pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Holy Spirit


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Live as the Light

Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25

Verses 17 and 19: “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth… The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”

Our passage from Isaiah 65 speaks words of great hope and promise. These words spoken to those living in captivity in Babylon would have given them a future to look forward to. In the opening verse the Lord God promised, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” The new will be a delight to the people of God. They will be glad and will rejoice forever. God will also delight in the people. In this new thing, “The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” Their current pain and brokenness will be no more.

Have you experienced pain and brokenness that God has healed? It could have been physical. Or it could’ve been emotional and/or spiritual. For me the most recent experience of pain and brokenness came almost four years ago. As it settled in on me I felt like I was in exile. But God was faithful and soon began to rebuild and restore me, healing the wounds and strengthening my faith. God worked for good and for growth, leading me to a new place in my faith.

As you recall your experience of healing from pain and brokenness, realize that there are many in our world living in pain and brokenness right now. Their life is filled with the sounds of weeping and crying. There is little hope. How can we first see these folks and, second, how can we begin to shine the light of God’s healing love into their darkness? We begin by simply being the light. A beacon can draw others. Some will come, asking about our peace, our joy, our hope. A lighthouse illumines those dark edges, where, if we look, we can begin to see those living there. These we will have to reach out to. These we will have to go to. Then we will have to allow the Holy Spirit to lead as we come alongside those living in pain and brokenness, just as others once did when we were living there. Walking with them, guided by the Spirit and filled with God’s love, we can help others to find and experience God’s goodness and love, God’s mercy and healing grace. May we live as the light.

Prayer: Lord God, the pain and brokenness remains a vivid part of my life. But greater still was your healing and redeeming love. It is something I want to share with others. Lead and guide me to connect the hurting and broken to the new life that you offer to us all. Amen.


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Forever and Ever

Reading: Psalm 145:17-21

Verse 18: “The Lord is near to all who call on him.”

There is a closeness in the relationship expressed in today’s writing. It is a relationship built on time. All good relationships require that the interested parties put forth effort in building and maintaining the relationship. And, of course, there has to be a draw or a reason to be in said relationship.

In verse 17 the psalmist declares what draws him or her to this relationship with God. God is loving of all that God has created and is righteous in all ways. From God’s side, we were created in the image of God, specifically made to live in relationship with God. Simply put, God made us for relationship. That is why life is ultimately meaningless and without purpose until God fills that hole in our hearts.

In verse 18 we read, “The Lord is near to all who call on him.” God does not force relationship upon us. No, God waits patiently for us to choose relationship and then God draws near to us, depositing the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Because God is righteous and loving, God provides for us, hears our cries, saves us, and watches over us. And what is our response, according to the Psalm? We will praise the Lord our God forever and ever.

We praise God not just when we gather on Sunday morning. We praise God as we live out God’s righteousness and love in our lives. We praise God by sharing our faith with others by shining Christ out in all we do and say and think. We praise God by inviting others into relationship with the Lord our God. May we praise God in all these ways forever and ever.

Prayer: Lord God, you are there when I awake, when I lie down, and all times in between. You pour into my life, filling me with your love and grace, with your mercy and righteousness. Pour these things out of me and into the lives of others so that all may come to know you. Amen.


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The Living Presence

Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Verse 33: “This is the covenant I will make… I will put my law on their minds and write it on their hearts._

Photo credit: Marek Piwnicki

We return to Jeremiah 31 and again begin with “The time is coming…” God is speaking to the future of the chosen people. God is speaking of a time still many generations away – about 600 years away. When the time arrived, God “will make a new covenant.” This covenant will be ushered in with Jesus’ life and will be sealed by his death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ will be soon followed by the gift of the Holy Spirit – God’s method to “put my law on their minds and write it on their hearts.” The indwelling presence of the risen Christ will lead and guide, correct and refine, teach and inspire all who believe to live out God’s new covenant of love.

This new covenant is a radical shift in the relationship between God and humanity. The person of Jesus began the shift as God lived among us. Helping us to see and experience what God’s love looks and feels like when lived out, loving both God and neighbor with all that we are. The law was no longer words on paper. It was flesh and blood and sweat and tears and service and sacrifice. Jesus was up close and personal to all he met. But then the time came for God incarnate to change our relationship with sin and death. Through his sacrificial death Jesus defeated the power of sin, paying the price or atonement for our sin. Through his resurrection Jesus opened the way to eternal life. Both of these victories are ours through a personal relationship with Jesus.

Then God took it a step further. This wasn’t a surprise though. It is spoken of and promised in the Old Testament and Jesus himself spoke if it. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit came and began to dwell in the hearts of all believers. The living presence of the risen Christ took up residence, connecting us intimately to God. What a wonderful gift we have in and through a relationship with Jesus Christ! Thanks be to God for the new covenant!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the life-giving, faith-altering, relationship-building presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for making a way to personally know you and to walk daily in your intimate presence. What a gift! Amen.


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Gather to Worship

Reading: 2nd Timothy 1:8-16

Verse 12: “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”

Today is World Communion Sunday in my denomination. Although apart physically, we share in communion with people all over the world. Each person will come today as unique individuals yet in spirit we will all gather around the one common table. We will gather and come as we are. Some will come in secret and some will come because another insisted. Some will come with joy and some will come with heavy burdens. Some will come to praise, others to find solace. Some will come seeking faith; some to celebrate their saving faith. We gather with many different stories.

Perspective is an important part of our stories. In the culture of his day, to be arrested usually brought shame. The shame fell upon the criminal and upon their family. Such was not the case with Paul and his family in Christ. He tells Timothy not to be ashamed of his faith or of where it has landed him. Quite the opposite – he invites Timothy to join him in his suffering. The invitation is based upon his faith in Jesus Christ. In verse 12 Paul declares, “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” Paul knows that Jesus has the power to save and to raise him to new life. He knows that Jesus will protect him in this trial and will keep safe the promise of eternal life. Paul invites Timothy and us to live into this trust.

As we come and gather as the community of faith, both in person and online, both as local churches and as the global body of Christ, we join as one to worship our risen Savior. We celebrate and worship the one who died to pay the price for our sins and who rose from the grave to pave the way to life eternal. We rejoice today in the truths and we step into our tomorrows “with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, today as we gather, help me to be aware of those around me. We all gather, coming from many places and spaces. Draw us together, being generous and loving to one another. Draw us to you, our all in all. Amen.


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Wonderful

Reading: Psalm 139:13-18

Verse 14: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.”

God’s knowledge of us and intimate connection to us begins before we are even born. Once again this week we are reminded that God knit us together in the womb, creating each of us just as God wants us to be. Yet we can look in the mirror and question God’s handiwork. Sometimes we look in the mirror and wish we were more attractive, stronger, thinner… Sometimes we look deeper than the surface and wish that we were smarter, funnier, kinder… Even though we know in our heart of hearts that we are the handiwork of God, the standards or expectations of this world can creep in and tell us that we are less than. It is not so!

God is perfect and created each of us in that perfection. We are not the tallest or the best looking or the wisest person in the whole world. But we are each the most loved. In verse 14 we read, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” You are wonderful. I am wonderful. Each creation of God is wonderful. We are each lovingly and intricately designed, each a unique creation of God. We are precious to the Lord, beloved beyond our understanding. What awesome reasons to praise the Lord!

Today I invite you to think of someone who does not know these truths. You may see this person in the mirror, but for today I ask you to look beyond yourself. Think of a friend who sees themselves as “less than” or as unworthy of love because of something they’ve done or are. Begin to pray for them, to ask the Holy Spirit to begin to work in their life and in yours, showing you how to introduce them to these truths. Then be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Thank you.

Prayer: Lord God, when I look in the mirror or reflect on myself, help me to see me as you see me. Prevent me from defining myself by the flaws I see or by the things of this world. Root me and ground me in who you created me to be. Living into that may I help others to know that they too are wonderful, that they too are loved. Amen.


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Kind, Caring, Interested

Reading: Psalm 139:1-6

Verses 1 and 2: “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me… you perceive my thoughts from afar.”

As we begin Psalm 139 today we are reminded that God’s love for us is intimate and personal. God knows us. God searches us and walks with us, individually. God perceives our thoughts, sensing our fears and doubts, celebrating our joys and pleasures. Before we can even speak a word, God knows it completely. God is all around and in us – “behind and before.” God’s hand is upon us, leading and guiding us. What great words of assurance. Like the psalmist expresses in verse 6, it is hard to wrap our head around the intimacy and connection that God desires to have with each of us.

While this is wonderful, there are folks out there who are disconnected. They are disconnected from God and they are disconnected from people. They might know if God but wonder where God is or how God could let them experience what they experience. They don’t know if God’s goodness and love. Some folks go through life largely alone, without human connection. They wonder why others don’t notice their loneliness or their pain or both. They feel God and the world are unkind, uncaring, uninterested.

The question for us as Christians is this: How do we connect these folks to our God, to the God who is kind, caring, and interested? How do we draw these folks into the family of God? We begin where God begins with us – seeing us, getting to know us, feeling what we feel. Like God, we invest in them and in their lives. We then allow the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts too, using our love and kindness to draw them into God’s love and kindness. Today may we make the effort to see those who are disconnected. Then may the Holy Spirit lead and guide our words and actions. May it all be so.

Prayer: Lord God, it is so wonderful to live in relationship with you. Use me today to introduce others to that relationship. Amen.


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Our Path to Follow

Reading: Hebrews 12:18-24

Verse 22: “You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.”

Photo credit: Aaron Burden

As we turn to our section of Hebrews 12 for this week, we begin the first half looking at two journeys. While the destination is the same, the two journeys are quite different. In verses 18-21 the author writes of the journey to Mount Sinai. This was a place that only Moses could tread. Death would come to any person or animal that touched the sacred mountain. Thunder and lightning and fire and smoke were frequently on the mountain. The presence of God was surely there, but the people were terrified of it. Yet out of this came the word of God, spoken by Moses, for the people of God.

In verse 22 there is another journey described: “You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.” Mount Zion is the place of angels joyfully singing and of Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant,” the one who defeated the power of sin and death. What a contrast to approach the “living God” amidst a joyful assembly. There is no fear in this vision or on this journey. And out of this came the firstborn if the church, Jesus Christ, to speak the word of God to the people of God.

There are, of course, other journeys in the Bible. Jonah had a pretty unique journey to God, as did Noah. Jacob and Gideon really wrestled with God. Each of the prophets and people like John the Baptist and Peter and Paul has interesting journeys to God. Each of our journeys are unique to us too. Yet we are all drawn into relationship with the living word, embodied in Jesus Christ and present now to us in the Holy Spirit. There is no more fear, no more dread. The old journey to God was made new in and through Jesus Christ. Mercy, grace, and love have come. Forgiveness and redemption and life are ours. Thanks be to God for Jesus, our path to follow, our Lord and Savior.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the infinitely better way that you provided through your son, Jesus Christ. You removed the impossible – keeping all of the law – and instead offered your love poured out in Christ. What grace and what love for a sinner like me. Praise be to the Lord! Amen.


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A Little Willing

Reading: Isaiah 1:1 and 10-20

Verse 17: “Seek justice, encourage the oppressed…”

Turning once again to Isaiah 1, we consider more deeply the call we touched on yesterday. In this opening chapter God clearly lays out the issue and calls the people back to faithful living. The rote rituals and selfish hearts must turn towards God. The evil must stop and the doing of good must begin.

In verse 17 we get a short list of ways to do good in the world. It begins, “Seek justice…” There are 4 things on the list. The list could be 40 or maybe even 400. But if you’re like me, maybe even 4 seems like too much. I cannot seek justice and encourage the oppressed and defend orphans and widows and… It can feel overwhelming to have a list and it can literally wear us out if we try and do all things. We must realize that God isn’t asking each of us to do everything.

Sometimes God places a cause on someone’s heart. It can be a huge thing – like caring for the poor and sick of Calcutta or leading the fight for civil rights. Maybe you have such a call. For most Christians, though, the call is to a neighbor or to a local need. It can be small – like serving on a local board. It can be a little bigger – like leading a drive to collect needed school supplies. It can be calling to check on someone you missed at church. It can be anything that shares or spreads the love of Jesus Christ.

If we are just a little willing, God will surely provide opportunities to be light and love in the world. May we be willing and may the Holy Spirit empower us to witness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, what will come my way today? Will it be a neighbor or a family that I meet? Will it be more? Less? Whatever you have for me, O Lord, may I be a faithful servant. Amen.


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A Glorious Love

Reading: Colossians 2:6-15

Verse 13: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive in Christ.”

Our passage begins with Paul encouraging us to live in Christ, “rooted and built up in him.” Paul implies an ongoing, continually growing relationship. Jumping to verse 9 we are reminded that we have been given “the fullness of Christ” – the one who was “the fullness of God… in bodily form.” The fullness of God in Christ that we have been given is the Holy Spirit. This receiving of Christ’s Spirit transforms us, empowering us to put off “the sinful nature.” This, of course, is also an ongoing, continual process as we die to our sin over and over. The sinful nature is ever at work in our flesh. But, thanks be to God, so is the Spirit!

In verse 13 we read, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive in Christ.” When there was no hope for us, when we were as lost as lost can be, Jesus Christ rescued us as he “took it away” by “nailing it to the cross.” This act of love is what rescues us again and again, casting off our sin and the guilt and shame connected to it, making us alive once again in Christ. It is a glorious love that Christ has for you and me! Freeing us, we claim victory over the world and all earthly powers.

This glorious love that we experience is not a love experienced by all people. There are some who do not know Christ. We are sent to these to offer hope and rescue. There are some who long to know this freedom that we find in Christ yet are trapped or held back by society and the labels and systems that we create. We too are sent to these, armed with the triumph of the cross, empowered to help them break free of these earthly powers, inviting them to experience transformation and redemption in and through Jesus Christ. Living out the fullness of God in Christ in us, today may we seek to guide others to know the power of being alive in Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, it feels so good for the chains to fall to the ground, to experience the freedom of life with you. In all I do and say and think today may I reflect your glorious love to the world. Amen.


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A God For All People

Reading: Acts 11:1-18

Verse 9: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

Today’s passage from Acts 11 is about God opening hearts and minds. There were many laws from the Torah concerning dietary restrictions, circumcision, and interaction with outsiders. Devout Jews had followed these laws for years, for centuries as a people. While some were aimed at remaining healthy, many were to keep the circle drawn in tightly around God’s “chosen people.”

Peter grew up practicing these laws. He is astounded when God – yes, God – tells him to kill and eat things that are unclean according to the law. He says, “Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” And it’s not about to start now God! How dare God say such a thing! Yes, it does sound a bit ridiculous to question God, doesn’t it? But that’s how deeply ingrained these laws are. God repeats the message three times to make sure pious Peter hears it.

Just after this God encounter, some men come, asking Peter to come to Cornelius’ home. Led by the Spirit, Peter goes. He enters the home of an uncircumcised (pop!) Gentile (pop!). There goes two more “I never…” moments. Once there, Peter begins to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit suddenly “comes on them as he has come on us at the beginning” (pop!). This was proof that God was at work, leading and guiding this widening of the circle. Peter and the other church leaders understood that God and salvation is for all people.

When have you experienced such a thing? When were you witness to someone receiving Christ that you had thought outside of his love? If you haven’t witnessed this, who could you begin sharing the good news with that you might have previously seen as outside of God’s love?

Prayer: Lord God, open my heart and mind to further realize and understand and practice the width and breadth of your love. Help me to see, to treat, to engage all people as your beloved creation. Amen.