pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: sinners


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Extreme Love

Reading: Romans 5: 6-11

Verse 8 – God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Sometimes it is hard to really understand how much God loves us.  Sometimes it is hard to fathom how a pure and holy and perfect God could want to have a relationship with humanity.  One looks at the world and society at times and wonders why God is still engaged.  Yes, the faithful do offer some hope.  Those who are followers of Christ do try and live according to God’s ways and try to live in ways that are pleasing to God, in ways that shine His light into the world.  There are many folks working to build God’s kingdom here on earth.

But Paul is not writing about today.  Paul is writing in a world that was drifting in the other direction.  The Jews were not seeking to spread the news of God, to bring new people to the faith.  It could be argued that the faith had become religion – more about following all of the rules and less about a relationship with God.  Looking back over the course of the Old Testament, there is cycle after cycle of disobedience, punishment, eventual repentance, restoration of relationship.  Over and over again.  It was into this scenario that God sent His only Son.  It was into this world of sinners that Jesus came.  Verse eight reads, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.  While the world was broken, sinful, far from God, it was then that Jesus came.

It would be like taking time today to help that coworker who always gets on your nerves.  It would be like giving a ride to that dirty, stinky person who you know is going to ask for money before you reach your destination.  It would be like bringing a meal to that neighbor who never says thankful and always has something to complain about the meal the next time you talk.  It would be like saying hello to that older gentleman again this Sunday when all he does is scowl and grumble something under his breath.  Each of these and any worse one can imagine are just a sliver of the love that God showed in sending Jesus.  It was a show of love beyond our wildest understanding.  It is extreme love.  May we go and do likewise.


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Learning to Live “Yes”

In Matthew 21 Jesus tells of two sons who are asked to go out to work in their father’s field.  One son says no but ends up going out and working in the field.  The other son says yes but does not go.  Jesus asks the scribes and Pharisees who did the father’s will.  They reply that the one who went is the one who did the will of their father.  It is the one who did the will of his father in the end.

Sometimes we struggle with what God is asking us to do or we hesitate to move in the direction that we can feel He is leading us.  At first we say ‘no’ or we question or we may even try to ignore God, but usually if it is His plan then the nudges, the hints spoken by others, and so on get us moving in His direction.  Often, once we are on the journey or in the midst of ministry, we wonder why we did not say yes right away.

Jesus often ate with sinners, healed people out in the streets, taught out in the open fields.  He broke the ‘rule’ that God is only found in the temple.  Sometimes we like to hold fast that rule too, to say that we will minister to those who need Jesus once they come to church.  But in reality those who need Jesus are not inside our churches.  As we hear and heed God’s call to make disciples, we too must say ‘yes’ and venture forth to seek out the lost.  We too find them in the streets, out at the games, in the restaurants and bars, and so on.  May we come to seek the lost as Jesus did, going to where He went to find those in need of the Good News.

Scripture reference: Matthew 21: 28-32