Embracing God’s Grace: Today is the Day of Salvation

Posted on by korgrocker

“As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvellous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NLT

Have we pilgrims ever considered ourselves as “God’s partners”? Surely there’s too big a gulf between us for that. After all, God is the Creator of the universe that includes the populated world on which we live, hidden away in an obscure corner of a galaxy called the Milky Way. But this is just one galaxy amongst hundreds of billions, and the extent of the universe has not yet been defined because we lack the technology to plumb its limits. So how can we be “God’s partners”? To go the other way, scientists are finding smaller and smaller particles that make up the matter of which we are made. The smallest particles discovered are called Quarks, but our scientists might discover even smaller particles, once the technology to detect them is developed. So how can we be “God’s partners”?

It is only when we consider who we are in God’s grand scheme for His creation that we realise how privileged we are. How can the God of all love and care for you and me, pilgrims allotted a life span at this point in history? It is mind-boggling but we have to face the reality and truth of who we are, who God is, and accept that we are His partners. And it has all happened because there was a time when God said, “Let Us make man in Our image …” (Genesis 1:27). And ever since He has been pursuing the men and women He has created because he loves us. God was never going to be satisfied with lumps of rock forming countless celestial objects. He has created human beings, putting His Spirit within those who call out to Him with love and respect. And He has gone so much further by sending His Son, Jesus, through whom all things were created. Colossians 1:16, “for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him”. The amazing thing is that Jesus has called us His brothers and sisters, “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). 

We pilgrims are not spectators in God’s story. We are participants. Through Christ, we have been reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18–20), and now we join Him in the ministry of reconciliation. Grace is not just something we receive. It is something we value and look after with awe and grateful hearts.

Paul begged the Corinthians not to “accept this marvellous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it”, meaning to receive salvation outwardly but to resist transformation inwardly. It would be like receiving a present from someone at Christmas, thanking the person who gave it, and then leaving it unopened in a drawer somewhere. That present was given to us from God Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus. Behind the wrapper is the gift of eternal life, but until we open it and embrace and accept the contents, we will still be heading for a lost eternity.  Other people open up the present and say, “That’s nice”, after which they put it on a shelf somewhere, where it gathers dust, and it tarnishes with neglect. But we pilgrims have opened the present, taken out the contents and have then bowed before a Cross to call upon the Man being crucified to forgive us for all our sins. Eternal life with our wonderful Saviour will never be ignored. God’s grace is not passive. It calls us to respond.

In Isaiah 49:8 we find the Scripture quoted by Paul to the Corinthians. “This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again”. Although originally written to the Israelites, the message is just as valid for people today. God’s grace will not be present forever. Paul continued, “today is the day of salvation”. Salvation is not merely a past event or a future hope; it is a present invitation. The trouble with people is that they tend to live as if they have unlimited tomorrows, saying things like, “I’ll forgive later” or “I’ll get serious about faith someday”. But Paul’s message insists on urgency. Today is when repentance happens. Today is when obedience begins. Today is when hearts are softened. Delaying spiritual response dulls sensitivity. Immediate obedience strengthens it. Yes, God will still save people with their dying breaths if they repent and reach out to Him, as the story of the thief on the cross records. 

The “marvellous gift of God’s kindness” is something we call grace. But gifts such as grace can be neglected. How do we ignore grace? By hearing the truth but refusing to change. By receiving forgiveness but withholding it from others. By celebrating salvation but resisting sanctification. Grace saves us, but it also shapes us. To truly receive grace is to let it transform priorities, relationships, and purpose. Paul, in his letter to Titus, wrote, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, will be revealed” (Titus 2:11-13). 

Can we pilgrims pause for a moment before we embark on the busy day ahead? Should we be asking ourselves some difficult questions? How about, “Am I postponing something God is prompting me to do”? Or, “Have I grown comfortable with grace instead of being responsive to it”? Is there anything significant that we need to do today that is spiritually significant? Paul’s plea is loving but urgent. God has acted by sending His Son into this world. The invitation to the “day of salvation” stands open. And the clock of our lives is not ticking toward anxiety. Instead, it is ticking toward opportunity.

O Lord, thank You for Your marvellous gift of grace. Please keep us from treating it casually and instead help us to respond quickly to Your voice. Teach us to live with spiritual urgency, without fear, but full of faith, on this day, another day of opportunity for us, as we are graciously called to be Your partners. Amen.

Just a Little Longer

Posted on by korgrocker

“Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?” When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.””
John 7:31-34 NLT

Because of His miraculous signs, the crowds at the Feast of Tabernacles started to realise that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. John recorded that many believed in Him, triggering alarm amongst the Pharisees and the priestly hierarchy. So, the Temple guards, the heavies who kept order in the Temple, were sent off with an arrest warrant to take Jesus into custody. A brave act, because those in the crowd who believed in Him, might have had other ideas. But the Temple guards, and the leaders, were stopped in their tracks when Jesus told them that His time was short, and He implied that He would soon be returning to the “One who sent [Him]”. Jesus prophesised what was going to happen on an Easter Sunday a year or two later. We of course, with the benefit of hindsight, know why Jesus’ persecutors wouldn’t be able to find Him, and unless they believed in Him, they wouldn’t have been able to follow Him either.  

We pilgrims can be a bit impatient at times. We want God to do something quickly and find it hard to accept delays. It  is said that there are three possible answers to prayer. God will say, “Yes”, or “No” or “Maybe”, but often the answers don’t come as quickly as we would like. Perhaps God sometimes says “Yes … but just a little longer”. At other times, we may find ourselves in a dry season and long for it to come to an end. Sometimes, God is saying to us, “Just a little longer”, helping our persistence and faith. He may be building up our characters for something more challenging coming towards us. Hebrews 10:36, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised”. 

There is also the thought that the season of grace we currently enjoy may only be with us for “just a little longer”. One day God will decide that it is time to draw a line under the current kingdom and instead usher in the New Kingdom, with Jesus as its head. This could happen at any time soon, if world events are anything to go by. But when that happens, how would Jesus find us? Hopefully, doing His will and living by faith in our wonderful God. Hebrews 10:37-38, “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” In Romans 11:11-12, Paul wrote, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living“. 

We pilgrims live as though Jesus will soon return. The last recorded words of Jesus in the Bible are found in Revelation 22:20, “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” Jesus said it, so we believe it.

Dear Lord Jesus. We echo those words recorded by Your servant, John, “Come Lord Jesus” and we believe it is to be soon. Amen.

The Lord’s Patience

Posted on by korgrocker

“And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.”
2 Peter 3:15-16 NLT

The Lord is patient, Peter wrote, because He wants to see many people come to Him for salvation. Would His patience have run out earlier if more people had responded to the Gospel? Is there still plenty of room in Heaven? These are questions based on human logic, and not the great, infinite, patient, and eternal capabilities of God. Peter was also obviously aware of the Apostle Paul’s letters so they must have been widely circulated in the Middle East and even beyond in those days. One such Pauline scripture, perhaps even the one Peter was referring to, was Romans 2:4, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” We need to take note of the fact that God in kind. Other religions view God as being harsh, stern, unloving, impersonal, but the God we pilgrims worship is kind, loving, merciful, always there for us, wanting a personal relationship. He is a Father to His children. God’s kindness and patience are interrelated. However, in Romans 11:22, Paul wrote, “Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off “. We need to trust God in both His kindness and His patience. We may not totally understand, but that is what faith and trust is all about.

Earlier in 2 Peter 3, Peter wrote, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). Peter is building a picture of God’s loving and patient kindness, based on His desire that He wants to give mankind as much of a chance as possible to come to repentance. A picture to refute the growing accusations that perhaps Jesus had forgotten to return to earth, or that he had changed His mind. Throughout the Bible there are references to God’s patience, such as while Noah was building the ark. Even though God had decided to destroy the people of the day, He patiently waited for up to another hundred years so that Noah would be saved. “So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!” (Genesis 6:13). Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of his three sons, but 600 years old when God shut up the door to the ark and opened the floodgates. 

We pilgrims are also to be patient and kind. Colossians 3:12, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” These are all God-qualities, that are built within us as fruit of the Holy Spirit. Like God, we are to be patient. Patient with those around us. Patient in the face of irritations and trials, of which there are many in our lives. But the original meaning of patience was not a stoical passivity but an active endurance. To be patient is exampled through Jesus, who suffered much on this earth, and yet He was and is the Son of God. God’s plan for man’s salvation was birthed long before it was implemented, as we read in the great prophecies in Isaiah. And yet God waited patiently until His purposes and place, and history itself, coincided in a cross at Calvary.  Romans 5:6, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” The right time is now, folks. 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” Today, not tomorrow, or next week. We don’t know when we will have the opportunity to draw our last breath, but God is listening even now.

Father God. You want to-one to perish and all to be saved. We pray for our friends and families, that they will indeed hear Your voice, Your gentle whisper, connecting with their very souls. In Jesus’ name. Amen.