pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: love


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Share Abundantly

If you were asked to sum up God in one word, what would it be?  Got it yet?  I’d venture to say that most of us would say ‘love’ but some might also say hings like mercy, forgiveness, or maybe creator.  To me, love is God’s main and dominant characteristic.  Out of His love, many other things flow.

Once we find that love of God in our lives, we realize we have a great gift.  When we come to know just how much He loves us, we are both very grateful and deeply humbled.  It changes our whole world.  We are grateful and humbled because we come to also realize that we are imperfect and sinful, yet God still loves us.  It amazes me that a gift given so freely can be so valuable.  But it is.

Once we come to fully know the gift of the love of God, then we want to always have it.  As we continue on our journey of faith, love become how we see all of life, how we treat our neighbor, how we seek to serve those in need, and how we seek to share the good news so that others may know this gift of love.  The gift is so great that it makes us want to share it.  May we share abundantly today!

Scripture reference: Matthew 13: 44-52


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Love Always There

We are inseparable from God’s love.  His love is so high and wide and deep that we cannot begin to imagine the vastness of His love.  And God’s love will last forever.  Not a few years, a couple millenia, but forever.  His love will never fail.

Paul lists a wide range of extremes that cannot separate us from God’s love – angels or demons, life or death, present or future – to name a few.  He punctuates is by stating that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Pretty amazing love!

There will be times and circumstances in t his life when we do not sense God’s love or do not choose to walk in that love.  Yet it is still there.  There will be times when we are so crushed or hurting so bad that we cannot begin to feel His love.   Yet it is still there, right there, all around us.  When we open our hearts and minds and eyes to God’s love, His love comes flooding in.  It is not forced upon us, but is always just right there, always surrounding us.  Thanks be to God for His great love!!

Scripture reference: Romans 8: 38-39


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Faithful and True

We are called to spread God’s word and love.  Jesus compared the discipling of others to seeds and yeast.  In Matthew 13 the small mustard seed grows into a large plant that is home to many birds.  The ‘yeast’ that we work into the ‘dough’ spreads out and causes all of the dough to rise to new heights.  As we spread God to those in our worlds, we help them to grow in their faith.  It is neat to watch another grow in their faith.

But sometimes we have to wait.  The seed does not sprout overnight and the yeast takes time to work.  Sometimes it is hard to wait.  Although we can see and feel other ways God’s kingdom is being built, at times we can hone in on one person or one situation in our life.   It then becomes hard to see big picture that God is painting.

We must learn to wait patiently and to continue in our labors.  We are only the labors – God and the Holy Spirit are what cause the seed to sprout.  We know that the Father is faithful and true.  He is our hope and our strength.  In Hebrews 10 we find encouragement: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur on another on toward love and good deeds”.

Scripture reference: Matthew 13: 31-33


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Love and Intercession

Romans 8:28 reads: “We know that all things work together for goof for those who love God”.  Paul’s words are of great comfort when we are dealing with or living in a difficult situation.  Events full of tragedy, heartache, and stress will come our way.  We will hurt.  But we know that God’s love will be there in our darkest hour, because He is a God who desires good for His children.

Not only that, but in times when we are in such despair that we do not know what to pray for, in these times, the Spirit will intercede for us.  When we are so torn and broken that we cannot even form words, God’s Spirit prays for us.

These two great promises remind us that God is always near, and that because of His great love for each of us, He wants the best for us.  We can go through each and every moment with confidence that God and His Spirit are always near, eager to offer love and intercession for us.  Thanks be to God for this great gift!!

Scripture reference: Romans 8: 26-34


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Are You There?

Within our human relationships we often find conflict, a struggle for acceptance, and some competition for attention.  I saw this in my children growing up and sometimes see it in the adult relationships we have with others.  In our adult life we often want to be the ‘best friend’.  And no matter what our age is, we can question our role and whether or not we fit in.

In Genesis 29 Jacob pledges to work for Laban for seven years in order to marry his daughter Rachel.  But on the wedding night, Laban slips in the older daughter Leah instead.  Jacob is upset when he awakens the next morning and finds Leah there.  Yet he works seven more years in exchange for marrying Rachel.  Tension becomes the norm in this dual marriage – no surprise here!

I don’t know if I could do what Jacob did.  He gave 14 years of his life to marry Rachel.  Talk about love!  And within this story we also get a glimpse of what true faithfulness looks like.  I wonder if I would be willing to give 14 years for something or someone.  Would you?  Yet when we think about our pursuit of God, 14 years should just be a beginning of what we offer.

My faith journey is into its fourth decade.  My faithfulness is usually pretty good, but I stumble on the path from time to time.  My pursuit is pretty dogged in general, but it wanes on occasion.  Why continue to work on our faith after we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior?  Because I am not there yet.  Are you?

Scripture reference: Genesis 29: 15-28


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Love ‘Em More!

The parable of the weeds is such a great example of the challenges we all face.  There are ‘weeds’ all around – people and things – even in our churches!  One challenge is to live among the weeds and not to become like them.  The temptation to fit in can be great, even if just for a short time.  Another challenge is to continue to grow in the midst of the weeds we all have in our lives.  These weeds can be both within us and around us.  Satan is always sowing weeds and often they are tempting!

But I think our greatest challenge comes in trying to change the weeds into something else.  It would be easier to just stay within our church walls, to toss out all the weeds, and to live happily ever after.  In the end our churches would be pretty lonely places.

Jesus would counsel us to love on the weeds.  And when they don’t come around Jesus?  He’d tell us to love them some more.  And when they still don’t come around and they are a little messy?  Just love ’em some more!!  In my day today, how will I show love to someone in need of Jesus’ love?

Scripture reference: Matthew 13: 24-30


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Ever Closer

It is pretty easy to drift sometimes.  Even when we are at work and are being paid to produce something or to perform a task or to provide a service, we can drift off every now and then.  During the time each day away from work or school requirements, we can choose to do what we want with our time.  During this ‘free’ time, it is pretty easy to drift away from God.

Yet it is essential to spend time each day with God and Him alone.  Whether it is in the morning or evening or around the noon hour, it is important to set aside time each day.  We must be real and intentional about developing our relationship with God.  To read His word reveals Him to us.  To pray and to ask Him to search us allows Him to know us more fully, and in turn, to know ourselves more.

Daily submission allows God to become king of our lives 24/7.  As He searches, finds, and redeems us, we are drawn ever closer to Him.  We read in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  We become more like Him through our steadfast devotion to Him.

Scripture reference: Psalm 139: 23-24


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Ever Thankful

Our human nature naturally seeks what we perceive as best for us.  At times we may even rationalize and blur the lines for something we want.  It may be as simple as to win at a game or it may be as complex as attaining a position at work.

And then we realize the error of our ways.  The guilt – and not always in proportion to our sin – begins to set in.  We seek forgiveness – maybe from another, maybe from God, maybe from yourself, maybe from all three!  We try to ‘fix’ it if we can and try to restore our relationships and our reputation.  Maybe we even vow, “never again”.

At the point of repentance, God’s grace washes over us like a mighty river.  He washes away all of our iniquities and renews our soul.  His free gift is always there, always extended.  I am ever thankful for the price Jesus paid to wash away my sins.  Praise be to God for His amazing gift!

Scripture reference: Genesis 28: 10-19a


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Who Will You Choose?

How many times are you willing to ask a child to clean their rooms before you ‘tell them to (or else)?  How many times will a new acquaintance disappoint you until you decide not to pursue a friendship with that person?  If you are like me, I’d guess the answer to that question is ‘a few’.

Now imagine how great God’s love is that He pursues sinners like you and me relentlessly!  No matter how many times we fail, He is right there with open arms, a loving smile, and a welcoming heart.  What a love!

Pretty amazing!  Then add in the idea of free will.  We are not forced to choose God.  He does not lay out our lives in a predestined fashion.  The path we walk is the path we choose.  We set the course of our journey of faith.  Yes, on a daily basis, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He battles Satan for our souls. Yet in the end, it is our choice.  In light of the great love He has for us and the freedom He offers, who will you choose to serve this day?

Scripture reference: Genesis 25: 19-34


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Thank you Jesus!

When you ask a friend or a child to do something, would you rather have them say ‘yes’ and then no do it or would you rather have them say ‘no’ and do it anyway?  Neither is the ideal situation, but which do you prefer?  Does intention or completion matter more?

When we first say ‘yes’ to a personal and intimate relationship with Christ, it does not include any ‘but’ or ‘if’ or ‘when I’ statements.  At first it is just a big ‘YES!’  Soon enough though sin, or at least temptation, rears its ugly head.  Sin is almost a constant presence in our life.  Paul writes beautifully about this struggle in Romans 7.  The sin can be as small as an unkind thought or word or it can range to jealously eyeing your neighbor’s possessions.  In spite of our inner desires to live a life wholly pleasing to God, sin is always nearby.

Bluntly put, we cannot do it on our own.  Thankfully, through His time on the earth, Jesus empathizes with our human condition.  Though Jesus was without sin, in the time on earth He came to see our struggle.  So now, in heaven, He intercedes for us before God.  Without Christ we would be lost.  But thanks be to God for the gift of His Son!!  As constant as the struggle with sin is in our lives, more steady is the presence and love of Christ.  Thank you Jesus!!

Scripture reference: Romans 7: 15-25a