pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Are We Willing?

Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Luke 14:22 – “Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Today in Luke’s gospel we read some words that can feel challenging. Jesus is speaking to a large crowd that is traveling with him. These are words that all who consider Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior need to hear often. For those present and for us today who read these words, the question is being asked: Are you willing to do what is required to walk in the footsteps of Jesus?

Jesus begins with this: Are you willing to put Jesus first in your life? Only if Jesus is ahead of family and “even one’s own life,” only then can one follow Jesus. When there is no one between Jesus and you, yes, can you pick up your cross to follow him. Jesus must be the only one on the throne of our hearts, otherwise we’ll lay down that cross when things get hard…

The initial question is followed up with a consideration of the cost of following Jesus. Like everything else in our life that we commit to, there is a cost to discipleship. Using the example of building a tower, Jesus invites his followers to consider if they’re willing to make a lifelong commitment. We need to understand that a walk of faith is 24/7 – long, steady, constant, and all-encompassing.

Jesus then uses a war example, reminding us that a walk of faith is a constant battle. The forces fighting against our daily faithful walk are powerful and unrelenting. Satan and the lures of this world must be fought against regularly. We must be willing to battle almost constantly if we are to walk with Jesus. Our biggest battle is with “things.” Are we willing to put where we live, what we wear, our gifts and talents, even our status and power, to use in the building of God’s kingdom? Are we willing to give up whatever is required to prioritize humble service to Christ above all else?

Prayer: Lord God, these words are challenging and difficult. But they are also encouraging. Jesus lays out the requirements, yes, but is also reminding us that faith is a choice that we do not make alone. We have within us all that we need to walk faithfully each day: the Holy Spirit. Lead and guide us today. Empower and equip us, O Lord, to follow in Christ’s footsteps. Amen.


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Can You Feel It?

Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

Jeremiah 18:11 – “I am a potter preparing disaster for you… So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and actions.”

In Jeremiah 18 God sends the prophet to the potter’s house. Using this mental image, this visual, it brings God’s word to life. In ancient times, pottery was used for many things: food and water storage, cooking and baking, cleansing. Jeremiah’s audience would be very familiar with a potter and the work they did. Like Jesus’ many examples drawn from his agricultural society, the potter imagery instantly connects the people to God’s message.

At the potter’s house Jeremiah observes the piece being made. It becomes flawed as it is being formed, so the potter starts over. That’s the thing about clay – until fired in the kiln, if kept properly, it can be reshaped again and again. Extending this idea, God says to God’s people, “Can’t I deal with you like this potter?” While these words can sound a bit threatening, these are really words of grace and mercy. Through Jeremiah and many other prophets, God has warned Judah (and Israel before them) again and again. Yet they continued to displease and disobey God. So God declares, “I am a potter preparing disaster for you… So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and actions.” God so desires for Judah to walk in right relationship with God. Can you feel it?

This potter metaphor applies to our lives as well. When God first created you, created me, God did so with an end product in mind. From the beginning, God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. But along the way we become flawed. We sin, we get distracted, we wander. And there is God, the potter, bringing us back to the wheel, reshaping us again and again. God so desires to walk in a close, personal relationship with us. Can you feel it?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your deep and unconditional love for us. Thank you for your mercy, grace, and forgiveness that always returns to the wheel of our life, steadily shaping us into who you created us to be. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we feel and sense your guidance and direction, taking an active role in our relationship with you. Amen.


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Live Out These Words

Reading: Matthew 6:9-11

Matthew 6:11 – “Give us the bread we need for today.”

Today’s reading brings us a portion of “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is just three short verses but, as it was with much of what Jesus said, there is a lot to these words. There are three requests of God in these verses. And there are actions and responses required of us.

Verse 9 reads, in part, “uphold the holiness of your name.” Jesus is asking God to keep God’s holiness ever on our hearts and minds. To uphold this requires much of us. First and foremost we recall the charge to be holy as God is holy. Moment by moment we are charged with being like Christ was in the world: holy, yes, but also compassionate, forgiving, generous, empathetic, present.

Verse 10 asks God to “bring in your kingdom.” This asks God to make earth like heaven, to have God’s will done here on earth. This, of course, requires our cooperation and help. It calls us to love and care for “the least of these” and to stand against injustice, oppression, violence… These evils have no place in God’s kingdom – in heaven or here on earth.

Lastly, “Give us the bread we need for today.” This asks God to provide our daily bread – our physical sustenance – and to provide for our other needs too. This is a charge to trust in God. It is not a prayer for God to help us get what we think we need or to empower us so that we can be self-sufficient. No, it is a prayer of surrender, leaning into God’s care and trusting that this will be more than sufficient.

In all ways may we strive to live out these words.

Prayer: Lord God, guide us today to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, hearing your voice, feeling your nudges. Lead us to be in the world as Christ was in the world – loving others more than self, serving humbly and gently. Deepen our trust and faith in you as we experience your power working in us and through us, transforming us and your world. Amen.


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Where Your Treasure Is…

Reading: Matthew 6:19-29

Matthew 6:22 – “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”

Turning to our passage for today we must be aware of the context. Jesus has just spoken against showy religion, showy prayer, and showy fasting. In the middle of this critique of the behaviors of the religious leaders, Jesus teaches about “proper prayer.” This section contains what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is a humble prayer of surrender and trust. Praying (and living) these words counters the tendency to be showy with our faith. Instead of seeking to be noticed by others, Jesus tells us to give, pray, and fast in secret. It is then that God will notice and “will reward you “

In verse 19 Jesus tells us to “stop collecting treasures for your benefit on earth.” These treasures are partly the recognition from others that can drive us to practice “showy religion.” There treasures are also the stuff, titles, and power that we can also seek. Jesus warns that moths, rust, and thieves will ultimately take away our fine clothing, our fancy cars…, and our wealth. These treasures are only temporal.

Jesus next points toward the condition or focus of our heart. In verse 22 Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” In Jesus’ day it was thought that the eye revealed the condition of the heart. The eyes revealed the light or the darkness that was in one’s heart. If our eyes see and pursue the things of this world, then these are truly the desires of our heart. If our eyes see other’s stuff and we worry about our status, our food and drink, our clothes… then we are seeking the ways of the world and not God’s ways.

Pointing to creation, Jesus notes how God cares for and provides for the birds and the lilies. This is a call for us to trust in God’s love for us, to seek this love above all else, to make this our treasure. When we do, we live into Jesus’ words: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” How true. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, our flesh desires to be noticed, recognized, looked up to. This is why we chase after the things of this world – treasures that feel like they satisfy but don’t last. Guide us by your Spirit, raise up the divine within us, lead our hearts to pursue your heart’s desires above all else. Amen.


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Instead…

Reading: Job 20:19-29

Job 20:22 – “Even in their plenty, they are hard-pressed; all sorts of trouble comes on them.”

Today’s reading comes from the book of Job. Much of the content, including today’s, is set in the belief of the day: “God blessed the righteous and punishes the wicked.” In the understanding of the day, there were no exceptions. Zophar, today’s speaker, and Job’s wife and other friends – they cannot begin to fathom the possibility that Job is righteous. Job lost almost everything, therefore Job is a sinner.

In verse 19 Zophar is speaking of “they.” These are the wicked in the land. These are the sinners in the context of the day. These crush and abandon the poor, stealing their houses. These do not know contentment. The constant desire for more leaves their “belly” ever hungry. And what they’ve accumulated, Zophar says, “their riches will not endure.” He adds, “Even in their plenty, they are hard-pressed; all sorts of trouble comes on them.” Yes, there is no true peace or joy, no true contentment for the wicked of this world.

One day, though, Zophar tells us, God will fill the wicked’s bellies with “burning anger.” One day the wicked will enter the “complete darkness” that awaits them. Yes, one day heaven will “expose their guilt” because this is the fate of the wicked. All of this remains true for those who live for self, who trod over others and do not care, who take advantage of the powerless and the marginalized. There is a choice to be made. There is a better way: the way of Christ. Instead of accumulating, we can practice generosity. Instead of running over, we can stand with. Instead of seeking advantage, we can strive to level the playing field for the lowly and the downtrodden. Brothers and sisters in Christ, may it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, turn our hearts away from selfish thoughts, desires, and actions. Turn our hearts towards compassion, generosity, and justice. Use us to stem the tide of evil that plagues our land. Use us as light and love that shines into the darkness and hate. Amen.


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Treasure in Heaven

Reading: Matthew 19:16-22

Matthew 19:22 – “But when the young man heard this, he went away saddened, because he had many possessions.”

Photo credit: Falaq Lazuardi

In verse 16 a man approached Jesus and wanted to know what “good thing” must he do to get him into heaven. What must I do? The good part of this question is that the man has a concern about eternal life. In reality, I think everyone wants to go to heaven. But there are two issues here. First, the man believes it only takes so much to enter heaven. No, it requires surrendering our whole life to the will and way of God. Second, he thinks getting into heaven is about doing something good or even doing a lot of good things. No, there is no great balance scale that determines our merit for entry into eternal life. Living an earthly life worthy of eternal life is much more about being than doing. We are called to be Christ to the world.

Jesus responds by telling the man to keep the commands. Revealing the depth of issue one from above, the man asks, “Which ones?” In other words, keeping how many of the 600+ commands enables entry into heaven? Jesus lists six. The young man has kept these six commandments. But sensing there must be more to this than Jesus is letting on, he asks, “What still am I missing?” Addressing the reality of issue one in the man’s life, Jesus begins with, “If you want to be complete…” If you really want to surrender your life to God, then here is what you, in particular, must do.

Jesus tells the man, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor.” This kind of life surrender will store up treasure in heaven. Not money in the bank, but humility and generosity and compassion in the heart. These are the treasures of heaven – in this life and the life to come. But, alas, the man’s love of his “stuff” is too great. In the last verse we read, “But when the young man heard this, he went away saddened, because he had many possessions.”

For the man in this teaching, his possessions were on the throne of his heart. Maybe the same is true for you. Maybe this story felt convicting. Or maybe possessions are not your struggle. If it were me, for example, Jesus would say something along these lines: “John, give up that need to be in control, surrendering your pride as you trust others more.” Empowering others to be in service, building up their gifts, would be treasure in heaven. What is it that you need to work on surrendering in order to draw closer to being Christ in the world?

Prayer: Lord God, I ask that you would continue to work in me, chipping away at my pride, chiseling away at those other things that keep me from fully surrendering all of who I am to you. Do the same, O God, refining and transforming the hearts of all who desire to walk more closely with you. Empower each of us to more fully be Jesus’ hands and feet and hearts in the world. All for your glory. Amen.


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God’s Very Nature

Reading: James 1:2-8

James 1:5 – “But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without second thought.”

James provides a short, one verse greeting. He then jumps right into the meat of his letter, starting in verse 2. James calls the various tests – things these early Christians are experiencing regularly – as “occasions for joy.” In the moment this is a head-scratcher. Yet we’ve all experienced, with 20/20 hindsight, what James speaks of in the next verses. Looking back on our trials and tests, we can see how our faith has grown, matured, been “made complete” because we endured and persevered in those moments or seasons.

But in the heat of battle, during the testing, it can be hard to see or even imagine the good God is working in us. James offers thoughts on these times too. In verse 5 he writes, “But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without second thought.” Don’t turn to self to try to figure it out. Don’t turn to substances to ease or blot out the difficult circumstance or situation. Turn to God, seek God’s answer to our “why?” questions. Don’t hesitate, James advises. God will give wisdom to those who ask in faith, “without doubting.”

In the trials and testing it can be easy to think thoughts like “Why me?” and “How long, God!?” At this point, yes, doubt can creep in. (Along with its cousins: fear, worry, stress, anger…) James addresses the dangers or outcomes of allowing doubt (or other negative emotions) to start gaining a foothold. We become like the surf, “tossed and turned” this way and that. In this “double-minded, unstable” place of faith, we will not receive what we need from God.

In the times of testing, trial, and even suffering, may we turn to God, clinging to our faith if necessary. May we do so because it is surely God’s nature to give wisdom, strength, comfort, direction… to you and to me without second thought. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your love, your care, your faithfulness. No matter how desperate we are, when we turn to you in faith, trusting in you alone, you give us just what we need. Thank you, thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Our One Foundation

Reading: 1st Corinthians 3:10-17

1st Corinthians 3:11 – “No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

During his missionary journeys, Paul planted many churches. As he moved on to other communities others took over the leadership of these new churches. In our passage today, Paul speaks into this transition. Paul reminds these new leaders that at the start of each church he “laid a foundation like a wise builder.” A wise builder would lay a foundation that was true and square. A good foundation is essential – it provides a stable and solid base for the next phases of building.

Paul then speaks to the continuing work of building the churches in Corinth. First, he writes, pay attention to what you are doing. Keep the focus. In verse 11 he writes, “No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the true foundation, the truth that anchors the church. Keep the focus on Jesus.

Next Paul speaks to the quality of the building of the church. He makes a distinction here. Some apparently are teaching things equivalent to “wood, grass, or hay” – things that will not sustain the church and people’s faith, things that aren’t eternal truths, things that will “go up in flames.” Instead, teach those truths which are eternal, things of spiritual worth. Paul speaks of this kind of teaching akin to “gold, silver, precious stones” for the soul.

Our passage closes as Paul addresses the church – both corporately and individually. Those who seek to destroy the church, Paul says, will themselves be destroyed. To counter these efforts, Paul reminds them that each member of the church is holy, as are we. The Spirit will guide those in the church to remain holy as God is holy. Living this way, the church will be supported and sustained. May this be true for you, for me, and for the church.

Prayer: Lord God, walk with us daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus Christ, our one foundation, the source of life and love and faith. Fill us with the teachings, truths, and promises that sustain and build our faith. Guard our hearts and minds against the things that lead us away from you. Thank you, God. Amen.


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Our Faithful God

Reading: Psalm 66:10-12 and 16-20

Psalm 66:10 – “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver.”

Psalm 66 is a celebration of God’s mighty acts and of God’s faithfulness. It reminds us that God’s love, grace, and mercy remain constant – no matter how faithful or unfaithful we are. As followers of Jesus Christ, we strive to live a faithful and righteous life. And as creatures living in this fallen world, at times we sin. Our sin and the sins of others affects our faith. We read of this in verse 10: “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver.” When we choose to return to God, we find that our faith is a little stronger, a little more aligned with God’s will and way. As this process occurs again and again in our lives and on our journey of faith, we feel as if we too have “been through fire and water.”

Verses 16-20 are an invitation to faithfulness based on the psalmist’s experiences with God. If we’ve walked very long in faith we likely have similar experiences to share. The author invites us to “come close and listen.” He or she wants us to know what God has done in their life. First they praised God with a pure heart. Then they lived their prayer to God. With a pure heart he or she could sense that “God definitely listened.” God heard their prayer. God did not reject it. Our faithful God never withholds God’s faithful love. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your unwavering and steady love, mercy, and grace. When we fall short, you still love us. When we turn back to you, your mercy welcomes us back. When we repent of our sins, your grace washes us clean. Again and again and again. And when we need you, crying our from a pure heart, your ear is ever tuned to our cries. Thank you for your faithfulness, O God. Help us to model all of this to the world. Amen.


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Reconciled Together

Reading: Ephesians 2:11-16

Ephesians 2:13 – “But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who were once so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Chapter 2 opens with Paul reminding the believers in Ephesus that they were all once “people of this world,” living for self, doing whatever felt good. Living this way, they were “children headed for punishment.” But because of God’s great love and grace, they were saved. The believers were offered and accepted the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Beginning in verse 11, Paul reminds the Gentile Christians that they were once without Christ. Non-Jews by birth, they were “aliens rather than citizens… strangers to the covenants.” Because they were on the outside looking in, they were without hope. Continuing from this place of lostness, Paul writes, “But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who were once so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The Gentile Christians now know the love and grace of God. They now are citizens of God’s family, heirs to the promises.

Shifting gears, now addressing the Jewish Christians yet wanting the Gentile Christians to still hear, Paul writes, “Christ is our peace.” Jesus is what unites Jew and Gentile into one group. Through his sacrifice, Jesus “broke down the barrier” that had separated them. The law of love detailed in Christ’s life and teachings has now replaced the “detailed rules” found in the Law of Moses. “By the cross,” Jesus reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God, making them one, ending their hostility to God and to one another.

As Christ continued to break down barriers, the division between Jew and Gentile became less and less. Yes, there were still parts of each that remained, but it no longer divided them. Today, what divides Methodist from Catholic from Baptist from… is much less important than what unites us as the body of Christ. May this truth increasingly become a reality for all believers today, just as it did in Ephesus.

Prayer: Lord God, continue to open hearts to unity in the body of Christ. Help us to see our great commonalities rather than our small differences. Lead the church today to be united as the family of God. Amen.