pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: love


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First and Foremost

Jesus reminds us what it really means to love one another: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  These words would take on a whole new meaning when we remember what Jesus did on that cross.  Framed around this idea, the command to ‘love one another as I have loved you’ takes on a whole new meaning.

At times I grudgingly do things for my family and friends.  This is not the norm, but I must admit that on occasion I do things with less than a loving heart.  My sense of duty or obligation o responsibility drives my actions instead of the deep love I have for my family and friends.

In dealing with someone I do not know it can be even harder.  It is easier than to not see my sense of obligation or duty.  But then I think of the fireman running into a burning building to rescue a stranger or an ER doctor plunging elbow-deep into someone’s body trying to save their life.  They are committed with all they are to helping the stranger placed before them.

Before you think that it is just their job, consider two things.  First, life often hangs in the balance and people such as these have chosen a ‘job’ with a hefty responsibility.  Second, we all have a second job.  It can be farmer, lawyer, doctor, waitress, teacher, Mom, pastor, and so on.  If we believe in and follow Jesus, our primary job title is “Christian.”  First and foremost we are called to love one another.  And after we have done that with each person we encounter, then we can move along to farmer, lawyer, …

Scripture reference: John 15: 12-17


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Ever Seeking

When the faith of our childhood becomes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we are born again.  This process can be quite sudden or it can be a long progression.  In any event, all who believe in Jesu come to this decision point.  We say we are born again because from that point on we begin to live a new life.

For many it is a fresh start or a new beginning.  For others it is simply a new level of dedication.  Our old self falls away as does the desires for the things of this world.  There is still allure and temptation, but He who has overcome the world also helps us to overcome the desires of the flesh.

The new life is centered on love – love of God and love of our fellow man.  As we are transformed daily to be more and more like Christ, our ability to love also grows.  This life that revolves around love is patterned after our Savior, who loved all He met, even those who took His earthly life on that cross.

Our transformation is an ongoing process.   God is never done with us.  As we inch closer and closer to perfection, we become increasingly aware of just how often we fail and just how far away we really are.  Funny thing though, this is also what keeps us going in the right direction, ever seeking to become more and more like Christ.

Scripture reference: 1 John 5: 1-6


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Happy Stepping

In the early days of the church, the Jews lived very much in isolation.  If you were a faithful Jew, you did not talk to people outside of the Jewish community.  You did not associate with outsiders.  You did not spend time with people who were not Jewish.  About the only exception were the Romans – they occupied the land and you really did not have a choice.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, those who carried on His work and message were good Jews.  They too were chosen isolationists and only brought the message and teachings to their fellow Jews.  Just prior to today’s passage, God had argued with Peter in a vision.  God showed Peter a collection of all sorts of animals and told Peter to eat.  According to Jewish customs, some of the animals were unclean and Peter refused to eat.  Three times God said not to call unclean what God has made pure.

Next a servant of a Roman centurion appears looking for Peter.  The Spirit tells Peter to go with these men, so he does.  He goes but I bet there was some questioning in his head and some wrestling with what this vision was all about.  While there Peter shares the story of Jesus and Cornelius’ family and friends are converted.  The Holy Spirit descends on these people and they begin to speak in tongues and to worship.  This is an ‘ah-ha’ moment for the early church – God is for ALL people.  Suddenly the vision makes sense to Peter.

Have you ever had one of these ‘ah-ha’ moments?  Has God placed someone in your path who you questioned as being worthy of you or your time, but in the end your time with “that person” was awesome and God worked mightily in the situation?  He can and will do both anything and amazing things.  Like Peter and many others, our role is to trust in the Spirit’s leading and to boldly step out there in faith.  Happy stepping!!

Scripture reference: Acts 10: 44-48


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Life Lived Fully

Jesus says to us, “Come be with me, come spend some time with me.  Be in my love and my love will be in you.  Remain in me and I will remain in you.  Get to know me by being with me and then become like me.”

He calls us to spend time in prayer – both talking and listening.  He calls us to spend time in the Word – both reading and reflecting.  He calls us to take account of our life  and day – both in thanksgiving and in evaluation.  All we do and say should be done to draw us closer to Jesus and to deepen our relationship with Him.

As we get to know Jesus more, two things happen.  First, we begin to recognize then respond to His calls into our life with increasing clarity.  As it really sinks in how Jesus loved and treated others, we come to see that we are called to do the same.  Our ears, eyes, and heart become more attuned to the nudges and voice of the Holy Spirit.  We think less of self and more of how we can come alongside another in the love of Jesus Christ.

Teh second thing is also within but it has more to  do with how we see self.  We question what we once never gave a second thought.  We choose to do this or that (or choose not to) as we seek to imitate more and more the life of Jesus.  Living a life that is holy and pleasing to God takes on new meaning.

As we continue on our journey of faith the line between outward and inward seems to blur.  As this line blurs one comes to see what a life truly lived for Christ looks like.  Be faithful to the journey.

Scripture reference: John 15: 9-11


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Sing a New Song

It is raining outside this morning.  At times the rain swells up and pounds on the windows.  At other times it is a beautiful, steady tapping on the windows. To me it is a joyful sound.  Like the psalmist today writing of how our praises swell up to God, tha rain too brings joy and gladness to the earth.

The psalm brings to mind all of creation raising its voice in praise and worship for God’s steadfast love.  It is the response of all living things to the constant and deep care God has for all His creations.  I can almost hear the grass and plants singing their thanks to God for the moisture He is bringing this morning.  My heart yearns to sing along.

The psalm also calls for us to sing a new song, for salvation has come.  Like a steady rain, the love and compassion of Jesus washes over all who call upon His name.  We are also reminded that with salvation will come judgment.  The world and all of creation will be judged with righteousness and with equity.

Just as the steady rains falls on all of the grass and plants, so too will His judgment fall on all of us.  Today may the love of Christ that is within us be like a steady rain, falling on all we meet.  May it bring refreshment and cleansing to all we meet.  May the incredible love of Christ being to sink into their soil and creep down into their roots.  And in doing all these things, may we sing a joyful song to our God and King.

Scripture reference: Psalm 98 Continue reading →


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This Amazing Love

“God’s Love and Ours” is the title to the section in my Bible that contains 1 John 4: 7-21.  It is all about God’s and Jesus’ love for us and our love for our fellow man.  It is about how our love ought to reflect His perfect love.  The word ‘love’ appears over 25 times in this passage.  Seems that this love thing must be important in our lives.

If we were to look at Jesus’ ministry and to come up with one word to describe it, that word would be love.  In all He did love was at the core.  In all He did.  This example that Jesus set for us is the goal of our lives.  It is how we shine our light.

God’s love also continually pours out upon us.  His love can be found in us and all around us.  If we were to analyze our day, we would find many “God sightings” sprinkled throughout our day.  Some of these would be points where we experienced God’s love for us, some would be points where we shared His love with others, and some would be points where others shared His love with us.

A lot of the time we take this amazing love for granted.  Sometimes I am sure we do not even notice it.  Our days can be so busy that by the time we get to the end of the day, we just want to relax.  But it is important to acknowledge and give thanks for His love.  Whether in your mind or on a piece of paper, take a minute right now to consider where all you experienced God’s love yesterday.  Smile and give thanks.  Repeat each day.

Scripture reference: 1 John 4: 7-21


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Deep, Deep Love

God’s love is amazing.  God’s love is unending.  God’s love is steadfast and true.  He calls us to abide in His love, to dwell in it, to soak it up, to share it with others.  His perfect love was shown on the cross as God allowed His Son to be our atoning sacrifice.

The cross is also the symbol of how we are to love.  The vertical beam represents the love that flows back and forth between us and God.  Despite our failings and stumblings, His love still always extends to us, always calls us back into relationship with Him.  As we find forgiveness after forgiveness and come to know how much God loves us, our own love begins to flow out to our fellow man.  This love is represented in the horizontal beam of the cross.

At times these relationships with our fellow man will challenge us.  Just as we are to others, some are harder for us to love.  Just as in “The Shack” the God character always said, “I am especially fond of that one,” we too are called to not only say this but to live this out.

One of the best parts of how big God’s love is is shown in our struggles to love all of our neighbors.  His love is so big that we can draw and draw upon it.  In those cases when we especially struggle to love one of our brothers or sisters, draw deep into the love of God.  Soak in His love.  Abide in His love.  Steep in His love.  Then go forth to love that friend in Christ.

Scripture reference: 1 John 4: 7-21


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The Second Line

“God is love” is a widely used statement.  When I ask my Youth to describe Jesus using only one word, the word they always choose is “love.”  If we ask how much God or Jesus loves us, we know we cannot quantify the answer.  Their love for us is so vast we cannot comprehend it.  In the Bible our greatest example of ‘how much’ is found on the cross.  In this we get an inkling not only of how much but also the idea that love is intended to be shared or given away to and for others.

In my Upper Room Devotional book, today’s reading contains these words: “The person with true love from God displays the same kind of unconditional love towards all just as Jesus evidenced that agape love toward us.  We do not even consider refusing the needs of a sister or brother in need.”  If you were like me, you were thinking “yep, yep, yep…” as you read the first sentence.  Then you too got to the second sentence.  Conviction time!

As I wrestled with that second line, I came to realize this was really true of Jesus – He didn’t refuse anyone.  As I went further with these thoughts, I came to again see that this idea extended to the cross.  He didn’t die for some of our sins or for a select group of sinners.  Jesus died for all the sins of all the people.  When we are called to follow the example of Christ and to love our neighbors, God means all the people, all the time.  May God grant the strength, faith, and love necessary to walk this path of unconditional love and to do as Jesus did.

Scripture reference: 1 John 3: 16-24


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The Shepherd

Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known psalm.  It is so well-known because of its content.  It speaks so beautifully of the relationship we have with God.  In the words of the psalm we hear how fully David trusts in God because he knows God is always there.

In the psalm God is in the role of the shepherd.  David, and later Jesus, will come to play the role of shepherd as well.  In all of these cases the people are the sheep under the loving shepherd’s care.  This care is spelled out so so richly in Psalm 23.  Today we are the sheep as well.  In this care we find our needs are met.  We find times of rest when we refresh our souls.  We find both guidance and protection.

Beyond these basics, we also find care that extends to our spiritual and emotional needs.  The Good Shepherd prepares for us a table and blesses us with oil.  With Him we are assured that goodness and mercy will be with us all of our days.  Within this relationship we come to see that we do indeed dwell in the house of the Lord all our days.

When we get to this place in our relationship with the Shepherd, the fears, doubts, and other concerns of life do not have a grip on us.  We trust in His care. We rest in His love.  When we know our Shepherd is walking with us through all of life, then we begin to live life to the fullest.  Not only do we live in and enjoy the abundance of God’s grace and love, but we begin to share Him with others.  Our cup overflows into other’s lives.  Through sharing how the Shepherd cares for and loves us, we help others to come into His care as well.

Scripture reference: Psalm 23


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Power in the Name

Something as simple as a name can have a lot of meaning.  The names of famous people can invoke memories or emotions.  For each of us we also have a list of names that do the same things for us personally.  To others, our name has the same effect.

No name carries the power that the name of Jesus carries.  In today’s story a man finds healing when Peter and John call on the name of Jesus.  When the twelve were originally sent out, it was in the name of Jesus.  Then and after Jesus was resurrected, these ordinary men did many amazing works and miracles in the name of Jesus.

Jesus continues to be the cornerstone today.  He is the gate through which all of us must pass to enter eternal life.  Jesus himself declared that He is the only way to the Father; Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  The Holy Spirit only enters into each of us after we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Even to this day, Christians all around the world often end their prayers with the phrase “in the name of Jesus.”

A song I learned recently begins with the words “there is power in the name of Jesus” repeated several times.  It is followed by the words “to break every chain”, also repeated several times.  As broken, imperfect creatures, only the name of Jesus saves us.  He is the true cornerstone or foundation upon which our faith stands.  It is only through and in the name of Jesus that we find salvation.  In the personal relationship we each can have with Jesus we find grace, love, forgiveness.  Call on the name of Jesus and allow Him to break every chain.  Call on His name and be redeemed.

Scripture reference: Acts 4: 11-12