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Faith: Our Assurance Beyond Mortal Existence

Posted on by korgrocker

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT

We human beings are mortal. This means that there will come a time when we will die. It is a thought that horrifies many people, but it is one of the few things about our lives that we cannot control. We don’t know when the final day will come, but even if we did, there is nothing we can do about it. There are scientists who claim that there are some things that we can do, though, to delay the inevitable, like being careful about how we live, avoiding smoking, drugs, and alcohol. By eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones. And some claim to be on the edge of creating chemicals that would significantly prolong our lives. The Victorian writer H Rider Haggard wrote a novel called “She”, and it was about a woman who was immortal because she had discovered a “Pillar of Fire” that granted immortality to anyone who was fortunate enough to be able to stand in its flame. It’s a great story but a long way from the truth. Interestingly, it explores some of the perils of immortality from a purely secular perspective, particularly when bestowed upon an evil person. Mankind has always been fascinated with the concept of life, death and immortality, and there are some who make a living by pandering to people’s desires. Job wrote the truth, however, as we read in Job 14:5. Speaking to God, he said, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer”. 

From the perspective of eternity, therefore, we are living in a temporary home. Our spirits will one day be set free from the physical entity that we call our bodies. Paul wrote that he would rather be away from his, because then he “will be at home with the Lord”. Our earthly existence is real, meaningful, and purposeful—but it is not ultimate. There is a quiet homesickness woven into the heart of every believer. We experience moments when we feel lost, or experience thoughts like “what am I doing here”? We pursue pleasurable activities but find them unfulfilling. We suffer through illness or pain, and wonder what is going on. But in it all, we sometimes sense that we were made for something more. An unbeliever will not be immune to the feeling that they don’t belong here, and they try their best to fill the gap by material means, or try to suppress the feelings with alcohol or drugs. A visit to a psychiatrist might provide temporary relief, but in the morning, the mind-numbing processes of the previous day will have all worn off, and the sense of loss will still be there. Unbelievers learn to suppress such feelings, although they sometimes emerge when not expected. But a believer like us doesn’t have such feelings because they have been replaced with the knowledge that we are indeed just living in a temporary home.

Paul didn’t despair about his physical challenges and feelings of homesickness because he had confidence in his future and the God who would one day make it all possible. How could he say that while acknowledging suffering, persecution, and uncertainty? Paul wasn’t playing some kind of mind game, convincing himself about his future, a self-assurance that had no basis in truth. Paul had a God-assurance, the settled conviction that whether he remained in his body or left it, he belonged to the Lord. That kind of confidence cannot be shaken by changing circumstances. With Paul, we pilgrims understand that our true home is with God, and earthly instability loses its power to terrify us.

Paul wrote, “For we live by believing and not by seeing”. We call that “faith”. Faith is not blind optimism. It is a steady trust in what God has promised. It is choosing confidence when circumstances are unclear. It is walking forward even when the road ahead disappears into fog. Hebrews 11:1, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”. The problem is that in this life, we are trained and conditioned to trust what we can see with our eyes. But faith doesn’t work like that, and instead, we put our trust in the One who has promised us life in our new home, one that He is preparing for us right now. The Christian hope is not merely about survival after death—it is about reunion. It is about fullness. It is about finally being where our hearts have always belonged. To be “at home with the Lord” suggests intimacy, rest, and completion. Home is where we are fully known and fully loved. Paul’s longing reveals a heart that has tasted God’s presence so deeply that eternity feels like the most natural destination.

Do we pilgrims feel the same as Paul? I’m sure many of us are weary of the limitations of our current bodies, but one day, perhaps soon for some, we will be at home with the Lord. There will be no better place possible. At last, we will lose that sense of not belonging. At last, we will be home.

Dear Father God. There is a song, “What a day that will be / When my Jesus I shall see / And I look upon his face / The one who saved me by his grace.” We worship You today, Lord. Amen.

Understanding Our Earthly Tents and Heavenly Bodies

Posted on by korgrocker

“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee, he has given us his Holy Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT

Paul described his human body as being an “earthly tent”. Is that not a strange description? But Paul, being a tentmaker by profession, would have used the analogy from his experience. Here in Scotland, we’re so grateful that the great majority of the population doesn’t have to live in tents. Even modern tents, lightweight and easy to set up, lack the comforts we expect. I can remember camping trips in the wilder parts of Scotland in a tent; great times in the summer, but even then it is possible to be caught out, as I once found out on an overnight stay in May in the Highlands when the temperature dropped below zero. Tents are temporary structures and unsuitable for long-term living. But that thought must have dropped into Paul’s mind, as he mused about growing “weary in our present bodies”. Our human bodies might be good enough to carry us through the few decades of our natural lives, but they would be totally unsuitable for eternal life. Both human bodies and tents have limits.

A tent serves a purpose for a season. It shelters us on a journey, but is not the destination—it is accommodation along the way. Our earthly bodies are like that. They allow us to love, serve, work, create, and worship. Yet they groan, age and weaken. Paul does not deny this groaning. He acknowledges it. As believers, we are not called to pretend that suffering is pleasant. We feel the ache of living in this sad and bad world.

But something wonderful is coming for us pilgrims. We will receive “an eternal body made for us by God himself”. We don’t completely know what it will be like, although we do know that we will receive a body like Jesus’ resurrected body. 1 John 3:2, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is”. In Philippians 3;21, Paul wrote, “He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control“. Paul looked forward to the day when he could put on his new Heavenly body like “new clothing”. How often do we pilgrims feel like that, as we struggle out of bed in the morning, feeling the aches and pains? Even the younger generations amongst us long for a “duvet day” every so often.

Death has no power over us

How do we think we will be in Heaven? If our spirits leave our earthly bodies and end up in Heaven, will they just float around without substance? That, of course, won’t be the case. Paul wrote, “For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies“. We do not understand totally what Heaven will be like because we try to make sense of it with our earth-bound senses. But, through faith, we will find ourselves in a body that is Heavenly not earthly, a new body that God has created for us. Paul also wrote that our “dying bodies will be swallowed up by life“. That’s quite a challenge, getting our minds around that one. We think of that moment when we die as being the end, but in fact, it is just the beginning. In his previous letter, Paul wrote, “Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Death has no power over us, because we leave behind our “tents” and find ourselves in a new Heavenly home, in a body made by God.

So, in this earthly life, we must look forward to the life to come. We may be living in a “tent” just now, a temporary home comprised of flesh and blood, but I’m sure our Heavenly bodies will be absolutely amazing. No more weariness, pain, and ageing. And all that groaning that we do will be a distant memory, if we remember it all. The tent is temporary. The house is eternal. And the Builder is God Himself.

Dear Heavenly Father. We look forward to receiving our new Heavenly body. Please help us to make the most of what we have, though, in gratitude for all that You have done for us in the here and now. Amen.

Renewed Spirits Amidst Life’s Trials

Posted on by korgrocker

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

“Our bodies are dying”, Paul wrote. In an absolute sense, that is, of course, true. We have been dying since we became adults, or, it could be argued, since birth. Through Adam, sin entered a previously perfect world, and what was meant to live forever has been corrupted and spoiled. The span of human life is now rarely more than 100 years, and here in the UK, the average lifespan for a man is 70 and for a woman 83. Death comes when our bodily functions start to decline and are unable to renew themselves. But I can hear my readers’ thoughts: “What a depressing way to start the day!” Well, it would be, except for the fact that Paul followed up his initial statement with “our spirits are being renewed every day”. A random person in the street, an unbeliever, will not have a clue about the spirit, or soul, that lives within him. They will experience emotions and feelings. They will laugh and cry, love and hate. And all the time perhaps not understanding that this comes from their soul. We describe a person as “body, soul and spirit”, but a random person in the street will not spend too much time thinking about their soul and spirit.

But we pilgrims are not random people at all, because we are children of God and because of that, our spirits will end up with God in Heaven. He knows our names, and these are engraved on the palm of His hands – Isaiah 49:16a, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands”. What a privileged people we are! Paul was greatly comforted by the fact that, although his body was dying, his spirit was alive and well and was being renewed each and every day. 

One day, our bodies will finally die and will end up in a grave or urn somewhere, but our renewed spirits will go on to live forever, and, one day, will receive a new body. One that will never wear out and will be like the body Jesus received all those years ago on the first Easter Sunday. Paul took an eternal view of all the troubles that he was experiencing day by day. The beatings, shipwrecks, general abuse and so on would all one day be of no consequence at all because he would be spending time with His Lord, Jesus. A bit later in this epistle, Paul wrote, “While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:4-5).

But what about the random person in the street, whose body is wearing out as well and whose spirits are yet to be reborn into God’s kingdom? Their spirits will live forever as well, but not in a place they want to be. Suffice it to say that we pilgrims must encourage them to consider their future and, in the process, introduce them to Jesus.

Paul could see that his present troubles were of no consequence and, more, would one day produce for him a glory that far outweighed what he was experiencing. He finished the chapter with “we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever”. That takes faith, but such a perspective is not unachievable because the Holy Spirit within us will hold the vision of Heaven before our spiritual eyes. So, what do we pilgrims fix our gaze on? Sadly, so often we get caught up in the things of this world, and the vision of glory dims and gets crowded out. It is not that we must neglect the worldly demands, but we must keep them in perspective. 

Towards the end of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul wrote, “Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). It’s all about Jesus and what He has done for us. Without Him being willing to sacrifice his body so that we would have life, we would be in a very sad place.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship You today. We are so grateful for Your love and grace, and for the day we will have eternal life with You. We look forward to the glory awaiting us, totally undeserved, but all because of Jesus. Thank You. Amen.

The Assurance of Resurrection in Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.”
2 Corinthians 4:13-15 NLT

Paul and his colleagues, men who travelled with him on his missionary journeys, had a terrible time when they preached the truth about Jesus. In his day, people generally didn’t want to hear anything about Jesus, preferring instead to continue in their evil ways. But Paul kept going anyway, enduring the physical violence for the sake of the Gospel. His faith was strong and consistent because he knew that his future with God was secure. 

One of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements can be found in John 11:25-26: “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”” To prove the veracity of his statement, Jesus went on to raise Lazarus from the dead. This wasn’t just a one-off miracle designed to bolster Jesus’ reputation. It was a prophetic display of God’s power and what will happen in the age to come. 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul explained to them, “Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). Paul wrote that Christianity without the resurrection was pointless because eternal life is central to our faith. We all know the Easter story: when Jesus rose from the grave and appeared to His followers. That was a pivotal moment that founded and strengthened our faith, because God promised that Jesus was the first to be resurrected and that He would be followed by all who believe in Him.

But what does being raised with Jesus really mean to us pilgrims? Paul started 2 Corinthians 4:14 with the words, “We know …”. Do we have the same assurance as Paul, or are we not sure and have doubts? Sadly, some believers don’t know; instead, they wish or hope that everything will work out for them in the end. But the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is there. Paul wrote, “He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him” (1 Corinthians 14:4-8). That’s surely enough evidence to turn a “wish” into a “know”.

“God … will also raise us with Jesus”

Paul wrote that, “God … will also raise us with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14a). Notice how personal this is. Paul wrote that the resurrection is not just something Jesus experienced. It is something believers will share in. Just as Jesus was raised bodily, so will we be raised, and that will totally change our perspective on our lives. Instead of becoming depressed and fearful of death as we grow older or perhaps sick or affected by the death of a loved one, we will look forward to the time when we, too, will be released from the privations of this life and will join Jesus in Paradise. The grave is not a destination; it is a doorway.

Paul adds something beautiful at the end of 2 Corinthians 4:14: “and present us to himself together with you”. The future for us pilgrims is not solitary. We are not saved alone. We are raised together. Paul envisioned a day when believers stand together in the presence of God: presented, restored, complete. We are a people, not just individuals. Heaven will not be isolation; it will be fellowship perfected. This truth reshapes how we treat one another now. If we stand together before Christ, then our unity matters deeply today. So, before we think disparaging thoughts about a fellow believer, remember that we will spend eternity with them. Hmmm…

Earlier in the chapter, Paul wrote, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Why was he prepared to put up with so much suffering? Paul understood that what was happening was not the final chapter. The certainty of being raised with Christ gave him the courage to endure. The promise of presentation before God gave purpose to his perseverance.

Well, we pilgrims know how the story ends, so no matter what we are facing just now, it will turn out to be insignificant in the light of eternity, full of God’s glory and grace.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You that You will never abandon us. We are part of Your family forever. Amen.

Overcoming Life’s Challenges with Unwavering Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.””
2 Corinthians 4:11-13 NLT

Paul quoted from Psalm 116 when he wrote, “I believed in God, so I spoke”. That Psalm is entitled, “Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death” and is an appropriate psalm for Paul to quote from. The Psalmist was in a place staring at death, “Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!” How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me” (Psalm 116:4-6). And as we read the rest of the Psalm, we can see how Paul must have found much comfort in it. We know from earlier in 2 Corinthians that Paul and his colleagues were in a dangerous place, to the point where they feared for their lives. But they, with the Psalmist, could claim, “I was facing death, and he saved me”. What connected the Psalmist and Paul? It wasn’t time, because they lived in different ages, separated by hundreds of years. They both attributed their salvation from death to God, but was there more involved? Of course, there was, and Paul put his finger on the missing element: faith. The Psalmist and Paul both had the same assurance of faith, that God would protect them in times of trouble. They both spoke out in the knowledge that God was there for them, close by, and able to save.

The writer of the Hebrews letter helpfully listed some men and women who displayed a faith so vibrant and real that it brought them through some terrible circumstances. Imagine having Noah’s faith, spending decades building a boat on dry land, a statement of faith to a nation that had never seen an expanse of water sufficient to float it. Imagine having David’s faith, heading out onto the battlefield armed only with a sling and five stones, facing a giant, a heavily armed opponent, saying, “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37a). But even today, imagine sitting by the bedside of a seriously ill child, one who the medics had written off, but having the faith saying and praying that God would heal, and seeing a miracle as a result.

Paul was a preacher who spoke out his message of the Gospel because he had faith that God would protect him until his mission was complete. But even if he died because of the Gospel, Paul still believed he would be resurrected, just as Jesus was. He had the same kind of faith as the unknown Psalmist did.

What about us pilgrims? Where are we at with our faith? Such faith will take many forms, each dependent on our own circumstances. Our faith is a statement to this hopeless world around us, because most of the people we meet have little or no faith in anything. We have to look up to a Higher Power far above our politicians and leaders to find the source of anything worth having faith in. We may not be facing death at this moment, but there will be other things that need us to have faith to overcome. God is interested in the smallest hurdle that we face, but we mostly seem to associate faith with the big things in life. 

There were three Jewish men who were faced with a life-threatening situation because they refused to worship the gold statue of a Babylonian king. We pick up the story in Daniel 3:16-18, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up””. That’s faith, that God will save even in impossible circumstances. But, and this is the “same kind of faith” that Paul had, even if God hadn’t saved them, the outcome would be better because they would have found themselves in God’s presence. 

Paul preached the message of eternal life through belief in Jesus to a deeply resistant andresentful people, and he suffered much because of it. But he was sustained by the faith that he had, because the “life of Jesus [would] be evident in [his] dying body”. Paul was aware that his time on earth would be short compared with eternity, so he made good use of the time that he had, even though his body was dying. Paul didn’t know what his future held, but he had faith in the One who held his future in His hands. Do we have that kind of faith? 

Dear Heavenly Father. You know all about us, when we go out and when we come in. You know what is going to happen in our lives and what our future holds. But we have confidence that regardless of what happens, we will one day be secure in Your presence. Forever. Thank You. Amen.

Pressed on Every Side

Posted on by korgrocker

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-12 NLT

Paul described the persecution he and his travelling colleagues experienced, but always with a positive “spin”. He could have just written about the facts, the physical and verbal attacks, the beatings and stonings, but he always followed the description of his attacks with a positive comment. For example, he wrote, “We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God”. Paul was a man the world has never seen the like of again, although some have come close. Paul had a mission that never left his vision, and he was even prepared to give his life for Jesus, willingly if it were part of the furtherance of the Gospel. Why did he do it? Because after his encounter with Jesus, what else could he do? I have known several men who have had an encounter with Jesus that was so real that they were freed from drug addiction. Subsequently, they have been very committed to evangelism. One of them confided in me that “he who has been forgiven much will give much”. In other words, his encounter with Jesus totally turned his life around, and he dedicated the rest of his life to his Saviour. Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road was so real to him that it transformed his whole thinking and sent him on a journey that ended in his premature death, just for sharing his Jesus-experience with others. Has Jesus got hold of us to that extent? Are we so fired up with our mission for Jesus that we have put Him at the centre of all we do?

At the start of his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul described a situation that was life-threatening. “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Again, he used that word “crushed”. It’s a word that we normally associate with something like what we do to a clove of garlic to extract the flavour within. But crushing human beings points to an episode of physical torture and utter depravity. Paul’s experiences led him to expect to die, and that had the effect of crushing his spirit. A crushed spirit is a state of deep emotional, mental, and spiritual exhaustion, characterised by a loss of hope, passion, and the energy to face life. Often described as hitting rock bottom or a “dark night of the soul,” it represents a profound, oppressive pain that renders a person feeling broken or empty, frequently linked to severe stress, grief, or betrayal. To an unbeliever, such a state leads to hopelessness and a state of extreme mental anguish. But to Paul, there was a light that broke through into his dark place, the presence of God Himself. He knew that God could even raise the dead, and that sustained him and his colleagues. As we read on in the first chapter, we find that God did indeed rescue them from “mortal danger”, and he continued with “And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety” (2 Corinthians 1:11). 

Paul and his colleagues faced many hardships during those missionary journeys because the enemy was not going to give up his territory without a fight. And how better to stop the Way, the early Christian movement, than by doing away with the ones responsible for its spread? But Paul reminded the Corinthians that because of the cost he was prepared to pay with his own life, they had the benefit of eternal life. 

We pilgrims also have the opportunity to tell others about Jesus. There may be some opposition, but here in the West, there would be nothing on the scale of what Paul experienced. We Western Christians do not really understand what persecution means. But we still have to look for opportunities to share our testimony about Jesus. Yesterday I met a man walking his daughter’s dog in the local park. In the conversation that followed, he admitted that he was glad that he was coming to the end of his life, because he was so depressed by the state of the world. Thankfully, I was able to share the hope of the Gospel with him, but it reminded me that many people walking our streets are almost overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness. It may be inconvenient to stop and talk to people sometimes, but we must do so anyway. We may be resented or receive abuse in return, but it is only we pilgrims who have those precious words of eternal life, of God’s love and grace. And we pray for ourselves, for opportunities to share the Gospel, for our families and friends, all with the assurance that God hears our prayers and will work in hearts and minds to bring about His purposes.

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for all You have done for us, for our salvation and for Jesus. Regardless of what the world thinks of our faith, we share it anyway, thankful for Your strength helping us, and for giving us the words to say. We worship You today. Amen.

Fragile Clay Jars: The Power of God’s Light in Us

Posted on by korgrocker

“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT

We are well used to the sun providing light for our days. Even when thick layers of cloud are above us, enough sunlight still filters through and illuminates our day. But the days of the sun providing us with heat and light are numbered. We read in Matthew 24:3, “Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”” And in response, He laid out a series of events that we need to look out for, until we reach Matthew 24:29: “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken”. What use will a “darkened” sun be? No more daylight will find us in a terrified state, I’m sure. But this is not the sort of light we have “shining in our hearts”. The One who spoke light into reality, a Word that created our sun and the other heavenly objects, has also spoken into our hearts, and brought His light to shine there. This light isn’t abstract or distant. It’s personal. It shows us the glory of God as revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. In other words, God doesn’t just illuminate our circumstances; He reveals Himself. 

We would think, I’m sure, that our human hearts are a rather tenuous place to make known the light of Christ. Paul wrote that this incredible light, this divine treasure, is placed inside “fragile clay jars”. Ordinary containers. Easily cracked. We all know what happens if a china vase is dropped onto a stone floor. Or if a glass jar accidentally falls off a worktop. That is what our hearts are like. Easily broken by circumstances. Bruised by conversations or hearsay. Hearts are able to love but also able to hate. We, of course, refer to “hearts” as not the physical blood-pump we have inside our chests but something that is the core of our inner being, encompassing our mind, emotions, will, desires, and conscience. 

In Jeremiah 18:1-4, we read, “The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over“. In Romans 9:21, Paul picks up the theme, and he wrote, “When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?” We pilgrims have to accept that we are God’s creation. Some of us are quite decorative, gifted for up-front ministries, or for preaching to thousands about the love of God. Others are plainer and not often seen, and these are the people who are quietly and faithfully working away in the background, just as the potter required. But in both cases, the pots are fragile, easily broken, and susceptible to the light within fading away.

Treasure shining in our hearts

We spend our lives building an exterior that seems unbreakable and strong, polished and self-sufficient. We hide the “cracks” in our “pots” so that who we really are is exposed. If the light shining in our hearts” were housed in something flawless and indestructible, we might start to believe it came from us. But clay pots don’t get credit for the treasure they hold. Our limitations, our vulnerability, even our struggles serve a purpose: they point beyond us. They make it clear that whatever goodness, strength, or hope shines through our lives is not self-generated. It’s God at work within us.

What is the treasure that God has chosen to be contained in our hearts? We know the glory of Jesus, as it shines bright within us. We know the truth of the glorious Gospel, proclaiming as it does the wonder of how the Son of God came to this world to redeem sinful, broken and hopeless human beings from a lost eternity. We know the love and grace of God burning within us through the power of His Spirit. None of this is earthly treasure, doomed to destruction by “moth and rust” as Jesus warned us about. It is an eternal treasure so precious and limitless that we have to share it with others at every opportunity. I’m sure that if we went up to a homeless person with a banknote and gave it to them, they would be very grateful. But around us are people who will one day be homeless in a place without God. We have a treasure far more valuable than banknotes, and we can hand it out to anyone who wants to listen. We pilgrims may be “clay pots”, but God, the master potter, has created us and has chosen to use us to store His treasure. But this treasure will lose its shine and die away unless we use it for God’s purposes.

Dear Heavenly Father. We may be “clay pots”, but you have created each one of us as a unique human being. We understand the awesome responsibility of having Your treasure stored within us, and we pray for opportunities to show it to those around us, offering them the same invitation as we responded to. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Light of Christ: Transforming Hearts and Lives

Posted on by korgrocker

“You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NLT

Paul began our verses today with a low-key confession: “We don’t go around preaching about ourselves.” The culture in those days, much as it is today, was full of people obsessed with self‑promotion, personal branding, and presenting the perfect image, and Paul’s words feel almost countercultural. Implicit in his message was a reminder to the Corinthians that the Christian life wasn’t just a stage on which they performed to boost their personalities and achievements. The same message applies to us today. The message we carry is not our own greatness—it’s Christ’s lordship. This doesn’t mean our stories don’t matter. They do. God uses our testimonies, our journeys, our scars. But the purpose of sharing them is never to elevate ourselves. It’s to point to the One who heals, restores, and redeems. Paul’s humility wasn’t a weakness. It was clarity. He knew who the story was really about.

Paul continued: “We ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake”. This is a radical, countercultural statement, but it echoes what Jesus taught His disciples. We read in Matthew 20:25-28, “But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many”. In Philippians 2:6-7, Paul wrote about Jesus, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being”. If only we could get our minds around the enormity of what Jesus did, leaving the comforts of Heaven behind, and restricting Himself in a human body, being a servant and slave for the sake of our salvation. Even though Jesus was God, he chose not to use His divinity in His earthly ministry so that He could walk and talk with His generation as one of them. In fact, He was so much human that the religious leaders of His day accused Him of blasphemy when He spoke the truth about being God. In the kingdom of God, greatness is measured not by how many people serve you, but by how many people you serve. We pilgrims put others before ourselves. We give without expecting a return. We love without demanding recognition. This kind of servanthood is not natural. It’s supernatural. It flows from a heart that has been transformed by Christ’s own humility. 

“The glory of God that is seen
in the face of Jesus Christ”

Paul continued with a reference to the Genesis account, “Let there be light”. We read it in Genesis 1:3, “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light”. Was it a big leap from writing about preaching to then referring to the creation story? It may be that we don’t understand the power of God that exists in the Good News about Jesus. The God of creation who spoke light into effect can surely speak into the hearts and minds of human beings with the tremendous message of grace and hope. Paul continued that God “made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ”. Light in the world provided by the heavenly bodies is as nothing compared with the Light that illuminates our hearts and minds. But it gets better. The glory of God is not found in anything created. It is only found “in the face of Jesus Christ”. When God shines His light into our hearts, He is giving us the ability to see Jesus for who He truly is.

So we pilgrims do not promote ourselves, because the message we carry is all about Jesus. John the Baptist said, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30). John “got it” because he went on to say to his disciples, “And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment” (John 3:36). Our message is so important, and we have to present it in a way that exalts Jesus, and Him alone. We love Him. We worship Him. And we tell our friends and families about Him. One day we will truly see “God … in the face of Jesus Christ”.

Dear Lord Jesus. We look forward with eager anticipation to the day when we will see You face to face. As the Gaithers used to sing, “What a day that will be”. We worship You, Lord. Amen.

Unveiling the Truth: How the Devil Blinds Believers

Posted on by korgrocker

“If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 NLT

Is it true that the devil can be blamed for people not believing the Good News about Jesus? Is it not the sin within them that has blocked access to God’s grace and mercy? Is it not the pleasures of this life that get in the way? The Apostle Paul had a friend called Demas, and we read, “Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas was unable to stay the course, being lured back into the ways of the world. People then and now are sinful by default, and for most of them, the devil needs to have no input. The things of the world are pleasurable and a constant temptation to even those who have spent time in the Kingdom of God, like Demas. So all the devil has to do is keep an eye out for those people who are in danger of departing his kingdom, stopping them from passing through the door into God’s Kingdom and eternal life with Him.

In the parable of the sower, and in His explanation of what it meant, Jesus said, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away” (Mark 4:15). The scenario is easy to imagine. The “seed” is the Gospel message and, at least initially, the thoughts of sin and God’s redemption, followed by eternal life, seem to be the right way to take, which, of course, it is. But then the devil comes along and points out all the things that will have to change in that person’s life. They think of all the things they enjoy, the pleasures in life that will have to be discarded. Lies are planted, and, sadly, the person turns their back on the only course of action that will save them from having to spend eternity in the devil’s company. Has the devil “blinded the minds of those who don’t believe”? He probably has, but the sin inside a person needs little persuasion.

I can remember last Easter Sunday sharing the Good News about the risen Jesus with a depressed dog walker, only to have the door firmly shut in my face by the response that they were an atheist and didn’t believe in such things. So sad, because the only remedy for a person depressed by the world in which they live is to become a citizen of the world to come. A blinded mind? Probably. 

Thankfully, there are many occasions where people don’t listen to the devil anymore. This must be true, because how else would we pilgrims have become children of God? The Holy Spirit goes before us, bringing conviction of sin. John 16:8 “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment”. But are we ready with the Seed of the Gospel, ready to plant it in the newly fertile ground? We waste too much time planting seeds on footpaths rather than in soil that is ready and waiting for the Word of God.

Parable of the Seed and the Soils

Referring back to Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower, it is not just from the “footpaths” of life that the devil snatches away the seed of the Gospel. There is also rocky soil, and ground already occupied by thorns and thistles. Such environments are fertile places for the devil’s work. In the “rocky soil”, people find that their initial growth from hearing the Word becomes ineffective in sustaining them when they experience problems and persecution. Perhaps an unexpected bill drops onto their doormat. Or they share their newfound faith in the office, only to receive ridicule and ostracisation in return. Instead of looking to the Source of their faith, they look at the problems and quickly decide that God’s way is not for them. About the thorn problem, Jesus said, “The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced” (Mark 4:18-19). As we read in our verses today, “[Blinded minds] are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God”. 

People deny the work of the devil at their peril. Peter warned the five churches in Asia about him. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”(1 Peter 5:8). But Peter followed with a word of good advice in the next verse, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are”. We seasoned and committed pilgrims know all this, of course, but occasionally the devil will trip us up and point a finger of accusation at us. But God picks us up, dusts us down, forgives our sin, and “Then [we] will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard [our] hearts and minds as [we] live in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:7). 

If we feel a veil forming over our minds and the lures of the world beckon, take it to Jesus and ask Him to remove it. Of course, he will, and the glorious light of His presence will once again cause “the things of this world to grow strangely dim”.

Dear Heavenly Father. We pray that You protect us from the devil’s evil schemes here on earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rejecting Deception: Paul’s Call for Truth in Ministry

Posted on by korgrocker

“Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.”
2 Corinthians 4:1-2 NLT
“Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy [from God, granting us salvation, opportunities, and blessings], we do not get discouraged nor lose our motivation. But we have renounced the disgraceful things hidden because of shame; not walking in trickery or adulterating the word of God, but by stating the truth [openly and plainly], we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:1-2 AMP

To Paul, there was something very precious about the “new way”. This was his ministry: preaching the Gospel throughout the Middle East, in the towns and cities where he found himself on his missionary journeys. Places like Ephesus, Galatia, Thessalonica, Philippi, and, of course, Corinth. Paul’s message, given to him through his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus Road, wasn’t just some theory or new ideology. To Paul, it was more valuable than anything else, and because of that, he never stopped sharing the Good News about Jesus. Imagine Paul holding in his hands a golden crown, studded with precious stones, worth more than anything he ever dreamed of owning. How would he have viewed it? As an investment opportunity? Or perhaps with disdain because it was of no practical use? But as a materialistic lump of precious metal and diamonds, Paul would have discarded it as “rubbish” because it fell far short of the value of what he had to share with people. The Gospel was, and is, priceless, because it brings people, human beings otherwise lost and hell-bound, into God’s presence. And Paul considered that it was through God’s mercy that he was able to share it. How could he ever abandon this ministry, no matter how many knockbacks he received along the way? Paul believed in the ministry granted him with a passion that took up every part of him, a passion that drove him on into one place after another. A passion that took him to marketplaces and even into the presence of kings. But in it all, he never lost the humility and gratitude of being able to do so much for Jesus.

“just as the Scriptures said”

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Note the repetition of “just as the Scriptures said”. Paul wasn’t making up the message he shared. It was based on the truth of Scripture. So why did Paul think it necessary to write, “We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God”. Had someone accused him of trickery and lies? Surely not, because Paul was transparent in all he preached, and his message was simple because all it contained was the truth that Jesus was crucified and on the third day he returned to life, the resurrected Son of God. Perhaps there were some charlatans in the First Century AD who, finding that here was a way to make money, were preaching a message that people wanted to hear. Paul warned Timothy about such people in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths”. There’s a satirical song, “Preachin’ Blues” recorded by the female duo “Larkin Poe” on their 2017 album “Peach”, that contains the lyrics, “I’m gonna get me some religion / I’m gonna join the Baptist church / Gonna be a preacher / So I don’t have to work”. Perhaps there were a few men with similar sentiments roaming the Middle East in the time of Paul, men making an easy living preaching what people wanted to hear. 

Today, we pilgrims notice that the practise of “adulterating the word of God” hasn’t gone away. Of particular note is the JW sect, which, rather than fitting their faith to the Word of God, the Bible we know and love, instead have concocted its own translation of the Bible to fit its faith. And there are others who, in a more subtle way, have decided to omit certain passages of Scripture, or, worse, have ignored them or dismissed them as being of a bygone age, Scriptures they say don’t apply anymore. So we have the “woke” influence and gender ideologies being promoted in the liberal wing of the Church of England. A recent news report started, “Worshippers will no doubt have been delighted to read about the Church of England’s latest “diversity drive.” To help “boost inclusion”, we learnt yesterday, clergy in London are being encouraged to “preach anti-racism in sermons”. So Anglican ministers now have to be aware of  DEI policies in their preaching. Can we go as far as labelling the liberals in the Church of England as being a “sect” much like the JW’s? Perhaps.

But back to us pilgrims. Like Paul, we only accept the “pure milk of the Word” because only this contains the words of eternal life. We do not “distort the Word of God,” but believe it to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). Not part of the Scriptures, or this bit that someone has rewritten. All Scripture. And so we look to Jesus, as did Paul, as the Author and Finisher of our faith, and one day we will join Him in the place He is preparing for us.

Dear Lord Jesus. All we want to do is follow in Paul’s footsteps and preach the words of eternal life that You left with us. Please lead us and guide us, we pray, in Your everlasting ways. Please protect us from preachers and words that distort the truth. We are so grateful, Amen.