pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: holy


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Merciful God

Reading: Psalm 65: 1-4

Verse 3: “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions”.

The psalmist begins be speaking in the future tense. Praise awaits… vows will be fulfilled… all will come to God… It seems as if the psalmist recognizes either a future aspect of culminating their relationship with God or perhaps a time or season when the people are distant from God. Then, in the last verse of our passage for today, the psalmist reminds the people and us of the blessings of life with God. These blessings are spiritual – the hope, joy, peace… found from being in the presence of God.

In the middle of our passage, in verse three, we find a call to confession. We too are called to confess and repent, but sometimes that is a hard thing to do. Our pride and our self-sufficient attitude can get in the way. Our rationalizations and excuse making can also hinder the process. Because of these human limitations, our communion with God can be fake or superficial or shallow. We sort of want to be honest and transparent with God but our fleshy desires and human weakness keep us from making a full commitment to our relationship with God. In this partially disobedient state we do not experience all of God’s blessings.

At times we need help to come fully into God’s presence. For me, this happens most during Holy Communion. In this sacrament we come face to face with both the reality of the cross and with the overwhelming love and grace of God. In the invitation we are reminded of our need to confess and repent. Knowing that we are going to take in the elements that remind us of the body broken and the blood shed brings us near to God, to a place where confession and repentance flow. To kneel and to pour it all out before God, to feel the sins and weight fall away, to be made new again – this is one of the blessings we find in the presence of God!

Like the psalmist and the people he writes to, we too can be overwhelmed by our sins. Temptation sometimes gets the best of us. And like the psalmist, from those moments of confession and repentance we too know, “you forgave our transgressions”. This is God’s promise to us. When we come and seek to be made right by God, mercy and grace and forgiveness are always offered by the Lord our God. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Merciful God, thank you for always hearing me when I come in humble confession, seeking to have a repentant heart, to walk a better walk with you. Your mercy pours out over me and your love makes me new. Thank you God! Amen.


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Remaining Faithful and Diligent

Reading: Luke 18: 1-8

Verse 8: “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly”.

Our God is full of love and mercy and compassion. Our God is righteous and holy and good. Our God stands for justice and equality and truth. Our God works for restoration and reconciliation and redemption. As we continue to work out our faith journeys, we should seek to grow in all of these things, becoming more and more like our Lord.

Today Jesus focuses on being persistent in our prayers as we seek justice. Justice, like all of the other qualities or characteristics listed above, are intertwined and interconnected with the others. For example, love, mercy, and compassion lead us to seek a justice that applies universally to all people. These qualities lead us to stand up and even to sacrifice so that the oppressed and marginalized experience the same justice as we and others experience. As we do this, we are a bit like John the Baptist, seeking to become less so that Jesus becomes more.

In our parable today Jesus acknowledges that there is some injustice in the world. This is not pleasing to God. It should not sit well with us either. In verse eight we read, “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly”. God will see that justice prevails – at some point. A good example of this is found in the story of Lazarus that comes in Luke 16. Lazarus had a very hard life but receives his comfort in heaven. God’s timing is a mystery to us. This leads us back to the other focus of the parable: be persistent in prayer. We do not fully understand all the ways of God. But we are called to place our trust and hope in God alone.

As we come to God in prayer, may we remain faithful and diligent, assured that God will hear and bring justice… at just the right time – at God’s time.

Prayer: Lord, listen to your children crying. Lord, hear the voices of the oppressed and the marginalized. Raise up the cries to the ears of your people. Lead us to be your heart and voice, to be your hands and feet, O God. Amen.


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As One Approved

Reading: 2nd Timothy 2: 8-15

Verse 13: “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful”.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are in tune with the Holy Spirit. The still small voice and the gentle nudge are ever at work is us to draw us closer to Jesus and to lead us to share his love with a world in need. The Holy Spirit is like a skill or a muscle – the more we use it, the better developed in becomes. The reverse is also true. If we ignore or reject the Holy Spirit over and over the voice dims and grows harder and harder to hear.

Paul was one to hear the voice loud and clear. The letter to Timothy that we read today comes from prison. Hence his reference “God’s word is not chained”. Paul has been arrested many times, has been beaten often, and has even been stoned and shipwrecked. Yet his focus has always remained on his calling to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Nothing has deterred him. In verse ten we read “I endure everything for the sake of the elect”. It is all for those who “may obtain salvation that is in Jesus Christ”.

If you are reading this, you are seeking to grow closer to Christ. It is very likely that today we will all have opportunity to share Jesus’ love with another. In some cases it will be easy because it is a natural extension of who we are. It may be showing empathy to a friend or loved one. It may be offering words of encouragement or support to a co-worker. In situations like these, we hear the Holy Spirit very well. But we may also find ourselves in a situation that is hard. Maybe our opportunity involves someone that is very different than us or is someone we dislike. Maybe the opportunity means risking something or stepping into a difficult situation.
Some of the time we feel like what is being asked is too much and we fail to follow the lead and guide of the Spirit. Here we recall verse thirteen: “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful”. God does not ever give up on us. The Holy Spirit continues to be at work. As we strive to grow closer and closer to Jesus Christ, our ability and likelihood to say “yes” to the Holy Spirit grows with us. We too, like Paul and Timothy, are called to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved”. May it be so.

Prayer: Leading God, I fail less than I used to, but I still fail to always be your love in the world. Forgive my failures. Thank you for your unending love. May it ever work within me to make me more and more like your son. Amen.


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Guard the Deposit

Reading: 2nd Timothy 1: 8-14

Verse 14: “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you”.

Paul opens our passage today by reminding Timothy that he should not be ashamed of the gospel. Paul even invites Timothy to suffer with him for the gospel. Because of their call by God, they are seeking to live out a holy life. To do so, he reminds Timothy to rely on the grace that is found in Jesus Christ. Paul then reminds Timothy that Jesus Christ also “destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to life through the gospel”.

In these few verses Paul has covered the essentials of the faith. He has also spoken of a reality: at times believers suffer for their faith. No one wants to suffer but at times we will because the world is sometimes opposed to the truth of the gospel and to the living out and sharing of our faith. Paul states in verse twelve that he is not ashamed because he knows “whom I have believed” and he also knows that Jesus is able to guard what Paul has entrusted to him. Paul has given his whole life – all that he is – to serve Jesus Christ. The gospel that Paul preaches has the power to save him. Of this Paul is convinced.

As the mentor, Paul encourages Timothy to “keep the pattern” that he demonstrated. He wants Timothy to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with the faith and love of Jesus Christ himself. In the suffering and in the joy, Paul has trusted in Jesus Christ. To that end Paul says, “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you”. The good news of the gospel is the deposit. It is the rock solid truth upon which Timothy must stand. Timothy, like us, does not have to stand alone. The Holy Spirit helps the disciple to guard the deposit so that the world does not overcome. The voice of the Spirit guards against all other voices as it guides us to live out that holy life. May we ever seek the guidance and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Lord God, the pull of the world is constant. Make the voice of the Holy Spirit even more constant. Open my ears and heart to always seek you and your Spirit. Amen.


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Power and Strength

Reading: 2nd Timothy 1: 1-7

Verses 6 and 7: “Fan into flame the gift of God… for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline”.

Power and strength are virtues, are things to be desired. From the perspective of the world, power and strength elevate us over the competition and place us on the seat of control. In our passage today, Paul speaks of power and strength.

Paul begins by reminding Timothy of the source of his power and strength. It began at home as the faith of his grandma Lois and the faith of his mother Eunice was passed along to young Timothy. It was confirmed and enhanced with the laying on of hands by Paul, which brought upon Timothy the “gift of God”. This gift is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Timothy’s power and strength come through faith in Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit – the living presence of Jesus Christ within him.

Paul encourages Timothy to “fan into flame” the gift of the Holy Spirit. He wants Timothy to be “on fire” for Jesus Christ. Paul goes on to empower Timothy, reminding him that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline”. Paul reminds his young friend that God gives him great power and strength so that he can walk in faith as he shares the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the power and strength to do and say great things. It is not, however, a power and strength that elevates oneself or serves to control or dominate others.

The power and strength that Timothy and all disciples possess trusts God’s call to humility and service. It brings an assurance that allows the disciple to place their will and their needs after God’s and after the needs of others. It is a faith that allows a disciple to give generously, knowing that God is totally in control and will provide all that one really needs. These beliefs and practices are the power of love and self-discipline living within us.

As we seek to live out our faith today, may we draw upon the Lord our God as our source of power, love, and self-discipline. May our gifts of faith and of the Holy Spirit be fanned into flame today as we build up the kingdom of God here on earth.

Prayer: Lord of all, burn within me today. Empower and strengthen me to be a humble servant this day and every day. Be my sure foundation, my only source of power and strength each day. To God be the glory today, tomorrow, and forever. Amen.


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Building God’s Kingdom

Reading: Jeremiah 4: 22-28

Verse 22b: “They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good”.

These verses for today are downcast. God laments that Israel does not know God, that they are fools. God notes, “They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good”. The nation of Israel has become exactly the opposite of what God intended. God’s response? Lay all its towns to ruin. Verses 23-25 are reminiscent of the beginning of the Bible – formless and void, no light, quaking mountains. These verses also feel similar to the day that Jesus drew his last breath. Yet God was not without hope. God knew the larger plan that was at work.

In Jeremiah’s day he was not the only faithful person around. With a quick glance it might have looked like it. This is why, in verse 27, God says that the destruction will not be complete. Even in exile leaders and people will rise up to keep the nation connected to God and to their faith. The towns laying in ruins and the time living in a foreign land will be a hard time. But it will also be a refining time for the Israelites.

The exile will end and a faithful people will rebuild. The nation will grow and flourish. But then the leaders will lead the people astray and the Romans become the new Babylon. Israel keeps some faith but the poor are oppressed, sinners become less welcome, religion becomes more exclusive and somewhat legalistic. In essence Jesus will raze the same criticism that we read today in verse 22, calling the religious leaders “whitewashed tombs” and hypocrites (Matthew 23).

This time God’s response is not exile but sacrifice. After Jesus sets us an example of what God’s love looks like when lived out in practical, tangible ways, he goes to the cross and grave to establish a new covenant. After rising from the grave, Jesus also fulfills his promise, sending the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit lives and dwells in all who profess Jesus as Lord, a presence that helps us to walk as Jesus walked. As we do so, following Jesus, we help that remnant to grow as others come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior too. As we share our faith, we help in building God’s kingdom here on earth. In all we do and say and think today, may we bring God the glory.

Prayer: Lord God, you have ever been at work leading us away from sin and back into right relationship with you. Continue to do so in my life. Show me today how to best be your light and love so that others can come to know you or can come closer to you today. Amen.


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Ask, Seek, Knock

Reading: Luke 11: 5-13

Verse 9: “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”.

When we pray, we enter into intimate connection to God. Whether we are praying the Lord’s Prayer or coming to God at midnight with a desperate plea, connection builds the relationship. In the first story today, the man gets his bread. He did not receive the bread because he asked a friend once, but because he was persistent. He kept asking until he got the response he needed.

In verse 9 Jesus continues the persistence theme by saying, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”. Unlike the neighbor who responds to alleviate the awkward situation, God responds simply because we ask. God responds because God loves us deeply. Because of the depth of God’s love, God responds with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the indwelling, personal presence of Jesus Christ in the life of a believer. There is no better gift in this life.

In Luke 11 we are reminded of how well an earthly father cares for and provides for his children. Whenever possible, parents want to give all they can to their children. They even want to meet their requests. Asking for bread yields bread, not a stone… Jesus then reminds us then how much more we can expect from God when we go to God in prayer.

If we connect back to yesterday’s reading, to the Lord’s Prayer, we see a God who wants to provide for our daily needs, who offers restoration to our relationships when they are harmed by sin, who desires to live in connection with persistent prayer warriors, and who longs for us to ask, seek, and knock.

When we ask the Holy Spirit – whether for guidance or direction or provision – the Holy Spirit will give. When we seek the Holy Spirit – whether for wisdom or understanding or insight – the Holy Spirit help us find. When we knock because we are feeling lost or separated or confused or… then the Holy Spirit will open doors for us. The power of the Holy Spirit is the living presence of God within us, embodied in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

The intimate relationship we experience with God through the Holy Spirit is a great gift. The presence of the Spirit keeps us rooted in and connected to God. May we be persistent in tapping into that relationship, ever turning to the Lord our God. May it be so.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me your ways. Attune me to the presence of the Holy Spirit within, opening myself up to all it offers and brings into my life. May your power reign in me. Amen.


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The Prayer

Reading: Luke 11: 1-4

Verse 1: “His disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray'”.

It was after the disciples again observed Jesus praying that one of them said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray”. The disciples wanted to be like the master. Jesus offers what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. While it is surely a prayer it is also guidance for how to live as a disciple in relationship with God and with one another.

The prayer begins by identifying God as our father. It reminds us that God is above us and that God loves us as his children. It also implies a relationship amongst us as fellow children of God. The fact that God is superior is reiterated by recognizing that God’s name, and therefore God, is holy. The prayer then asks that God’s kingdom would come and that God’s will would be done, here on earth too. Yes, we long for the day when God’s kingdom will reign again. Yes, we want to ever place God’s will before our own. In doing so we help to bring God’s kingdom to our world.

In verse 3 there is a slight shift. The prayer asks God to give us, to forgive us, and to deliver us. This connects to God’s role as father. First, we ask God to provide for our basic needs. If our basic needs are unmet, it is very difficult to focus on anything else beyond this. Second, we seek forgiveness. We need to be made right again with God after we have sinned. The idea of fixing our relationships applies to God as well as to our fellow children of God. We are to offer forgiveness to God just as God offers forgiveness to us. Lastly, we ask God to keep us from temptation and to deliver us from Satan. This last line acknowledges the difficulty of living in the world, where temptation is all around us. It also acknowledges that our only way out of temptation comes from God alone. We cannot win the battle on our own. We need God to deliver us from the times of temptation.

When we pray this prayer, may we pray it slowly and thoughtfully, engaging the meaning and the relationships within. May it be so today for you and for me.

Prayer: Father, thank you for choosing to be in relationship with me. May I live in a way today that brings the relationships with you and with others to a deeper place. Amen.


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The Choice

Reading: Luke 10: 38-42

Verse 42b: “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her”.

Mary chooses the better part and Jesus will not be taken from her. Mary chooses to be present to and with Jesus. Mary chooses life over the world. Once she has chosen Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she has claimed her connection to the eternal one. By her actions, Mary declares that Jesus is the Lord of her life. She will follow Jesus.

All Christians come to the same decision point. We first come to know our personal need for Jesus, for a Savior. Then, at some point, we make the choice to surrender our life to follow Jesus. We make the conscious choice to die to self and to the desires of this world so that we can humbly follow Jesus’ example. We make the choice daily to spend time with Jesus and to worship God alone.

Martha has not quite made the choice to follow. She knows about Jesus and she has heard about the miracles. In time she will profess that Jesus as the Messiah, as Lord (John 11). Martha will join Mary to sit before the throne. But for now the tasks at hand – all the work that must be done for her guests – this consumes her. She feels so much pressure to meet the world’s expectations that her stress finally boils over in verse 40, where she asks the guest to intervene with Mary. She has become so distracted that she asks Jesus to pry her sister away from the better choice. Jesus will not do it. He simply points out Martha’s excessive worrying and the distraction that it has become. Jesus also reminds her of the fact that only one thing is needed. He reminds us too.

Our story ends without knowing the outcome. Does Martha go back to cooking, to offer the hospitality that she can at the moment? Does she stop and sit at Jesus’ feet, offering the best form of hospitality – being present to the guest? All of us wrestle with this choice. Even as a Christian and as a pastor I struggle to always slow down, to always lay aside the to-do list, to take the opportunity to be fully present to the other. I want to be more like Mary and less like Martha. May the Holy Spirit lead and guide me and you to slow down and to connect with Jesus so that his light and love shines in and through us.

Prayer: Lord, lead and guide me each day to recognize and take those extra opportunities you provide to stop and engage the other, encountering Christ along the way. Help me to see and experience the holy in all people. Amen.


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Spirit Led

Reading: Galatians 5: 1 & 16-25

Verse 25: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”.

The passage for today contrasts the fruit of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. In many ways these are polar opposites. The works of the flesh are the selfish desires that we all have inside and that lead us to living a life that is not in alignment with God’s plans and purposes for our lives. On the other side of the spectrum are the works of the Spirit. When we live in alignment with these godly things we produce good fruit.

The works of the flesh are many. We are each familiar with these things. Paul provides a list in verses 19-21 that are “obvious”, to use Paul’s word. This list of sins contains many that most of us struggle with: jealousy, selfish ambition, envy – just to name a few. We each could add to the list as well: pride, lust, greed, and gluttony – again, just to name a few. Paul warns us that those living this way “will not enter the kingdom of God”. It is the reality that we all live within and that we all struggle with because we are creatures of the flesh.

Even though we are of the flesh, our inheritance does not lie here on earth. As heirs with Jesus Christ, we are children of God. When we keep ahold of this side of our character, then we are led by the Spirit. There is still this conflict within us, but we are not fighting the war alone. We are not even in charge. When we live by the Spirit our lives are different. Instead of the fruit produced by the flesh, we produce Holy Spirit fruit. Instead of guilt and shame and doubt and fear and condemnation we experience love and joy and patience and kindness and… The fruit is both within and without. When led by the Spirit we produce good fruit for the building of our faith and for the building of the kingdom of God here on earth. Therefore brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, “since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, my battle within is almost constant. But the presence of your Holy Spirit is always constant. Attune me better to the lead of the Holy Spirit so that the fruit of my life may ever be pleasing to your sight. Amen.