pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: unchanging


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A Choice to Make

Reading: Ephesians 1:3-10

Ephesians 1:7 – “We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.”

Paul opens his letter to the Ephesians with a beautiful and clear declaration of salvation by grace through faith. These are wonderful words to turn to as we are living in unsettling and uneasy times, giving us an actor to God’s unchanging and unmoving character and promises.

Today’s reading begins with a double blessing. Paul offers a blessing to God for the blessing that believers have received from Christ. Jesus set the example for holy and blameless living. Because God loves us all, we are all chosen to be adopted as God’s children, opening the door to living holy and blameless lives. This is God’s plan for all people. Whether or not people step into this destiny – that is a choice we each must make for ourselves.

From God’s perspective, there are no barriers. Grace is freely and generously given through Jesus Christ to one and all. In verse 7 we read of this: “We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.” Christ died for us all, “while we were still yet sinners.” His grace is poured out upon us while we are imperfect so that we can be made perfect. We experience this state of perfection momentarily in our lives. We are holy and blameless and then we stumble and fail again. But no matter how many times we repeat this cycle, God is always there offering love and grace.

In verse 10 Paul reveals the end game. At the climax of all time, God will bring all things together in Christ. Heaven and earth will be made new again. Holy and blameless in his presence, we will forever worship the Lord, our Savior. What a glorious day that will be!

Prayer: Lord God, your plan of salvation is intended for us all. You created each of us to live in relationship with you. You would choose us all if it were up to you. But because we are free to choose, some don’t choose to surrender to your plan, to your love and grace. Use us, O God, as living examples of your love and grace, of your mercy and forgiveness, drawing others towards a saving relationship with you. Amen.


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Christ’s Peace

Reading: John 14:23-29

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Chapter 13 ends with announcements of Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial with the command to love one another tucked in between. The depth of love that the disciples hold for one another will set them apart from the world. Chapter 14 begins with a call to trust God and with a reminder that Jesus is the way to the father and to heaven. Jesus shares that the words he speaks and the deeds that he does are not his own words or deeds, but are from the Father “who dwells in me.”

It is within the context of all of this that Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” By extension, this is keeping God’s word. This will lead Jesus’ followers to experience what Jesus himself experienced: “We will come and make our home with them.” Jesus goes on to explain that this indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, “the Companion,” will teach and remind believers of everything that Jesus said. This is what Jesus was referring to earlier when he said to the disciples, “I won’t leave you as orphans.”

Jesus then says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” Because of the constant presence of the Holy Spirit within, we have a constant source of peace. The steadfast and unchanging nature of Jesus’ presence is very different from the world’s offer of peace. The world’s peace is a moving target. It shifts with our whims, with cultural norms, with the latest fads, with society’s definition of “success.” God’s love and presence, and therefore our peace, is steady and unchanging. May this ever be the peace that we seek.

Prayer: Lord God, the desires of the flesh and the lures of this world can so easily shift our focus, changing the thing that we think might bring us peace. By the power of your Holy Spirit keep us focused on your words and on the voice within our heart that seeks to lead and guide us. And when we stumble, Lord, by the power of your love and grace return us to the path guided by your light and truth. Thank you, O God. Amen.


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Still Our God

Reading: Joshua 6:1-16

Joshua 6:2 – “Look. I have given Jericho and its king into your power, along with its mighty warriors.”

God says, God does. God promises, God follows through. God is steadfast and true, unchanging and trustworthy. God loves and protects, leads and guides, forgives and reconciled. This is who and what God is. Always has been, always will be.

In chapter 6 God declares to Joshua: “Look. I have given Jericho and its king into your power, along with its mighty warriors.” If we pause right here human nature would question this. They are inside a double wall, inside what looks impregnable. “Have given?” Yes, for God this is already a done deal. The instructions for victory follow: silently march around the city once a day for six days. Have priests blowing trumpets and priests carrying the ark at the center of the procession. On day seven, march around seven times, blast the trumpets, then lift a shout. Those huge walls will collapse and Jericho will be yours! How much would your human nature question these battle plans? Mine would and does.

How often have you been stressed or grieved or overwhelmed and needed the peace that God promises? At first there is doubt and maybe questioning. But you bow your head in prayer, calling on the promise, and that peace that passes understanding fills your heart. How often have you been unsure of the next step or even of the direction to take? Again, you bow in prayer, calling on the guidance that God promises, and the choice becomes clear or a door opens (or closes.) How often have you been trapped in sin or wracked with guilt and needed the forgiveness and reconciliation that Jesus promises? Once again, you bow your head, trusting in what you don’t deserve, and you feel it washed away, making you new again. These are but a few of the Jericho’s that we face. The God who brought the walls down for Israel because they were faithful? This God is still our God.

Prayer: Lord God, we are grateful that you are who and what you’ve always been. You are for us and you have good plans for us. You love us. In our moments of fear or doubt or whatever need, help us to lean into your promises and into your character, surrendering our Jericho to you once again. In that moment, be our God. Thank you. Amen.


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No God Like Our God

Reading: Psalm 77:1-2 and 11-20

Verse 13: “Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?”

Psalm 77 walks an interesting but familiar road. The psalmist begins by lifting a cry to God. In distress, the writer sought the Lord. When we are in this place, we too seek God. The psalmist stays at it, stretching out “untiring hands” while refusing to be comforted by anything or anyone but God. The author knows the one source of true and lasting comfort.

Jumping to verse 11 the deeds and works of the Lord are remembered. In that place of distress, it is so important to bring to mind all that God has done. Some of God’s actions can be found in the Bible. These are great reminders of how God acts and of God’s character. Some are found in our own experiences. We or someone we know has been touched by an act of God. In both cases, remembering strengthens our faith. It does so because God is steadfast, true, and unchanging. We can trust that God will act as God has acted before. We can count on God’s love, peace, compassion, comfort, mercy, grace, provision, guidance, protection…

These truths about God are expressed so wonderfully in verse 13. Here we read, “Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?” How true this is! Above all, God is holy. Because of this, God is just and fair, good and kind and loving. There is no god like our God! How true! This is a great reminder. It is a reminder we need often. Truth be told, sometimes we forget these truths and we turn to the lesser gods of this world. The next time we’re tempted to do just that, may we recall this simple truth: there is no god like our God! Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, you alone are worthy of our focus, of our devotion, of our worship. There is none like you. Gently guide me back when I wander, when I falter. Ever draw me back to you, O God. Amen.


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Even There

Reading: Psalm 139: 7-10

Verse 10: “Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”.

Even there. Even there God is with us. In the quiet of the sanctuary on a Tuesday morning, God is there. In the excitement of worship on a Sunday morning, God is there. In the prayer on the couch and in the prayer on the walk to work, God is there. As the baby releases its first cry and as the person draws their last breath, God is there. In the spaces where we seek God’s presence and in the times when we try and run as far away as we think possible, God is there.

There is nowhere we can go, no way we can flee fast enough to elude God’s presence. God is in the heavens and in the depths and everywhere in between. God is in the highs and lows of life, just as much as in the regular and ordinary. Even when the psalmist rises early and travels all day to reach the “far side of the sea”, even there God is present. No matter where our there is, we too can say as the psalmist did: “Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”. Our God is present at all times in all places.

God, unlike us, is always steadfast and true, ever unchanging and unfailing. As with all things concerning God, it is so because God loves us. God is love so his constant presence is based on his great love for us, his dear children. God’s constant love is a no-matter-what love that says “I will be there and guide you, even there”.

As we experience this love over and over, we come to trust God more and more. Our faith grows. I would say “trust completely” but that is not our reality on this side of the veil. At times even the strongest faith can buckle. We are weak at moments and Satan is ever at work. Yet then and there – yes, even there – God is with us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Loving God, as I look out the window, I sense your presence in the sun creeping up in the sky and in the gentle breeze moving the pine branches. You are always right there – when I think I need you most and when I want you the least. You love me that much. Thank you. Amen.


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Ever Abiding Presence

Reading: Romans 8: 15-17

Verse Sixteen: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God”.

One thing that life surely brings is change. Some if it is welcomed and looked forward to and some change is unwanted and brings feelings of anxiety or fear. Some change we bring upon ourselves and other change happens outside of our control. Change can be good or bad, depending on the circumstances or our place in life. For example, a job change can be from a promotion or because a great new opportunity presented itself. Or it can be because of a layoff or termination or because the company was forced to go out of business.

Amidst the change that is sure to come in life, we need a foundation that is solid and unchanging. That foundation is our faith. Our relationship with our Savior gives us a peace in this life and a hope and promise for the life to come. Faith brings contentment in the day to day life and strength in the storms of life and a blessed assurance in the trials. All of this comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul reminds us that through Jesus we do “not receive a spirit that makes us a slave to fear”. Instead we are made God’s children. Verse sixteen reads, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God”. Not only does the Spirit testify but we do too – in our core we sense that we belong to God’s family too.

Since we belong we are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”. Yes, we will share in His sufferings. That is a good thing. We are blessed when we are willing to sacrifice for others, when we are willing to play others and their needs ahead of our own. Because we are heirs we also have a future promise. One day we will share in His glory. One day we will see Him face to face and we will walk forever in His light and love. It will be glorious indeed.

Amidst the change that life brings and amidst the trials and sufferings that also come with life we have the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you God for this blessed gift.


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New But Unchanging

Reading: Mark 1: 21-28

Verse 27: “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!”

The people who have been listening to Jesus talk are amazed by both His insights and by the authority with which He teaches. They asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority”! Jesus is revealing the scriptures perhaps in a new way, but He is teaching from an old source. We do not know what scroll Jesus is teaching from, but even if it was the newest it is at least 400 years old!

Have you ever read a passage of scripture that you thought you knew fairly well only to discover something fresh or unnoticed jumping out at you? I often wonder how I missed that the last time I read the passage. Have you ever sat down on Sunday, heard a familiar passage read, thought ‘here we go again’, and then had the pastor apply it in a whole new way? Once in a while it even feels like he or she is preaching just to you. Have you ever done your small group homework, come to class feeling confident in your preparations, and then been amazed by someone else’s different but spot-on insights? Yes, indeed, the Word of God is alive and, therefore, it often feels new to us in amazing ways.

Yet at its core, the message of the Bible does not change. The Bible is God’s ongoing love story with generation after generation of sinful and often disobedient children. It seems that no matter what we do, God’s love for us remains steadfast and true. As Jesus enters the story, we gain a fuller understanding of God’s love. In Jesus, we see what God’s love looks like lived out between us. Jesus gives us the model to follow. At the conclusion of Jesus’ earthly time, we see what the ultimate gift of love looks like as Jesus dies for you and me. It was Jesus’ final act of love and service. Through the grave defeated the power of sin and death and made a way for us all to inherit eternal life.

While the Word can be new to us every time we delve in, these core truths remain the same. Our faith foundation will always rest upon God’s love. Yet we are still blessed to experience that love in new ways every day. Thanks be to God for new but unchanging living Word.


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Always Working

Does God change or does He always remain the same?  I think the answer is both.  The qualities of God do not change.  God always loves us, always longs for a relationship with us, and always works to bring us into or back to that relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, His Son.  God loves good, wants justice for all, and seeks for His people to love Him and to love neighbor.

The city of Nineveh was full of vice, sin, evil.  God wanted to restore them, to see them repent.  So He sent Jonah and he proclaimed God’s message to the people.  The people repented and God had compassion on them.  Their actions changed their outcome.  Some would say it all went according to God’s plan.  But if the Ninevites would’ve kept to their evil ways…

God acts much the same way in our lives.  In His many attempts to love on us and be in relationship with us, He sends us Jonahs to help us make good choices, to help us walk in His ways.  We hear this voice in the Bible, in sermons, in conversations with Christian friends.  God also speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.  When we fail to heed to these voices, God just finds another voice or another way to get our attention.  Some people spend a long time trying to ignore God and His messages.

In this we find another way that God never changes: He so wants all of us to enter into His eternal kingdom.  He spends our whole lifetime if necessary working towards that end.  Again, I say thank you God!

Scripture reference: Jonah 3: 1-5 and 10