our prayers and through our witness may we bring these before Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be more intentional about how I am Christ to those who don’t quite know you as Lord and Savior. Use me in whatever ways necessary to draw these to you. Amen.


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In All Things

Reading: Romans 8:26-30

Verse 28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God.”

Romans 8 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Today and tomorrow we focus on the last portion. We open today’s verses with a great reminder that we have an advocate. Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak by praying for us. These are not just random prayers. No, the Spirit searches our hearts and prays for exactly what we need. These prayers are awesome in two main ways. First, the Spirit prays for us according to God’s will. Second, this Spirit is the very Spirit of Christ – the one who walked among us, the one who knows our trials and struggles and temptations personally. We have a great team on our side!

In verse 28 we read, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God.” We first note that Paul says, “in all things.” God does not cause all things. Yes, God designed the world and it operates according to God’s design. Death and disease and sin and poor choices are part of this world, and are part of “life.” God does not scheme and orchestrate, causing bad or difficult things to happen so that God can swoop in. Yes, our loving God will work through and in all that life can throw at us if we invite God in and if we seek God’s presence.

God designed us in “the likeness of God’s Son.” We are to be like Christ, the one who fully trusted in God. So in all things may we too turn to God, walking and living as Jesus Christ walked and lived, one day also rising to glory.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and for the intercessions and guidance. Help me to listen better and to follow closer, seeking to be a part of living out your good will for me. Amen.


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Eyes, Heart, Hands and Feet

Reading: Genesis 29:15-30

Verse 27: “Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

As we continue in Genesis, we continue with the story of Jacob, the trickster and deceiver. If this story were just about Jacob perhaps we would feel bad for him because of how Laban tricked and deceived him. But Leah and Rachel are also part of this unfolding story that will continue. This week’s theme is about what is hidden and mixed in. It is about those God moments that we can miss if we’re not paying attention and if we’re not looking past the surface.

In Laban and Jacob’s day, treating women like property was the cultural norm. It was a male-dominated and male-focused world. Just reading verse 27, given above, is enough to paint the picture, to turn our stomachs a bit. But if we just shake our heads and leave the story here, we would be missing what God might want us to consider and ponder. Instead of treating them as property, what if we considered Leah and Rachel as people? In this whole story, how did they feel? How did being treated this way affect them, their relationship with one another, their relationships with Jacob, with Laban, and with God? So much to ponder.

As I think about this, I think about people today who are hidden and mixed in. I think about those in Ukraine, about those in limbo along our southern border, about those caught up in sex trafficking, about those living in poverty on the streets, about those living without hope on our reservations and inner cities. It is dangerous and maybe a little bit uncomfortable when we seek out and think about what can easily be hidden and mixed in. May the Lord indeed give us eyes to see, hearts to feel, hands and feet to move.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for leading me here today, for opening my mind and heart and eyes to the continuing realities in our world. Use me today to see the Leah’s and Rachel’s in our world. Use me today to hear their stories, to be love and grace and hope in action today. May it be so. Amen.


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Choose His Yoke

Reading: Matthew 11:25-30

Verse 25: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

Our passage for today begins with a prayer for those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Faith requires a simple, childlike faith. It does not need intelligence or power or wealth or anything else of this world. No, it is God’s “good pleasure” to reveal the kingdom of heaven to those who are pure of heart. This heart, one free from the clutter and temptations of this world, this heart is the heart to whom Jesus will choose to reveal God.

Then Jesus issues an invitation to such as these. It aligns with the words of his prayer: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” To those tired out by chasing and chasing after the things of this world, to those bowed low because they’ve tried and tried to do life on their own – come to Jesus and find rest. Jesus invites all to take on his yoke, to lean on him, to learn from him, to grow to become humble and gentle – both with ourselves and with others.

Contrary to what you or others may think, Jesus’ yoke is “easy” and his burden is “light.” The yoke of the religious leaders of his day was heavy and burdensome. The yoke of the world today is heavy and burdensome. Jesus’ yoke is easy and light, but not because it is in and of itself. It is easy and light because Jesus carries most of the weight. He hears our burdens, he shoulders our load. He invited us to walk alongside him. There we find rest for our souls, for our bodies, and for our spirits. Doing so we choose to live in and for God’s kingdom of love. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, when I try once again to go it on my own, the load again becomes heavy and hard to bear solo. Then I feel the burden of trying to do it all myself. Humble me so that I gladly and willingly take on your yoke. There I do find rest for my soul and I find strength for the day. Thank you for the invitation and for the gentle reminder. Amen.


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Open Hearts, Open Doors

Reading: Matthew 9:9-13

Verse 11: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

In today’s text we first see Matthew being called by Jesus. Hearing a simple “Follow me” he gets up and leaves that life. We do not know what led Matthew to respond as he did. All we know is that he did follow. News must’ve spread. By evening Jesus and his disciples are at Matthew’s house for dinner. Many “tax collectors and sinners” are gathered there too. The crowd that was gathered drew this question from the Pharisees: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” They took offense over who Jesus breaks bread with.

Jesus does not take offense at either the question or the crowd that sits at the table with him. It is quite the opposite. Using a medical analogy, he first tells the Pharisees that these folks are exactly why he came to earth. Again and again, throughout the gospels, Jesus repeats this message about coming for sinners, not for the righteous.

As Christians we can get stuck where the Pharisees are. As a pastor and as a church we can become happy with the status quo. I’ll prepare a nice little sermon and we’ll gather on Sunday morning, happy to see our friends once again. We repeat it Sunday after Sunday. What would happen if we extended the offer of Jesus more regularly? What if we cast the net a bit wider, being more generous with our invitations to follow Jesus?

Wouldn’t it be awesome if our neighbors started asking the question more and more: Why does your teacher/pastor/church eat (or worship or fellowship) with the sinners? That leads to the question: Is anyone welcome at your church (in your home)? And that leads to the thought: Maybe I’m welcome there too. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, remove first the fears of rejection and if being judged by the company we keep. Replace these fears with an open and generous heart, with a kind and compassionate soul. Open our hearts and the doors of our churches. Amen.


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From the Heart

Reading: Romans 4:13-17

Verse 16: “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham.”

Paul was born and raised a Jew. He grew up under the Law. As he matured he became a student of the Law, rising to the office of Pharisee. In that part of his life, as Saul, he was very zealous for the Law. Saul was a very devout and strict follower of every letter of every law. He understands being a rule follower. Maybe you are a ruler-follower. Most of the time, I am too.

But then Saul met one of the authors of the Law. In a life-transforming encounter, Saul met the resurrected Christ. In Christ Paul learned that, yes, the law is good – unless it trumps love or mercy or grace or forgiveness or… This was hard for Jews to understand. It was hard for most non-Jews to understand. For devout Jews, it was law, law, law. Healing on the Sabbath? No! Eating with sinners so that they could know grace? Absolutely not!

To show that the Law is not necessary for righteousness or salvation, Paul points back to one of the greats of the Jewish faith: to Abraham. As one of the most revered patriarchs, Abraham lived before the Law was given. His faith was based upon a trust in God. His righteousness was from his obedience to God’s voice. Paul is saying to the Jews and to us that following the Law is not the only way to God. The Law, in and of itself, is a good thing, yes. But simply following a set of rules is not a guarantee of salvation. Love and grace and mercy and forgiveness must first flow from the heart – from the heart of God and from our heart. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, even as we seek to understand and follow and apply the Law, help us more so to understand the life and example of Jesus. He demonstrated when love, mercy… needed to trump the Law. Help us to understand and practice this “law” of Christ. Amen.


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The Two “Greats”

Reading: Matthew 28:18-20

Verse 19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Today’s text contains what is known as the “Great Commission.” It is Jesus’ charge to the disciples to continue the work that he started. As we read or hear these words, the same charge applies to us today. Jesus says to all who believe in him as Lord and Savior: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

These powerful words call us to action, to movement, to going out into the world to witness to and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. At times, as Christians, as we have sought to live out these words, we have forgotten the intent and we have set aside the model that Jesus gave us for living out these words. At times we have sidestepped the Great Commandment – to live God with all that we are and to love neighbor as self – as we have sought to “make disciples.” In many cases we have sought to transform them into our expected image or standard instead of into Jesus’.

When Jesus says, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” he is calling the disciples and us to live first and foremost. Love does not coerce or manipulate; it does not force or overpower. Love changes hearts and lives through relationship and connection. It changes people into disciples by teaching them kindness, grace, forgiveness, mercy, compassion… As we seek to live out both the great commandment and the great commission, may we hold tightly to both.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to cling to both “greats” each day and with each person I meet. Use me to reflect Christ’s love into the world and into people’s lives. Use me to make disciples even if I do not speak a word. Amen.


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Look to the Heart of God

Readings: Genesis 1:26-31, 2:1-4

Verse 26: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”

Returning to the creation story today we turn to the last two ‘days.’ On what has been identified as the sixth day the three-in-one God creates humanity “in the image of God… male and female God created them.” These are such interesting terms. If we had 5 eyes and 2 mouths and wings but no hands and were half covered in scales, isn’t that how Jesus would have come to earth? And if Jesus came that way just a couple hundred years ago, would we portray him as he actually was or would we still warp him to look more like the dominant socioeconomic religious group?

So what if “in our image/likeness” wasn’t and isn’t about skin or eye or hair color or about where you were born or about your gender? What if being made in the image and likeness of God was about love, compassion, generosity, mercy, grace, hope, peace, justice, forgiveness, goodness, salvation…? We know nothing at all about the physical nature of God or even if there is one. So like God modeled with David, perhaps we too should look to the heart of God to understand who and what we were and are created to be.

Day 7 brings us another important part of God’s character, heart, soul. On this day God practices the sabbath. It was a holy day, a day of rest, a day without work. It is a day to look at the beauty and diversity and complexity of the world and of the creator and to celebrate, to worship, to be grateful for all of this. It is a day to see the holy in all of creation. It is a day to thank God for creating the world and us just as it and we are: beloved, unique, worthy, special. Thank you, creator God.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to see and love as you see and love. May we not see male or female but child of God. May we not see white or yellow or red or black or tan or… but child of God. May we not see rich or poor, professional or laborer, saint or sinner, but child of God. May it be so, Lord, may it be so. Amen.


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Our Only Hope

Reading: John 14:1-6

Verse 1: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Photo credit: Tyler Milligan

Since the triumphal entry during the palm parade Jesus has spoken to the disciples about his impending death, Judas’ betrayal, and Peter’s denial. Into this heaviness Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” While we may think this encouragement hard to live out, especially when our lives feel a great heaviness, Jesus goes on to tell us and the disciples why we/they shouldn’t be troubled of heart.

Death, betrayal, denial – they are not the end of the story. They don’t have to be the end of our story either. Oh yes, we can let them be the end, or at least feel like the end. Again Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” There is hope in death, reconciliation in betrayal, and redemption in denial. Jesus first invites us to trust in God and in him. There is a bigger plan at work in all of this heaviness. For and with Jesus, none of these things has the final say. That’s what he’s talking about in verses 2-4. He’s soon on his way to heaven. Once there he prepared a place for you and for me. And, when the time comes, Jesus himself will “take you to be with me.” Death ends in eternal life, in victory. But what of betrayal and denial and all of the other sufferings and trials and hardships that befall us?

Into all of this other heaviness, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” In the midst of it all, Jesus is the way through. Lean on him, trust in him, rely on him. He’ll walk with you through the darkest valley. In moments of temptation or when facing a difficult decision, turn to the truth. Listen to the Holy Spirit, mine the scriptures, pray. He’ll guide and protect, he’ll lead and strengthen. And when you’re hurt by betrayal or some other human shortcoming, look to the model of mercy and forgiveness. Channel what Jesus did on the cross for your sin into that relationship that needs healing and reconciliation. His love will heal all wounds.

Prayer: Lord God, you are our only hope in this life and for the life to come. Thank you for showing us the way and for being the truth. Thank you for all you do for us now in this world. Amen.


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Centering on Christ

Reading: Acts 2:42-47

Verse 44: “All the believers were together and had everything in common.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

As I read these verses about the early church I marvel at this community. These words remind me of the feelings I get when I read Psalm 23. All is well and right in the world. God is definitely present and there is a peace that passes understanding. Love, generosity, kindness, fellowship, connection, food, prayer – these words summarize the church described in today’s passage.

In verse 44 we read, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Harmony is the word that seems to best fit this image. It wasn’t just that they shared their bread or other things with each other. It wasn’t just that any and all who showed up felt loved and welcomed. It wasn’t just that they sang and prayed and worshipped together each day. It wasn’t just that they shared life together in intimate and personal ways. It was all of this. In the last verse we read that God was adding to their number daily.

These early Christians were known for their “glad and sincere hearts.” This was easily identifiable. The community was genuine and true. What was the source of all this? Jesus Christ was alive and well in their hearts. The Spirit of Christ was present to them and in their gatherings. Centering on Christ led these believers to live as a community of faith that attracted outsiders. It drew them to come inside. May it be so for our churches once again.

Prayer: Lord of all, what a great vision today of your kingdom here on earth! Move in our churches and in our hearts so that we better model this love and grace, this generosity and fellowship to the needy world. Amen.