Tag Archives: Trust in God

Persuaded to Trust

Living in the Spirit

October 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.

‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’

Faith is to be persuaded, to come to trust*.

Faith (4102/pistis) is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, 4102/pistis (“faith”) for the believer is “God’s divine persuasion” – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4: for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. )*.

My book club is reading the book Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom. Anymore, I listen to most books, to lessen the strain on my eyes. I have been very busy recently and needed to find the time to read this book before our group meets to discuss it. I listen to the first chapter which was very sad, and I just laid it aside. I really did not want to return to it, but finally did. It is the story of life in families and communities where bad things happen to good people and where the strength to deal with that is in the gift of God’s faithfulness. The challenge lies in being able to come to that trust. There is a grandmother in the story who quietly prays without ceasing to intersect with the gift of God’s faithfulness.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of faith you share with us like the manna from heaven giving us enough faith when we need it. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/4102.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Faith Instinct

Eastertide

May 10, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Acts 11:1-18

At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’ Acts 11:11-18

The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. Did you ever feel that something came up and you knew instinctually that it was something you needed to take care of that you could feel that need in your bones? I think that would describe Peter’s response to the men who had traveled to bring him back to their community. The spirit not only told him to go but to make no distinction. We are all raised with certain norms, and ways of being that differ from those of others. The line Peter crossed just by going with the visitors took a giant step, but to treat them as he would a fellow Jew was even a greater challenge. We see that kind of behavior in emergencies. A man comes upon a car wreck with a driver in the front seat and a fire under the hood. The first man jumps from his car and pulls the driver out and away from the vehicle just before it explodes. Instinct kicked in. Peter’s faith instinct allowed him to make the journey, share the story of Christ, welcome these strangers, and then return to convince his fellow Jews that he did the right thing. We are called to nurture a vibrant faith instinct where we respond to life situations and people as Jesus would respond.

1 Corinthians 13:12—For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. Describes the dilemma we face when responding to our call to serve God. The KJV uses the word darkly rather the dimly in its translation. Either word illustrates that we are not necessarily seeing the whole picture. We must learn to trust in God when we serve in the dark. To do that we must maintain a lasting, deep relationship with the Lord, through prayers, communion, and study.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen our faith instinct as we work toward realizing the Kingdom of God.Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Faith

Ordinary Time

February 17, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38

But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

I once was sitting beside a good friend at the funeral of another friend’s father. My friend was born for triple X clothing. She was attractive and wore her size well. The service had been too long while the presiding minister preached modern day hell, fire, and damnation. He suddenly slammed his hand down on the pulpit and declared that the man in the casket below him would one day rise out of that casket and his soul and body would be reunited. My triple X friend whispered just loud enough for me and the friend on the other side to hear, “But I wanted a new one.” I do not think I ever forgave her for making me laugh out loud at a funeral. I quickly turned it into a cough.

I remembered this event when I read that Paul called the people fools who inquired what kind of body they would have when they are raised from the dead. Faith is a difficult thing for some to fathom. They want absolutes and guarantees. Hebrews 11:1 states it well, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We certainly hope to spend eternity with God, but we must attend to our serving the Lord here on earth today and trust eternity to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being tolerant of our human foibles as we grow in wisdom and strength in your service.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Faith and Trust

Living in the Spirit

October 7, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
   we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
They made a calf at Horeb
   and worshipped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God
   for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
   who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
   and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them—
   had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
   to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
–Psalm 106:6, 19-23

Faith and trust are always required in any relationship, particularly with God. None of us is perfect, and all of us must face the consequences of our actions or lack of action and work to rebuild broken relationships with God and others.

I do not know why, but I love that the Psalmist includes the information that the Israelites created an idol from the model of an ox, an animal that eats grass. I am not sure what the author is trying to say there, but to me, the statement seems to suggest that we are all capable of hypocrisy. Turning away from the God who created the earth to worship the image of an animal God created that is dependent for life on one of the most common and simplest forms of nutrition God also created is ironic.

In this telling, God also sent Moses who intercedes with God to turn away his wrath from destroying them. Now, if that is not love, I do not know what is.

Prayer: God, we, your people, get so caught up in the ways of the world that we lose sight of the power and wonder of your love. Forgive us. Help us turn around to find and follow your path of righteousness. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God’s Nourishing Love

Living in the Spirit

June 23, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
   How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;
   my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

While I am not in the same place right now, that this Psalmist was, I have been there. Soul pain is the worst agony when one’s world is spinning out of control, and there is nothing he or she can do to stop it. Hard for an individual and a family, we are experiencing soul pain as a society. One catastrophe after another slam against us at every turn. Living in a divided nation torn apart more by fear of that lack of control than anything specific, some take power from our lack of unity playing us against one another for their own gain.

We may feel a lack of power, lack of control, but we serve an omnipotent—all-powerful—God who loves each and every one of us. We serve an omnipresent—always with us—God who is working God’s will as God’s Spirit moves among us, guiding and directing us toward bringing new creation from the chaos in which we find ourselves. We serve an omniscient—all-knowing—God who opens our hearts and minds to a new understanding taking us forward into the next iteration of the fulfillment of living in a world ruled by love. Our challenge is to trust in God’s steadfast love and follow God’s rule of love.

Prayer: Lord, we do get weary, and we do respond fearfully, but deep in our hearts, your love is still within us.  Nourish us for the facing of this hour. Amen

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Trust in God

Living in the Spirit
June 24, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:24-39

‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

 ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. –Matthew 10:24-31

I do accept this teaching intellectually, but my inner-most being sometimes has trouble living into it. I read the book of Amos and see the similarities between those ancient times and now and understand that little has changed in human nature. Our weapons are more dangerous than theirs. Information travels much faster now. Our world is a universe, not some tribal settlements scattered about with a few strangers wandering through at times. Our idols are more abstract than theirs but, no, they too worshiped at the feet of greed and power.

How do we align so closely with God that we have no fear of Beelzebul (the chief evil spirit) or any of his minions? From where does trust come–experience perhaps? Having the fortitude to step out in faith to live and love the way Jesus taught us will be met with a full measure of God’s love. God had already taken the first step when God created us and loved us. We are next-step people. God never forces God’s self on anyone, but when we take our first step in his service, God is fully engaged in leading us out of the dark into the light.

Prayer:
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit Divine*! Amen

*First verse and chorus of Open My Eyes by Clara H. Scott see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/807

All scriptures are quoted from the new Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God’s Eternal Message

ive-got-thisChristmas
January 1, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:13-23

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’ –Matthew 2:19-23

One of the characteristics of the prophets who speak to us through the Bible I most appreciate is that they never lose sight of God’s eternal message, “I’ve got this.” When the world is falling apart around them, this message resonates. I call them pragmatic optimists. They see the fault lines. They fully realize the implications. They trust God.

Joseph demonstrates the same characteristic in our scripture today. In looking back on my life, I now can see clearly when doors I wanted to enter closed before me, new doors opened. At the time, I mourned the inability to cross the thresholds of those old doors. Later, I thanked God for the opportunities that resulted and in some instances the disasters I averted.

We make decisions that matter every day often on the fly. We as Christ-followers must keep our spirits as fine tuned as skilled athletes hone their bodies and practice their specific sport. It enables us to let our spirit memories, like an athlete’s muscle memory, take over as needed when our lives would otherwise be spinning out of control.

Prayer: O God,
Where can I go from your spirit?
   Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
   if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
   and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
   and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
   and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
   the night is as bright as the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.  

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting*. Amen.

*Psalm 139:7-12, 23-24

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Cockeyed Optimist

making-all-things-newAdvent
November 24, 2016

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:11-14

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light
                                                  –Romans 13:11-12

I guess you might call me a cockeyed optimist*. This phrase in from the musical South Pacific which dealt with a time during World War II, in a place caught in the strife, and among a population dealing with racism. We too live in turbulent times. We fear fear itself in many ways. Our choice is to run and hide in our fear or accept this as our challenge to be a part of making all things new. I believe that with God’s help that is entirely within our grasp. I did not say it would be easy. It will require sacrifice; it will take all the best we have and then some.

A few more lines in the song further describe our dilemma:
I hear the human race Is fallin’ on its face
And hasn’t very far to go
But ev’ry whippoorwill
Is sellin’ me a bill,
And tellin’ me it just ain’t so*.

Advent is a wonderful time to take stock of our fears and any resulting negative thoughts or behaviors we might have. Do we love ourselves? If not, let God make us whole. Do we love all our neighbors as we love ourselves? If not, let God make us one. Do we see injustice in the world? If so, let God make us doers of justice. By Christmas Day, let God renew our hearts and minds readying us to assume our job in making all things new.

Prayer: Lord, walk with me each day during Advent as I examine myself. Help me see myself clearly and cleanse me where needed, preparing me for service to you. Amen.

*Line from the Song “A Cockeyed Optimist” from the Musical South Pacific composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. See at https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/southpacific/acockeyedoptimist.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.