pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: room


by Leave a comment

As Jesus First Loved

Reading: John 13 and 14

John 13:34 – “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you must love each other.”

As his time nears, Jesus demonstrates humble service, a form of love. During the meal, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. This dirty job was normally done by a slave. Peter, recognizing the upside-down nature of what’s happening, protests Jesus washing his feet. Jesus persuades him and later explains that if the Lord and teacher washes feet, so too must they. This is a practical example of what Jesus says later in chapter 13: “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you must love each other.” Love will do anything for the other.

This commandment comes after it is revealed that Judas is the betrayer. Jesus then tells Judas to do it quickly. Judas exits into the night. Jesus tells the disciples that they cannot go where he is going right now. One day they will. Peter declares, “Lord… I’ll give up my life for you.” No, Jesus says, first you’ll deny me three times – “before the rooster crows.”

Jesus offers words of great assurance and comfort in chapter 14. Calling them to trust over fear, Jesus tells them there is a room in heaven prepared for them. One day he will take them to dwell with him there in eternity. Because Jesus lives on, they too will live on. Into their confusion Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus assures them that they know the way because they have seen the Father and have heard the Father’s words, both revealed in and through Jesus. Because of this, whatever they ask in his name, it will be given to them.

Jesus then promises them the Companion – the Holy Spirit. Jesus and God “will come… and make our home with them.” Dwelling in the heart of all believers, the Spirit will teach and remind us of the words, will, and way of Jesus. Through this, the Spirit will empower believers to live as Jesus first loved us. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, today we see that loving as you loved involves doing the lowly yet simple as well as the costly and sacrificial. Your love knows no bounds, no limits, no conditions. Through the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit may we love as you have loved each day. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Room to Grow

Reading: Exodus 16:1-5

Verse 3b: “There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.”

Just 3 days after witnessing the amazing miracle at the Red Sea, the grumbling begins. The first instance is because the water is bitter and they’re thirsty. Through yet another miracle, their thirst is quenched. A short while later, in today’s passage, the grumbling returns. This time they are in the Desert of Sin. I wonder if that is an actual physical place or if it is just a metaphor.

The Israelites are hungry. They are without food in the desert. They grumble to Moses: “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!” Are they longing to live once again under heavy oppression? Do they want to return to slavery? No, no, and no! When there is a want gnawing at us, we too can grumble. Yet the Israelites still say to Moses (and to God), “There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.” When we look at that shiny new car next to our 2021 model or when we long for the good old days when the pews were full, we too can grumble in ways that don’t really make a lot of sense.

God doesn’t smite us down. God doesn’t say to the Israelites, ‘Fine, then, just go ahead and die out there in the desert.’ Just the opposite! God says, “I will rain down bread from heaven.” It’s not just a morsel. It’s not just enough to tide them over. God rains down bread. It is God’s loving and generous response to the peoples’ grumbling. There are some instructions too – a “test.” God has been faithful. Now that they have been provided for, will they too be faithful? This too is a question that we frequently wrestle with. The Israelites aren’t the only ones with room to grow.

Prayer: Lord God, in my heart of hearts I know that you are faithful. And loving and generous. Yet in my mind, I can go where the Israelites went. Wants and desires can creep in and I find myself grumbling – or complaining. My inner Eeyore rises up – woe is me! In these moments, whisper into my heart how much you love me. With these whispers, lead me back to a place of faith and trust. Amen.


by Leave a comment

God’s Grace

Reading: Acts 8: 26-31

Verses 30-31: “‘Do you understand what you are reading?’, Philip asked. ‘How can I’, he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?'”

Photo credit: Sabina

Almost twenty years ago I was at a large men’s conference. I found myself unexpectedly in their prayer room. I had asked the powers that be if ‘we’ could share that “See You at the Pole” was coming up the following week, alerting thousands of dads to the opportunity to go and pray with their children at their schools on this national day of prayer. Told ‘no’, I was not pleased. A man asked me if he could take me to the prayer room to pray for me and the event. Frumpy, I went along. After laying their hands on me a small group prayed for me, my school, the See You at the Pole event. As I was about to leave, a young lady asked if she could share something with me. After receiving permission, she shared a vision she has during the time of prayer. I left with a great assurance of the plans that God had for me and for my life and ministry.

An Ethiopian eunuch, a high court official, has been to Jerusalem to worship God. As he is traveling home, he pauses to read some scripture. God sends Philip down the same road. Led by the Holy Spirit, Philip approaches the chariot and asks, “Do you understand what you are reading”? The eunuch replies, “How could I unless someone explains it to me”? The man invites Philip to join him. An opportunity is provided. When I walked into that prayer room I felt as if I had been shot down. I did not understand their decision. Yet even then the Holy Spirit was at work. By the time I left that room it was crystal clear why things happened as they did. This chance encounter with a woman in the prayer room was totally led by the same Holy Spirit that guided Philip to that chariot. The eunuch’s life would never be the same.

The woman’s vision changed me. In an unexpected and surprising way, God blessed me immensely. A seemingly insignificant trip to a prayer room had great impact and influence on my life and ministry. When has God’s grace blessed you in an unexpected way, refining you forever?

Prayer: Lord God, I am still so grateful for that day long ago in Denver. In the moment, I didn’t see you coming. I thought I was as far from what I wanted as I could be. You showed up and spoke deeply into my heart. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Hope Rising

Reading: Lamentations 3: 1-9 and 19-24

Verse 22: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail”.

In a prayer calendar that I am using in this coronavirus season, the author titled today “Silent Saturday”. Life does go on outside my office window – I can hear the birds singing and occasionally a car passes by. But when I read Lamentations 3 and when I think of how the disciples and Mary and the other followers of Jesus must have felt, it feels like a silent Saturday.

Most scholars believe that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations just after the destruction of Jerusalem. In verses one through nine we can sense the pain and grief and mourning of the author. The writer feels cut off from God’s presence. He feels as if God were shutting him out. For the disciples and for many of us in this pandemic season, they must have related to these words just as we can relate. Feelings of isolation and of doubting God can become so real. As we read verse twenty we can feel it: “My soul is downcast within me”. Today feels like a silent Saturday. Some days it is good to sit in that place. Today is a good day to do so, to connect back to that room of fearful and grief-stricken followers of Jesus Christ.

Even though it is good to remember and to spend some time there, we do not have to remain there too long. As verses 21 through 24 unfold, we are reminded as Jeremiah was: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail”. We too have hope. The disciples and followers had to wait for Sunday morning. They did not yet know. God came to Jeremiah and brought him “new mercies”. He experienced God’s great faithfulness. The disciples will. We do.

Today is also called Holy Saturday. This day reminds us of God’s goodness to humanity and to each of us. In the brokenness of today we can begin to sense the hope rising. We can begin to sense the unfolding of God’s plans that are good and wonderful. As we do so, may we rejoice in the goodness and mercy of our God.

Prayer: Merciful God, today feels hard. The isolation and separation feels ratcheted up due to what I fear is a hard decision about tomorrow. Mother Nature may be intruding on our plans. But maybe that is part of your plan. They are always greater. Help me today to be guided by prayer and by your Holy Spirit. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Room to Improve

Reading: Acts 10: 44-48

Verse 45: “The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles”.

Mankind has long had an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality. The dividing line can be drawn over many different characteristics and usually is drawn because of some level of ‘better than’ beliefs. Whether it has to do with race or nationality or ethnicity or education or socio-economics or gender or age or religion or… there is an artificial distinction created and an air of superiority floats over it all. There is a natural tendency to do this. To a degree we all like to be the best or at least to see ourselves or the group we belong to as the best.

Peter and the rest of the Jewish Christians thought so. Jews who had accepted Christ were the best, followed next by the regular Jews, and then there were the Gentiles – everyone else. It was ‘us’, ‘almost us’, and ‘them’. We still do this today. We each think this of our church or of our denomination. There is the Methodist Church, other Christian churches, and then non-believers. Each of us would substitute our own church or denomination in the first place. If we did not we would be attending a different church each Sunday morning. But ‘our’ must be universal, not singular and exclusive.

In today’s passage God demonstrates that all people are invited into faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit blows across all barriers and distinctions and includes all people. Verse 45 reads, “The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles”. The words ‘even on’ indicates the early church’s struggle with this new revelation. We too may struggle at first. But if we are open to the work of God in all forms then we too will accept all whom the Spirit calls. Once we get to know another and discover their heart for God, then we will see them as just another brother or sister in Christ. When we see the image of God in others, then we grow to love them as God loves them.

We remain far from being an ideal church. Individually we all have room to improve. In all, love remains the key. Each day may we strive to be more like Jesus Christ, to love more like He did. Today may we be more like Christ. And tomorrow may we love more. And the next day too. Holy Spirit, blow into our lives each day, leading us to love more fully and more completely. Amen.