pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Fully Surrendered

Reading: Psalm 23:1-4

Verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd.”

Photo credit: Alex Woods

Psalm 23 is very familiar. Its words remind us of how deeply God can love and care for us. It speaks of the relationship that we can experience. David writes these words as one fully surrendered to God. In order to claim and to fully experience the relationship detailed in this Psalm, we too must be fully surrendered to God.

David chooses the shepherd analogy. He is drawing from years and years of being a good shepherd to his family’s sheep. In verse 1 David declares that he “shall not be in want.” God will provide for our daily needs. God will also provide for our emotional and spiritual needs. Not “might” – will! When we are surrendered to God, rest and restoration in green pastures and beside still waters is not optional. Surrendered fully, God will guide us in all righteousness. Sabbath is part of this.

God is also our shepherd when life gets difficult. Verse 4 reminds us that God will be fully present in the valleys – in those times when “the shadow of death” has fallen over our lives. When we lose a loved one, God is there to both comfort and protect us. God comforts us in our pain and also protects us against the evil one. In moments of loss, we are most vulnerable to the lies and manipulation of Satan. God protects us. Physical death is not the only deaths we experience. God is there in the loss of relationship, in the loss of a job or dream, in the loss of health… In all these, God comforts us and protects us. It is a provision so strong that we need not fear evil in any of these circumstances either. This fear can be fully surrendered to God too. Doing so, we find rest and restoration even in the valley of death or loss.

Psalm 23 reminds us of God’s presence and love and care in all of life. If we choose daily to surrender to and to walk in the presence of God, we are never alone. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, your love and care for me is so amazing and wonderful. You guide me and lead me in what is right. You lead me to times and places that restore my soul. Help me, Lord, to surrender daily so that I can experience the fullness of your love and care. Amen.


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Will We Choose to Listen?

Reading: Psalm 95:8-11

Verse 8: “If only you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Photo credit: Einar Storsul

Turning to the second section of Psalm 95 we are connected back to Exodus 17. The psalmist is reflecting back to a time when the Israelites tested and tried God, when they grumbled against God and Moses. We recall this ugly moment came right after experiencing miracle after miracle after miracle from God. This seems so impossible. Yet the reality is that we too can go from a high moment of faith to questioning or doubting the next moment as life unexpectedly crashes down around us.

The psalmist declares that God was “angry with that generation.” They are identified as a people “whose hearts go astray” and as ones who “have not known my ways.” This generation has proven itself to be stubborn and rebellious. Again and again. At the end we read, “They will never enter my rest.” This generation will die in the desert. Even Moses, because of a moment of anger and exasperation with these people, will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

So how does this story from thousands of years ago apply to our lives and faith today? I believe one could make a strong case that our generation is stubborn and rebellious. One could easily argue that our hearts go astray and that we follow our own desires more often than not. The advice that begins our passage very much applies to us as we seek to follow Jesus in the wilderness of today’s world: “If only you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

God continues to speak today. God speaks through the Bible and through modern day prophets. God speaks through the Holy Spirit – in whispers and nudges, in convictions, in revelations. God speaks through ordinary people like you and me. The question is whether or not we will choose to listen to God’s voice when we hear it. Or will we wander in the wilderness, ultimately ending up outside of God’s love and grace?

Prayer: Lord God, it is easy to default to grumbling and testing and trying your love. It’s tempting to succumb to the pleasures and lures of this world. These voices can be so loud, the lies so compelling. Or they can be whispered so seductively. Lord, strengthen my resolve to walk as a disciple, deepen my trust in you alone, gird me up with your Spirit. I desire to be fully yours. Be with me moment by moment. Guide me through the battle ahead. Amen.


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Choose Obedience

Reading: Exodus 24:12-18

Verse 12: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here.'”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

As we begin the week that culminates on Transfiguration Sunday, when Jesus glory is fully revealed, we start by going up the mountain with Moses. He chooses to be present to God on the mountain. Our passage today begins with an invitation. In verses 12 we read, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here.'” It is not a “swing by for a moment” invitation. It is a “come and rest a while” invitation. It is an invitation that calls Moses to come and receive important information from God.

Moses is obedient. He goes up the mountain. In order to go, though, he had to entrust leadership to Aaron and Hur. That done, Moses goes up, entering the cloud of God’s presence that covered the top of the mountain. What happens next is so important. Moses spends 6 days there, just being in God’s presence. Too often we rush in and want God to speak right away so that we can quickly get back to our lives. A good friend who goes on weeklong spiritual retreats shared that it always takes 2-3 days to center, to focus, to really be present, to hear God’s voice. God is never in a rush. As we seek God’s presence, may we add a heap of patience to our obedience to the call to draw near to God.

Moses spends 40 days and nights with God. It is a long conversation filled with much information. When we choose obedience, yielding to God’s call to come away from the world for a while, we too will get to know God (and ourselves) a whole lot better. In those moments in God’s presence, we are changed. We return to the world filled with a presence and a Spirit that empowers us to live a life of service to the Lord our God. When the invitation is extended, when God calls, may we trust and obey. Doing so, God will fill us with all that we need to walk as a faithful disciple in the world.

Prayer: Lord God, moments alone in your holy presence are powerful, wonderful, amazing, scary. Give me the courage to walk into your invitation, to pause life so that I can rest in and be filled by you. O God, fill me up, send me out. Amen.


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It Rests on Christ

Reading: 2nd Timothy 2:8-15

Verse 8: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel.”

Turning to our Epistle reading for the week, Paul encourages young Timothy with some foundational truths and with some “trustworthy” sayings. Paul is writing from prison in Rome, “chained like a criminal.” Yet he is the one doing the teaching and encouraging. He has not forgotten the call that Jesus Christ has on his life. Serving his Lord and Savior, Paul seeks to pour into Timothy in order to strengthen his walk of faith.

Paul begins by exhorting Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel.” It was important for Paul’s faith to remember these two truths: Jesus resurrected and of the line of David. The first truth is certainly important to all believers. Because Jesus defeated the power of death, we too can attain eternal life. The second truth is also important to our faith. It connects the person of Jesus to the entire Bible. He is the fulfillment of dozens and dozens of prophesies found in the Old Testament. If you could, what other foundational truths would you add? If I could do so, I’d add that Jesus died for my sins and that he showed what God’s love looks like when lived out in real life. What would you include in your statement of the gospel or good news?

Paul also adds a few “if-then” type sayings. If we choose to die to self, then we will live with Jesus Christ in our hearts. If we endure hardship and trial faithfully, then we will triumph over the things of this world. If we deny Jesus or are faithless, then he will disown us, yes, but “he will remain faithful.” What does this twist at the end mean? It means that Jesus Christ will love us no matter what. It means that when we fail, Jesus does not falter in his love for us. When we declare him as Lord and Savior, we become a part of him and he becomes a part of us. Our inheritance in the family of God is secure because it rests not on our love or effort. It rests on Christ’s love and effort. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your sacrifice for us – from taking on flesh to living amongst us to dying and rising again to give us victory over sin and death. All was done in love. I am so grateful that your love remains – no matter what I do or do not do. It is an amazing love. Thank you for this love. Amen.


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Worship God… Today

Reading: Psalm 66:1-12

Verse 12: “We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.”

Photo credit: Eugene Zhyvchik

What is it that gets you through a hard time? What words can or do you sing or listen to when hardship becomes your reality? For the Israelites, Psalm 66 would’ve been a response to these questions. In spite of the current suffering, Psalm 66 would lift their spirits, reminding them of how God was faithful without fail in the past. Again and again God has guided the people through times that have tested their faith. This song would be sung with joy and would bring hope.

Traditionally today would be the day of preparing for the Sabbath, the day of rest and prayer to ready oneself to worship God. Most of us have lost the sacredness of our Saturdays. Most people work 5 (or 6) days a week and today (or tomorrow) is the day to run errands, to get get stuff done around the house… For many, life is so crammed full that even if they make it to church, the to-do list and/or the busy schedule for the rest of the day inhibits slowing down and really connecting to God. Yet even when all of this (or most or some of it) is true, God remains faithful.

Where in your day today do you have time to rest in God’s presence? It might just be 15 minutes. That is ok. Whether walking in the valley, beaming on the mountaintop, or if life is somewhere in the middle – what songs or scriptures draw you into worship and into connection with God? Find a song or scripture or three and listen to or sing or read and pray through them. Worship God. Today. Recall God’s goodness and faithfulness. Think of God’s rescues and redemptions in your life. Sing or say with the psalmist: “We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance” and worship God today.

Prayer: Lord God, draw me into you, into that sacred place where I can dwell for a bit in your abundance. Cover me in your love, fill me with your grace, wrap me in your healing. Amen.


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Play the Shepherd

Reading: Psalm 23:1-3

Verse 2: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters – he restores my soul.”

Today we turn to Psalm 23, probably the best known of all the Psalms. David begins with “the Lord is my shepherd.” This term is very common throughout the Bible. It is often used as a metaphor for God’s love and care and guidance and protection. As is the case in the usual readings of the Psalm, we often play the role of the sheep.

In the New Testament one of Jesus’ strongest commands is to “love one another as I have loved you.” He gives this command just after washing the disciples’ feet. What if we, like the Lord and Teacher, like the Good Shepherd, bear witness to his love by also serving others? What if that is how we sometimes play the role of shepherd as we seek to love others as Jesus first loved us?

In verse 2 we read about how the Lord “makes me lie down in green pastures… leads me beside quiet waters.” These actions lead rest and to a restoration of the soul. For some of us, green pastures and quiet waters are restorative. For others maybe it is a mountaintop or a rushing stream. For others it may be a vibrant worship service. For some it’s time in a quiet prayer chapel. For some it is a coffee and some people watching. For others it is a ballgame or an afternoon drive or a long distance run or ride or… Each of us finds peace and restoration in our own way. All of us long to say, “he restores my soul.”

We will all share pasture today with someone who is without peace, who is without quiet, who needs some restoration of the soul. The question I invite you to consider is this: How can you provide them with “green pastures and still waters” – whatever that might look like for them – today or this week? Consider how you can love or care or guide or protect them to offer some soul restoration. Doing so, you will serve them and love them as Jesus Christ loves you. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes and heart to see what I can offer another that will bring peace and restoration to their soul. Guide me to shepherd them and to love them as you love me. Amen.


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Balance = Blessing

Reading: Psalm 127

Verse 1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”

Our Psalm for this week speaks of the needed balance between our efforts and God being in control. According to the world, we are each in control of our own little world. Campaigns and slogans like “Just Do It” and “Have It Your Way” typify the world’s focus on self. The ideas that we “deserve” anything we want and that we are always “right” reflects this same self-centered mindset. In the more is better, I am my own god world that we live in, the words of this Psalm are great reminders of the true realities about God, ourself, and our world.

The psalmist recognizes that all we seek to do totally on our own is futile without God. Whether building a house, guarding over the city, or toiling away at work, all are in vain if done without God’s guidance and direction. But we do have a role to play. We need to physically build or guard or labor, yes. We cannot expect the one who is in control to just do everything for us. There needs to be a balance.

When we rise up early or stay up late to accomplish our tasks we are giving a good effort. In these times we must be aware of the balance, of the way God designed us and the world. With a trust in God, in the one in control of all things, we too must rest at times. To work and work and work is to labor in vain. We must always take time to rest, to renew, to refresh. These times reconnect us with God, with ourselves, and with others. They bless us so that our journeys of life and faith may continue along as God designed them to. May this be your blessing today and every day!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminder about balance. You are in control yet I must contribute too. You enable me to work for your purposes, yet you also call me to times of rest. Thank you for your love and care, for your guidance and direction. Amen.


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In His Presence

Reading: John 6: 24-35

Verse 32: “It is my Father who gives you true bread from heaven”.

Photo credit: Abram Mourad Blokpoel

There is a personal, individual component to our passage. As we turn a second day to John 6, let us hear Jesus speaking to us, offering you and me the gift of life. Emphasizing his connection to God, Jesus says, “It is my Father who gives you true bread from heaven”. It is God who sent the Son to save the world. It is God who sent Jesus to save you and me.

In the time and place of Jesus, bread was an essential staple. This important part of their diet sustained them. In the same way Jesus “gives life” to all who believe in him. The life Jesus Christ offers is filled with hope and peace, love and forgiveness, mercy and grace, power and strength, comfort and joy. He sustains us on our journey of faith.

Today in many houses of worship people will drink the cup and eat the bread. We will literally celebrate that Jesus is the “bread of life”. We will rejoice that Christ hears our confession, accepts our repentance, and washes away our sin. Through communion we are redeemed and restored, made new again. Holy and perfect in his sight at least for the moment, we do not hunger and thirst for the things of this world. Holy and perfect we rest in his divine presence, assured of his love. May we rest in Christ’s presence today.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for walking with us on this journey of faith. Thank you for sustaining us through all that life throws our way. Help me to rest in you. Amen.


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Sabbath

Reading: John 6: 14-15

Verse 15: “Jesus… withdrew again to a mountain by himself”.

Photo credit: David Marcu

In today’s short passage – two verses – we see the world causing Jesus to withdraw. After feeding the 5,000 the people realize the power of Jesus and some are thinking of trying to make him king. Jesus’ power is not for political/military purposes. So Jesus distances himself from the crowd to diffuse the situation. He creates some time of Sabbath – holy and sacred time to connect to God, to find renewal and rest.

It is no coincidence that I read these verses today. Tomorrow I begin a week long retreat that focuses on Sabbath and on caring well for the whole self – physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, and relational. The conference that I am in offers the retreat to pastors once every eight years. My cohort group has been meeting once a month via Zoom to learn more about Sabbath and to get to know one another a little before we spend a week together at a local monestary.

I, probably like many of you, am a bit driven and performance oriented. I don’t sit still well. It is the way of our culture, of our world. Today’s passage reminds us that at times we must withdraw or unplug from the things of this world in order to recenter ourselves on the things of God. Jesus carved out some time to draw close to God, to be renewed by God’s love. May we each do so as well.

Prayer: Lord God, on the edge of these days set apart I so look forward to time alone with you and to learning more about caring well for my whole self. I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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A Beautiful Place

Reading: 1st John 3: 19-24

Verse 24: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them”.

Photo credit: Jon Tyson

This second half of our passage from 1st John 3 centers on our connection to Jesus Christ. John first acknowledges that we are imperfect. We don’t always love in action and truth. In those times we often feel the condemnation in our hearts that John refers to in verse twenty. Even then, though, John reminds us that we can “set our hearts at rest in his presence”. Because God is greater than our hearts – and greater than our failures – we can trust that God will continue to be at work in us, will continue to refine and shape us more and more into who we were created to be.

When we are living at our best, obeying God’s commands, doing what pleases God, we have a confidence before God. We sense his presence active and alive in our lives, empowering us to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another. Living this way we deepen our connection to Jesus and to one another. We “live in him” and can feel him living in us. Christ becomes tangible in our lives. We feel it, others sense it. That indwelling Holy Spirit feels like a part of who and what we are, almost becoming one with us. It is a beautiful place to be. It is a place where we surrender all of who we are to all of what Christ calls us to be.

As we seek to walk each day with Jesus Christ and his Spirit within us, may we open ourselves to the love of God and neighbor, living with hearts filled with joy and peace and hope and contentment. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for those times where we have been so close. In those times my joy has been made complete. Draw me there again and again. By the power of your Spirit within me guide me to walk in obedience to your love. Amen.