pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: relationship


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Spirit Presence

Reading: John 16: 12-15

Verse 15: “The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you”.

As one looks at the scope of the Bible, from the beginning in Genesis to the end in Revelation, one constant that we see is God working to be in relationship with humanity. Because we are imperfect, we throw curves into God’s plans. This does not deter or weaken God’s desire to be in relationship with each of us, his children. God just finds another way to draw us into relationship.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. They were tempted and sinned, creating a physical separation between humanity and God. The spiritual connection remained. For many years God spoke to his people through prophets and visions and dreams. Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and many others were used by God to help his chosen people live in relationship with God. After the last prophet, Malachi, spoke there was a long period where the people did not hear from God via prophetic voice, yet they still had the Torah or law to guide their lives. Then, after about 400 years, a voice was heard in the wilderness. John the Baptist came, preaching a baptism of repentance to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

In Jesus, God took an extraordinary step. God chose to take on flesh and to walk among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Living in and amongst humanity, Jesus revealed what it looked like to see God’s love lived out. He also experienced what it was like to be tempted and to feel emotion. During his ministry, Jesus taught and healed and lived in relationship with us. Jesus chose to engage the lost, the broken, the outcast, the marginalized, and others who were considered sinners in order to help them also have a relationship with God. Jesus set the example for what it looked like to live out God’s love in this world. Upon departing he commissioned all who would follow him to do the same, going forth into the world to make disciples of all peoples and nations.

When it came time for Jesus to make his final departure, he promised that the “Spirit of truth” would come. This Spirit would continue to guide and lead Jesus’ followers, filling the disciple with all that is needed to walk in relationship with God. Jesus told them and tells us, “The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you”. Dwelling in our hearts, the Spirit is the constant presence of Jesus, ever revealing God’s will and love to us. With the Spirit in us, humanity is once again able to live out our relationship with God a physical and tangible presence within our hearts. The Spirit walks and talks with us daily, empowering us to go forth to share the good news of Jesus Christ with a world in need. May we do so today.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for returning to walk and talk and live out daily life with me, with all of your children. Through the Spirit, you are as close as my next breath. Lead and guide me today to share your love with those in need of knowing your love. Amen.


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Joy and Peace

Reading: Romans 5: 1-2

Verse 2b: “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God”.

In the first part of Romans 5, Paul writes about the peace and joy we find through faith in Jesus Christ. The peace we feel comes because we have been “justified by faith”. To be justified means to be made right with God. This is an ongoing process, one that happens over and over. Paul goes on to explain that it is through Jesus that we find access to the grace necessary in the justification process. It is Jesus’ grace that says his love is greater than our sins.

Because we experience grace, we are forgiven people. Because we are forgiven, we experience a peace that the world does not know. People living outside of a relationship with Jesus struggle with feeling peace in their lives because they do not know grace. The lack of a vertical relationship with God impacts their horizontal relationships with their families, friends, co-workers… The inability to receive and extend grace and mercy and forgiveness limits and hampers their relationships. Peace with others and with self becomes an elusive target. Soon joy is harder to find as well.

As people of faith, we know both joy and peace through our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is something that should be and usually is evident in our lives. The peace that passes understanding and the joy in the midst of difficult or challenging situations is something the children of the world notice. When asked what makes us different, when asked have joy or peace in those unlikely times, we must be ready to share our story of faith. It is through our story that we invite others to know Jesus, the source of our joy and peace.

Verse 2 concludes with these words: “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God”. We have hope in Jesus Christ, the glory of God. We rejoice because we know the end of the story. Whether we are thinking of the end of our own story or of the end of humanity’s story, we know that eternal life awaits all who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We rejoice in this truth. Jesus brings us joy and peace in this life and in the life to come. Today may our joy and peace help another to know our truth.

Prayer: Jesus, my savior and my hope, thank you for the joy and peace that comes through knowing you. May these blessings flow out of my life and into the lives of those who need to know your joy and peace. Amen.


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Relationship

Reading: Acts 8: 14-17

Verse 15: “They prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit”.

As we become better and better friends with another we can get to the point of being able to finish their sentences. After being married or after being best friends for a long while you even get to the place of knowing what they’re thinking. This deep connection forms a very special bond. But just how does this bond develop? Certainly an important element is time. Spending time with someone allows you the opportunity to get to know them. Time alone won’t do it though. One could spend a lifetime in a 6×12 prison cell with someone and never get to know them very well. One must also make an effort. One must invest in the relationship. This speaks of commitment.

In our passage today some folks hear the words that Philip shared and they come to believe in Jesus name. They do not receive the Holy Spirit so Peter and John are sent. Once they arrive, “they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit”. Why? Because the indwelling presence of the Spirit can be the beginning of a deeply personal relationship. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit does not take you to “finish their sentence” status automatically though. It is the beginning of a relationship. In many the relationship begins “on fire” – you want to get to know that person more and more. Soon enough though, like with all relationships, it gets to a point where you ask yourself if you want the relationship to continue to grow or not. Usually there is a pinch point of some type. With the Holy Spirit it is usually that point where we realize it will require a full surrender of our will and our desires to the will and desires of God. It is a hard moment. Some choose to slow things down and keep the relationship on the “acquaintance” level. But if one chooses to go all in with their relationship with Jesus Christ, then one can get to the point of finishing sentences and knowing what the Holy Spirit is thinking before it whispers or nudges.

If one chooses to surrender, it is not a one time decision either. There is a reason Jesus said we must pick up our cross daily to follow Him. It is a daily surrender. In general, the cross becomes lighter and easier to pick up each day as the joy of the relationship makes it so. Yes, there are days or even seasons when self rears its ugly head. But the time and commitment that God has in the relationship always seeks to draw us back in, to restore us to right relationship. On our own the relationship would be in trouble. But we are not alone. God is fully committed to us. God alone makes our relationship possible. Thanks be to God for the amazing love that desires a relationship with each of us.

Prayer: Lord, when I look hard in the mirror, I am amazed that we are still great friends. Thank you for still loving imperfect and sinful me. You are an awesome God. Amen.


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Unity in Love

Reading: John 17: 20-26

Verse 22: “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me”.

Our passage today focuses on unity. Jesus prays for unity between and among the believers. Unity was essential for the early church – the Jews and the Romans would put a lot of pressure on them to try and snuff out the early church. In both verses 20 and 22 Jesus prays that they “may be one” and He connects this prayer to how He and God are one. Jesus defines this further in verse 23, praying for “complete unity” among the believers. Such a unity reveals their absolute faith in Christ and also the love of Jesus that is in them and flows through them.

The second unity that Jesus focuses on is between the believers and Jesus himself. A unity between Jesus and those who follow Him is also essential. A relationship with Jesus is the core connection. It is the foundation upon which the believers’ relationships with one another will stand. Their personal relationship with Jesus is also what connects them to God. In verse 22 Jesus prays this prayer: “I in them and you in me”. It reveals this connection.

Throughout His time on earth Jesus revealed God’s love. All that Jesus did and said and prayed was based upon this love. Our passage today closes with a prayer for this love to be in the believers. In verse 26 Jesus prays, “I have made you known and will continue to… in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them”. If we have the love of God in Christ inside of us, it will be revealed to the world. Just as Jesus came to reveal God’s love, we too are sent into the world to be like Christ, revealing God’s love by all we do and say. May it be so this day and every day.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, dwell fully in me this day. May I so know your love that it is evident to all. Fill me with your love so that I may share it with others. Thank you Jesus. Amen.


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Come

Reading: Revelation 22: 12-14, 16-17, and 20-21

Verse 17: “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life”.

Our reading today opens with the reminder, “I am coming soon”! Jesus is not speaking in our time frame but in His. Our life is but a mist (James 4:14), so our time reference is different than God’s. Jesus then goes on to remind us that He was there in the beginning and will be there at the end. Jesus was there at creation and will be there at the new creation and beyond.

Jesus will welcome all who “wash their robes”. These will have the right to the tree of life and can enter the new Jerusalem. Sin is the barrier between us and Jesus. When we live with sin in our lives, we are separated from Christ Jesus. When we acknowledge our sins and repent of them, seeking to live and walk with Jesus, then our sins are forgiven. When we do this, we are washing our robes.

Once we are made right with Jesus, we can enter into His presence. One day that means into eternity. In verse 17 we hear the invitation, “Come”! John goes on to expand on this invitation by saying, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life”. We have a natural thirst for God. It is that hole inside all of us that can only be filled by a personal relationship with God in Christ. This hole is created in us the moment we are woven together by God. We are made in His image; therefore we long for God – we thirst for a relationship with Him. To our thirst, He simply says, “Come”. We are invited to take from the “free gift” and to drink of it deeply. It is the water of life. Jesus gives us life here and offers us life eternal too.

The passage for today closes by Jesus once again saying, “Yes, I am coming soon”. I love John’s response: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus”. Yes, you are coming soon. Thanks be to God. And all of God’s people say, amen.

Prayer: Father, today I join John saying come, come Lord Jesus. Come now into my life. Come soon to make all things new. Come, Lord Jesus, come! Amen.


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A Home of Love

Reading: John 14: 23-24

Verse 23: “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teachings… We will come to him and make our home with him”.

The word “home” conjures up many memories. It is the place we lay our head down at night. Right now, for me, home is the grey house across the street from the church I serve. It has been filled with our stuff, but what makes it home is the memories created with family and friends and even surprise guests. Many homes are filled with such memories. Each of our memories are built around and upon a relationship. It is these relationships and the attached memories ethat make a house into a home.

The key to our most important relationships is love. The relationships that matter the most in our lives are built upon love. It is love that leads us to be selfless and more concerned with the well-being and happiness of the other. In our passage today, Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teachings”. In our relationship with Jesus, love is demonstrated with obedience to His teachings or commands. The first two commands that we are told to work on were loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbors as Jesus first loved us. Both of these are not always easy to do. That is why God offers us some help. Jesus goes on to say, “We will come to him and make our home with him”. If we love and obey Jesus, He will come and dwell in our heart.

Jesus just waits for us to extend that invitation. Once we do, it is the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ that makes it possible to live in love. The Holy Spirit is given and it leads and guides, it reminds and convicts, helping us to walk in love. When we ask Jesus to make a home in us, we are inviting love to lead us. It is through that love that we build our relationship with Jesus deeper and deeper. May we each love well today.

Prayer: God of love, walk with me today, helping me to be love to all I meet. Make my words, my thoughts, my actions all point to the love of Christ in me. Amen.


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Come

Reading: Revelation 22: 1-5

Verse 4: “They will see His face, and His name will be on their forehead”.

With the coming of the new Jerusalem humanity and God return to their original relationship. Before sin entered the world, God walked and talked daily with Adam and Eve. But sin entered and created separation. Thousands of years later God began the work of final restoration as He took on flesh and walked among humanity once again. In the person of Jesus, God demonstrated the obedience that was lost in the garden. Obedience was fully demonstrated as Jesus went to the cross to be the final sacrifice for our sins, there defeating the power of sin. Through the resurrection from the grave, Jesus defeated the power of death too. It no longer has the final word. Yet sin and death remain. We continue to live in a broken world. Our relationship with sin and death has changed though – we no longer live in bondage to them. We are no longer slaves, but we are still subject to them.

John’s vision in Revelation looks to a day when sin and death will be no more. One day Christ will return and banish sin, death, and all brokenness forever. Maybe it will be tomorrow. Maybe it will be a few or many generations from now. We do not know when Jesus will return to make all things new. But we know He will. And we know what it will be like. The creation will return to the time before sin. “They will see His face, and His name will be on their forehead”. Like Adam and Eve once did, all who are children of God will be daily in His presence. There will be no separation. The curse that came through the first sin will be no more. All who are in the new Jerusalem will be constantly in God’s presence.

As Revelation 22 and the Bible close out, three times Jesus says to John, “I am coming soon”. The Spirit and the bride, the church, respond by saying, “Come”! John invites all who are thirsty to come, to come and to take the free gift of the water of life. Before his final blessing, John writes, “Come, Lord Jesus”. May we join in the invitation today, proclaiming come, Lord Jesus, come!

Prayer: Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, come! Come and walk with me this day. Return again tomorrow and the next tomorrow and forever. One day may that walk be in your presence. Until then, may we walk in harmony and love. Amen.


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All Things New

Reading: Revelation 21: 1-6

Verse 1: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”.

There are two kinds of people in the world when it comes to broken things. One type is quickly willing to discard the broken item and purchase a new one if necessary. The other type will tinker and tinker, will try this and that, to repair the item to get just a little more life out of it. When you think of God and our world, which type is God?

I tend to fall into the second category. I will try and repair it, to somehow get a little more use out of it. Sometimes if it is mechanical my limited ability and knowledge forces me to seek a mechanic or repair person. Even then I am willing to try a little something to get more time out of the vehicle or lawnmower. Which type are you?

When we think about our relationships, we fall into similar categories too. When our relationships are great and going well, life is good. But once in a while we hit a bump in the road. It is at these points that we must make a similar decision: do I want to save this relationship or do I just want to let it go? This question applies to all of our relationships – from parents to spouses to best friends to co-workers or classmates to acquaintances. Some of us will do all we can to reconcile or to save the relationship. Others will quickly walk away. When you think about God, which type is God?

In our passage today, God gets to the point of starting over, of bringing total healing. Our key verse reads, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”. There will come a day when all things are made new. A reboot happened once, when God covered the face of the earth with water. After the flood, God said not again. The next time will be final. Since then God has been working to renew our lives, getting some more good years out of us. God continues to be at work in our world, drawing all things to Him. God works in us, ever refining us to be more like Him. God never gives up on us, always extending mercy and grace and forgiveness. Our God is a loving and patient God. Yes, the new heaven and earth will be beautiful beyond words. But for now, I rejoice in God’s love and patience with me and with our world.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your deep, deep love that continues to work in my heart and in my life. When I fail and create some separation between you and I, all you do is reach out and call me back. Thank you for your example of love and grace. Amen.


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As I Have Loved You…

Reading: John 13: 31-35

Verse 34: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another”.

For a very high percentage of people, if they had to describe God or Jesus in just one word, they would pick “love”. I myself cannot think of a better word. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus selected two that both revolve around this word: love God and love neighbor. Arguably the best known verse revolves around the word: “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16). So, how can Jesus say to His disciples, “a new command I give you”?

The God of the Bible is a God of love. God’s love is revealed in many ways. Israel is God’s chosen people and God demonstrates love by setting them apart as a special group. God shows love by forgiving this wandering people over and over again. God proves love by bringing food in the wilderness, by parting the waters, by rebuilding the city and temple. God reiterates the loving covenant time and time again by sending many prophets to draw the Israelites back into a loving relationship with God. God’s love becomes more real when Jesus took on flesh and dwelled among us.

Jesus loved as God loved in many ways. Jesus forgave and cared for the people. He taught them a better way to live together. Jesus rebuilt people’s lives. Jesus also deepened our understanding of loving God. Jesus was obedient to following God’s will and way, even to the point of death. Jesus demonstrated love in a new way too. The new command was this: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another”. The kicker is the “as I have loved you” part. Jesus introduced the concept of humble servant as the means to love. He put other’s needs far ahead of His own. He always considered others before Himself. He gave away or shared what little He had so that others could at least have a little. In all He did, love led the way. Jesus encourages His disciples and all who will follow Him to do the same. May we be love lived out today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I think about how you loved and continue to love, I cannot fully comprehend how to love as you loved. Yet I try. Lord, help me to move further along my journal to love better, to love deeper. May it be so each day. Amen.


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Praise the Lord

Reading: Psalm 150

Verse 6: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”.

Today’s passage opens and closes with the same line: “Praise the Lord”. In between it speaks first of where: in the sanctuary and in His heavens. Broadly interpreted, the sanctuary is all the places we find God. Yes, it is our church sanctuary, but it is also along the wooded path, by the bass pond, in the hospital room, on the open prairie, at the quiet desk. In between the psalmist speaks second of why we praise. We are to praise God for His acts of power and for His surpassing greatness. Yes, it is for how God sent Jesus as our example and for how God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. But it is also for the safe travels home and for the personal nature of our relationship.

Lastly, in verses 3 through 5, the psalmist speaks of how we are to praise God. He lists the trumpet, harp, lyre, strings, flute, and cymbals as the instruments and he lists dancing as the action. Yes, it is this but also with the organ, keyboard, drums, guitars, and voices. It is also with arms raised up, with hands clapping, with heads bowed, and with hearts open. And it is in prayer as we go for a walk. It is in the conversations with one who is lonely or grieving. There are many, many ways to praise the Lord.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”. We have breath. May we praise the Lord today!

Prayer: Lord God, may all I do and say bring you praise today. May my every breath and action praise the Lord. Amen.