pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: impact


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Stumble Behaviors

Reading: 1st Corinthians 8: 1-13

Verse One: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”.

Paul is dealing with a controversy in the church in Corinth. Because of their life experiences, one group in the church feels that eating meat sacrificed to idols is sinful. To them it has been tainted, so it should not be eaten. But to others in the church, they do not think there are other gods than God himself. Therefore, they see meat sacrificed to gods that do not exist as being okay to eat. These two groups are at odds.

Paul opens our passage today with these words: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”. He is referring to those who know it is okay to eat the meat as being ‘puffed up’ or arrogant in their stance. Instead of looking down on those struggling with this issue, those Paul calls ‘weak’ or who are less mature believers, Paul encourages them to choose love instead. Paul goes on to acknowledge that idols are “nothing at all” yet reminds the puffed up believers that some are still so accustomed to idols that eating this meat defiles them. Paul then asks the mature believers to abstain from eating such meat because it has become a stumbling block to the less mature Christians. Paul even goes so far as to call it a sin when they intentionally do something that is not a sin if that causes another believer to stumble.

We do not eat food sacrificed to idols today, but we do practice behaviors that cause others to stumble. Imagine the impact on one considering a walk with Christ if they see you regularly joining the office gossip circle or if they hear you harshly judging a fellow worker. Imagine the effect of a Christian using unethical business practices or acting in immoral ways concerning their marriage. Imagine the consequences of making your children go to youth group or Sunday school when you use the same hour to grab a coffee or to do the grocery shopping. As the world witnesses the words and actions of Christians, they can draw others to Christ or they can lead them away from Christ. Through and through we must reflect the love of Jesus Christ first and foremost. We must be diligent in our walk with Jesus, guarding our words and our actions so that we always build one another up. May it be so today and every day.


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Present and Active

Reading: Psalm 114

Verse Three: The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back.

This song of praise celebrates God’s mighty acts during the exodus from Egypt.  This journey to the Promised Land is the fulfillment of a promise God made to His chosen people.  For those who were there, it was an amazing experience.  For all the generations after, that is brought back to life every time they sing this Psalm.  These events are just more witness to God’s love and care for the Israelites.

There are three God moments remembered in the Psalm.  The first is when they were hard-pressed.  As the Egyptian army closed in, “the sea looked and fled”.  The Israelites were saved.  The second is when they faced the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land.  Even though at flood stage, “the Jordan turned back” and the people once again crossed over on dry land.  The third came when the people were put hard to the test.  Water was scarce in the desert and the people were almost dying of thirst.  Moses struck the rock with his staff and water poured forth.  God turned the “hard rock into springs of water”.  Once again God saved the people.

Over the course of their history God would act again and again on behalf of the people.  Some were mighty acts like at Jericho when the walls came tumbling down and others were relatively small – the quiet call of Gideon or the simple act of Rahab.  To this day God continues to be present and active in the world and in our lives.  Some are ‘small’ things like the miracle of birth.  Others are ‘bigger’ – someone’s cancer is suddenly gone.  Even in the midst of tragedies and natural disasters, God is present in powerful ways.  Faith-based groups and agencies will have huge impacts in Texas and Florida as they come in to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, helping to restore people’s lives and their hope.  God continues to love and care not only for His people but to love and care for all people.  May we do the same today as we celebrate and participate in God’s continuing involvement and presence in the world.


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Community

Reading: Jeremiah 29:7

In our lives connections are important.  We live within a web of connections or relationships.  We have connections first to our families.  Here we gain our sense of belonging and here we develop who we are – all within this safe web of family.  Next we form connections with our friends and significant adults in our lives.  Soon we come to understand that how we live, act, and treat others matters.  How we are treated matters.  We learn how impactful our lives can be on others and vice versa.  Both for the good and the bad, we know that our connections to others is vital.

Jeremiah advises Israel to seek prosperity and peace for the city of Babylon.  He goes on to advise them to pray for the city too.  The welfare of the exiles is bound up in the welfare of the city.  One does not have to look too far in America to find examples of this concept.  When there was unrest and protest and violence in a city, the impact was felt by all inhabitants of that city.

In our lives we have many layers of connections and relationships.  The closer in, the more they impact us.  For example, a parent losing a job impacts us more than a third cousin losing a job.  We still feel for that cousin, but don’t necessarily deal with the affects.  This distance can lead us to not be as connected to those we do not know and to those who we see as the stranger.

Our reality is that we are connected to all in our community.  Our faith calls us to be aware of all in our community.  The idea that our community as a whole is less when even one member suffers is an extension of God’s love for all of us.  It is when we choose to address basic needs and to correct injustices that our whole community prospers and flourishes.  When life is better for one, it is better for all.  This sense of equality and well-being for all is deeply rooted in our faith.  For whom in our community could we make life better?