pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Seek Wisdom Like Silver

Readings: Proverbs 1 and 2

‭Proverbs 2:10-11 – “Wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will fill you with delight. Discretion will guard you; understanding will protect you.”

As we delve into Proverbs we begin with the “why.” The purpose of Proverbs is to teach us wisdom and discipline. The advice contained herein can make the naive mature, the young knowledgeable. Ultimately wisdom leads to the fear of the Lord. This isn’t a fear of spiders or heights. It is a holy reverence for God, a deep respect and awareness of God’s might.

Lady wisdom begins speaking in 1:20. She is a personification of God’s wisdom, an old-school version of the Holy Spirit perhaps. Lady wisdom calls out to the naive, to the mockers, to the fools. But they reject and ignore her. They will not receive her spirit. So she’ll laugh at them when disaster and distress and oppression come. Tis, after all, “the fruit of their way.” But those who do listen and who do obey, they “will dwell securely.”

In chapter 2 Solomon speaks to his son. This could be to an actual son, it might just be to all “sons.” Solomon’s wisdom along with lady wisdom’s – these are to be sought like silver. This is because if one lives with integrity, God will bless you with “ability.” If one is blameless, God will be your shield. In verses 10-11 we read, “Wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will fill you with delight. Discretion will guard you; understanding will protect you.” Wisdom will rescue one from evil. It will rescue one from the “mysterious woman” too – the woman who has forgotten her covenants with God and with her husband. Her path leads to death. Those who walk with integrity, they will “dwell in the land.”

Prayer: Lord God, pour out your wisdom upon us. Open our hearts and minds as we delve into your word. Guide us to store away those nuggets that will lead us to walk your path. Guard us from evil. Keep the tempter far away. Amen!


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Where and How?

Reading: Genesis 18:1-15

Verse 12: “Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my Lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”

We continue this week with the story of Abram and Sarai, who have now become Abraham and Sarah. 25 years have passed since God asked them to go from Haran. 25 years have passed since God promised to make them into a great nation. They’ve recently taken matters into their own hands, creating an heir with Sarah’s slave girl Haggar. And now the Lord comes calling, telling them that Sarah will have a son within the year. Listening from behind the entrance to their tent, Sarah hears this news. In verse 12 we see her reaction: “Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my Lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”

Have you ever laughed at God? Not in the making fun sense but in the “I’ll be” sense. That was Sarah’s laugh – well I’ll be. It is a “who’d ever have thought it?” laugh. It is the laugh that we sometimes share with God when God does something totally unexpected and often unimagined. Once in a while – if we’re really, really paying attention – we might see a glimpse of what God is up to. But more often it is something that we never saw coming. We’re left to laugh and smile, to marvel at God and at what God has done.

As call and discipleship have been our focus lately, this story leads me to 2 questions. First, where do you sense that God is up to something in your life? And second, how and where could you be a part of someone else experiencing an unexpected and surprising encounter with God?

Prayer: Lord God, where are you at work? What are you up to in my life or in our church? Where might you be calling me to be a part of someone else’s encounter with you? Holy Spirit speak! Open my eyes and my heart to see and know how you call me, to discern how I can be used by you. Amen.


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Stories

Reading: Matthew 9:18-26

Verse 24: “But they laughed at him.”

In today’s second half of this week’s Matthew 9 reading two miracles happen. It might even be more. The passage begins with a ruler from the synagogue coming to Jesus for help. “Come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” We are not told if this request is driven by faith or by desperation. Both lead us to seek Jesus.

Verses 20-22 contain a story within this first story. It is the story of faith. This woman has been ill for 12 years. Yet she seeks Jesus out with this faith: “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” She has faith great enough to believe that proximity to Jesus and her touching his clothing will bring her healing. Jesus confirms this, saying, “Your faith has healed you.”

Moving on and arriving at the synagogue leader’s house, Jesus first tried to send the professional mourners home, saying the girl is just asleep. They know death. They are professional mourners. “But they laughed at him.” Faith in Jesus is non-existent in this group. It does not deter Jesus. Clearing the house Jesus then goes to the girl. He simply takes her hand, restoring her to life with his touch. We see Jesus demonstrate great faith in God here. News of the miracle spreads “through all that region.”

Perhaps this spread is the third miracle. Maybe the woman or the synagogue leader or the daughter become powerful witnesses to the power of God in Jesus to change lives. Maybe their story drew people to faith. Like these we too have stories of what Jesus has done for us. We may be laughed at, dismissed. Let us persevere. Our stories have the power to change lives. May these stories of faith be told and may they draw others to Jesus. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you’ve touched my life again and again. Use me and my stories of faith to draw others towards the power found in relationship with Jesus. Amen.


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Practicality and Eternity

Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

Verse 1: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

The words of Ecclesiastes 3 are familiar. They speak of life – the good and bad, the work of our hands, the eternity of God. Our passage begins with these words: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” God’s stamp is upon everything. God is present in it all. If one has lived very long, each of the pairs that we find in verses 2-8 becomes a reality. We begin some things and see others come to an end. We experience birth and death. We have times when we fix things and times when we tear things apart. We laugh and we weep. We experience times of war and of peace – both personally and societally. Yes, there is a time for everything.

The writer also addresses a key component of life: our work. For the Israelites, work was one of God’s gifts to us. Yes, at times it is toil. And yet “God made everything beautiful in its time.” This even includes our toil. God desires that we “find satisfaction in all our toil.” To do a job or task well, to look at a finished product, to see how one is making a positive difference – here is where our work is a blessing to our lives.

There is also an eternal aspect to all the practicality of today’s verses. We’re reminded that God has “set eternity in the hearts” of humankind. While we cannot fully comprehend eternity, we long for it and we look forward to it. Our text closes by reminding us of God’s eternal nature: “Everything God does will endure forever.” Yes, God is infinite and all-powerful. We are very finite and greatly limited. It is a good reminder. This is why we revere the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, you’ve created, organized, and structured our world. You’ve guided, taught, and shown us life. There is much to all of “this” and you are fully present in all of it. I am awed that you take a personal interest in me. May all I do and say and think be pleasing in your sight. Amen.


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He Laughs

Readings: Genesis 18: 9-15 and Genesis 21: 1-7

Verse 12: “So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure'”?

As the news of an impending birth falls upon Sarah’s ears, a chuckle forms in her heart. She has lived a long life, one full of scorn and shame surrounding her barrenness. Giving a family children was one of the few ways that women were valued by society. For most of her 89 years this barren womb has been her burden to bear. And now, as she is surely nearing her final years of life, the news of a child being born from her womb causes her to chuckle.

We too chuckle at similar news. When I heard that the 92 and 94 year olds were getting married, I chuckled. When I think of the 70 year old pastor finally appointed to his dream church, I chuckle. At times God throws out a curveball. We chuckle because it reminds us that God is sometimes the God of the impossible. Maybe more accurately, sometimes God is the God of the anything is possible. God can take the greatest Christ hater and make him the apostle to the Gentiles, ministering to the people group that he also hated. God can take the most vile addict and turn her into a powerful and effective recovery minister. God can work healing out of tremendous pain. God can raise up the voice of the people, bringing change to a whole nation.

In the second half of our reading for today, the child is born. As he is named, he is given the name Isaac, which translates to “he laughs”. Yes, sometimes God laughs. It is one of God’s ways of saying, “Is anything too hard for the Lord”? No, it is not.

May our faith reflect this truth. In all we do and say and think may we boldly live out our faith, trusting that the God of all things possible is with us.

Prayer: Dear God, when I face a giant or when the molehill feels more like a mountain, fill me with a holy confidence in you. Trusting in you, lead me to step forward in faith. Amen.


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Oh the Saints!

Reading: Luke 6: 20-31

Verses 20-21: “Blessed are you who are poor… hunger… weep”.

Today is All Saint’s Day. It is a day to pause and remember all those who have lived a life of faith and have shared the faith with others. The day is to remember all who have stood for Christ and have impacted others in faith – whether just a few or thousands. Many of the saints that are remembered today are just like us: simple Christians who tried every day to be faithful to God in their lives. Pause for a moment and think of those saints that have personally affected you and your faith. Thank God for their witness and example to you.

In our passage today Jesus is encouraging the disciples. They have left all behind to follow him. Verses 20-23 remind them that though they suffer now, it will not be forever. In the opening verses Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor… hunger… weep”. The faithful are blessed because the kingdom of God is theirs. They are blessed because one day they will be satisfied and they will laugh. He goes on to tell them that they will be blessed when persecuted and when they suffer for the faith, telling them “great is your reward in heaven”. For all the saints that are giants of the faith and for all the saints who were faithful in their little corners of the world, we celebrate because they are now leaping and rejoicing in heaven as they enjoy their reward for living a life of faith.

There is a personal consideration to this day as well. We each must consider if we are living out our faith in such a way as to encourage others in their faith. Are we too building a faith legacy? Is our mission here in this life to serve others and to bring the good news to the world? This can be hard to do. In verses 24-26 Jesus gives us some warnings. When we are so focused on our earthly desires – wealth, food, enjoying life – then we struggle to see and then meet the needs around us. When our focus is overly inward, we fail to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the world. We fail to be Jesus’ hands and feet and voice in the world. In the closing verses we are encouraged to love even our enemies, to give generously, and to do to all as we would have them do to us. We are being called to love others as Jesus first loved us. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord, thank you so much for those rich examples of faith that have walked in my life. Thank you too for the examples I find in your word and those that have been the great fathers and mothers of the faith. May I live each day to help others know you more. Help me to do your will each and every day. Amen.