pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: love


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It Narrows

“Jesus arrives on the scene disinclined to greatness but inclined to goodness.”  This line really stood out in one of the devotionals I read this morning.  Just a bit earlier in Mark, Jesus referred to himself as “Lord.”  But His definition of ‘Lord’ is a bit different that the people He will encounter as they enter Jerusalem.

The excited people gathered for the Passover with shout “Hosanna!” and declare him ‘Lord’ and will call in the kingdom of David as Jesus arrives.  Hosanna means ‘Save!” – they had such high expectations for Jesus.  They were ready to anoint Him.  Riding in on a donkey probably wasn’t what most had imagined for the day a king would return to save Israel.  The crowd was so charged that Jesus could have been easily lured in.  But He was not.  As He slowly progressed His mind remained resolutely focused on the cross.  He could have chosen greatness but instead He chose to be the good servant.

Jesus’ life was never about power or status or accolades.  His life was always about service and the offering of self for others.  To follow Him is to do as He did.  It is hard.  Remember, when the teachings got really tough and the road narrowed, then the crowds thinned and the followers fell away.  His teachings were challenging and required a cost or sacrifice – most often to self, to status, or to possessions.  In Jesus’ economy the things of value are love, mercy, justice.

In the week ahead, as we enter Holy Week, the road gets really narrow.  It will take a bit to walk through the week ahead with Christ.  This Lenten season of self-denial and introspection makes us ask some hard questions.  He is calling us to read the Word, to feel the tug of the emotions, to be a part of His Holy Week.  Happy trails!

Scripture reference: Mark 11: 4-7


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These Truths Remain

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.”  These same words begin and end Psalm 118.  These eternal promises of God are reaffirmed by Jeremiah and he adds, “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

The middle of the psalm is filled with the trials of life – anger, hate, rejection.  These are the things Christ battled in the week leading up to His crucifixion and they are the thing we face too at times in our lives.  Trials are sure to come our way.

But, thanks be to God!  Just like this psalm, at the beginning and end of each day, God is still the same.  He is good, His love never fails, and His mercy is unending.  In the midst of whatever we are going through, these truths remain.  Thanks be to God.

Scripture reference: Psalm 118: 1-2 & 19-29


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Bringing Glory

Jesus seeks to draw all people to himself.  In today’s story Andrew and Philip bring some Greek Gentiles to meet Jesus.  The religious leaders note that this Jesus is drawing “the world” to himself.  Their exclusivity is just the opposite of Jesus’ desire to bring all people together.

Jesus declares that the time of judgment is near and that the prince of peace will soon drive out the rulers of this world.  As His death is drawing very near, He again states that it is why He came – to glorify God.  Did the religious leaders see their role in these two things?  Or were they like the disciples, only becoming fully aware after He had risen?  Or were they so blind and jaded that they never got it?

Jesus, our Prince of Peace, came not to drive people apart but to unite them in love.  He came to break down barriers between Jew and Gentile, between haves and have-nots, between religion and faith.  Jesus came to forge a new community based on love, peace, and forgiveness.

Do we today, as His disciples, see our role in this plan?  Do we, as His followers, walk where Jesus walked, inviting all into our fellowship?  Do we, like our Prince of Peace, seek to remove all barriers to our community of faith, encouraging all to share in His love, peace, and forgiveness?  May we too bring glory to our King!

Scripture reference: John 12: 27-33


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Just Ask

God desires to teach us wisdom and for us to know His truths.  He longs to cleanse us and wash away our sins.  A daily relationship with each of us is what He longs for.  But God will not force any of this upon us.  It must be our choice.

At times we may feel God is distant or is hard to connect to.  But He is always near and the Spirit is always present.  When we turn and seek God, He is instantly there.  And it is not because He is really fast.  I picture this kind of like and elementary school ‘dating’ relationship.  Boy follows along behind girl everywhere she goes and she acts like he is invisible.  Until that moment when she wants something and she turns around and he is right there.

God is concerned with our ‘inner being.’  He is always examining us and the Spirit is always trying to nudge us in the right direction.  But action and response only comes on our own accord.  We can be good at ignoring.  We can be good at putting off.  Yet when we are ready, God is right there.

When we say God to ‘cleanse me’, God instantly strips away the bad.  When we say ‘wash me’ our sins are suddenly gone.  When we say ‘yes’ to the Spirit our joy is restored and we are filled with a ‘clean heart’ and a ‘steadfast spirit.’  When we ask Him in and open the door of our hearts, life is good.  We walk with the Lord.  We just need to ask.

Scripture reference: Psalm 51: 6-12


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Warning: Work in Progress – But Not Alone!

Each of us is a work in progress.  Some may be a little further along in their faith journey and some a little less.  But all of us must realize that there is still work to be done , still growth to experience.  All must heed Paul’s words found in Romans 3: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Even though we constantly fall short, God also always pursues us.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are made aware of our sin.  When we confess that we have sinned and made an affront to God, it is the same Spirit that leads us to repentance.  Each time God blots out our transgression and remembers our sin no more.

The unending supply and depth of God’s love and mercy is amazing.  The constant presence of the Holy Spirit seeking to work on us confounds understanding.  It is like God cares for each and every one of us as if we were each His only child.

Each of us is not yet what we will be.  And each is not what we once were either.  Through the constant cycle of sin and repentance we are slowly made more and more into the image of Christ.  Apparently God has a very high level of patience as well.  As we continually say, “Lord, have mercy” we are acknowledging God’s sovereignty.  We cannot succeed on our own.  Only through God can we continue to run the race.  It is in this weakness that He is made strong.  This day, may we each come to fully rely on God, our redeemer and sustainer.

Scripture reference: Psalm 51: 1-5


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Go Forth

When asked, Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind,  and strength.  He quickly added a second that was like the first: love neighbor as self.  These two are alike in two ways.  First, they both involve love, arguably the highest human emotion.  Second, they both involve a two-way relationship.  God’s love for us is unfathomable yet Jesus calls us to love Him back as close to this as we can.  In essence, with every fiber of our being.  In the second, our neighbor are also called to love us back.

Jeremiah 31 speaks of a time when God’s ways and laws do not need to be taught anymore because they will be written on all of our hearts. In our church communities we start to see what this looks like.  In these microcosms people know God and strive to obey His teachings.  People who gather together for worship, fellowship, and so on are known by God and are connected together through this relationship.  Once each is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then their relationship with each other is changed.  All are loved equally by God.  Loving each other in the same way is the basis for this new community.

But… clearly not all are part of these loving communities.  In fact, the majority of people live their lives outside of a church family, outside of a relationship with Jesus.  I believe that if asked, Jesus’ third greatest commandment would be the great commission: go forth and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus didn’t say to always stay in our churches.  He didn’t say to closely guard our little communities.  He said go forth.  Into the world.  The great love of and for God compels us to share it with others.  Is not the highest form of loving neighbor to share what is most important to us?  Go forth.

Scripture reference: Jeremiah 31: 33-34


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We Must Share

Sometimes we find ourself in a season where we feel distant from God.  Even though this is uncomfortable, we struggle to reconnect.  Even when we try, we feel empty.  Worship just doesn’t rouse anything in us and when we pray we feel alone.  It is a hard place to be.

We must remember that even in these times, God is near to us.  We too must remember that the Holy Spirit and a great cloud of witness – both our present faith community and those who have gone before – are praying for us.  We are always covered in prayer, so we are never truly alone.  God is always near.  Through faith we must also continue to pray, to seek Him, to worship.  And soon we will feel God’s presence all around us again.

Yet there are people who have never known God’s presence.  Life is lived without true meaning and without a higher purpose.  Think back to a time when you were in a ‘desert place’ and remember what that felt like.  Now imagine life being lived like that all the time.  This is why Christ commissioned us all to make disciples of all nations, to connect people to our God.

Many try to walk through grief, loss, loneliness, and such all alone.  As a child of God and as a follower of Jesus Christ, we know how great it is to walk in His love, mercy, and grace, to find strength in Him, to rest in His presence.  It is something we simply must share.

Scripture reference: Ephesians 2: 1-7


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Master Craftsman

“He sent forth His word and healed them.” – Psalm 107:20

Reading today’s scripture through Old Testament eyes, God chose to step in and act.  The people realized their sins and were feeling the consequences of them.  They cried out to God.  In His mercy He healed their hearts and returned them to the path that they were intended to walk as His people.  God strengthened them for the journey so they could be just in how they lived.

Read through New Testament eyes, the ‘word’ is Jesus.  Through His life and example we can see how we are called to live.  And just like the Israelites, we will falter.  This could be outright sin or it could be a failure to meet an opportunity that God places before us.

Thankfully God is a God of second chances.  And thirds, fourths…  The Israelites wandered frequently and so do we.  But no matter how many times we falter, God’s love for each of us is steadfast, eternal, and freely given.  For this generous gift we offer our thanks.

God is also a master craftsman, a skilled artisan.  As His love is poured into us, we in turn are led by the Holy Spirit to pour into others.  Again, at times we fail.  But here is what is so amazing about His love: He is seeking perfection in us so He keeps on working us and reshaping us.  In realizing we missed an opportunity, the seeds of how to not miss it next time are planted.  We can rest assured that God will give us more opportunities to share His love because as we do, we grow closer to being the believer He created us to be.  And for this gift, we offer our thanks.

Scripture reference: Psalm 107:20


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Steadfast and Constant

Hardships are a part of life.  At times we suffer because of choices we make but at other times our trials are simply part of life.  When we are in the midst of a struggle, it can feel like we are out in the wilderness or are lost at sea.  We feel alone and become tired and worn down.  And then, in the middle of the struggle, we cry out to God.

We recall that we are a child of God – like it were some long lost truth – and we begin to cling to Him.  We acknowledge our inability to calm the storm on our own and we begin to trust in God.  Maybe we had been praying all along, but when we cry out to God, when we offer total surrender, when we are turning fully to Him, then His presence is greatest.

When the storm ends, we want to kiss the ground. Once our feet return to solid ground and life becomes good again, we look back to God with a new sense of thanksgiving in our hearts.  In our inner being we know the struggle could not have been won on our own.  We realize God’s unlimited love for us as we come to know our dependence on Him was and is a really good thing.

We thank God for His constant and unfailing love and learn to turn quicker to Him when the next storm clouds gather on the horizon.  Thank God for His steadfast love and constant presence.

Scripture reference: Psalm 107: 17-22


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Our Promises

In many churches the words, “God is good!” draws the response “All the time.”  Then the call, “And all the time,” draws “God is good!”  In our churches we are sure to spread the word that God loves us.  As just one means of responding to God’s vast love for us, we are drawn to give back to God through our churches and their work in the world.

In my denomination we promise to support the church with our “prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness” when we join.  It is much the same in any church for these are the things Christ did when He set us the example of how to live our lives.

I think the list goes from easiest to hardest for most people.  A time of prayer each day or a few prayers here and there is easy to offer up to God.  Being present in church on a regular basis takes a bit more effort but is not really that hard.  Giving back some of the gifts that God has blessed us with is OK for most.  When one begins to speak of tithing it takes a bit more and here is where we begin to see some delineation in what commitment really looks like.  Service requires a higher commitment that basic giving.  It is more that the hour on Sunday morning and often requires some effort to serve.  Here we see more separation.

But that last word – witness – is the most challenging.  It is the promise that takes risk, the one that requires us to really put ourselves out there. It also calls upon us to trust in God and to seek the Spirit’s lead.  His promise is to give us the words we need, when we need them.  When we offer our witness or testimony, God will be fully present with us if we acknowledge our need for Him.  Trust and obey, for God really is good all of the time.

Scripture reference: Psalm 107: 1-3