TO TRUST AND HONOR GOD

BARE TREE

NEW LIFE

IN FAITHFUL LIVING – is the pattern we see in Proverbs 3. It is a clear and reassuring description of what it means to live a life faithfully following the commandment to love God and to love others too. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” We hear echoes of what Jesus spoke of much later, to rely on God in order to love others, not in our own strength. We will be frustrated in trying to love on our own, because God is the source. So in order for it to work, we have to be strongly connected to that source. Only then will the energy flow freely and with the power that God gives us. It is like plugging in to God. Until we do this, our results will be unpredictable and we will be at risk from evil turning our intention into something else – fear, jealousy, anger or even hate.

“Happy are those who find [God’s] wisdom, and those who get understanding …It is a tree of life to those who lay hold of it; those who hold it fast are called happy.” In verse 13 and 18 we are told just how vital it is that we connect to God, in order to love others. I have spoken about self interest being a motivator, and here we see it in verse 18, that we will find happiness when we connect to the love and wisdom God offers. The very end of the chapter puts it in perspective though – “The wise will inherit honor, but stubborn fools, disgrace.” I am motivated by the site of all the trees coming to life again, and think of the love and care God has put into the complicated system of life that keeps the cycle renewing itself each spring. This tree was just beginning to show signs of new life, and quickly in two days, is displaying the strength of the life force within it. I see and connect to this life force – the wisdom of God, who is so great as to create all of life and wishes us to be a channel of love. Wise and loving God, we thank you for the abundant evidence all around us, showing your power and wisdom. May we reach out and connect to you, gaining the strength you offer us. Guide us in using these resources to love others, as you have shown us. Amen.     PEACE

ALLOW GOD TO SURPISE US

AND CERTAINLY WE WILL BE – surprised. I have been an appreciator of creation all my life, and I just love serendipity. So this morning God surprised me with not one but two amazing events. First there was a knocking at my window which turned out to be a goldfinch pecking at the glass and fluttering to find a perch. It finally found a tenuous perch at the bottom molding and pecked some more. I had never seen one so closely, less than three feet, and it was such a spectacularly brilliant yellow, I found myself frozen to the spot in awe. A few minutes later I was having my breakfast on our front porch, when suddenly I noticed a large bumblebee hovering over the garden. I had never seen one hover in one spot, its wings a blur, just like when hummingbirds do the same thing. Then it gave a flick of a wing and turned 180 degrees, still hovering in the same spot. It did the same thing several more times, and flew off. I sat there in awe again, trying to digest what I had just seen.

In a few minutes I had seen, been shown, two awesome wonders of creation. As I pondered this, Isaiah 40: 31 came to mind in a new way, “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Waiting for the Lord is being open to God showing us marvelous wonders, and that is certainly how I started my day today. I know I have been blessed by seeing these wonders, and it does renew my strength, and gives me what I need, to do some challenging things facing me today. I pray that we may all be open to seeing the wonders of God, and renew our strength for the work we have to do. Gracious God, thank you for connecting to us through creation, and showing us the wonders you have in this world. May we find strength for the calling you have given each of us, that your Kingdom may advance. Thank you for the joy we can know as we are shown these wondrous sights in creation, the flowers, the birds and bees, and the eagles soaring. Amen.      PEACE

OBEDIENCE IS OPENNESS TO GOD

WHILE WE LET GOD GUIDE US – not trying to be obedient on our own, and failing when it gets hard. We fool ourselves, and believe the evil around us, if we think we can be obedient to God, without God’s help. God wants to be in our lives, and is not impressed by us trying to be “strong” and do it all on our own. This living with God, is not a game of impressing God. We are listening to the wrong people, or those who don’t have a relationship with God, when we believe we should be independent and show God we can do this all by ourselves. That is not what a life with God is like. God is already with us, inside us, and knows how we struggle and the fears we have.

We are Christ’s beloved, and he is ready to carry our burdens with us. When Jesus says, 28 “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives”, he is saying that we don’t have to be a hero, and carry our burdens by ourselves. God does not want us to suffer in this way, and is not impressed by it. So Jesus then says, 30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” A yoke is a wooden apparatus, with a space for the heads of two oxen, and is designed to help hold them together, to work in tandem, so they can work safely and efficiently. This is the picture Jesus shows us, of how he will work together with us to bear our burdens, and get through our suffering. This is what obedience really is, faithfulness in practice. Opening ourselves to God, letting go of our pride, and relinquishing our need for control, in order to gain a life of humility, working in tandem with the Holy Spirit, to do what we are called to do.      PEACE

ORDINARY PRAYER

IS A PRACTICE OF SEEKING GOD – and living an ordinary life of devotion to God. We do not need to practice extraordinary ways of praying to God. We may pray on our knees, but God is not impressed with this kind of prayer over other ways of praying and seeking God. Praying only at special times or with words designed to impress does not at all sway God’s heart. Instead we are to live ordinary lives, where we love others without expecting gain for ourselves. God knows our heart, and there is no hiding our inner thoughts from God. We are as transparent as water to God. When we are honest with ourselves, we are most able to be a channel for God’s love to flow through us to others around us.

In Luke 11 Jesus tells us how to seek God in this way: “9 So I tell you, ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. 10 Yes, everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.” This is one way to come into a relationship with God, and begin the transformation by the Holy Spirit, into an ordinary, day in and day out, living as God directs us to live. Behold the beloved of Christ, all who seek will know that God is already in us, guiding and supporting our lives, even when we did not know it. O God who loves us in extraordinary ways, come into our ordinary lives and teach us how to love without fear, while we listen in prayer every day for your direction. Thank you for your unconditional love and understanding in all we do for your people. Amen.      PEACE

SPENDING TIME WITH GOD

IS WHAT GOD WANTS – and is the best reason for prayer. There are so many ways that we knowingly spend time with God. Walking and delighting in the awesomeness of creation; worshiping with our fellow believers in celebration of all God has done, is doing, and will continue to do; experiencing joy in others, knowing God is the source, and feeling thankful; singing to God in thankfulness and praise; telling your children or anyone else a story about God; asking God to guide us in living our lives with love; anything else that helps us listen for God, as we live in the palm of God’s hand. God is as close to us as our breathing, whether we know it or not. God claims us as God’s own, and cares for us, no matter what happens. In John 6 Jesus says, “37 The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me, and I will always accept them.” And in Matthew 11, we have this awesome invitation, 28 “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”

All of this is prayer, in one way or another; it is communicating with the Creator, Jesus our redeemer, or the Holy Spirit that transforms us. From the beginning, we are loved by God. From before we sin, we are forgiven. From before we begin our relationship with God, we are being transformed into someone who is able to know God as much as God knows us. The Holy Spirit is with us in our every breath, comforting and guiding our steps. When we look at our lives with God in this way, it is so much more than the words we say in a formal prayer, or the prayerful words of a hymn we sing. Our whole lives become a prayer, ordinary as all the mundane things we do, but glorious music to God’s ears, and an offering, when we live to serve our God by loving others. Great God, we ask you to transform our ordinary lives for the ministry you have called us to do. Help us to see whatever we do as a blessing to others. Amen.      PEACE

GOD REACHES OUT TO US

AND MAINTAINS THE CONNECTION – of an unbreakable bond between us and God. In a relationship with God, we are not totally responsible to keep the connection. God’s grace is the real glue that holds us in God’s arms, and keeps up the connection to hear and feel God’s presence. When we are willing to place ourselves in God’s hands to follow a life of faith, it is God who keeps us there. Many who think of themselves as Christian, also think that they must do the hard work of living a Godly life, and resisting sin. Then when this proves to be too difficult, they blame themselves for not believing hard enough, for not being obedient.

The truth is that God and the grace we receive is what makes a faithful life possible. Our “work” is to listen to God every day, and respond as the Spirit directs us. It is only in this kind of relationship that we live the life Jesus showed us. It is a free flowing dynamic kind of life that is exciting and humbling. Yes God wants to live with us in this way. God wants us as we are, and God will help us grow into what God needs us to do. Jesus never talked down to anyone, or thought them unworthy of coming to him. So there can be no reason to prevent us from beginning a life with God. We are already living with God, because God is with us all. We only need to acknowledge God is with us, and begin.      PEACE

THE CONNECTION TO GOD

KEEPS OUR FAITH ALIVE – and it is only in this way that it happens. There are a number of books out there that suggest methods for refreshing our faith, or restoring a feeling we once had. These gimmicks seem to be directed at those who have a belief, but not a relationship. It may help us feel as if we are doing something we should to get closer to God. The trouble is this isn’t the way to make the connection. In JOHN 6: 35 Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” When we come to Jesus in humility, confessing our sin, this is the beginning of a relationship with God. And Jesus also says in MATTHEW 11: 28 “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. 30 The burden that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.” This is the description of the relationship he wants with us. It is more than a once and done decision to believe, but a day in and day out 24/7 kind of relationship with our creator, savior and comforter.

These quick fix books exist to address the problem of a stale faith, or a burned out perspective on God and the church. With a living and active relationship with God, it is not possible to feel burned out or stale, unexcited or bored by our faith. When we do stray from our path, or lose our focus of where God is leading us, there is only one way to get it back. We pray to God, in humility, ask forgiveness, and seek guidance to return to the path God has given us. There will be no judgment or anger, but only love for sheep that had strayed, but are now returned. As we see in the parables, God welcomes us back into loving arms, just like the Prodigal Son. Gracious God, accept us back into the sheepfold, and guide us on the path you have set for us. Amen. PEACE

GOD GIVES JOY

TO ALL WHO LOVE GOD – no matter what is happening in our lives. Psalm 30 tells of God’s delivery from enemies, healings and restoration from sorrow. Those who love and praise God will receive these gifts and even more. No matter what we suffer through the night, we will be given “joy in the morning.” Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that among the gifts from the Holy Spirit comes love, peace and joy. There are many things in life that can give us an experience of joy – creation itself in all of its examples, wonderful music, beautiful art, a baby or child, and those we love are all sources of joy, channeled through them from the original source – God, the ultimate source of love, peace and joy. There are many reasons why we experience joy, and sometimes it seems to be not connected to anything.

This morning I woke early, and without warning a feeling of pure joy came from the center of my body. I felt awe at the wonder of it. I also noted that it was not something I thought, although we can think of joyful things. It is unexplainable, and there is no reason why it should be. Thankfully not everything can be explained in rational thought. God chooses to sometimes act in mystery, and the wonder of it all becomes part of the experience too. God is teaching us to life by faith, and to go beyond reducing everything to rationality. I love the French phrase “joie de vivre”, meaning a love of life, a delight in being alive. I love the sound of the words, and the emotional concept they so perfectly send, that living in God we can know this pure joy of a different and blessed life, on a different plane than those who are trapped in fear. When we love God, and devote our lives to do God’s work, we will live a life of love, that is spontaneously peppered with experiences of joy. Loving God, we thank you for all the blessings you share with us, the gifts you bestow in the Spirit – love, peace and especially JOY. Amen.       PEACE

COME TO JESUS

WITHOUT FEAR – because we will be greeted with love. We hear in the Gospel of John: 24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears what I say and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life. That person will not be judged guilty but has already left death and entered life. 25 I tell you the truth, the time is coming and is already here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will have life.” There is no guilt or judgment spoken here. There is only a message of acceptance, when we believe in God. This is a promise – one that is available to all of us.

The message of guilt that so many of us think is what we face from Jesus is not what Jesus said at all. It is unfortunately one that the church has sent, in order to make people behave. Many in the church of the past and the present, have failed God by telling lies about what Jesus expects of us. It suited their purposes, and filled their desire to control others. They have tried to put themselves in a place of authority over others, with anything but love for others. And yet even they are able to be forgiven. God does not place conditions on who will be forgiven and who will not. There is NOTHING that can stand in the way of a relationship with God, no sin, no guilt so awful that God will not forgive us. Never believe the message of fear that others may try to make us believe. God loves us now and will always love us, as a loving parent and a partner in the work of transforming the world into God’s kingdom. Gracious God we thank you for your grace shown as unconditional love for us all. Give us the understanding to believe in this great gift, and accept it. Let your love rain down on us, that we may feel it and share it with others. Amen.     PEACE

ENRICHING OUR LIVES

THROUGH READING THE BIBLE – does more than we can imagine. Just like everything else with God, when we put ourselves in a state of being influenced by reading scripture, or being open to God speaking to us through the Bible, we will be surprised by something in the experience. I don’t think I have ever read a passage for the first time, or after many times, when I haven’t had something new jump out at me that I haven’t heard or seen before. We will always find new meaning in it. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in that experience. For as long as we have had scriptural accounts, they have had the sense of being living stories of God and the people who encounter God. So we do not just read the words, but the Holy Spirit impresses those words and their meaning on our hearts and minds. We can never know what will happen until we begin the process, and the more open we are the more exciting will be the result.

In the last year, I have had the unique experience of reading a narrative version of Paul’s ministry, that is reading what he did arranged in chronological order. I enjoyed it very much, and was impacted by the insights I gained by seeing the whole of his work in a story from beginning to end, and I had not gained from reading passages from the Epistles. So today I ordered a Bible that is arranged chronologically, and set up to read about 15 minutes a day for a year. I am excited to see the connections this Bible will be making, in connecting the Psalms and other books with one another at the appropriate time in history. I anticipate that it will be eye-opening to make connections with events that were occurring at the same time as events I am already familiar with chronologically. I am looking forward to sharing these insights, and I hope they will be supportive to others. But however we read, or whatever version we use, the Bible will always be a blessing in our day, and will bring us closer to God, and what God has for us to do. Creator and sustainer, we thank you for including us in your living presence in the Bible. May we continue to be inspired and equipped to do your will through it. Amen.      PEACE