pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Jesus


by Leave a comment

The Gift of Faith

In Psalm 126 the people have returned from exile. For this they praise God joyfully.  But a hard reality also faces them.  No one was there the year before to plant crops and to store up grain.  In the midst of a joyous return they face a food crisis.

The people of Israel have just experienced the miracle of being freed from slavery.  They have seen God’s great power at work in their lives.  So they turn their prayers to the need at hand. They pray for food and a good harvest and are confident that their God will respond with a good harvest.  They have faith in His future blessings.

In our world today, many also have a hunger – a spiritual hunger.  During the time of Advent. as we draw nearer to Christmas, people are more aware of Christ and faith.  We have the food that the lost need.  We can offer them the great news of Jesus Christ – a morsel that always satisfies.  We are called to share what we have.  When we give away our faith, strangely enough it grows in us too.  Bless another today with the gift of faith.

Scripture reference: Psalm 126


by 1 Comment

Spilling Out

As we draw near to Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Christ, our sense of hope and joy builds.  As we rest into the knowledge of God’s promises fulfilled through this holy birth, our sense of peace and love grows.  Advent is a season where we live close to God and look toward God’s future blessings.

The covenant relationship that we have with God allows us to live in His blessings.  We seek to be content and happy in our lives.  It is through the confidence in God as provider and in our attitude as thankful recipients of these blessings that we find true contentment and happiness.  Knowing that we are loved and cared for by God makes such a difference in life.

In this holy season God wants to meet all of our needs – physical, spiritual, and emotional.  As our thanks and praises to our creator who blesses us so richly grows, it spills out of our lives and into the lives of those around us.  As we spread the joy, hope, love, and peace, others are in turn blessed as well.

Scripture reference: Isaiah 61: 8-11


by Leave a comment

Do we wait well?

Waiting can be hard.  Christmas is a season that builds anticipation well.  Once the tree goes up in our homes, we know the day is near.  If you use an Advent calendar, you really count down the days.  For some, simply looking at the presents under the tree is almost more than they can take – they want to peek!  No matter when we start our count – November 7, December 1… – we start out knowing that December 25 is a fixed date.  For the secular world, it is all over on December 25.

In Advent the focus is on the same date, but for Christians the purpose is different. We await the gift of Christ.  We celebrate Jesus’ birth not in and of itself, but for His whole life’s impact upon us.  It is in His death and resurrection that we gain victory over our own death and we find the strength to fight against the temptations and sins we face daily.

In Advent, our question is: do we wait well? As we ready ourselves for celebrating Christ’s birth, we also have an eye on His actual return.  That date is unknown.  Yet it is surely coming, one day closed today than it was yesterday.  As we wait, do we share our joy with others?  Do we share our hope?  Do we share our peace?  Do we share our love?  Waiting well involves all of these, plus sharing the greatest gft ever given, the reason for all of these other things we share: Jesus Christ, the savior of the world.

Scripture reference: 2 Peter 3: 8-15a


by Leave a comment

Do You Love Me?

Advent is a time of excitement.  It is a season where we love to decorate the tree, put the lights up on the house, and to make merry.  It is also a time of expectant waiting.  For Christians we wait for the day to celebrate Christ’s birth.  For our children, the waiting is for the day to open presents.  And, as usual, the children have something to teach us.  We should mirror their excitement as we wait too.  Our excitement should build as each day is marked off the calendar.

John the Baptist also added something to how we should wait.  His message as he preached and baptized in the desert was simple – repent of your sins as you prepare for His coming.  John’s call was to get your heart right, to focus on God, and to live as He calls you to live.  He speaks the same message to us as Advent begins and we prepare for the coming of the Christ child.  Prepare for God’s son to come!

Jesus won’t check the list twice to see if we have been naughty or nice.  He doesn’t keep score.  It is simpler than that.  He judges our hearts and simply asks, “Do you love me?”  May our hearts, minds, souls, and our lives scream “YES!” in reply.

Scripture reference: Mark 1: 1-8a


by Leave a comment

Joy and Hope

Mark 13 has some apocalyptic writing.  In verses 24-37 Jesus is speaking of the time when He will return in glory.  This type of writing is fascinating to me.  Personally I do not read too much into it.  Some people do and sadly their focus often becomes the doom and gloom aspects and they see only the doubt, fear, and despair.  I prefer just the facts.

First fact – Jesus is returning.  Yeah!  Second fact – there will be signs in the natural world that the time is at hand.  These things will scare some people but others will gaze heavenward with joyous expectation.  Third fact – no one knows the time for Jesus’ return except God the Father.  This fact is the most imminent and the one with the most application for our daily lives.

Because the hour is unknown we are called as Christians to b alert and ready at all times.  We are to live daily with faith, love, and hope always on our hearts, souls, and minds.  These things should flow through and be visible in our daily decisions, choices, and actions.  We are called to love our God and neighbor like they really are the most important things in our lives.  When we live each day for God, we do not live in despair and fear but in joy and hope.  There’s no place I’d rather be!

Scripture reference: Mark 13: 24-37


by Leave a comment

Sheep with Good Hearts

In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the sheep are almost unaware of all the times that they helped another in need.  The acts of sharing love and offering care were just such a natural part of their lives that they didn’t notice how often they were in ministry to others.  I can almost seeing the lightbulb going off as they realized how much they had come to be like Jesus.

For many of us, it can be hard to help someone else as an equal.  The danger is in wanting to think how good we are for helping someone who is less fortunate  that ourselves.  It is so important to avoid the power relationship that we can so easily perceive.  Jesus met each person right where they were at and offered what He could then and there.  We are called to do the same.

When we encounter someone in need, the attitude we choose makes such a difference.  To offer empathy and understanding and encouragement, to give purely out of love, is what is expected.  If we can empower them as well, all the better.  Often a person wants to offer something and maybe it is as simple as sweeping the walk.  Maybe it is offering them a gift card to a store instead of showing up with a bag full of clothes and toys that you thought their children would like.  Either way, when we approach the situation as Jesus would, then we are starting with a good heart and pure motives.  Trust Him to guide you from there!

Scripture reference: Matthew 25: 31-46


by Leave a comment

All the Sheep

When Christians reflect on the parable of the sheep and the goats, in general we think we are all sheep.  We consider ourselves to all be in the flock, under the care of Christ, the Good Shepherd.  Ezekiel 34 points out, however, that all sheep aren’t always good sheep.

Even with the flock that is our church, sometimes a sheep can try to bull its way or its agenda through the other sheep.  Sometimes a group of sheep fail to take the whole flock’s wellbeing into consideration.  Sometimes the flock doesn’t notice the ones on the edge, struggling to make it out there on the margins.

As Christ’s body we are all connected together, all a part of one another.  The Good Shepherd is concerned with all of the sheep.  He calls us to be concerned with all as well.  As we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we too gain eyes to see the needs and hearts that seek to love.  As Jesus cares for and loves us, we are in turn empowered to love and care for each other, especially the ones that are struggling and lost.  The blessings that God has entrusted us with are meant to be shared so that all may be blessed.

Scripture reference: Ezekiel 34: 20-24


by Leave a comment

Call of Christ

Christ chose to come and live among us.  God incarnate made the choice to walk in a human body. In the form of Jesus, God stepped out of heaven and down among us.  The people who lived with Jesus and witnessed His life were blessed to be in His presence, as are we who read about Him 2,000 years later.

In today’s culture, we are impressed when a president of a big company spends time with the workers or when a celebrity athlete spends time in a school or hospital.  At times we too are called to step out of or normal circle and to spend time ministering to the poor, the widow, the orphan, the prisoner.  For some it is a similar step to what Jesus did, willingly offering self for other’s benefit.

Christ set the ultimate example of giving when He submitted to death for our benefit.  Jesus Christ became totally powerless in order to gain ultimate power over death.  He had to be weak and vulnerable in order to gain strength and glory.  We are not called, in general, to give our lives for another, but we are all asked: what can you offer?

Scripture reference: Ephesians 1: 20-23


by Leave a comment

Well Done

The shepherd is looking for a few good sheep.  He searches for us so that He can gather us up, take us to good pasture.  There He will tend to our needs.  If any wander off, He will seek them.  If any hurt, He will heal them.  Ezekiel lays out a kind, loving, caring shepherd role for Christ.

Isn’t it comforting to know that Christ the King is such a loving shepherd?  Yet Jesus is also the King of kings and Lord of lords – absolute, sovereign, and in total control.  Ultimately Christ came to sit as judge over all of creation.  For us this is a present and future reality.  For some this is a discomforting thought.

On a day to day basis Christ is a loving, caring, nurturing shepherd, kindly caring for all the sheep.  And what is our response?  To do the same for other sheep, even for those who are lost?  When we choose to live and love as Jesus did, then we have no fear of Christ as judge.  Because on the day when we stand before Him, seated on the throne, He will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”  Can’t you just see Him smiling as He repeats, “Well done”?

Scripture reference: Ezekiel 34: 11-16 and 20-24


by Leave a comment

Gifts or Assets?

Each opportunity that God lays before us come with some degree of risk.  If the opportunity is to share our faith story, we risk rejection or maybe ridicule.  If the opportunity is to help someone in need, we risk being a frequent ask.  If it is trying a new ministry, we risk failure.

Each of these things calls for us to risk something.  Anytime we invest ourselves or our talents, there is a chance we will gie something away.  This is a good thing.  We are often not ‘losing’ something but are giving to another and it blesses us both.  But for many of us and many in the church, we are averse to risk.

God blesses us all abundantly.  In reality, all is His.  For some the blessing is financial, for others it is an abundance of time.  Each of us also have talents and skills that He has blessed us with.  Each of us have gifts to offer.  How we look at these gifts from God largely determines what we do with them.  Do we see the gifts as just that or do we see them as assets?

Assets are to be managed and kept safe.  Gifts are to be used and to be given away. For a moment think about God and manna, deliverance, land, provision.  Think about Jesus and healing, kindness, love.  Now, do you have gifts or assets?  May we give to others richly, blessing them as God has blessed us.

Scripture reference: Matthew 25: 14-30