Father Abraham

Posted on by korgrocker

“Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.”
John 8:56-59 NLT

The people with Jesus in the Temple failed to realise that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, partially divine and partially human. It was just too much for them to get their minds around. In the past, visitations to the Jews from Heavenly realms had taken place through obviously supernatural figures like angels. Such occasions were either on a personal, one to one basis, such as to Zechariah by the angel Gabriel – “While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. … Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!” (Luke 1:11,19). Sometimes a Heavenly visitation was to a group of people – consider the shepherds in Luke 2:9, “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,”. In the Old Testament, we read the passage about how the Lord Himself appeared to Abraham – “The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day” (Genesis 18:1). Isaiah received a vision of the Lord in the Temple, as we read in Isaiah 6:1, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.” But in these and other occasions, it was clear to the person or people there at the time that they were receiving an indisputably Heavenly visitation, if not from God Himself then one of His angelic messengers.

But here we have an ordinary looking Man teaching in the Temple and engaged in a dispute with a group of religious leaders about His pedigree and His message. Jesus was not wearing a luminous glowing robe. His presence was not that of an angel. He was as Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:2b, “ … There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.” But unlike Abraham, the people failed to discern that the Person before them was from God. Jesus was a divisive Person; people either believed in Him and followed Him as His disciples, or they rejected Him, rationalising that He was an imposter or worse. There was of course the sitting-on-the-fence position where the people were unsure about Jesus, but were almost convinced – “they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”” (John 7:37b). 

According to the Apostle Paul, Abraham was the father of the Jews. Romans 4:1, “Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?” Paul went on to write that Abraham didn’t rely on his good deeds for his salvation. Romans 4:3 “For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”” There was much in the Genesis account of Abraham and his faith that pointed forward to a Descendant who would fulfil God’s promise to mankind. In Genesis 18:1 we read that the Lord appeared to Abraham, and some theologians believe that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Himself.

We pilgrims have a spiritual example through Abraham. Paul wrote in Romans 4 that the custom of circumcision, so significant to the Jews, makes no difference when it comes to the importance of faith in God. And we read in Romans 4:13, “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.” In the end it’s all about God and His grace and love for mankind. We are all accountable to God for the light that we have received. Man made customs and liturgies are meaningless without faith in God.

Dear God. Thank You for the man Abraham, who lived so long ago. His faith in You has encouraged all of Your children through the ages, and I pray that such faith continues to bless us as we continue out journey to our own promised land. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus Walking on Water

Posted on by korgrocker

“But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!”
John 6:17-21 NLT

The scene opens with darkness falling, and a small boat with several men in it in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, struggling against the wind and waves. Having been in a small boat in very rough seas, I know that this can be terrifying, but these were mostly seasoned fishermen, so being in a Galilean storm would not have been an unknown experience to them. Matthew records what happened next, “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water” (Matthew 14:25). I personally don’t doubt for a minute that Jesus did walk on the water, but sometimes I wonder about the physics of this. Were His feet in contact with the water, or was He floating slightly above? Was He bobbing up and down with the waves? Did He get His feet wet? But when the disciples saw Him, the account in Matthew grips our imaginations – “When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”” (Matthew 14:26). Well, we would be terrified as well wouldn’t we? It is not a common occurrence after all, and our minds would naturally flip into fear mode when something inexplicable in these circumstances happens. But the disciples were stuck in the boat, so flight, running away, was not an option. By the way, I think Jesus would have been walking in His own space on the water, with stormy mayhem around Him, but peace under His feet. 

What happened next was another example of the “fear nots” in the Bible. Jesus often had to calm the fears of His disciples, and this was one such occasion. Being around Jesus must have been an unpredictable and often unnerving experience, prompting His occasional loving responses – “Do not be afraid”.

The account of Jesus walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee is something that often catches people’s imaginations. It is a well known story, taught often in Sunday Schools, but it bears further scrutiny as to why Jesus chose to reach Capernaum that way. It was of course the most direct route, as the land-based route around the North side of the Sea was quite long.  He could have course asked another boat owner to ferry Him across the next day. But Jesus chose to do this for several reasons, one of them being that it was an important learning experience about faith for His disciples, and, consequently, for disciples ever since. 

What happened next wasn’t recorded by John, but Matthew wrote it up. “Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:28-29). How remarkable is that? Impetuous Peter with the courage (foolhardiness?) to step out of the boat onto the rough water. With his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus he managed a few steps, but then his natural mind took over and he started to sink into the water. Jesus’ response is well know – “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31). John never mentioned this episode, perhaps because he was ashamed that he didn’t have the courage to follow in Peter’s steps.

I suppose we pilgrims perhaps look at this episode in a detached way, acknowledging the miracle but accepting that we don’t have the faith to follow suit with something similar. But it graphically illustrates what is possible if we have faith. We know, of course that, ” … it is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6a). But faith to walk on water …? Jesus taught about taking small steps of faith, as we read in Luke 17:6 “The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!“” Faith starts as small as a mustard seed, but as we exercise that faith in doing God’s work, it will lead to bigger things.

Father God. We confess before You our poverty in faith. Please forgive us, we pray, and help us to grow more and more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Be Filled

Posted on by korgrocker

“But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.”
John 2:5-8 NLT

This was no small ask. Fill up all these stone jars with water? We should remember that there was no running water supply piped into every home in Cana. There would have been a well close by but to fill those jars would have required some effort, to-ing and fro-ing with water carrying utensils. We’re not told how long it took, but it took a significant act of obedience. In the Amplified version of this passage of Scripture, we read, “Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim” (John 2:7). Perhaps there is guidance here about how we should be obedient to God’s instructions. Nothing half-hearted. The servants didn’t stop filling short of the top – it was to the brim, with probably excess water running down the sides. But we read next that Jesus told the servants to take some of the “water” to the person in charge of the celebrations. And again the servants were obedient.

The key for me in these verses is the act of obedience. Not just by one person, but by a group of servants, acting together to complete the Master’s instructions. We just get the bare minimum of detail in John’s account of this miracle, but we can let our minds flip to being a fly on the wall, watching what was happening. The news perhaps beginning to spread, that there was no more wine. Caterers with long faces whispering to each other. The servants rushing backwards and forwards carrying water – did the guests think that their wine glasses would be filled with that rather stale water from those water pots? Did the servants grumble a bit? I wonder what the disciples were making of all this, perhaps looking into the dregs in their wine goblets and wondering where the waiter had got to? Was Jesus there smiling to Himself?

We pilgrims probably know from experience that natural solutions to a problem are never as good as God’s remedies. Even if we have a fix, it will only be second best. But it is only God’s way that will bring about the real answer. We may be tempted to rush around and try and sort the problem, but sometimes there is a delay before the solution emerges. Jesus could have miraculously filled the water pots with water but instead He involved servants who were obedient to His instructions. God can miraculously fix our problem, but sometimes there is a delay, allowing our faith in Him to develop and flourish. Part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is patience. ”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!“ (Galatians 5:22-23). Of course God can solve our problem instantly. Jesus did all the time, when we read how sick people were cured the moment He laid hands on them. But as we pray, we can be assured that God cares for us. Because He loves us. And we trust Him day by day with every facet of our lives.

Dear Father God. We thank You for hearing our prayers. Please help our faith to develop and doubts to disappear. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Another “But”

Posted on by korgrocker

“The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.””
John 2:3-5 NLT

When God is around there is always a “but”. We may be in a hopeless situation, “but” …We look around us at our natural circumstances and see apparently insoluble problems. There is no food in the cupboard, or money in the bank account. There is an urgent need for medical supplies – the list is seemingly endless. But God …. In this case, it was Jesus’ mother who had the faith to see beyond the natural circumstances and pave the way for a remarkable miracle. “But … Do whatever He tells you”. In this situation, what would our expectations be? There is a problem – the wine supply has run out. No more of a basic commodity considered essential at a Jewish wedding celebration. There is a solution – Jesus is there. All that is missing is the faith to connect the two. That is, until Jesus’ mother Mary comes along. And of course, the obedience present to turn faith into a solution.

Perhaps with our natural point of view, we would start to imagine how a solution would emerge. For example, we might think we know someone who has a supply of wine stashed away, and wonder if we could persuade him, perhaps with Jesus’ help, to sell us some of it. Or could we persuade that shopkeeper to open up just for us. But we know what happened next, and who could ever have thought up a more unlikely outcome.

So when we face into a knotty problem, seemingly insurmountable, we have a pathway to a solution. As we outline the situation before us, the first step is to involve Jesus. He cares for us – 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you“. The second step is to believe, through faith, that Jesus has a solution. Luke 17:6, “The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!” The third step is then to be obedient to whatever Jesus says. It may not be the outcome that we have in our minds. There may not be a cheque in the post, or a new car in the garage, but through faith we know He has the answer. In fact, Jesus is the answer. There is no-one else. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You are the Answer. There is none other. We worship You today. Amen.

The Word

Posted on by korgrocker

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:1-5 NLT

The first five verses of John’s Gospel are all about Jesus, and John set out the foundational truths about who He was, who He still is and who He has always been. Jesus is the Word of God. But there were many sceptics then and still are today, who struggle over the concept that a human being could also be God. People in those days saw a man who started life as a baby, who grew up as any other Jewish boy in a deprived area of Israel, and who spent years learning and applying carpentry, presumably following in his earthly father Joseph’s footsteps. Yes, they saw the miracles. Yes, they heard all that He said. But to be God as well? That needed a leap of faith, sadly beyond the reach of the closed minds of most people of His day. 

John wrote that the Word, Jesus Himself, was eternal, just like God. He had always been, and was there when the world was created. In fact, John said that the world was created through Him. But it was God’s plan to bring salvation to the world He created, and that plan involved a Word who became a man. A man who lived and died and is now in Heaven, seated at the right hand of His Father. 

Right at the start of John’s Gospel, we have a stumbling block, because nobody can go on to read, and benefit from, the rest of the twenty one chapters in John without accepting, right at the start, that Jesus was, and still is, the incarnate Son of God.

Father God. We pray today for the revelation that Your Son, Jesus, was, and is, both human and Divine. For those of us who may be weak in faith, I pray that You reveal Yourself to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Ancient World

Posted on by korgrocker

“And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.”
2 Peter 2:5 NLT

We read recently the passage in Genesis 6, where there is an account of angels having a “liaison” with women on earth and producing the giants of the ancient world. God spoke out in Genesis 6:3, “Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years””. In Genesis 6:5-6 we then read, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart“. Those last words poignantly describe what God thinks about sin. And He pronounced judgement on the world at that time, “And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them”” (Genesis 6:7). That would have been the end of the human race but… We thank God for His buts! Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found favour with the Lord“.

In Genesis 1, God created the Heavens and the Earth, and we read in Genesis 1:31, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day”. He was pleased with His creation, exclaiming that it was “very good”. An understatement, I think we agree. But as Peter wrote, God did not even spare His beautiful creation when evil and sin blighted what He had made. God had Noah’s ear, and He shared His plan with Noah, a plan that involved the destruction of all living creatures, except for those that He was going to save. It took Noah 100 years, or thereabouts, to build the ark, because he was 500 years old when he became the father of his three sons (Genesis 5:32), and he was 600 when he populated the ark and the flood came (Genesis 7:6). 

In a generation, a society, that was inherently evil, Noah stood strong in his faith in God. Imagine the abuse and ridicule he received for 100 years, as he built that ark and populated it with all the animals. We must consider that the building of a structure that large would have been too much for one man and his young sons, so he must have employed local craftsmen to help. We must also consider that the people of that day were not familiar with a large expanse of water, and therefore wouldn’t have known what a boat was for. But Noah stood strong in God anyway, and in so doing warned “the world of God’s righteous judgement”. And in return Noah had God’s protection. After the Flood, God made a promise to Noah. “Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth”” (Genesis 9:11). So instead of destroying His creation again for their wickedness, God introduced Jesus to the world. Surely they will believe in Him and turn to Me? Was that His thought?

There are many discouraged Christians around in the West these days. They observe much that is going on in Christian denominations that is directly against Scripture, and they grieve dwindling numbers attending church services. But we can take heart because God always has a “but” up His sleeve. Jesus said that He would build His church, and that will truly happen. In fact, we know that in the last days many will fall away from the faith – Jesus Himself warned us that this would happen, “And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other” (Matthew 24:10). We pilgrims therefore must shine even brighter in this dark society, where even churches are embracing the wickedness that God hates.

How are we shining for God to those around us? For a start, do they know that we are believers in Jesus? Are we behaving in a way that reflects our faith? One thing I believe God said to me recently was that some people are so worn down and depressed in their lives, that even a cheery word is enough to lift them. We have a message of hope, and the Holy Spirit will help us communicate it to this sad, sombre and sinful world.

Dear Father God. Please help us to share Your loving heart to those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Seeing or Believing

Posted on by korgrocker

“For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendour with our own eyes when he received honour and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.”
2 Peter 1:16-19 NLT

‭‭Peter once again refers to the “experience” of the Mount of Transfiguration. It was an occasion that transformed his life. Well, why wouldn’t it? Imagine being in that situation ourselves, not only seeing Jesus in all His “majestic splendour” but seeing with Him two of the old prophets, Moses and Elijah, who should have been long dead and buried. Such an “experience” must transcend any human understanding, because it cuts right across all our scientific and natural beliefs. Imagine the scenario, trying to describe what happened to a sceptical and agnostic professor at an esteemed university. Such an academic might be impressed by our animated description of what had happened but he would be highly sceptical and more likely to assume it was a drug-induced fantasy. Neither is it the sort of tale that would be well received in the pub or our workplace. Ridicule or worse would follow. 

Just after 9/11, a girl in my office returned from her New York holiday still deeply affected, in shock even, by the sight of the Twin Towers being destroyed. Just the day before it had happened she had eaten a meal in the restaurant at the top of one of the towers, and the following day observed the attacks in real time. We were impressed by her account of what had happened, because we too had seen the event on the news reports. But imagine if we hadn’t and all the knowledge came solely from her account? Would her story have been too off the wall to be believed?

And we remember the disciple, Thomas. He wasn’t present when the resurrected Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples. We read in John 20:24-25, “One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side””. His response came after the testimony of the remaining ten disciples (of course, Judas was no longer with them) and he still didn’t believe. A few days later, he did get to meet the risen Jesus, who said to him, “ … You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me”” (John 20:29).

It is true that no-one living on Planet Earth today has ever experienced at first hand the person of Jesus. The only recorded instant of a personal encounter after the resurrection was with Paul, who met the risen Jesus on the Damascus Road and we can read his story in Acts 9. But our future salvation does not depend on an in-the-flesh meeting with Jesus. He came to this world to save it, and we know what He said – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We know much about Jesus from the Biblical accounts and we can develop a Holy-Spirit enlightened impression of who Jesus was. As we read in Revelation 22:4, one day we will see Jesus’ face, “And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads”. But not will we see Him. The Bible tells us we will be like Him. 1 John 3:2, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is“. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, we read, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely“. That’s where our faith comes into play. All we need to know about Jesus we can find in God’s Word, the Bible. And the more we read it, the more we will find out about His love and grace, equipping use for life in this sad and sinful world.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your master plan, revealing Your Son, Jesus, to all on this planet. Please help us not to squander the experience, by helping us to share our faith and belief with others who don’t know Him. Amen.

Faith Supplements

Posted on by korgrocker

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”
2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT

Just to recap, we have read in the two previous verses of how God’s power provides “everything we need for living a Godly life” through our knowledge of Him. This thought in itself must be sufficient to drive us pilgrims to a detailed study of the Bible with faithful prayer, enabling us to try to grab hold of God and all that He is. We need to know Him and know Him more. And in that knowledge we need to extract the resources that result in personal changes leading to the Godly life, that is so elusive at times. Peter also mentioned God’s “marvellous glory and excellence”, attributes of God that have driven His gifts of promises, “great and precious promises” into our sphere of knowledge. Meditation on these promises elevates us above the “world’s corruption caused by human desires”. 

So, Peter continues in his communication, looking forward into a practical application of God’s power and promises. On the foundation of a knowledge of God, Peter encourages his readers to do something. His advice might sound a bit radical to a Christian today, to encourage a personal life-change, or even to cast aside preconceived notions of who God is, so that this new knowledge of Him can turn us into the person God wants us to be. Has anyone ever noticed the number of times a Scripture has been read, only for it to disclose the next time something about God that we didn’t know or had forgotten, something that explodes into our minds and spirits anew, bringing a revelation of Him that threatens to blow apart our pre-conceived assumptions?

But Peter continues with the exhortation “make every effort to …”. This isn’t an optional, if-you-feel-like-it type of suggestion, but an instruction that we cannot avoid or rationalise our way out of. If we pilgrims accept that the Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, then this is something we must do. And to do it, we must apply the life-changing process of increasing our knowledge of God.

Peter assumes that our faith is sound and well established, and he calls us to “supplement” it. He lists a number of factors that are of value to our faith. Some people call it developing our faith muscles, and the process involves applying life’s lessons to our journey in the Kingdom. Of course, this will not be an overnight process, but as we work our way through his list of suggestions, the Holy Spirit will help us.

We pilgrims are perhaps standing on the edge of a spiritual cliff looking into the distance and seeing where we are needing to go. But finding the courage and motivation to take a jump over the edge into what is perhaps uncharted territory for us may be too daunting an ask. Thankfully, God is there holding our hands, urging us on. And we remember that He will never leave us. 

Dear Father God. As we venture into unknown territory, please lead and guide us every step of the way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Precious Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour.”
2 Peter 1:1 NLT

‭‭We move on to the second epistle written by the Apostle Peter. The historians believe he must have penned this letter, possibly from a Roman prison, just before his execution in 64 or 65 AD, and its audience were probably the five churches in Asian Minor, now part of modern Turkey. In his first letter, Peter wrote to “God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners…” in this part of the world, so the readers of his second may have been Christians who had fled from Jerusalem earlier at a time of persecution. Peter probably used the services of an amanuensis, and his first letter mentions Silas, his “faithful brother” to whom he may have dictated the letter before Silas made the perilous journey to the five provinces.

Peter started his first letter with the claim that he was “an apostle of Jesus Christ”. The second letter added the word “slave” to his apostolic claim. Peter never wavered in his faith, in spite of everything the devil threw at him. He was beaten and imprisoned, suffered abuse, and overall could have been forgiven for giving up the hard road he had chosen. But how could he? He had spent time with Jesus, and that experience never left him through his remaining 30 or so years on this earth. The words of Jesus never stopped ringing in his ears – “Simon son of John, do you love Me …” (John 21:17) – and they drove him onwards and upwards, regardless of the opposition. But describing himself as a slave was indicative of how much Peter loved Jesus, to the extent that he enslaved his life to His service. Imagine the reunion in Heaven, when Peter finally met Jesus again, responding to that love in person.

Peter’s faith in Jesus was “precious”, and he goes on to describe it as being founded on the “justice and fairness”, the righteousness, of Jesus, “our God and Saviour”. The Apostle James wrote, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:3). He went on to describe the problem for people struggling with their faith, “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). That is why the faith Peter experienced was “precious”. Peter was never a storm-tossed wave, or like a leaf in a breeze. His faith never wavered.

So, fellow pilgrims, how is our faith today? Are we resolute in our faith “in God alone” or do we instead come and go, trusting our governments or other authorities, instead of putting our faith in our loving Heavenly Father? Do we worry about world events, forgetting that God never leaves His throne? Do we struggle with personal circumstances, forgetting that ” … God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5). God is always there for us, and we can trust Him implicitly through anything we experience in this world. On our knees we ask for His forgiveness, and His peace will flood over us. You see, Peter knew that His faith was established in Jesus and His righteousness and love. A strong foundation, stronger than anything this world can present to us. The Kingdom of God will still exist long after the kingdom of this world has disappeared, because our God is so great and so majestic. He builds to last. But we frail and wayward human beings think we have got all the answers and consequently build our lives on a foundation of straw, with a misplaced faith in our own abilities. A quote from J L Packer in his book “Knowing God”, “Our personal life is a finite thing: it is limited in every direction, in space, in time, in knowledge, in power. But God is not so limited. He is eternal, infinite, and almighty. He has us in his hands; but we never have him in ours. Like us he is personal, but unlike us he is great“. How do we view God? The God we worship is far greater than anything in this world. After all, He created the very ground on which we stand. Let that thought infuse our work-a-day existence today. And every day.

Our faith is indeed precious. So precious, that without it we will never see God. Those that find this precious faith are truly blessed and in a great company with believers all over the world and throughout history. And this faith comes as a gift from God. His grace provides the transport we need to support our faith in our life-journey, whatever it may comprise.

Father God. We are indeed insignificantly small compared to You. Please forgive us for our arrogance and lack of faith. We worship You today. Amen.

Stand Firm

Posted on by korgrocker

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

We pilgrims are aware that the devil is on the prowl, and we are at our most vulnerable when we do something for God that is very visible in our families and communities. New Christians in particular are in the devil’s sights because, if he can, he will cause them so many problems that they give up almost straight away. Jesus taught about this in the parable of the sower, and, unusually, he explained it to His disciples. We read in Matthew 13:19-22, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced”. Notice that there are three categories of person who succumbs to the devil’s ploys. There are those whose spiritual eyes are blinded, preventing them from understanding the Good News. There are those who hear and understand it, but lack the perseverance to press through any difficulties that come their way. And there are those who get caught up with living in a certain way and pursue wealth to support their lifestyles. All methods that the devil uses to ensure a believer won’t cause him any difficulties.

The devil is very subtle in the way he tempts people. Look at the way he drew Eve away into sin. We read the story in Genesis 3, but the key opener was “Did God really say …?”  The devil will work with our human nature to birth sin in our lives, and there is that desperately sad verse at the end of Judges, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The same applies today, with people who have no moral compass, who lack God’s presence in their lives, and go on to live a life, debased by the devil and his evil lies. Their own twisted logic is influenced and matured by the devil, who devours them and then uses them for his own wicked ways.

We are not on our own in matters of temptation. Peter wrote that the “family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering” that they were. To the early believers, a very real temptation was to alleviate the suffering by renouncing their new-found faith. But Peter’s answer was for them to “stand firm” and “be strong in [their] faith”. The Apostle Paul wrote some great practical instructions for the Ephesian church. We read what he said in Ephesians 6. “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11). He explains in a little more detail some information about how the devil devours. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Peter used the illustration of the devil prowling around but he has a whole contingent of “mighty powers”, and “evil spirits” all doing his bidding. We pilgrims need to be on our guard and constantly alert to those weak spots where the devil will find us the most vulnerable. We mustn’t forget that around us are other fellow believers who are fighting the same battles. So we pray for them and get them to pray for us. And we ask the Bible Author to show us the resources we need to help us in times of need.

Dear Father God. We pray again for Your help in our lives. We cannot fight the devil on our own and we thank You for the resources You have given us. Amen.