pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: world


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Pure Love

Only God loves us purely.  Only God meets all our needs joyfully.  Only God wants the very best for us.  Only in His promises do we find forgiveness, peace, hope, and contentment.  Only through God’s selfless love.

For us, this should be the love we return and share with others.  But we lose focus on our true love.  Our eyes and our heart drift.  Soon we look to the world instead.  Our wants draw us to work more for the newer thing or the greater want.  Our pursuit of worldly pleasures leaves us hungry for more.  Our new position only drives us to seek a higher one with more power.  Back to work!

Like the Israelites we think this new ‘king’ is just what we need.  Sometimes we lose sight of our true King.  Often, those ‘kings’ we pursue don’t turn our so royal or altruistic.  What we see as a king can enslave us and trap us and make us see life and our priorities from an ungodly perspective.  We find ourselves always on the treadmill, always saying “just a little more”, but it never is enough.

Only God loves us purely.  One significant or tragic event or life change and we wonder how we got to where we are.  We question why the world seemed do important when all the really matters is God and His love.  But we don’t need to get there.  We can stop and anytime and focus back in on God.  Focus in on the only one whole loves us purely.  We are God’s priority; may He be ours as well.

Scripture reference: 1 Samuel 8: 10-20


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Loved That Much

“For God so loved the world…”  Just by prompting you with those six words, you probably can finish the verse.  For those that have even just a few years of church, these are familiar words.  But not to everybody.  After Tim Tebow wore ‘John 3:16’ on his eye black in the national championship game a few years back, over 90 million people googled it.

It is a powerful verse.  It is the gospel message in a nutshell.  On a communal level, sometimes the message is hard to fathom.  When one sees all of the violence, hatred, abuse, prejudice, injustice… in the world, it is hard to understand how God could love this world so much as to send His only Son into it.  But that is just how much He loves this broken world.

Then I think about this verse on a personal level.  When I consider how long I have known and been in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and look hard at my life some days, I think, ‘Even me?’  In spite of all the times I fail to do what you lead me to and all of the times I sin, You still love me?  Yes He does.  God loves all of us this way.  Wow!

The reality is that God would send His Son to die for just one of us.  He loves each of us that much.  But God sent Jesus to all of us – for each and every person who lives or has lived from the time Jesus walked the earth until the time He returns in glory.  For God so loved this broken, hurting, fallen world so much that He sent His one and only Son to save this world.  He loves the world that much.  He loves you and me that much.  Thanks be to God for His great love!!

Scripture reference: John 3: 16-17


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Conquering

Today’s passage is about love.  If we love God, we are His children and we will obey His commands.  If we obey His commands, we will love our fellow man.  The passage even tells us that God’s commands are not burdensome.

They may not be burdensome but they are not always easy either.  To love ALL of my fellow man is hard at times.  Friends and family can put this to the test at times too.  To really live into the command to love others as Jesus first loved us is difficult.

In today’s passage the Greek word used for overcome or conquer is a word usually used in reference to athletic contests.  To succeed in an athletic contest usually suggests victory over someone or something.  In terms of obeying God’s commands, this battle is most often between my flesh that pulls me one way and my relationship with jesus Christ that pulls me another way.In me, this battle often wages.

In looking at loving one another as a struggle that requires conquering, other examples of an athletic contest are involved.  You do not just show up on the day of the contest on your first day.  For many days before the contest you train and practice and test yourself.  You want to be prepared.  Living out our faith is analogous.  One cannot fight Satan’s temptations without the power of the Word of God.  One cannot join Jesus in overcoming the world without putting in the hard work all along the journey of faith.  But through faithful dedication we can conquer.  It is possible to love our fellow man as Jesus first loved us.

Scripture reference: 1 John 5: 1-6


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Are You Willing?

History can teach us much.  As a nation we can look back and study our past as a way of improving our future.  We can also use our history and its lessons to bring healing to people today.  When we see and understand our mistakes, then we can begin to seek forgiveness and to mend relationships.

Within the history of our faith we can find the same things – lessons to learn and guidance for how to heal our world.  There is much brokenness in our world.  But God’s love is vastly greater than the brokenness.  God’s love is an endless reservoir.

As the church we are called to tap into God’s love and to being it to the world.  It can be done through acts of compassion like feeding the hungry.  It can be done through acts of mercy like praying with one in need.  It can be done through acts of presence, simply being there with one in grief and pain.  It can be done through acts of giving, allowing God’s blessings to flow through you to someone around the world to meet another’s basic needs.

We can address some needs and issues as a body of Christ, working together to improve life and to share Christ.  But is still takes individuals with willing hands and feet to actually bring healing, hope, and the message of Christ to those nearest to us, to those in our immediate community.  Are you willing?

Scripture reference: Psalm 105: 1-6 and 37-45


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Outside the Walls

God calls us not only to faith but to action as well. To just believe in God and the words in the Bible simply are not enough. We are also called to be in the world so that our faith bears fruit.

In Isaiah 58 God calls out the Israelites to loosen the chains of injustice, to break the yoke of oppression, to share food with the hungry, to clothe the naked, to house the poor wanderer. He urges them NOT to turn their backs on their own flesh and blood. These words of Isaiah are echoed several times in the New Testament as Jesus teaches His disciples how to live. These words of Isaiah, and later Jesus, are also a cry to action for us and the church today.

In each and every community these needs exist to some degree or another. We can still stand up for people who are suffering injustice and we can intervene when we see that oppression is occurring. Sometimes these are hard to see but these issues are there. The other needs are easier to see and easier to address. Whether through directly giving to individuals or agencies that help the needy in our community or through donating money to the agencies, we too can share in alleviating the burden many face. In our community there are people in need of food, clothing, and adequate housing. Our faith should call us to care for our brothers and sisters in whatever way we can and as well as we can. As the body of Christ, all are our flesh and blood.

God calls on Israel, and on us, to live out our faith. He expects us to be outside the walls of our churches making a difference in our worlds. In Isaiah 58 He goes on to say why. God promises that our light will shine out before us and our light will rise in the darkness. He also says that healing will come. (And by healing He means spiritual healing, not physical!) God promises that our call will be heard and that He will answer. Our faithfulness to Him and to the care of all of our brothers and sisters will build our relationship with Him. Is this not our call? Is this not your call? Step out in faith and into the world out there. God will be there. We will meet him in those we serve and care for and they will meet Him in us.