Crossing the Lake

Posted on by korgrocker

“That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.”
John 6:16-17 NLT
“Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.”
Matthew 14:22-23 NLT

There are slight differences between Matthew’s and John’s account of what happened after the miraculous feeding of five thousand men and their families. John gave us the facts, and Matthew put in a few extra details. But such differences bring the Gospels to life, because they typically provide genuine witness statements. In a court of law, different people, witnesses, will provide different perspectives of an event, building a picture for the court’s benefit.

But the next part of Jesus’ ministry was over on the Western side of the Sea (or Lake) of Galilee. He had accomplished all that His Heavenly Father had asked Him to do for the people East of the Northern part of the Sea. They had heard His message, seen miraculous signs, but it was now up to them. It is the Holy Spirit who brings a change in people’s lives, and He was soon to come to the world, after Jesus had departed on the Day of Ascension. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me” (John 16:8-9). Those people would have made the journey back to their homes, stomachs full, minds buzzing with all they had seen and heard. Spiritually elated, they returned home to find the same hard and difficult way of life that they had had before. As we pilgrims know, after every Sunday there is always a Monday morning.

As the disciples started the journey back to Capernaum in an open boat with oars, there was nothing unusual there that they hadn’t done many times before. They were probably wondering why Jesus wasn’t going with them, but perhaps assumed He had some other business to attend to and would join them in a week or two. Jesus did have some very important business on His agenda – spending time with His Heavenly Father in prayer. And it wasn’t a short prayer at all because “night fell” while He was up in the hills on His own. In a small way I can relate to praying with a natural environment all around me. In the countryside around my home in the West of Fife, it is sometimes very quiet and deserted, especially early in the morning. God’s wonderful creation is all around and, somehow, it provides an altar before God better than any church building. I find myself worshipping God with Him all around me, bringing answers to prayer, comfort and assurance when needed, and a confirmation that in this new day, God is still on His throne. 

Jesus instructed His disciples to cross the lake. There was work to do on the other side. But I’m reminded that we pilgrims have work to do as well. Are we still on the Eastern part of our Seas, or have we heard the voice of God telling us to “cross the lake”? Life, as I have come to experience, is full of different “seasons” in God’s plan for us. I know people who are still in a church when God has told them to move on to another. We must always ask ourselves the question, in prayer, where God wants us to be, and what he wants us to do. And listening ears will hear answers that might frighten or surprise us. But with God behind a new season, excitement in the Spirit is guaranteed.

Father God. You have many plans for Your people. Please quicken our ears to hear Your voice so that we are always walking in Your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

On The Move

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.”
John 4:3-6 NLT

In Jesus’ day, there was no quick way of getting from A to B. It was a case of travelling by foot, or possibly by a horse or donkey, but 20-30 miles per day was the norm. To get from Judea to Galilee by the quickest route involved a journey through Samaria, a place that was not popular with the Jews, as it would mean potential contact with the hated Samaritans. This journey took about three days to complete, though the longer route skirting Samaria, and favoured by some, took five to seven days. But Jesus and His disciples took the route through Samaria, and ended up at a village called Sychar. But who were the Samaritans and why did the Jews hate them so much? “In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed race who practiced an impure, half-pagan religion” (quote from Gotquestions.org). But more on that in a later blog.

Jesus and His disciples had apparently walked some distance to get this far, and we read that Jesus was tired. It was the hottest part of the day and Jesus was resting, sitting by the famous well that had a history stretching back to the time of Jacob. But some people perhaps have a problem with the thought that Jesus was tired. After all, they think, how can the Son of God, with all the divine resources at His disposal, be wearied by a journey? Jesus came to this earth, taking on human flesh and all the baggage that came with it. So like us, He would have needed to eat and sleep, and even use a toilet, something that perhaps we Christians don’t like to think about. In Romans 8:3, we read, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins”. 

So on the journey from Judea to Galilee, how would we feel if Jesus, the Son of God, was suddenly transported there by some divine process, leaving His disciples to make their way on foot? At a stroke, it would destroy the reason why He came – to live in the likeness of a human being from His birth all the way to Calvary. It was important that Jesus’ humanity was seen by those around Him because through it He gave sinful mankind a hope for the future, a hope that promised them that they could be forgiven their sins and one day join God in Heaven. Jesus was on the move as part of Father God’s plans for Him. He was sent to His people the Jews and there would come a time when He would return to Judea and Jerusalem. But on the journey to Galilee He stopped at Sychar. A divine appointment was about to emerge.

Dear Father God. You have plans for us, plans that amongst other things provide us with a hope for the future. We are so grateful. Amen. 

Rivalry

Posted on by korgrocker

“A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.””
John 3:25-26 NLT

People like to be a part of a group, or club, or church or … They often either form a group or join one, because there is something within them that wants to meet up with like-minded people. A typical example is football, a sport much followed by many in our societies, and rivalry between opposing fan clubs can become extreme in some cases. So a combined love of their local team will draw people together on match days, and afterwards in various pubs or clubs to celebrate a win, or otherwise. The game is picked over and the good bits and bad bits exposed, dissected and talked about. In general, people can become fiercely protective of their local club, even resorting to violence when they perceive a threat. 

There are many such examples in society today, and Christians are not any different. So within a church we have the choir meeting, or the Women’s Guild. The musicians get together on a regular basis. The mums and toddlers have their own time together. We have House Groups meeting regularly. People are social beings and need others around them, people who think the same as they do. 

But we see in today’s verses that there were some disciples of John who were disturbed because other people were doing what they thought they should be. Perhaps these disciples were thinking that they had an exclusive right to be the local baptisers, and a tribal sense of indignation emerged when they found out that there was another group doing the same thing. Worse, they discovered that this rival group, under the leadership of someone John the Baptist called the Messiah, were beating them in the numbers game. How dare they, was perhaps their thoughts.

Jesus’ disciples had the same issue as John the Baptist’s disciples, as we read in Mark 9:38-40, “John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us“. Isn’t it strange how people will become fiercely protective of their own and their leader’s positions?

We pilgrims have a job to do. There is nothing wrong in joining a group or club, but we must never be distracted away from our key mission. It is easy to fill our lives with irrelevancies, which get in the way of what we should be doing. So in a church setting, committed believers can easily become overloaded with jobs to do. The 90/10 rule (where 90% of the work is done by 10% of the congregation) can be observed in many churches. John’s disciples had perhaps taken their focus off their purpose in that season of their lives, which was to baptise the repentant among them, and instead they started to count the baptisms that were taking place elsewhere.

When tempted to take on extra responsibilities, or join a club, we must hold before us the question – is this group or task going to draw me away into error or waste my time, or will it further the work and presence of the Kingdom of God. Jesus was always a good example. In John 14:31 we read what Jesus said about His mission, “but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father …“. Jesus could have done so much more, but He remained focused on the work His Father had asked Him to do. We must never fret about others doing a job we think we can do better – they may just be doing only what God has asked them to do. 

Dear Father God. You have specific tasks that You want us to do. Please help us to remain focused on these, and not look to what other people are doing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Disciples (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.”
John 1:36-37 NLT

‭‭I wonder if John’s two disciples knew what they were getting into when they decided to follow Jesus. Before them was three years with the Master, the “Lamb of God“, Himself, followed by a demanding but mostly rewarding life punctuated by times of extreme danger, personal discomfort, beatings and, finally, a violent and painful death. That time spent with Jesus was life changing for those two disciples but they never turned their backs on the “Lamb of God”. 

But for anyone today there is this dichotomy of choice – we either follow Jesus or we follow the devil, the latter being the default position. If we don’t want to spend eternity with God in Heaven, then we have no need to do anything. No need of going to church, or reading the Bible, or praying to our wonderful Creator. But the choice to follow Jesus will inevitably set us apart from the majority of people in the world, and at times we will feel as though we are swimming against a tide. Here in the West, we will not suffer beatings and a violent death – not yet anyway – but we may experience ridicule and be ostracised, excluded by those who have chosen the common path.

But it is a privilege to be able to follow the Lord. Choosing to be a follower of Jesus means setting ourselves apart from the world. We aspire to grow in our faith, aspiring to be more like Jesus, seeking to please Him at every opportunity. Though we diligently sit in the pews, listening to, and taking part in, the services, what really matters is putting into practice what we are hearing. James 1:22, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves“. And as a follower of Jesus, we strive to share the Gospel with those around us, making disciples of the Master wherever and whenever we have the opportunity. Being a Christian means a life of joy, as we share in the wonders of the Kingdom of God.

Dear Lord Jesus. As the old hymn says, “I have decided to follow Jesus”. We sing it together today. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Purposes

Posted on by korgrocker

“I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet each other with a kiss of love. Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.”
1 Peter 5:12-14 NLT

Peter explained why he wrote his “short letter”. Someone has estimated that 1 Peter contains nearly 1700 words, so that would take around 20 minutes or so to read out loud. Peter may have considered it to be “short” but each word was inspired and delivered by the Holy Spirit, who told Peter just what the people in the five churches in Asia Minor needed to hear. And in the process we have in the Bible a letter that contains truths and much encouragement for us pilgrims today.

But Peter had a “purpose”. Apart from a few high profile and significant appearances recorded in the Book of Acts, we know little about what he did “under the radar”. But having spent time with Jesus and the rest of the Twelve, he became a man with a mission. Peter was a man who knew all about being ill-treated for the sake of His Master, Jesus. He was beaten, insulted, and imprisoned. And from his own experiences he was able to offer help and advice to his readers who were suffering as he did and who probably included some believers who had fled from persecution in Jerusalem.

We pilgrims have a purpose in our short lives here on Planet Earth. In fact we have more than one. Jesus left us with a Commission, which we can read in Matthew 28:18-19, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. The early believers were so diligent and zealous in evangelism, that they turned the societies of their day into a new world order, and Christianity has grown in numbers ever since. 

Jesus also gave us a Commandment, which was recorded in John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples”. The agape love shown by Christians in their relationships with each other transcends all national and racial barriers that otherwise would exist. In fact, it was such a strong bond, foreign to anything experienced before, that caused the early Christians to sometimes be mistakenly accused of incest and other sexual acts. Christian love is unique to our faith and it binds us together across otherwise insurmountable barriers. 

But the Commission and Commandment were directed at those around us, both inside and outside our faith. We also have a purpose in Changing who we are. No more for us the old sinful practices that used to blight our lives. Paul wrote 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“. We have a new nature, one that brings us to a righteous place before God. Note that Paul used an action phrase – “throw off” – to describe how we are to bring about change in our lives. We will not become more like Jesus through something benign like osmosis. We have to decide that we want to change and take the necessary steps to make it happen. Jesus said, and as recorded in John 14:6, “ … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“. There is no other way, in spite of what many will claim, to find God and be with Him forever.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Jesus and what He did for us in making it possible for us to come into Your presence. We praise and worship You today. Amen. 

The Shepherd

Posted on by korgrocker

“Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.”
1 Peter 2:25 NLT

Peter introduced a pastoral theme into this last verse of 1 Peter 2. He compared human beings with sheep, who have behaved as sheep tend to behave, which is to wander off and get lost or into trouble somewhere. I remember a pastor of a church I once attended telling of the time when he was out jogging past a field early one morning. Just over the fence he noticed a ewe stuck in a thorn bush by its long hair, and unable to escape. He managed to free it after a struggle, and the sheep ran off, but it is perhaps such a story that was in Peter’s mind when he wrote this verse today. Sheep seem unable to avoid getting into trouble or danger.

Jesus had compassion for the people he met, as we read in Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd“. Jesus had been announcing to them the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He had “healed every kind of disease and illness” (Matthew 9:35b). But sheep, and people, are prone to wandering off and they eventually find themselves lost or in trouble. If a person follows their own desires, they will probably find that there is a downside to the choices they have made, like sheep. But what do people without God do? Who do they follow? The politicians won’t help. Most of them are only concerned about short term benefits, particularly to themselves. Social media advice can be misleading at best and, when followed, a “herd” mentality takes over. “Well, everyone is doing it” is a popular comment.

There is only one way to find a risk-free environment for our souls and that is to follow Jesus. It won’t be easy. But it will be exciting. Look what is involved. In Mark 1:17 we see that following Jesus costs Simon Peter his job as a fisherman, “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”” The early disciples were enthusiastic followers of Jesus. But others were invited and had excuses, as we read in Matthew 8:19-22, “Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.””

In Jesus’ presence, and as we follow Him, He will indeed be the “Guardian of our souls”. In the Holy Spirit’s embrace we will find what we need. Matthew 11:28-30, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

Of course, not everyone we meet will accept the invitation to enjoy Jesus’ wonderful Guardianship. But that should not prevent pilgrims like us from introducing them to Him, the Master and our Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You have the power to keep our souls safe until the glorious day when You will come into Your Kingdom. We praise and worship You today. Amen.


Loving Others

Posted on by korgrocker

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other.”
Romans 12:9-10 NLT

Paul takes another breath, pausing while he thinks about what comes next, following his Holy Spirit inspired thoughts about the motivational gifts. We can almost see him with his pen held above the parchment, ink ready to flow. The Holy Spirit prompts his thoughts towards love. Loving others. In his mind is, perhaps, the memory of the strife in Rome, between the Jewish and Gentile believers. And he writes that they should love each other. And not just outwardly, with a false sense of going through the motions, but with real love, coming from deep within them.

This is a theme that he returned to several times in his letters. He wrote the much quoted section in 1 Corinthians 13 about the qualities of love, and how it should be applied. He wasn’t talking about a “what’s in it for me” sort of love. Rather a love that desires the other person’s highest good. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 bears repeating here, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance”. Paul sets out a measure against which we can gauge our success in loving. How patient are we with our husbands or wives? Do we get irritable with them? Do we remember those times when our partners wronged us, failing to forgive and forget, but instead bringing up the issue at every opportunity? Do we get jealous when someone we know and love achieves something that we wish we had achieved? Hmmm…

Jesus taught His disciples the importance of loving each other. We read in John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples”. Jesus gave His disciples, and us, by implication because we are His disciples too, a commandment to love each other. Such an act will make the world notice us, but, sadly, the strife that so publicly marks differences between Christians tells a different story. Bigotry rears its ugly head frequently in our societies, bringing disrepute to the Christian faith. Inter-denominational rivalries overflow into secular and sectarian environments, and, here in Scotland, even to football matches.

We pilgrims are founded on love. God so loved us that He sent Jesus, so that He could lavish His love on us in Heaven. A sobering yet joyous thought. One which we can only respond to on our knees as we thank Him for His merciful love.

Dear Father God. Please forgive us when we dwell on the differences between us rather than the parts of our faith that bind us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Gentiles Included

Posted on by korgrocker

“And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT

There is much encouragement in these two verses. The word “called” occurs twice and it infers something special. Paul assures the Roman congregation that they are in a special place in God’s eyes. He knows them all. And this all the more remarkable because they were “Gentiles”, non-Jews who were feared and despised by a race who claimed the exclusive rights of a relationship with God. But through Jesus’s last instructions, as recorded in Matthew 28:19, God’s grace was extended to everyone. He said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” 

But what is it like, being “called”? In a natural sense, it happens all the time. We call someone using a phone. A child calls out for their parents in the night. It is all part of the human interactions that we all take for granted. To facilitate the process of calling, we are each given a name, so that we can be identified, one from another. In a different sense, we sometimes observe that someone who is doing a certain type of work must be responding to a calling. Perhaps a nurse, or missionary. Doing work we couldn’t do, or wouldn’t want to, and we then assume that they were making a personal sacrifice to do something for the benefit of their fellow human beings. 

But in our relationship with God, the calling is something special. I don’t know about you, but I fall into the “Gentile” category. I do not have Jewish heritage. But I do know that God’s grace has extended even to me, because I know that I am one of His children. If anyone has any doubts about their eligibility to be a child of God, start with reading John 3:16-17, “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. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him”. That is where we start our journey, with the thought, a glimmer of hope, that God’s grace extends to everyone, the whole world. That journey continues with the assurance that through repentance we gain salvation from the consequences of our sins. We read in 2 Peter 3:9, “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”. I John 2:2 reads, referring to Jesus, “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world”. And then we read Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. In some timeless and eternal way, God sees all His creation, past, present and future, and yearns for each person to turn to Him during their lives here on Planet Earth. Everyone is called.

But are we listening? Do we hear His voice calling us? If not, perhaps we need to find a quiet place away from the clamour and noise of the world in which we live and just sit and listen. Quieten our thoughts before Him. Ask God to speak to us. And He will.

Dear Lord Jesus. We hear Your call today. And I pray for all those who will respond, that Your Holy Spirit will touch them deeply, securing their future relationship with You. In Your precious name. Amen.

A Life with God

Posted on by korgrocker

“For you are my hope, Lord GOD,
my confidence from my youth. 
I have leaned on you from birth;
you took me from my mother’s womb. 
My praise is always about you. 
Don’t discard me in my old age. 
As my strength fails, do not abandon me.
Psalm 71:5-6,9 CSB

Who can say that God has been their hope all the way from their youth until their old age? That was the case with David, as we can see from reading this Psalm today. He even goes as far as to say that God was with him even from the moment he was born. When he wrote these verses, David was obviously approaching his twilight years, but reading the Psalm you can see he was still being pursued by undesirable people, a common theme throughout his life. In verse 4 he wrote, ”Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive”. 

In verses 17 and 18, the Psalmist wrote this: “God, you have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim your wondrous works. Even while I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me, while I proclaim your power to another generation, your strength to all who are to come.” David wasn’t going to retire quietly. He wasn’t going to fade into oblivion, disappearing into the grave without completing his mission in life. And the one thing he mentioned was that he was going to ensure that the next generation knew about God’s power and strength. Not for David was an epitaph on a tombstone, nice words but largely unread and of little impact on those around him.

I’ve blogged before about the legacy we will leave when we cross the great divide. Although I was brought up in a Christian home and went to church with my parents, I was in my late twenties before I made a personal commitment for Christ. But there is one thing that I am confident of – I will be a follower of Christ for the rest of my life. Furthermore, being a closet Christian, someone who hides his light instead of being a beacon of hope and light in his community, is not for me. I recently heard a Sunday message about sharing our faith, and how important it is that we have our stories ready for the times when God wants us to share them. And also to be ready with the “Sinner’s Prayer”, for when we get the opportunity to lead someone to Christ. David was focused on sharing what he knew about God with the next generation, and asked God to be with him while he did it. We too must be focused on the mission God has given us. And He will be with us while we do His will. Note that sharing our story is not something we do at the end of our lives. Jesus didn’t say in Matthew 28, “Therefore [when you are a pensioner] go and make disciples of all nations…“. No – making disciples was an instruction Jesus left for all His followers, young and old. Sharing our stories will often be the start of the disciple-making process. 

In verse 9 of this Psalm, David asks that God doesn’t abandon him in his old age, as his strength fails. He doesn’t necessarily mean physical strength, but mental strength as well. So many dear saints come to the end of their lives, blighted by illnesses such as dementia. The last few words of Matthew 28 read, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age“. God will never abandon us, even when we are failing in our last days. And a new body is waiting for us in our future home. What a wonderful God He is.

I’m a Tree

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Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 NIVUK

Have you ever attended or watched a military parade, particularly of those nations who favour the “goose-step” mode of marching? Hand picked men and women march flawlessly, totally synchronised in their steps. Their polished boots, identical uniforms, marchers all in line, make an impressive spectacle. To someone like me, never good at keeping in step with anything, such a sight I can only watch in amazement. But the Psalmist, right at the start of the first Psalm of the Book of Psalms, straight away declares a counter-cultural way of life. One in which personal blessings can be found only by avoiding the temptation to march in step with the society around us. You see, most of the Western world system in this age is anti-God. Our society and culture is becoming increasingly secular and adopting the Psalmist’s description of being “sinners and mockers”, and keeping in step with such a way of life, doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts, neglecting God and His ways, leads to destruction, as the Psalmist writes in the last verse of this Psalm.

The Psalmist encourages us spend our time in God’s presence, reading His Scriptures, hearing His voice, aligning our thoughts to His thoughts, whenever we have the opportunity. And by doing so we will be “blessed”. God’s blessings are priceless, and they lead to a prosperous and healthy life. The psalmist uses the analogy of the blessed person being like a tree planted next to a stream of water. In his society, desert regions and parched land with stunted tree growth would have been common. But the fortunate tree planted next to a stream never failed to provide all that a tree should – imagine the fruit in season – possibly figs or something similar. The blessed person also produces fruit in the seasons that God has for him or her. Fruit appropriate for God’s Kingdom.

What is this fruit? In the early days of the Charismatic Renewal I once heard a message in a Christian Conference from an international speaker warning against the dangers of being caught up in the excitement of what God was doing in His church, but failing to produce the fruit of a renewed life in God. What is this fruit? What is the spiritual equivalent of a fat, juicy fig? We read about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” But there is also the fruit of fulfilling Jesus’ command in Matthew 28, of making disciples. So we can see that today’s equivalent of meditating on the Law of the Lord will involve personal renewal, a personal orientation towards the Kingdom of God in a way of life appropriate to being a spiritual tree next to His streams of living water.

This year the Elim Movement in the UK is encouraging people and congregations to do a spiritual reset, where they evaluate their lives to see if they are growing fruit or just a few leaves. But we don’t have to be an Elim member to re-evaluate our spiritual lives, checking out how we measure up against God’s demands. In my morning prayer walk today I observed a dead tree, no longer producing fruit as it decayed to join the detritus on the forest floor, helping fungi to grow as it did so. Around it is a thicket of saplings, growing tall and strong. And I said to God in my prayers that I don’t want to be a dead tree amongst such evidence of God’s grace.

Lord, Please help me always to have my roots deeply embedded in the life-giving streams of Your Spirit, this day and forever. Amen.