Embracing Sorrow: The Path to Spiritual Growth

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death”.
2 Corinthians 7:8-10 NLT

Paul’s first letter must have had quite an impact on the Corinthian believers. Paul considered it to be “severe”, and the feedback he received indicated that they were hurt by it. I wonder how we would have reacted, had we been there in the congregation. But Paul was quite right in pointing out some of the issues that they were experiencing. There was the man sleeping with his stepmother, a blatant issue that apparently everyone knew about, and, worse, they boasted about it. There were divisions in the church, as people claimed allegiance, each to their preacher. They quarrelled with each other. They considered themselves superior to those in the society around them. There was a situation where one Christian took another to a secular court to decide a difference between them. Then they seemed confused about what to do with food that had been sacrificed to idols. Some were happy to eat it, but others said they shouldn’t. The list goes on, but we shouldn’t be too surprised. This was a cutting-edge church established by Paul in a hostile society, trailblazing in living the new life in Christ. It was important that the Corinthians experienced all the issues that they did, because as a result of Paul’s letters, they have helped countless believers ever since. 

Paul’s first letter caused them pain, but that was a good thing because it led to repentance and a change in their ways. But that’s the thing about sin. It creeps up on people, and before they know it, problems arise. The case of the man and his stepmother probably began with a genuine display of Christian love, both by the couple and by the believers who knew them. One thing led to another, and before long, a sinful relationship had resulted. I like to think that as a result of Paul’s letter, the situation was resolved redemptively, with both parties being restored to a right relationship with Jesus. I also like to think that as a result of Paul’s letter, the believers saw the impact their divisions were having on their spiritual lives, and decided to resolve the situation with loving reconciliation. A hard-hitting letter from Paul resulted in restoration and resolution. 

What about us pilgrims? Have we in some way allowed sin into our lives and suffered spiritually as a result? The problem is that we are good at keeping our behaviour hidden. Take, for example, the issue of men privately watching things on the internet that they shouldn’t be watching or getting involved with prostitutes. A sin that very soon destroys their spiritual lives. Most of the time, only those in public ministry get found out, as we know from an example from the 1980’s. But most continue to do things in secret that no one ever discovers. In such situations, the Holy Spirit brings conviction of the sin taking place. God, in His grace, engineers a series of situations that bring the sinner face to face with his sin. One way is through discipline. Hebrews 12:5-6, 11,  “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. … No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterwards there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way”. We thank God that He loves us too much to leave us in a life of sin. Painful correction is transitory, but it is necessary to keep upon the right path to glory.

“I have sinned against the Lord”

At other times, the Holy Spirit will give a word personally or publicly to bring about a change in behaviour. Perhaps God will give a prophetic word to one of His servants, and they deliver it to the person involved in sin. In 2 Samuel 12 we read about the prophet Nathan telling King David about two men, one rich and the other poor. The rich man owned many sheep, but the poor man owned only one. It was a lamb hand-reared by him and his family, and much loved by them, but one day the rich man took the poor man’s sheep to feed his guests. David was outraged that such a thing had happened and said so, but then Nathan delivered the bombshell. We read in 2 Samuel 12:7-9, “Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife”. Nathan took his own life in his hands when he delivered his prophecy because such a forthright confrontation usually didn’t end well for the prophet. But we read in verse 13, “Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin”. I’m sure we have all read David’s prayer of contrition, Psalm 51. It starts, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins”. In verses 10 and 11 we read, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me”. David restored. Sin confessed. But as we read the rest of David’s life, we find that there were still consequences.

We hope as believers that we are never confronted in such a way when we fall into sin. Come to that, we hope we never reach such a sinful stage in our walk of faith. But always at the back of our minds must be the thoughts that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us too much to allow us to live a life of deceit and sin. If we turn a deaf ear to our consciences, God will take more direct action to grab our attention and, consequently, save our souls. He loves us too much to leave us.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your love and care. We, like lost sheep, have a tendency to go astray. Please help us to live our lives Your way and no other way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Clear Conscience

Posted on by korgrocker

“We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12-14 NLT

Can we say, as Paul did, that our consciences are clear? He wrote he had “lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all [his] dealings”. Quite a claim and one that confirmed God’s grace and his confidence in God, in everything that he did. I read something the other day: “no matter how often we sin, God will forgive us through the blood of His Son, Jesus”. But believing this is a subtle way of behaving in the same way as the Romans, and Paul berated them for assuming that they could continue to live a sinful life, as we read in Romans 6:1-2; “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” The writer of the Hebrews letter put things even more forcefully in Hebrews 10:26-27, “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies”. 

But was Paul’s claim just focused on his dealings with the Corinthians? When we read his first letter to them, Paul was certainly very confrontational at times, and it may have been that some in Corinth were challenging or disputing his credentials and behaviour as an Apostle. In that context, Paul claimed that his conscience was clear because of his integrity, honesty, holiness, and sincerity. But as we pause for a moment, fast-forwarding to today, is such a claim present when we deal with other people? Do we tell lies to save our skins, or do we tell the truth and face the consequences? In our societies today, integrity and honesty are qualities of character not often seen in our political leaders, our bosses at work, or, sadly, sometimes even in our churches. Or even more sadly, in our own lives.

Paul mentioned that he had put aside human wisdom, replacing it with God’s grace. There is a principle here that every Christian would do well to follow. How often is it that we launch into a course of action, something that seems right to us, and before we know it, we are having to dig ourselves out of a hole in a way that violates our integrity and honesty? It is far better to wait and seek God in these situations, as doing so will help us avoid unintended consequences.  This is nothing new: Proverbs 14:12, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death”.   People can easily deceive themselves into believing something is right, even if it contradicts God’s will or leads to negative consequences. The problem is that something that starts with human-centred wisdom, which can seem appealing at the time, ultimately violates God’s divine perspective. 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart“

So how can we ensure that we pilgrims live with a clear conscience? A “clear conscience” isn’t about being perfect; it’s about living honestly before God and others, staying aligned with what we know to be right, and dealing promptly with anything that disrupts that alignment. We do this by taking time to reflect on our thoughts, actions, and motives. Our goal isn’t to look for guilty feelings but to be honestly aware of our thoughts and actions. Perhaps we could use moments of quiet prayer to ask if we have ignored something that we know we should have done. Or in our interactions with others, have we acted in love, or have we wronged anyone? If our consciences are pricking us, then we can bring the issue to God. Confession isn’t about informing God—He already knows—but about aligning oneself with truth. Repentance means turning away from what we have done wrong and turning toward what is right. The Psalmist David wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24).

” Christ … is at the right hand of God and is … interceding for us“

To ensure that we have a “clear conscience” there are other things that we must do, such as putting things right with those we have wronged. We must stay close to God in prayer and by reading His Word, the Bible. In faith, we believe that the Holy Spirit guides believers, nudging them away from harmful choices, and strengthening them to do what’s right. A clear conscience grows from staying attentive to that inner prompting. Lastly we must avoid being too hard on ourselves. Many people are walking aroud with a sort of false guilt, still feeling guilty about things that were confessed to God and forgiven some time ago. In times of attack we also remember what Paul wrote in Romans 8:34, “Who then is the one who condemns? No-one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. We pilgrims are children of a wonderful loving Heavenly Father, who is for us not against us.

Dear Heavenly Father. We love You and worship You today. We thank You that You forgive us for our wickedness and will never again remember our sins. Thank You Amen.

“Superior Knowledge”

Posted on by korgrocker

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling-block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.”
1 Corinthians 8:9-13 NLT

There was a significant problem in Corinth, as idol worship was deeply ingrained in every aspect of their society. No one could go anywhere or do anything without bumping into something to do with an idol. According to the historians, a temple might be no more than a large room which doubled up as a meeting place or social venue, so those early believers somehow had to reconcile meetings that took place in these centres of idol worship with their Christian beliefs. Inevitably, some believers still retained some vestiges of idol worship, not being fully and irrevocably convinced that the idols and “gods” concerned were just useless and dead lumps of stone. They knew that there was only one real God, but on the other hand, there were little niggles in their minds. These were therefore the Christians with weaker consciences. But some of their fellow believers had settled the matter in their own minds and had a strong faith in God to the extent that they were pretty happy to join in the meals with the idol worshippers. These were the ones with what Paul called “superior knowledge”, which had set them free from the shackles of idol worship. Presumably, they sat down at one of these meals, giving thanks to God for the food and drink, and proceeded to enjoy a good feed without thinking about the idol in whose name it was being held.. 

Paul’s instruction to the firm believers was to back off and remember the weaker believers with sensitive consciences that would have been terminally offended by the actions of their stronger brethren. Paul has agreed that idol food, in and of itself, is not evil, just as the false gods are not real. He does not disagree with the Corinthians with “superior knowledge”, but he does disagree with the application of their knowledge, because of its effect on their weaker brethren. 

In Matthew 18, Jesus was asked who the greatest is in the Kingdom of Heaven. In reply, He called a child to join Him, and there in the middle of His group of disciples, “ … He said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). But Jesus didn’t leave it there. We read in the next verse, “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”. We must pause at this point and reflect on who a small child is and how they behave and think. The one thing that strikes me, after many years of fostering, is the innocence of these children and how easily it can be corrupted by those in authority, particularly their parents. My wife and I have been deeply saddened by children whose innocence has been taken away or violated, leaving them damaged, with a life skewed and even destroyed by the actions of those entrusted to bring them up. Of course, we did our best to repair what we could, but in those early years, a small life is formed and developed into either something good and fully equipped to face their life ahead, or corrupted with a future damaged almost beyond hope. Jesus warned those who failed one of the little ones in Matthew 18:6-7, “If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung round their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” 

We must remember that a new believer has just been born, born again, and that therefore puts them in the same position as the little child standing amongst Jesus’ disciples. The more mature believers around the “little children” in our churches and fellowships have a responsibility to be careful not to do anything that would make them stumble and even fall. We pilgrims may have strong consciences that will carry us through worldly situations, but if a new believer happens to see what we are doing, it might even, in extreme circumstances, cause them to leave the faith. Jesus said in Matthew 18:10, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven”. In one church I attended, the leadership decided that they would refrain from drinking any alcoholic beverages because of an alcohol-related sensitivity amongst some in the congregation. That was an application of exactly what Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to consider.

But we pilgrims, with our faith and sensitivity to the ways of God, know all of this, and we pray for the new believers amongst us, as we help them in their early years, discipling them when we have the opportunity, and all the while being careful in how we behave. And we must always be aware that it is not only the new believers who are watching us. There are those in the world around us who observe the behaviour of Christians and who are quick to condemn if they find an opportunity.

Father God. A sobering message today, but one in which Your desires for Your children come to the fore. We pray for our fellow believers and ourselves as well, that Your Spirit within us will lead and guide us in Your ways. Please help us to guard our tongues so that we will never cause anyone to question their faith in You. Please also direct our steps away from anywhere that would lead to places where You don’t want us to go. We praise and worship You today, deeply thankful for Jesus and all He has done for us. Amen.

A Weak Conscience

Posted on by korgrocker

“However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.”
1 Corinthians 8:7-8 NLT

Some actions that Christians take can be perceived as offensive to other believers. These are generally things on the margins that would not be included in a list of essential “dos and don’ts” or would count as behaviour to be frowned upon. So in Victorian times, playing cards and attending dance halls were definitely not pastimes fit for a Christian. And the list of “dodgy” behaviour can be quite a long one, even extending to clothes that are worn or not worn, in some cases. In the office space, the use of bad language and expletives can be ubiquitous. Lumped in with smutty jokes or risqué behaviour, they present a problem for believers, who become shunned and excluded from social gatherings because of their attitude to worldliness. In Corinth, the believers had a problem with food offered to idols because “Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated“. So what is a conscience?

“The conscience is defined as that part of the human psyche that induces mental anguish and feelings of guilt when we violate it and feelings of pleasure and well-being when our actions, thoughts and words are in conformity to our value systems … The conscience reacts when one’s actions, thoughts, and words conform to, or are contrary to, a standard of right and wrong“. (quote from gotquestions.org). We have concluded before that human beings, made in God’s image, must have a built-in moral understanding which we refer to as a conscience, a moral compass that will guide us through this sad world, riddled as it is by evil and wickedness. No surgeon could ever dissect a human being to find such a thing because it is a part of our thinking, and as such, is something intangible. But there is no doubt that a person’s conscience exists, and how we act or think is governed initially by the remarkable fact that we are made in God’s image. So we are wired to have a Godly standard of right and wrong, well, that is, until the devil gets hold of us, and sin creeps in to corrupt and sear the perfection that God intended. Thankfully, through Jesus, our consciences are going through a repairing process, particularly as more and more we “Put on [our] new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24). Two words apply to the spiritual growth of a Christian – salvation and sanctification – both ongoing processes that one day will be completed as we enter God’s presence, and within those processes there are references made to our morals and standards, driven by our redeemed consciences.

So what does all this mean for a Christian? Firstly, we must have a conscience that is aligned with God’s standards. There is no place in God’s Kingdom for a believer with a conscience that is worldly and corrupted. On a number of occasions the Apostle Paul referred to his conscience as being clear, such as in Acts 23:1, “Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!””. Over the page in our Bibles, he said, “Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people” (Acts 24:16). In Romans 2:14-15, Paul addressed the situation of lawless Gentiles. He wrote, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right“. And Paul even referred to his conscience in matters connected to his teaching. Romans 9:1, “With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it“. 

But so far, we have connected our consciences to our own behaviour. This is important, of course, but the issue that Paul was addressing in his Corinthian letter concerned the problem with the consciences of others, and how our behaviour might violate their consciences. So, one Christian in Corinth might have no problem with his conscience when he joins in with a feast with food offered to a particular local god. This is because they have reached a position in their thinking that tells them the “god” is just an idolatrous lump of stone without any life or significance to them. But their next-door neighbour, a new believer, might be appalled that they are doing such a thing because they are still very sensitive to their previous life, where they had devoted much time to the worship of this particular idol. In this specific case, the neighbour has a “weak conscience”. 

I’m sure today we can find similar cases. Consider a hypothetical family where the father was an alcoholic and gave his wife and children a terrible time until his early death. Then one of the children becomes a Christian, but has been so sensitised by the problems caused by alcohol that they will not even drink the alcoholic communion wine. In such a case as this, the “wine” should perhaps be of the non-alcoholic variety, to avoid violating a “weak conscience”. 

A last word from “gotquestions.org”, “As Christians, we are to keep our consciences clear by obeying God and keeping our relationship with Him in good standing. We do this by applying His Word, renewing and softening our hearts continually. We consider those whose consciences are weak, treating them with Christian love and compassion”.

Dear Lord God. We know that as we grow in our faith, You will help us fine-tune our consciences so that they are aligned with Your standards. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Make Every Effort

Posted on by korgrocker

“And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.”
2 Peter 3:14 NLT

Peter starts off this verse with a passive “wait”. As we pilgrims look forward to the new heavens and earth, we wait. I don’t suppose we have any choice, because only God knows the future and will make things happen according to His plans and purposes. But in that we can play our part. The previous verses in 2 Peter 3 implied that we have a role in hurrying along the coming “day of God”. We pray, we share our messages of hope, we praise and worship the coming King. We do all we can and we wait, but Peter came up with another specific requirement. He wrote “make every effort” to do something else – “to be found living …”. We need to get ready for the coming Lord, and in an active way that will impact every remaining moment of our lives. 

Firstly, Peter wrote that we should be found “living peaceful lives”. That has two element to it – living at peace with those around us, but more challenging perhaps, living at peace with ourselves. The first is perhaps one in which we can work at quite easily. We avoid doing anything that will upset anyone else. Paul wrote in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men“. The writer to the Hebrews went a step further, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). It will take effort, but it is achievable. There will of course always be those looking for a fight, but as the Proverb says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare” (Proverbs 15:1). With the Holy Spirit within us, we are empowered to live at peace with those around us. So when we face a difficult situation, we pray for the right response. When someone provokes us, we remain silent. When we have the opportunity to stand up for ourselves, perhaps if wrongly accused, we gently and non-confrontationally, state our case. When Jesus was before Pilate, we read in Matthew 27:12, “But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent“. Jesus also said, “And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said” (Luke 12:11-12). So as far as we are able, we live at peace with those around us.

But, secondly, what about inner peace? There is a worldly route to inner peace and tranquillity, the “gurus” will claim, through meditation, mindfulness, the use of therapists and other strange and, in the end, useless methods. There is only one route to inner peace, peace with ourselves, and that is through Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace. Inner peace is wholeness in mind and spirit, and it includes our consciences. Many people suffer dreadfully from a lack of inner peace because they are full of guilt and their consciences are constantly nagging them, dragging them down. They can become ill with symptoms caused by their mental chaos. So they end up with a psychiatrist who may help for a while, but in the end it is only God who can heal an inflamed and enraged conscience. Confession and restitution can work wonders in restoring an inner peace. In the world around us there is much that can cause us anxiety and destroy that inner peace. Wars, political instability, secular ideologies and so on. But these are all temporary phenomena and boulders put there by the enemy to trip us up and destroy our peace. We pilgrims look beyond the circumstances at the horizon where we see the emerging light of a new dawn. 

Peter wrote that our lives must be “pure and blameless in his sight”. It’s all about holiness and there is a connection with peace. Our lives must be found to be holy in His sight and there is only one way – Jesus. We reach out again to Him today, connecting with the Prince of Peace, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, our wonderful Saviour.

Dear Prince of Peace. We thank You for Your words of eternal life, bringing us a future and a hope. Amen.

‭‭

A Clear Conscience

Posted on by korgrocker

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”
1 Peter 3:15-16 NLT

Our consciences are deeply embedded within our minds, and they are a very important driver of our thoughts and actions. A person without a conscience doesn’t exist, but a conscience can be trained to be more or less sensitive to certain behavioural patterns. Our thought processes can rationalise what we do and override our conscience-generated feelings and emotions. But, generally, our consciences make us feel bad when we do wrong and feel good when we do right. A big driver of how we feel and behave is related to our morality. The modern ideology of “if it feels right just do it” is a conscience-busting principle where our personal morals have failed in keeping us free of guilty thoughts.

So we must ask the question – what is our moral or values system? Where do we find the standard which we can use to programme our consciences? This is where the world view clashes with the God view. There is obviously some behaviours that are essential in society, driven by a pragmatic understanding of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets“. This, called the Golden Rule, cannot be disputed even by those who are not believers. Bluntly, we don’t abuse our neighbours because they would then feel entitled to do the same to us. 

We must operate a system of self-evaluation within us, but we know that we can’t depend on ourselves in this process. We read all about this in Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve“. We need that external guidance to eliminate any possibility of our consciences being tarnished by our own deceit. Paul, on more than one occasion, publicly declared that he had a clear conscience. Acts 23:1, “Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”” 

So we pilgrims must work hard to maintain a clear conscience, and the only source of the data we need to ensure our consciences are in line with what God requires is through His Word, the Bible. We must constantly read the Scriptures, because we forget and are often in danger of being subtly lured away from the straight and narrow path by the whisper of the enemy bringing half-truths into our thoughts. Remember what the serpent said to Eve? “Surely God did not say …”. Thankfully God’s presence is always with us. By constantly flushing our thought processes with the water of His Word we will maintain a soft heart.

One final thought. There will be others around us in the family of God who will perhaps not be in the same place as us when it comes to matters of the conscience. We pilgrims treat them with love and compassion, as God does with us. 

Father God, we thank You for the way we are “wired”, with a conscience aligned to Your Spirit. Amen.

Blessed Are Those …

Posted on by korgrocker

“You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
Romans 14:22-23 NLT

Paul wraps up his discourse on food offered to idols with another word of encouragement. In it he appeals to our consciences. Perhaps a glass of wine might illustrate the point he is making. As a Christian, I might decide that a glass of wine with a meal is not a problem to God, or me. A second or third glass might be, but one on its own is not. But we know that another Christian thinks that all glasses of wine are from the devil, thoughts probably initiated by being brought up in a family where their father regularly got drunk and came home to beat up their mother. So drinking that glass of wine in front of the other believer would cause them difficulties in their faith. The result is that, knowing the sensitivities of the other believer, I will not drink a glass of wine in his or her company, instead sticking to fruit juice or plain water. But Paul said that I am blessed to be able to think there is nothing wrong with that single glass of wine, because I have satisfied myself that, through my relationship with God, I am doing nothing wrong. 

However, if I now venture to having a second glass of wine with my meal, that might be something that I know I haven’t settled with God. Or, for a change, I might take a liqueur with my last coffee. Both situations where my conscience might kick in, because my previous conversations with God haven’t resulted in His approval. So I have now ventured into the realm of committing a sin. The doubts I may have about adding to my alcohol input have become sin. 

There are areas of the Bible where we don’t have a clear black and white set of rules. But neither should there be because we walk with the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16-18, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses“. 

If I am tempted by that second glass of wine or the end of meal liqueur then I might feel a prompt, a nudge, from the Holy Spirit. This is because when I became a Christian, I gave God permission to place His Spirit within me. Yes, I can overrule Him. But it wouldn’t be very wise. My conscience will only allow me a single glass of wine, and no more. Anything else wouldn’t be right and I’d be sinning. Paul wrote, “Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right”. We are blessed indeed to have a conscience and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There is no other religion that can claim their adherents have God Himself living within them. Something precious. Something unique. How can we violate something as wonderful as this?

Vegetables

Posted on by korgrocker

“For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.”
Romans 14:2 NLT

Food is a necessary part of life. Without it we waste away and won’t last very long. In Paul’s day, as there is a today, there was an issue with what constituted right or wrong foods, but for different reasons. First century Christian had a dilemma, because there was a practice of offering food to an idol, an inanimate lump of wood, stone, or metal, after which it was made available for others to eat. Some Christians had no problem with eating such food at all, but others shunned it because of the association with idolatry. Paul wrote that’s those in the latter category had sensitive consciences. Placed in the same situation what would we do?

There is a constant theme about food that runs through the Bible. It seems from Genesis 1 that God intended mankind to have a diet of vegetables and fruit. Genesis 1:29, “Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food”.  Then we have the instructions provided through Moses of how food should be treated, and what should and shouldn’t be consumed, for example in Leviticus 11. And then at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 22, we seem to have gone full circle, back to eating fruit, Revelation 22:2, “ … On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations”. 

The issue today in our societies is not the worship of idols through eating food offerings, but another challenge has emerged. Scientists tell us that some foods are good for us, and others are not.  We also have a wide divergence of food availability, with some countries having too much food and others not enough. So does Paul’s advice in Romans 14:2 apply to 21st Century Christians or is it outdated and can be ignored?

As someone who manages his diabetes by diet, I know that there are some foods that won’t be good for me. Carbohydrates, especially sugar, have to be carefully controlled, even avoided. I also know that meal sizes have a bearing on my blood glucose readings. But other people I know have different challenges. Lactose or gluten intolerance, peanut allergies, and many other seemingly modern day phenomena determine what we can or cannot eat. But none of this was what Paul was writing about.

In Philippians 3:18-19, we read, “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things”. Paul pointed out that worldly people can become idol worshippers, not to lumps of stone or carved statues, but with their sensuality, affecting all of them, not just their stomachs. 

The principle of right and wrong foods extends into other areas. For example, some think certain leisure activities on a Sunday should be avoided. Others have no problems. I know people who brought up their children to respect Sundays, not allowing them play or watch TV. In the past, dancing has been acceptable to some but not to others. And nowhere has this dichotomy been more prevalent than in the church.

We are each guided by our consciences, but we also be careful not to impose our world-view on others. What other Christians believe is acceptable is between them and the light God has given them. We commit our consciences into God’s loving hands, asking Him to keep our hearts soft and pliable.

Dear God. You have wired each one of us with a conscience. We know that if we violate it then it will become less and less sensitive. So we pray for a Holy Spirit sensitivity to infuse our hearts and minds. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Instinctive Law

Posted on by korgrocker

“Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.”
Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT

A human being is an incredibly complex organism. The physical content of bone, blood, muscles and organs is amazing in itself. But when the spiritual side of us, something that no researcher or surgeon can find, remove or dissect, is added into the mix, it is somehow incredible that so many of our scientists and educationalists believe it all happened by chance. Our ability to think, to meditate, and behave, with emotions that can be so unpredictable, somehow has to be connected to a wonderful Creator God. Human behaviour is something that is least understood by our medical and mental health practitioners, and often today a pill is prescribed to “fix” a problem that has a spiritual root.

Something that God designed into His creation, human beings, was a conscience. Somehow, we are programmed with enough of God’s law to understand what is right and what is wrong. Our behaviour is therefore shaped and directed by what God has put within us. But there’s a problem. We call it sin. And we end up in an internal tussle, with our sin dragging us one way, and our consciences saying something different. Every day we face into the consequences of this struggle and it will never cease until we achieve the reality of our salvation. We will come back to this very problem later in this blog.

The Old Testament prophesied that the Old Covenant between God and His people, the Jews, was not working out as God had planned it. Though there were a small minority who perhaps claimed that they were keeping His laws, the majority weren’t. Having a set of laws invites people to live a legalistic life, but God wanted to enjoy a relationship with His people. And being a box-ticker is not being a child of God. Jeremiah prophesied what God was going to do. We read in Jeremiah 31:33, ““But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people”“. With the benefit of hindsight, we know what happened “after those days”. God sent His Son Jesus to be our Saviour, something we are celebrating in this Christmas season.

The question for us pilgrims is this – what is the state of our hearts? Not the physical organ that pumps blood around our bodies, but that complex invisible organism within us that is our central processing unit. Where are thoughts and responses are churning away. Where are consciences are dealing with factors such as sin. Have we given up and instead have shut our spiritual life away somewhere and allowed sin to rule our days? Or are we in good spiritual health, walking hand in hand with our wonderful Heavenly Father? One of my go-to verses is 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness“. That verse wasn’t written to unbelievers but to believers. Fellow pilgrims on their journey to Heaven. Of course, we will screw up from time to time, but it is not inevitable, as we allow that God-made organism within us, our consciences, to function as they should. as we bring our thoughts and desires under God’s spotlight, He will expose any issues and help us seal with them. If we let Him.

Dear Heavenly Father. We are indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made”. And we have You to thank for that. We worship You today. Amen.

Illness

Posted on by korgrocker

“You know what I long for, Lord; You hear my every sigh. 
My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. 
My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. 
Even my own family stands at a distance.”
Psalms‬ ‭38:9-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, the Psalmist, is ill. And it sounds pretty serious. Serious enough for people to keep well out of his way. We don’t have any clues from Scripture about what he was suffering from, but he was complaining well. 

How do we react in times of illness? Of course it depends on how serious the situation is. Some people are positive and stoical. Others see the Grim Reapers coming up the garden path with the first snivel. I’m the worst when it comes to illness, complaining and ruing the injustices in life before whatever I have caught even takes a hold. In this Covid pandemic, however, we’re reminded once again of the frailty of human life and how vulnerable we are to the damage microscopic organisms can do to us. Unless we lock ourselves away to avoid contact with the people and the environment around us, we will always be at risk of catching something. 

But in His wonderful design, our Creator God has provided two defence mechanisms. One is the natural process our bodies go through to deal with infections, our immune systems, boosted by the vaccines and drugs provided by modern science. The other is the power of prayer and the importance of our relationship with Father God, particularly when the illness is more serious and as yet beyond what medical science can treat. 

What was it about the great missionary doctors and nurses, who in past ages deliberately ignored the risk of infections, instead to minister compassionately to those with horrible illnesses like leprosy? Or those Christians in the Middle Ages, who stayed behind to nurse plague victims while everyone else did a runner? These were dear people who often died at a young age from illnesses caught from those they were ministering to. They had that realisation that our time here on Planet Earth is finite and our lives as Citizens of Heaven has to be lived in accordance with God’s will and purposes; they dedicated their lives to the care of others. 

But David also made the association between his feverish state and his sins and guilt. Is there such a connection? Many people have argued that there isn’t but others, even the medics, have found that an uneasy and guilt-ridden conscience can impact our bodily functions. Personally, I think there is a link, because God has designed us with something called a conscience inside of us; the violation of it will upset our physical and mental well-being and equilibrium, as our Psalmist David knew well.

David finished his Psalm with the prayer, “Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Saviour.” There are two significant words and sentiments here – “help” and “Saviour”. God is always our Helper; He is only a prayer away from our predicament. And He is also our wonderful Saviour. What a wonderful God He is!