pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: spirit


by Leave a comment

Shine!

Reading: Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43

Verse 43: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

This week’s parable speaks of something we know all too well: evil is all around us. It is there in the world in general and it is right there close to us. When close by the evil can sap our spirits and when closer still it can adversely affect our walk of faith.

In the parable, those who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are the wheat. Followers of Christ live as goodness and love in the world, seeking to ‘shine’ Christ within our hearts out to the world, producing a harvest of righteousness. On the more personal level, it can be challenging to live faithfully amongst the weeds. Our lives can be impacted by the actions of evil people and we can become discouraged and can even question God’s love in really hard times. We can also allow those weeds to take root in our hearts. Temptation can grow into sin and we can become the cause of hardship or discouragement and questioning for others. Thankfully evil and sin do not have to be permanent choices. We can again find hope in our faith as we delve into the word of God. We can repent and turn from sinful choices.

Jesus provides us with a great reminder of our hope at the end of our passage. There will be a day of judgement. All evil will be rooted out, gathered up, and burned in the fire. Those who are faithful will be a part of the new heaven and earth. Rejoice! “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

Prayer: Lord God, by the power of your Holy Spirit guard my life and faith from the weeds within and without. In such quick ways I can slip into evil thoughts and at times these lead to hurtful or harmful words or actions. When these evils begin to take root, purge them with the Holy Spirit’s righteous fire. Empower my faith for the battles ahead. Lead me and use me to shine like the sun each day. Amen.


by Leave a comment

No Fear

Reading: Romans 8:12-17

Verse 15: “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption.”

Paul’s writing for this week focuses on our adoption as children of God. With our confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. If we choose to accept and follow the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit we will be empowered by the Spirit to “put to death the misdeeds of the body.” With the Holy Spirit’s power at work in us, we find new life. Through this presence and relationship we become new creations in Christ as we begin to live as sins and daughters of God.

In verse 15 we read, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption.” Even though we become a beloved child of God once we are adopted into the family, there can still be fear. If one’s connection to the concept of fatherhood brings up feelings of fear and worry, then that can be a part of how one perceives God as Father. For Paul’s audience there was also a connection to the fear of being unable to keep all of the Law. It felt like an impossible task. In a similar way, some feel like they cannot meet all of their earthly father’s expectations. This too can cause one to live in fear.

Paul reminds his audience and us that our adoption is forever. There is nothing to fear because as beloved children of God we are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” As children of God we are inheritors of glory. We live day by day into this eternal promise of final resurrection. Even though we will suffer in this life, we know that one day we will “share in his glory.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for adopting us in love as your sons and daughters. Thank you for our forever place in the family. And thank you, Lord, for a love that never fails, even when we do. What a great love! Amen.


by Leave a comment

Sow Seeds

Reading: Matthew 13:18-23

Verse 23b: “This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Today we read Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower. Unpacking it for his disciples, Jesus covers the gamut of belief. He begins with those who hear the word of God but do not understand it. It does not even begin to take root, so it falls away quickly and easily. Then Jesus moves on to the three “soils” who hear and understand the word of God. Some, after receiving it, fall away because of the trouble or hardship caused by their faith. And others fall away because the cares and concerns of the world are stronger than their faith. Lastly, Jesus tells us that some will hear and understand and apply the word to their lives. These go out and do what Jesus says to do, leading others to faith by their witness. This is the crop yielded from their faith: new believers.

These various soils were the reality of Jesus’ day. People heard and accepted his teachings to various degrees. Some were all-in for the long haul. Many others were not. This has remained true throughout the ages. Even so, the task laid out in the parable remains the task of the disciple: sow seeds and trust that God will be at work, sprouting seeds into faith that lasts.

There is also a personal application to this parable. Our receptivity and obedience rises and falls. Some days, for example, we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and we respond in faith. Other days we are deaf or lazy or… and the word is not responded to. And God the sower continues to scatter seeds of faith into our soil, looking for us to be good soil that produces a crop. May we do all we can to be good soil.

Prayer: Lord God, today I ask that you would use me to sow seeds of faith in other people’s lives as you sow seeds in my soil. Use me as you see fit. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The Gift of the Spirit

Reading: Romans 8:1-11

Verse 9: “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

Looking at Romans 8 yesterday we focused on the choice between life and death. Today we focus on what the choice for Christ (or for life) means to us as followers of Jesus Christ.

First, we find freedom from the condemnation of the Law. All of the sin offerings in the world could not remove the guilt and shame of disobedience. In and of ourselves we could not meet all of the requirements of the Law. It was a never ending battle in which we’d always fall short. In response God sent Jesus, “God’s own son.” Jesus became the sin offering for all of our sin, bringing us his own righteousness in place of our guilt and shame.

Second, through this gift our Spirit becomes alive. In verse 9 Paul writes, “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” The Spirit, with our cooperation and effort, begins to lead and guide us, taking root in our heart. The Spirit brings us “life and peace.” These are found and lived out through our relationships with God and with each other. These ongoing and growing relationships help us in our battles with sin here and now. This yields life in our “mortal bodies” as we too one day experience God’s resurrection power. Thanks be to God for the gifts of life and peace.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for coming incarnate to show us the way to life and peace. Thank you for rising up again to show us the way to life eternal. Between now and then, live in our hearts, drawing us closer and closer to you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

A Choice

Reading: Psalm 119:97-104

Verse 101: “I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.”

Our Psalm for this week comes from the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 is a mix of praise and thanksgiving as well as pain and lament, as are many of the Psalms. There is a hope that obedience to God’s law will bring peace to Israel and identity to them as God’s chosen people. The Law was the curriculum for all of life in Israel and there was an understanding that obedience brought blessing. In the New Testament this belief is reflected in how the Jews saw lepers, the blind… as sinners. Their infirmities were ‘proof’ of sin in their lives or family.

Our passage today opens with a great declaration of praise and thanksgiving: “Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” Although I do not sit and study the word of God all day long, I would 100% agree that God’s word brings me joy and lights my path. In the next verse we get a bit of reality. The psalmist recognizes that enemies are “ever with me.” Figuratively and sometimes literally enemies lurk. Sin and temptation seem ever ready to seize an opportunity. And at times our faith may even draw the enemies out as others bring abuse or persecution to us because of our faith.

There is an effort required to this walk of faith. In verse 101 we read, “I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.” We make choices and decisions. Hopefully most lead to life and joy. Some lead to shame and death. We do have a choice. May we too seek to keep from the evil path, choosing instead the word of God, the sweet honey to our lips, the way that leads to life abundant.

Prayer: Lord God, your ways bring true life. Walking with you brings joy and hope, peace and contentment. Fill me with your Spirit, that I may walk with the righteous and not with the wicked. Guide me and guard me, O Lord. Amen.


by Leave a comment

When God Calls…

Reading: Genesis 24:58-67

Verse 58: “I will go.”

After hearing the servant’s account of God’s leading and guiding, Rebekah’s brothers ask her if she will go with the servant. Without hesitation she says, “I will go.” The evidence of God’s hand at work must’ve been strong. She was leaving almost everything and everyone behind to go with a man she’d just met to marry a man she’s never met to live in a place she’d never been. This was a really big “I will go.”

We make choices and decisions all the time. Some are big and important – to marry, to move, to switch jobs, to have kids… We too experience God’s guiding and leading. This often helps in our decision-making. When “doors” open or close we perceive God at work. When the Holy Spirit whispers or nudges or speaks, we sense God at work. In the big decisions we often seek God through prayer or by studying the Bible. Because of this we are open to God’s presence and direction.

We can struggle, though, to sense God at work or to listen to or feel the Spirit in the ordinary. A young woman went to fetch water – for cooking, for cleaning, for the animals? It was for some task that she needed to do. How often do we ignore or put off the prompting because we have a meeting to get to or because we are focused on our task? She paused what she was doing to encounter the stranger and to meet his needs. It was a simple act of welcome and hospitality and generosity. And look where God took it from there!

In those moments when God calls or when the Holy Spirit rises in our hearts or minds, may we be as willing to respond, stepping into a role in God’s kingdom building. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you are there in the small, everyday just as much as you are in the big and important. Help me to understand that I’m not as big and important as I tend to think. Help me to realize that all opportunities matter, that you are in all things. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Loving Deeply

Reading: Romans 6:1-11

Verse 8: “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”

Photo credit: Shane

In Romans 6 Paul writes of our new life in Christ. Our new life begins with our baptism into Christ – professing our faith in Jesus as the Lord of our life and as the Savior of our soul. Our old worldly self is left behind figuratively as we become a new creation in Christ. In reality, though, our old self is still there, trying to be reborn again and again in us, tempting us towards sin. Into this reality, Paul writes, “we are no longer slaves to sin.” Because Christ lives in us, sin no longer has “mastery” over us. Through the Spirit of Christ in us, we can use his power to resist the temptations.

As new creations in Christ we live differently. In verse 8 we read, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” Taking on and welcoming in the Spirit, committing to follow and walk in Jesus’ example, we walk in a new way in the world. Just as Christ “lived to God” so too are we to live. In a general sense this means advancing and building the kingdom of God here on earth. This entails being love lived out, being kindness and mercy for all. This means we live as persons of peace and of healing and of restoration and of reconciliation. At times this will call us to stand out as we stand up against injustice and oppression and other forms of evil, just as Jesus himself did. This leans into the cost of discipleship that we heard Jesus speaking of yesterday in Matthew 10. May we lean in well, loving deeply into Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Lord God, make me a willing servant, a faithful follower. Open my eyes and my heart to the ways you want me to love well in this world. Use me to draw all peoples into your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


by 1 Comment

Holy Spirit Power

Reading: Matthew 10:16-23

Verses 19-20: “When they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it… for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

As we continue today with the story of Jesus sending out the disciples, Jesus addresses the difficulty of the journey and the help we receive along the way. In today’s text we see one of the qualities of Jesus that I find most refreshing: honesty. Our section today begins with these words: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” Oh boy coach, sign me up, right?!

The 12 disciples knew and lived this difficulty out. As a whole, the Jewish religious leaders were never supporters of Jesus and as his 3 years of ministry went on they became more and more adversarial in their relationship with Jesus. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that this would continue as they went out now and as they continued the mission after his death, resurrection, and ascension. The idea that people and powers will oppose the faith is still very much a reality today.

Into this honest assessment of discipleship Jesus offers this hope and promise: “When they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it… for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Not “if” but “when” they oppose, persecute, arrest, abuse… God in Spirit will be there, giving you words to speak. This is a powerful promise. As we seek to be followers of Christ in a post-Christian landscape, may we be faithful to our call and may we ever trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our every step and our every word.

Prayer: Lord God, give me the courage to seek out the lonely, to stand up for the oppressed and marginalized, to speak against injustice and evil. Fill me with your Holy Spirit power. May it guide all of my words and deeds. Amen.


by Leave a comment

All Always

Readings: Genesis 1:1-2 and Matthew 28:18-20

Verses 1 and 20: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” and “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Today, on Trinity Sunday, we are reminded of the eternal nature of the three-in-one God. And we are reminded of the eternal relationship that we receive when we commit our lives to serving and worshipping this triune God.

In Genesis 1 God created the earth and all that was in it and on it and in its waters and sky. In verse 2 we read that the Spirit hovered over the chaos – assessing, taking in, becoming a part of the creative process. In John’s gospel we hear echoes of Genesis as he tells us that Jesus too was there at the beginning: “In the beginning was the Word… And through him all things were made.” Since before the beginning of time and creation: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

At the end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus commissions all disciples – those present then and all who will follow in their footsteps – to make new disciples, baptizing them also in his name and teaching them too to walk in Jesus’ ways. Then he gives the promise: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The one who was and is always will be. In Spirit, Christ remains alive and present to each of us, both now and forevermore.

Just imagine for a moment what “us” means. Imagine the diversity of folks who will read these words today. And just imagine all the other folks who today are sharing about our three-in-one God. God continues to call and to touch and to use a diverse and yet cohesive body of believers to build God’s kingdom here on earth. Each day, may we all play a role in this building process, all for the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord God, in whatever ways – big or small or somewhere in between – use each of your children to bring glory to your name. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Chaos to Beautiful Diversity

Reading: Genesis 1:1-25

Verse 2: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Genesis 1 is a great place to begin the week that culminates in Trinity Sunday. As Disciplines writer Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli puts it, “In the beginning, a diverse God – Creator, Word, and Spirit – created a diverse world, all interdependent, all profoundly good” (page 184). What a beautiful thought!

Now, the world did not begin this way. Verse 2 establishes the starting point of our world: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” In the beginning there was a nothingness. It was formless and empty, dark. The deep waters represent the unknown. Because the deep was unknown, it was feared, it was avoided. Chaos and angst lived there.

Chaos and angst are still the parts of life that we avoid or wish we could avoid. Yet “life” happens – death enters unwanted, relationships become strained and break, illness and disease impact us, nature reeks havoc, employment and other decisions that people make affect our lives and families… In these moments we can feel like our world is formless, empty, dark.

As Genesis 1 begins God takes action. The chaos and nothingness are replaced with order and purpose – 2 things we love! As creation unfolds all that God does is good, everything is valued, there is an interconnectedness to all of creation. There is a beautiful yet connected diversity to this world that God created. May we see, appreciate, and love this world, especially one another. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, what an awesome and amazing and beautiful world you created! Thank you for this gift. May we receive it, live in it, love it, and honor all parts of it as all of our world is your creation. Amen.