Being a Pilgrim

Grace and Peace (1)

Posted on 26th Jul 202522nd Jun 2025 by korgrocker

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 NLT

Of course, these three initial verses in 1 Corinthians were a standard greeting for Christians, representing the custom at that time for a letter to start, rather than end, in that way. Believers have always needed bountiful supplies of God’s “grace and peace” in their daily lives, as one crisis after another engulfs this wicked world in which we live. But what do we mean by these two words? Taking the word “grace” to start with, we believe it is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as our sin deserves. It is His benevolence to the undeserving. That really sums up God’s answer to the dilemma facing human beings everywhere. Through our sinful behaviour and thinking, we propagate the evil that defines mankind (remember “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”?) and we human beings deserve judgement, but for a time we enjoy God’s grace. It wasn’t always available, as we can find out in Genesis 6:5-6, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart“. That poignant conclusion to these two verses, that God’s heart was broken, has always deeply affected me, because it exposes God’s disappointment with the way that His creation, so full initially of promise and companionship, has become corrupted and nothing like what he originally intended. But God did not extend His grace to the people living at that time, as we read in the next verse, “And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them””. Thankfully God had a plan, and there is always a “but” – “But Noah found favour with the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). And we see God’s gracious response in Genesis 8:21, “And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things“. ‭‭When God makes a promise He keeps it.

We believers are living in the light of God’s grace, and because of it we are where we are, favoured and blessed children of God. Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God“. The Old Testament blood offerings were in God’s plan for His people so that they could show their faith in Him through their sacrifices. But in the New Covenant, Jesus became the ultimate blood sacrifice. Hebrews 10:3-5, “But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer”. And here’s the amazing manifestation of God’s grace, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10).

But we must consider how God’s grace is shown to us. Starting with Jesus, we remember His forgiveness, His gift of the Holy Spirit, abundant life (John 10:10), a place in Heaven; the list goes on. We worship a good God, and we must never minimise what He has done for us; we are a people who deserve judgement rather than favour.

Grace comes from God alone, and as a consequence we show grace to others. Galatians 6:1-2 provides a glimpse of how we must treat our fellow believers, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ”. How often do we rather avoid such a person, missing an opportunity to be gracious to a fellow believer? Another way we show grace to others was touched on by Paul in Romans 12:7-8, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone“. We must never look for a way to get our own back on that arrogant driver who nearly involved us in an accident because they did something stupid. Or get upset with someone who wrongs us in a public place with their behaviour. Or think of ways to respond in kind to the office bully. We forgive them because God first forgave us. That’s grace in action. And we remember that there will come a time when they, as well as us, have to stand before God to account for the way they have behaved.

And so we pilgrims are a gracious people, showing grace to others because God has been so gracious to us. We remember the parable of the wicked servant that we find in Matthew 18. A servant who owed his master an impossibly large sum of money was forgiven the debt, but another servant who owed him just a little was pursued aggressively for repayment. We all know the story. The account of the first servant, who was forgiven so much, but who declined to forgive his fellow servant, didn’t end well for him. Matthew 18:34-35, “Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart””. We must be a gracious and forgiving people, because of God’s grace and forgiveness given so freely to us. The very thing that was blocking our entry to Heaven, our sin, was removed from us when we believed in Jesus, when we embraced His forgiveness and were cleansed by His blood. That’s grace.

Dear Heavenly Father, so full of grace and love. We praise and worship You today for all You have done for us, and for Jesus, who made it all possible. Help us to extend Your grace to those around us because the people we meet need it as well. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Calling His Name

Posted on 25th Jul 202522nd Jun 2025 by korgrocker

In the start of this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote God “made you holy by means of Christ Jesus”. He then continued by saying that all people who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will also be made holy. Sanctification wasn’t just for Corinth – it is available to all believers everywhere. A major part of being a Christian is the requirement to make Jesus Lord. In Acts 10:36b we read, ” … there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” However, there is a problem in that although Christians are quite prepared to say that Jesus is Lord, this is most usually only a partial commitment. We say Jesus is Lord of a certain part of our lives, but we will continue to control and retain ownership of the other bits. And as a preacher once said, unless Jesus is Lord of all then He is not Lord at all.

But before we get too far ahead, what does “Lord” mean? In the UK we have the House of Lords, an upper chamber of unelected politicians, there with a variety of titles that start with “Lord”. Landowners became known as “Lords” in medieval times, as feudal rulers, wielding power and authority over the surrounding populations. Today a Lord retains, at least in part, some degree of power and respect. Near where I live there is a Scottish Lord, who can trace his ancestry back to the days of King Robert the Bruce. He too is a landowner living in a large mansion on the banks of the Forth estuary, and who owns property and farmlands in the South of the County of Fife. But more generally, the word “Lord” is used today mainly as a form of respect.

In Jesus’ day, the word “Lord” was used in respectful recognition of the ruling and religious authorities, such as in Matthew 8:2, where Jesus was being shown respect as a rabbi by a leper, “Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean”“.‭‭ Then there is the poignant scene in Matthew 15, of the Gentile woman with a demon-possessed daughter who asked Jesus to heal her. We read, “Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”” (Matthew 15:24-25). Through Jesus’ ministry, the word “Lord” became much more than a word of respect, building until those words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God! … ” (John 20:28). There came that time when the Lordship of Jesus took on a divine meaning.

In Peter’s Act 2 sermon, we read, “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:36). In this verse Peter associated Jesus as being the Lord in an eternal and divine sense, and, importantly for the Jews, that He was the Messiah they had been waiting centuries for.

So when Peter said that Jesus is Lord he was also saying that Jesus is God. And His Lordship wasn’t just retained for the benefit of the Jews. To the Gentile Cornelius and his family Pater said, “This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). Paul went further in his Roman letter, “Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”” (Romans 10:12-13). So we have gone a full circle, from Jesus being the second Person of the Trinity, leaving Heaven to become a human baby conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, His becoming a rabbi and respected with the term “Lord”, to finally be recognised as Lord God after His ascension, and bestowed with the ultimate title of Lord of lords, as written in Revelation 17:14, “Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all Lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him”. ‭

For us pilgrims there is an eternal significance to our relationship with the Lord. Jesus said it to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. Paul summed this up in Romans 10:9, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved“. So, we have a challenge. Those three words, “Jesus is Lord”, are not just to be recited. They have to be worked out in our lives, and we have to bring every thought, every deed, under the Lordship of Jesus. We commit ourselves to obey Him. We mustn’t forget that one day everyone will have to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. As I write this today, the UK Westminster Parliament has completed a momentous week, passing laws that will decriminalise abortion, and will also allow people to commit state-sponsored suicide. The lawmakers who voted in this way will one day have to kneel before Jesus to explain themselves. A terrible thought because there is only one answer to the unrepentant sinner, and that is “guilty” with an eternal punishment following. And the Bible says that in the process they will have to declare that “Jesus is Lord”, calling out His name. Will they find themselves doing that for all eternity? We don’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.

We pilgrims remember those verses at the end of Hebrews 12, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire“. That’s what we must do, on our knees and calling upon the Name that is above all names, Jesus Himself.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, so freely given in this season of favour. We worship You today, and every day. Amen.

The Sanctified Ones

Posted on 24th Jul 202521st Jun 2025 by korgrocker

Paul wrote that the believers in Corinth were chosen and called by God for a specific purpose – they are to be His holy people. Paul went on to write how this was going to happen, “He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus” and, this is the good bit, “just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours”. So Paul wrote that all believers everywhere are “God’s holy people“, and that includes us pilgrims, nearly two thousand years after Paul put pen to paper (actually, he probably dictated his letter to his “brother Sosthenes” who theologians think was his scribe, or at least had some part in crafting the letter).

So what does it mean to be one of God’s own holy people? In some translations, we read the letter was addressed to those, “sanctified in Christ Jesus”, using a word with a special meaning for Christians – to be sanctified is to be set apart for God. This happens when someone becomes born again, that point when they become a believer and follower of Jesus. In His High priestly prayer, Jesus said about His disciples, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:16-17). There is only one Source of absolute truth, God Himself, so it is only He with the authority to make anything holy. But being sanctified is not just a New Testament experience. The Israelites were also commanded to be such in Leviticus 20:7-8, “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you“. The Jews were a people set apart for God, and it is remarkable that through millennia, God’s people still exists intact as a distinct nation. The Bible sets out a number of things set apart, or “sanctified” for God’s purposes, not just His people. We read about the items used during the sacrifices in the Temple, for example. But in this world, there is a distinction between worldliness and Godliness, and this is something we pilgrims work hard to honour. We must remember who our Father in Heaven is and be clear about what that means. “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11). There is something precious and very important about being in God’s family and with Jesus as our older brother.

Another outworking of being sanctified involves our physical bodies. I regularly see people, mainly younger ones, looking after the physical fitness of their bodies, as they jog and run around our parks and streets. Others frequent the gyms that seem to have sprung up everywhere, that offer a variety of pieces of equipment, all designed to develop and strengthen our muscles. Nothing wrong with any of that, but sadly people also use their bodies for things that are not quite so honouring to God. Paul warned the Corinthian church about the importance of their bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body“. These verses are the conclusion to a passage referring to the practice, rife in Corinth at that time, of people using the services of prostitutes. But it is not just the physical act of prostitution that is wrong but also any practices that head in that direction, such as the use of pornography. We are set apart from the world and all its temptations and practices, as a holy people, saved and sanctified in accordance with God’s will.

“God invites us sinners to come to Him “just as we are” and receive His mercy and forgiveness. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit begins His amazing work of transforming us into the image and likeness of Christ. To be sanctified means that God loves us too much to let us stay the same” (quote from gotquestions.org). It is a serious business being a believer and follower of Christ. Peter wrote, ” … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy”” (1 Peter 2:9-10). As God’s people we have attained royal status and that has responsibilities. We don’t live in the way that we used to. The stark contrast between the two kingdoms is clearly set out by Paul in Ephesians 4:21-24, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”. The good news is that the Holy Spirit, working within us, undertakes the process of cleaning up our lives and sanctifying us, but we have to co-operate with Him. He works through those gentle whispers, those pricks from our consciences, those verses we read in His Word, all the while helping us to see that what we might be doing is sinful, and not appropriate behaviour for someone who is a child of God. Thankfully, God in His mercy, doesn’t set out a detailed list of rules and regulations that we have to follow all from day one. It takes a lifetime, and more, to become holy as God wants us to be. His grace prevails every day.

So we pilgrims stay close to God and His thoughts and ways. Paul wrote, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Retraining our minds to only think thoughts that are sanctified is a challenge, but it is a challenge we much accept. In our own strength we don’t have a hope, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we cannot fail.

Dear Father God. You are the amazing God who graciously and lovingly helps us through our perilous days on this planet and in this life. It is help that we need but through Jesus we have all we need. Thank You. Amen.

Called By God

Posted on 23rd Jul 202521st Jun 2025 by korgrocker

Yesterday we considered Paul’s assertion that we have been “chosen by the will of God”. Today we look at Paul’s next statement, presented as fact, that those in the Corinthian church had been “called by God”. In other translations, this epistles starts with ” … Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, …”, indicating that being called and being chosen are much the same. However, being “chosen” doesn’t somehow have the same active meaning as being “called”. Back in my school days we sometimes used to assemble at lunch times for a game of football. Two captains were chosen and they in turn selected their teams, calling out the best footballers. Sadly, I was rubbish at football so was always the last choice but once chosen the teams battled out their game, being called to play football. We talk about being “called” into a profession, like nursing. Or being “called” to be a missionary or minister. The implication is that in the job scene, being “called” is being chosen to work in a profession that is perhaps shunned by others because it is too difficult, messy or just doesn’t fit with personalities or characters. Take being a pastor for example. A person may be a believer, but the thought of having to shepherd people perhaps just doesn’t appeal to that person because they just aren’t a people person, and instead prefer to administer or teach. Paul was called to be an Apostle, implying that having been chosen he now had to live a life represented and dominated by working out his calling.

We look at the “calling” of James, John and Peter, to see how they became Jesus’ disciples. In Luke 5:10-11 we read, “His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus“. At Jesus’ suggestion, the soon-to-be disciples had just had a miraculous catch of fish, convincing them that they had to follow the Master. A bit further down in Luke 5 we read about the calling of Levi (Matthew), “Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him” (Luke 5:27-28). The first four disciples were chosen into a calling following Jesus for three and a half turbulent years, years that, with the other disciples, established their later role as the early church fathers.

What is our call as believers in God? We know that we were chosen “before the foundation of the world”, but we are also called to be someone. In Ephesians 4:1 we read, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God”. All believers, pilgrims everywhere, have a calling, and in Ephesians 4 Paul continues, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace”(Ephesians 4:2-3).‭‭ The life of a Christian is a calling, but it is more than a job of work, it is a lifestyle that will continue for all eternity. In another epistle, Paul wrote, “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9). So our calling involves living a life of holiness. That may conjure up in our minds pictures of monks or nuns dressed in their habits, but that would be incorrect. Today’s believers are facing into seemingly insurmountable challenges as we are bombarded with the products of this evil and wicked world, deflecting us away from the calling to be holy. Being chosen leads to being called to do and be someone.

1 Peter 2:9 reads, ” … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. Consider this, there we were as unbelievers, bumbling along in our sinful lives in an evil and dark world until we somehow heard a voice calling us. It may not have been an audible voice from Heaven, but through a series of contacts, conversations and situations we found ourselves looking at a wonderful world as a believer. The calls continued and one day we transitioned into God’s world of light. God’s goodness indeed. And Peter reminds us that our calling is to “show others the goodness of God”.

So are we pilgrims working out our calling as believers in Jesus? I suspect we all are, possibly at different rates, or in different ways, but with an active faith like we have what else could we be doing? But that is not to encourage complacency, because we know that the heart is deceitful above all else (Jeremiah 17:9). Day by day we come before God in our prayer times, as we study His Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the times ahead.

Dear Father God. There was that day when we heard Your voice calling us and we responded at the foot of Jesus’ cross as we confessed and repented of our sins. We thank You for Your grace and mercy and Your love that never fails us. Amen.

Chosen By God

Posted on 22nd Jul 202519th Jun 2025 by korgrocker

We’re going to take a break from the Psalms for now and spend some time in the Corinthian letters, which Paul wrote in the middle of the First Century AD. A few years earlier Paul had established the church in Corinth, and while away in other places, probably including Ephesus, he wrote the first epistle, followed by the second, three or four years later.

The authorship of the Corinthian epistle was clear, because the letter starts with the name of the author. Paul established the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey, as we read in Acts 18. Paul tried to convince the Jews there about Jesus, but eventually gave up – Acts 18:6, “But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles””. Paul therefore started the church in the home of a man called Titius Justus, who lived next door to the synagogue. It seemed to be quite a successful church plant with even the leader of the synagogue becoming a believer. Reading further, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God” (Acts 18:9-11). ‭‭

Paul started his first letter by reminding the Corinthians about his credentials, “chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus”. Paul was different from the other early Apostles because he met the risen Jesus on the Damascus Road, on his way to arrest some early believers. We can read the account of how that happened in Acts 9, with the commissioning of Paul recorded in Acts 9:15-16 through a believer called Ananias. “But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake””. A clear endorsement of Paul’s apostleship and he did indeed suffer much as he travelled around the Middle East on his missionary journeys. But what choice did Paul have, after such a dramatic encounter and conversion? Paul would never be the same again and all that zeal directed and focused on doing the early believers harm was now to be re-focused on spreading the Gospel. Paul was an extraordinary man, and very worthy of the title “Apostle”.

Paul was chosen “by the will of God”. But in a sense that also applies to all believers. In Ephesians 1:4-5, Paul wrote, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure”. Jesus said to His disciples, and by extension to us as well, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name” (John 15:16). In our arrogance, sometimes, we claim that we “saw the light” and chose to become a believer, but God knew otherwise, as we saw from Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:4. Romans 5:6, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners“. Jesus didn’t have to do that. Perhaps we think sometimes that surely God must have had a Plan B for reconciling man to Himself, less demanding and dramatic, but God knew best, as always, and His Plan A was a demonstration of love so profound that it caught the devil on the hop and defeated him once and for all. But most importantly God provides an opportunity today for people to respond to Him, with grateful hearts in this season of grace, and discover His love for them, as they embrace Jesus’ sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins.

Regarding us pilgrims, Peter in his first epistle wrote, “ … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). We pilgrims are royalty, chosen by God. What a wonderful place to be. God loved the world, and Jesus died as the outworking of that love. We pilgrims now have the opportunity to tell people about what happened two thousand years ago, and we take note of the sermon preached by Peter in Acts 2. At the end we read the corollary, “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40). Peter didn’t try and convince his audience that God loved them, asking them to respond to that love. Instead he warned them of the consequences of refusing to believe in Jesus and in the process living a life the same as the sinful people around them. God has put before all human beings an open door with a sign hanging on it inviting everyone to step inside. Inside they will find the road to eternal life and a personal experience of God’s love, the consequence of being chosen by God.

Dear Lord God. We know that You choose us and love us, Your children, and we are so very grateful. But many around us are totally unaware of what lies before them beyond the grave. Please lead us to people with open hearts, people willing to stop, listen, and take note that this season of Your grace won’t last forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wait Patiently

Posted on 21st Jul 202517th Jun 2025 by korgrocker

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:13-14 NLT

We will have a last look at Psalm 27 before we move on. In the last verse of this Psalm, David advised the singers and readers to “wait patiently”. God’s timing is not always as we would wish but it is always perfect, so David included with “patience” the necessity to “be brave and courageous”. There are many times in life when we believers have to be so.

There is always a tendency to get ahead of the Lord. King Saul and his men were facing into a Philistine army of impressive proportions. Many of the Israelite soldiers were running away. We pick up the story in 1 Samuel 13:6-7, “The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear“. Samuel was going to join Saul at Gilgal, to offer the usual sacrifices, but Saul failed to “wait patiently” and took it upon himself to sacrifice the burnt offering, a sin of huge implications because that was a priest’s responsibility. But, “Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him” (1 Samuel 13:10). Saul made loads of excuses for making the sacrifice instead of Samuel, but had to suffer the consequences of his impetuous behaviour, ““How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command”” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

In another Psalm, David wrote, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7). Certainly David had to wait many years between his anointing as king-elect and his coronation as King, a time involving a lot of patience, but also a need to be “brave and courageous”, as Saul attempted to have him killed. There is a poignant start to Psalm 40, which reads, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord”(Psalm 40:1-3). David certainly knew all about the virtue of being patient in his life. There was a time in David’s pre-king days when he was in the wilderness accompanied by a small army of men who had defected from a life under King Saul. He was living in a city called Ziklag but while he and his men were away, the Amalekites attacked his city and destroyed it, taking all of value away with them, including the women and children. But instead of rushing off after the raiders, we find that he waited even though the situation was difficult. 1 Samuel 30:6, “David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God“. Before he took any further action David asked the Lord about what he should do, and by waiting until he had a green light he succeeded in recovering all the wives, children and property that had been stolen. A fascinating story that started with a conversation between David and his Lord.

Patience is one of the examples of the fruit of the Spirit, as Paul wrote in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Nine flavours of a fruit that grows within us as we journey through life. Patience develops in believers as they learn to trust the Lord in their daily lives. They don’t rush on impetuously, or respond without thinking, because they learn, often the hard way, to stop and think and wait. And that involves patience. The writer to the Hebrews followed the great chapter about faith with this, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Other translations use the words perseverance and endurance instead of patience, all building a picture of waiting and seeking the Lord before making any significant decisions, no matter how big or small. James started his epistle with, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow“. We pilgrims believe in the Lord who supplies all that we need, when we need it. In life there are many adverse situations that develop around us, but we wait patiently for the Lord to act in them, obediently deciding against choosing a wrong path.

How do we learn the patience we need? Through prayer and power. Colossians 1:11, “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. …”. James wrote to the believers “scattered abroad”, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near” (James 5:7-8). And that, in the end, is why we’re patient. In the context of eternity our natural lives are but a moment; surely we can learn patience just for such a brief time. Can’t we?

Dear Lord Jesus, we pray for more power and patience in our lives, as we look forward to Your return to this planet. There will be many situations to be patient though in our lives, but we know that You will help us in each one of them. Thank You. Amen.

The Land of the Living

Posted on 20th Jul 202520th Jul 2025 by korgrocker

How confident are we pilgrims about seeing God’s goodness? David expressed a confidence that he would see the Lord’s goodness in his natural life, “the land of the living”. Promises were declared over David, not the least being that day when he was anointed as the future king of Israel in front of his father and his brothers. But he spent many years being chased by Saul, in fear of his life, forced to live as an outcast in places where he would rather not be. Did he find the Lord’s goodness in those difficult years? Looking again at verse 13 in our text today, David said “I will”, implying that the Lord’s goodness was to come at some time in the future, while he was still alive and well. So perhaps his glimpse of the future came at a time when he was under attack from his enemies and feeling pretty desperate and depressed about what was happening to him. David was confident, though, that whatever his circumstances, God would come through for him before he died.

Back to our question though. What about us pilgrims and our confidence in God? In our natural lives there is much that we are confident in. It could be simple things, so small as to be almost laughable, like making a cup of tea, or taking a shower. Perhaps we are confident enough to do a weekly shop or sign up for a package holiday to warmer places. But these are all things that human beings do in the 21st Century, and they are unremarkable in their scope. But confidence in God? What does that look like? As believers we have a relationship with the Lord, and day by day we live our lives His way, receiving encouragement through prayer and reading the Bible. We mix with God’s people and fellowship with them, all the while sharing our experiences about our journeys through life. Do we share David’s confidence in the Lord’s goodness, applied to both our natural and spiritual lives?

Being confident in God however, has some caveats. We have to work at it because it involves faith instead of our human efforts. Philippians 3:3, “For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort”. Because Jesus died for us at Calvary, in propitiation for our sins, we are confident of what will come. Early in His ministry, Jesus said why He had left the comforts of Heaven and had come to Planet Earth as a human being. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And by faith we pilgrims believe that one day we will pass from this life into life everlasting, at last in the presence of the Lord. Our bodies may die, but our souls will live forever, demonstrating God’s goodness to His children, believers everywhere.

But what about experiencing God’s goodness in this life? That involves faith as well, with an expectation and hope that God will do us good. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. That verse wasn’t directed at a future life after death, but instead to a people who were in distress, a people exiled to Babylon. If we pilgrims look back on our lives, can we see times and occasions when God’s goodness was manifested, and not just in times of distress? I can. Many times. And I’m sure many of those who are reading this can say the same. Yes, some will disregard God’s goodness by claiming a coincidence or some other reason for something good happening to them. But in faith we know otherwise.

David experienced God’s goodness at other times in his life, and Psalm 16:5-6 reads, “Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” Our lives too can form a psalm of similar sentiments, as we reveal how the Lord has blessed us. The trouble is that we get familiar with what we have or have been given, and forget that it is often God who has blessed us. God brought me together with a wonderful woman who has been my wife for many years. He blessed me with two wonderful children. Such things as these are examples of God’s goodness. And that is just a start.

Of course, bad things can happen to good people because we live in a world riddled by sin, evil and wickedness. So we pilgrims will get sick from time to time. We may be involved in an accident of some kind. A loved one may be in distress, sickness or even death. In other parts of the world, believers are being persecuted for their faith. But in it all we are confident that God’s goodness will prevail. Why? Because He loves us. A couple of verses from Paul, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Paul wasn’t just confident in God when he wrote this. He was convinced. An ultimate confidence. But we can’t leave this assurance of God’s goodness without reading the last verse of Psalm 23, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever“. David wrote that God’s goodness has pursued him all his days. Not just followed him, but God in His love pursued him and if we stop to think for a moment, that is our faith experience as well. Can we feel His goodness just behind us this morning? Well, it’s there – reach out for it and enjoy it. We won’t be disappointed.

Dear Lord, You have been so good to us and continue to show us favour and mercy in this season of grace. You love us and we respond in expressing our love for You. We worship and thank You today and every day while we have breath. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Teach Me Lord”

Posted on 19th Jul 202516th Jun 2025 by korgrocker

“Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence.”
Psalm 27:11-12 NLT

David is back worrying about his enemies again. But he has made a strange association between the Lord’s teaching and relief from attack. He wants the Lord to lead him along the “right paths” and we can see why. To avoid being the brunt of verbal attacks, false accusations and violent assaults, he needs to weave a path that avoids political intrigue, contact with the wrong people and unwise decision-making. Proverbs 3:5-6 is highlighted in my Bible, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take“. Verse 5 emphasises the tendency that human beings have to “do whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The writer of the Proverbs was also aware of this – Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death“. Even we pilgrims make bad decisions or take the wrong paths some times, but at least David knew his weakness and was aware of where true wisdom could be found. Do we also? But did David follow that advice? Do we, come to that? David was always praying for guidance, almost as a routine. For example Psalm 25:4-5, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you“.

One way that we can avoid taking the wrong path can be found in another Proverb, 11:5, “The righteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness“. What is the source of this righteousness? The only true and dependable source is God Himself. Only He can see the end from the beginning, and we can only gain His insight by living a life where we can hear Him. But even that is not enough. Paul wrote, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through Jesus we find the righteousness we need to keep our paths straight and smooth. We also have to be obedient to what He says. We used to sing a chorus in Sunday School, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way”. But the first verse of the hymn shows the insight of its Victorian composer, John Sammis,
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
The phrase, “The light of His Word” nails it. The place where we will find insight to God’s righteousness and direction is found in His teaching from the Bible. When we read it we do indeed find the Light, because regardless of when and where we live, there will always be some wisdom that will apply. The Bible is a complete manual of how to live life God’s way, and when we do that we will find the teaching and wisdom we need to take the “right paths”.

A difficult position though is found when we are the focus of false accusations, as David seemed to be. People in certain professions are particularly vulnerable, foster parents, teachers, social workers, policemen and women, in fact anyone who is in regular contact with children or vulnerable adults. We live in an evil and wicked world and being able to navigate through life unscathed is rare. We need to constantly pray for protection and wisdom from the Righteous One. And if we find ourselves ensnared, as David was at times, we continue to trust in the Lord. We may find ourselves in the middle of a minefield but God knows the path to safety.

The Lord is the best Teacher because He knows exactly the course that we need. He sees right into our hearts and His course of teaching is custom made just for each one of us. His precepts and commandments will keep us on the straight and narrow path, and His presence will lead and guide us. His teaching will not be a three-year university course because it will take a lifetime for it to be completed. But He will never refuse the plea from one of His children – “Teach me Lord”. The challenge for all believers is will they will stay the course.

Dear Father God. Your are the Mighty Teacher, the Saviour of mankind. We praise You today. Amen.

Rejection

Posted on 18th Jul 202514th Jun 2025 by korgrocker

“Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Saviour. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”
Psalm 27:9-10 NIVUK

Being rejected is a terrible thing to happen to a person, especially if the rejection comes from loved ones such as one’s parents. David asked the Lord not to hide His face from him. The NLT’s version reads, “Do not turn Your back on me”, but the Bible translations all provide a record of an appeal from David against his perception that he was being rejected. As we read on, David sets an order of priorities, with the acceptance by the Lord being even more important than acceptance by his parents. But why would the Lord turn David “away in anger”? Perhaps David was having a wobbly moment, when he wondered about his status in God. He knew he was a sinner. He knew that he was imperfect and prone to do things that would displease the Lord. Things that might have been so bad that he feared the Lord would be angry with him. But in spite of his status as King of Israel he came before God as a servant, reminding Him that in the past He has been his Helper.

It is a fact today, as it has always been when human beings have been around, that God gets angry with His created peoples. This is not because He is a petulant Being, taking the huff when rejected. God is omnipotent of course, and not reliant on human behaviour. God is perfection, in terms of love, grace, holiness, righteousness, justice, and so on, and He will become angry with anything that violates His character. In Isaiah 55:8-9 we read, ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts”“. Paul wrote about why God could get angry. Romans 1:18, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness”. We therefore get an insight into what David was so concerned about. Perhaps he had done something that was so bad that he feared that God was angry with him. Of course, we know about the affair with Bathsheba, where David broke three commandments at the same time. Did that make God angry with him? As Isaiah wrote, it is difficult for human beings to understand what God is thinking about them, and that made David rather anxious and fearful about God’s response to him. So he did the only thing he knew how – he came to the Lord with a servant heart. After Bathsheba David wrote another Psalm, which starts, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins” (Psalm 51:1). David prayed for God not to ” … banish [him] from [His] presence …” (Psalm 51:11), for forgiveness (verse 14) and for restoration (verse 12). But the focus in this Psalm was in the way David came before the Lord – Psalm 51:16-17, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise“.

In the Old Testament days, time and again the Jews rebelled against God and He became angry with them. They were warned, as we read in Deuteronomy 11:16-17, “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods. If you do, the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the Lord is giving you“. We know what happened to the Jews, with punishments such as being exiled and there were others, individually and for the nation as a whole. In those days, the human propensity to commit sin and rebel against God prevailed. But God was merciful to them and His love always prevailed.

Fast forward to the New Testament and we read in John the Baptist’s introduction to Jesus about yet another example of God’s love, this time through His Son, Jesus. “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). A stark choice for humanity, and we see the love that Jesus had for mankind manifested in human form as He walked the paths of this world. As I have written many times before, we live in a season of grace, where God is holding back the consequences of His anger with evil and wickedness until the time comes to proclaim judgement. John 3:16 is a verse that seals the fate of unbelievers everywhere and at anytime across the ages because it determines which path a person takes after death.

David knew in his spirit that God’s anger would be a terrible thing to face into, and he feared God’s rejection above all else. He needed God in his life above all else and he prayed that God would not leave him, forsake him or reject him. And at the end of Psalm 27:10 he received the assurance he was looking for – “the Lord will receive me”. What a relief! Blessed assurance! Are we pilgrims unsure about God’s feelings for us? We needn’t worry at all because of Jesus. Paul wrote, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1-2). And in Romans 8:10, “And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God”. God hasn’t rejected us. In fact He provided a way back to Him through Jesus, regardless of how far we have fallen into sin. What a wonderful and loving God we serve.

Dear Heavenly Father. We know You are always there and You never reject us. Please forgive us for the times when we have rejected You, and we pray that You “renew a right spirit” with us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Come and Talk

Posted on 17th Jul 202514th Jun 2025 by korgrocker

“Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.””
Psalm 27:7-8 NLT

Have we ever heard God talk to us in the way that David claimed? A clear question from a voice within, that seems to be outside of ourselves somehow? David was praying for mercy and he asked the Lord to hear his prayers, and give him an answer. And he then experienced that voice within “Come and talk with me”. Other translations say, “seek My face”, perhaps alternative words that are not quite so clear, but still an invitation into the presence of God.

God is always available to communicate with His children but, if we’re honest, we are not always quite so keen. “I’m busy” is a common excuse. Our work-a day lives seem to have little room for a response to God’s invitation. How do we focus on driving or working or anything else we’re doing, and at the same time have a conversation with God? God understands all of that of course, but there is a way to live a balanced life. We start the day focused on God, in our “Quiet Times”, when we pray and read His Word. We bring into His presence our supplications and intercessions. We praise and worship Him, with prayers of thanksgiving. We confess our sins. And we ask God to lead and guide us in the day ahead. We season our prayers with the Heavenly language God has provided, aware of Romans 8:26-27, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will“. Paul also wrote, “Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). During our day we pause on occasion, just popping up a quick prayer, involving God in our day to get His perspective on something we’re facing.

Sadly, there are many people in our societies who believe there is a God, but who don’t have a relationship with Him. He has little relevance to them and they blunder on through their lives, making one wrong choice or decision after another. They walk past churches and wayside pulpits without noticing them. They see a bus advert “Try Praying” but wonder what all that is about. They take His name in vain not really understanding what they are saying. Then in a moment of sheer panic and distress – perhaps in a car accident, or after a loved one suddenly dies – they call out to God. He hears them of course, but can they hear Him when He answers? And in the silent distress subsequently experienced they once again reject the God who saves, embittered because they feel so alone. Sadly for them, it takes practice and faith to hear God, that “still, small voice”, that comes from within.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). There’s that invitation again, “Come”. Without the “coming” there can be no rest. To the believers in Laodicea Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20). A tragedy that Jesus had to ask that question of those who claim they knew Him, but before we disassociate ourselves from this scenario, denying that we would be like them, we must ask ourselves if we too have closed the door in His face? Perhaps not all the time of course, but how often do we exclude Jesus from the decisions and plans we make?

Jeremiah wrote, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Familiar verses but note the association between seeking God in prayer and His answers. Yes, God can do what we ask or need even if we don’t bring the request to Him in prayer – that’s His love and grace covering over our weaknesses. But far better to have that faith-building conversation with the Lord.

We too today echo David’s response to the Lord’s invitation. Yes Lord, our hearts respond with a personal “I am coming”. Today in Your presence we call upon Your name, and bring to You all that is within our hearts, good and bad. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Do we feel a lack of peace today? Then we must get on our knees and talk to God. He’s ready and waiting to listen to our prayers and he will answer us. Always.

Dear Father God. Please forgive us for our waywardness, our laziness and our selfish ways. We confess and repent today and thank You for Your grace and love. And we pray for Your peace to flow around us today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.