God – Page 14 – Being a Pilgrim

Authorities

Posted on 27th Jun 202313th Jun 2023 by korgrocker

“The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.”
Romans 13:4-5 NLT

What is right and wrong? God has wired us with a conscience, and wrongdoing, any act violating it, will initiate feelings of guilt. But how do we know objectively what actions are acceptable and what aren’t? Adam was the first man and, until the episode with the forbidden fruit, he had done no wrong. Was his perfect, sin-free life before the fall governed by his conscience? But because of the Fall, and the introduction of sin into this world, we have to be taught the difference. This comes, initially, largely from our parenting. As babies, we soon picked up the difference between right and wrong from our mums and dads, and as we grew up in our societies, our consciences became fine-tuned to do what is good. Well, that is the ideal. But Paul wrote the verses today perhaps as a catch all, reminding his readers that if the authorities find they have been misbehaving, there will be consequences.

In every walk of life, there is an authority somewhere. In our employment, we have our employers. In Paul’s days, slaves were common, and they had their masters and mistresses. The civil authorities are there ensuring the cohesion of society. There is spiritual authority to take into account as well, for those of us who are God-followers. We read in Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit”.

We pilgrims also have authority. Controversially perhaps in these “enlightened” days, in a marriage context, we read, “For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Saviour of his body, the church” (Ephesians 5:23). Jesus gave His disciples authority, as we read in Luke 10:19, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you”.

In Paul’s writings, he emphasises that submitting to the authorities will leave us with a clear conscience. But that is where issues could emerge. What if the civil authorities are imposing something that is in direct conflict with God’s Word, in the Bible? In that situation we have to follow what God says, because He is the higher authority. That is something that gets many people in our persecuted world in a lot of trouble. In North Korea, just to have a Bible, or even a portion of it, could result in imprisonment. In many countries, to worship and pray, if discovered by the authorities, could result in all sorts of sanctions or even punishments. The first person martyred for his faith, Stephen, was murdered because he dared to stand up to the religious authorities of his day.

But when Paul wrote that the Roman Christians must obey the authorities, I’m sure he had in mind the routine, hum-drum, subservience to ordinary laws, that were there to keep them all safe and functioning in their society. I don’t know about you, but there are some I don’t like. Others I don’t feel comfortable about. But we pray for the authorities, that God will help them get it right. And looking at recent events in the UK, I’m sure He is working behind the scenes, bringing answers to our prayers.

Dear God. Thank You that You listen when we pray, and bring good, and a resolution, out of apparently hopeless situations. But in those times when things don’t work out as we would like, please give us the grace to obey the authorities. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Rebellion

Posted on 26th Jun 202311th Jun 2023 by korgrocker

“So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honour you.
Romans 13:2-3 NLT

Paul continues in his theme of being obedient to the civil authorities because God put them in place. But these days it is fashionable to rebel against our leaders and lawmakers. Not us Christians of course – we tend to be passive and stoical people. Mostly putting up with injustices that take place against us and what we believe. Although that in part reflects the teaching of Jesus, to love our enemies, to go the second mile, we tend to be afraid to stick our collective heads over the parapets, preferring to leave any dissent with the civil authorities to our leaders. But even then, Christians don’t rebel against the authorities that “God has instituted”.

Those in our society who are the rebellious ones tend not to be Christians, although there are exceptions. In the UK just now, many disagree with government policy on oil and gas exploration and a very small minority are causing inordinate amounts of disruption in London. Is that rebellion against the authorities, or a legitimate form of protest? There is also a minority who are trying to change society’s attitude to gender and related matters around sexual ethics, to the extent that it is almost becoming a new religion. That is rebellion against Bible-based morality, but rebellion against the authorities? Probably not, unless they behave in a way that is outside the law. In other parts of the world though, totalitarian and authoritarian regimes are very proactive in stifling the least hint of what could become a threat to state’s existence. Christians suffer unjustly in such nations, and their very act of continuing to worship God is considered rebellion.

So was Paul promoting a passive Christianity that would comply with all laws and governments, even if they are unrighteous? Such circumstances introduce difficulties for Christians because there is a higher Power, God Himself. We pilgrims have to constantly be on our guard, always weighing up the society and its laws with the principles and precepts of God’s Kingdom. We of course abide by the laws introduced for the benefit of our society, and even, as was the case in Paul’s day, we do our best to live in a society that may not fit in with our ideals. Here in the UK, society is now largely secular. People are saying we live in a post-Christian world, and the moral compass provided by the Bible and underpinned by centuries of Christian doctrine and customs is being abandoned and replaced by a new morality that doesn’t look as though it will end well.

But we pilgrims obey our authorities, as Paul taught, because by doing what is right in accordance with the established laws and regulations, we will be allowed to live in peace. We mustn’t get caught up with the rebellious people in our midst, as we read in Proverbs 24:21-22, “My child, fear the Lord and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the Lord and the king?”

Paul ended the verse today with the thought that if we do what is right we will be honoured by the authorities. For most people this will not be public recognition, but just the opportunity to continue to live our lives in peace. Honour enough for me!

Father God. Thank You that You have appointed and ordained our secular leaders. We pray for them today, that Your will and purposes will be worked out through them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bless the Persecutors

Posted on 21st Jun 20235th Jun 2023 by korgrocker

“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.”
Romans 12:14 NLT

In 1955 a man called ‘Brother Andrew” started smuggling Bibles into communist countries, and founded an organisation called “Open Doors”. The work grew, and “Open Doors” has for over six decades supported persecuted Christians all over the world. They maintain a “watch list” identifying the most dangerous places to be a Christian, and their statistics are sobering. They estimate that 360 million Christians worldwide suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith – that’s a staggering 1 in 7 believers. In the top fifty of persecuting countries are North Korea, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and far too many others. But , as an aside, we should also note that in many of the countries where Christians are not persecuted, the church is in decline.

Paul echoed the words of Jesus by asking his readers to bless their persecutors. Jesus’ teaching can be found in Matthew 5:10-12, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way”. He also taught His followers to pray for their enemies, as recorded in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

Christians are counter-cultural in their faith, turning round the expected norms in society, turning them into something that challenges natural human behaviour. There has to be a Higher Power to make this happen because we mortals are wired by sin to respond so differently. How was Jesus able to pray for those Roman soldiers as they hammered crude iron spikes through his hands or wrists. Amidst the normal screaming responses there would be curses ringing through the air. Luke 23:33-34, “When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice” (emphasis mine). The answer was that He was, and is, God and man, but in His humanity He was able to show us the way. What other religion has a God who came to this earth, taking on human flesh, thereby showing how much He loves us? The hardened Roman soldiers were challenged by Jesus’ response to the nails and His death, as we read the comment of the Roman centurion, “When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent”“(Luke 23:47).

Thankfully, we in the West don’t suffer much for our faith. Not like those in other countries, who spend large parts of their lives in prison. Who experience beatings or rapes. Who lose their homes and jobs. The persecuted Christians are in good company. We read in Hebrews 11:36-39, “Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised“.

But we pilgrims can pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. We can regularly return to the Open Doors website to find up to date information for prayer. And we can pray for ourselves as well, because here in the UK there are dark clouds already forming on the horizon. There is a new ideology emerging with adherents who want to cancel anyone who don’t agree with them and their extreme views. They want to close our churches because what we preach is to them an existential threat, and they are lobbying politicians to get them to introduce legislation that will make it illegal to pray with, or for, someone who, for example, wants to go against God’s order and change gender. Even if the person concerned has asked for prayer. Christian leaders are being pressurised to officiate at same-sex marriages; some have already capitulated. Liberal “Christians” are reinterpreting the Bible to suit society’s increasingly strident anti-God requirements. Christians are being sacked from their employment because they wish to wear a cross or other religious artefact. Persecution is here, folks. But we pray for our societies, and our misguided leaders, that God will bless them. Why? Because Jesus has asked us to.

Father God. We pray that Your people will rise up and stand firm against the dark forces that are coming against us. Please help us, Lord. In Jesus’ name and for His sake. Amen.

Rejoice in Hope

Posted on 19th Jun 20234th Jun 2023 by korgrocker

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Romans 12:12 NLT

What do we hope for? The answer will depend on our circumstances. A resident of Ukraine will be hoping for an end to the current war. A young single mum in poor quality accommodation will be hoping for something better. A young man stuck in a dead end job will be hoping for a new opportunity. People hope that they will win the lottery. After another breakdown, a driver will be hoping that they can afford a new car. A student will be hoping that they get a good mark in their finals. An old person lying in a hospital bed will be hoping that they can get home soon. The list of “hopes” is endless, and totally related to our circumstances at the time. But these are all temporal “hopes”, grounded in our humanity and time being spent on Planet Earth. They all refer to a “hope” pinned to a point sometime in the future. Possibly to come to fruition, if at all, in a day or two. Or years away. The “hope” of mankind is a wistful thought, unlikely to happen, but rooted in a fantasy, often totally unrealistic but imagined anyway. Call it wishful thinking.

Paul wrote about a different “hope”. Galatians 5:5, “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope”. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. Romans 8:23-25, “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)” Can we see the picture that is building through these Scriptures? Through our relationship with God we have faith that what He has said will come to pass. So our hope is much more than wishful thinking. It is rooted and grounded by faith in the assurance, through the Holy Spirit living within us, that one day we will be in God’s presence, with all that means.

Paul was convinced that the hope he had was going to happen. He started his letter to Titus, “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:1-2, emphasis mine). No messing about with Paul. His hope for the future and eternal life was based on something far more tangible than human hopes and wishes. It was based on his faith that what God said will happen will indeed happen one day.

We pilgrims have a message of hope for this hopelessly dark and evil world. We too have a “hope” like Paul’s, sharing His faith and assurance. And we must tell those around us, in our families, communities, schools, and workplaces, that Heaven is real, and Jesus saves all who come to Him. Living out our hope will not be easy. We will experience ridicule and persecution. Opportunities in this world may be lost to us. We will have to make difficult choices as we live out the hope we have for an eternal future. However, Jeremiah exposed God’s heart when he wrote, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, emphasis mine). Wherever we are in our Christian walk, we have a hope, an assurance even, that one day in the future we will be with God in Heaven. The Holy Spirit who lives within us says so.

Dear Father God. One day we will be with You in Heaven. You promised us that in Your Word. You said it, so we believe it. We pray that this transformational truth will motivate and empower us as we share the Good News with all around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Leadership (1)

Posted on 13th Jun 20232nd Jun 2023 by korgrocker

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
Romans 12:6-8 NLT

We all know what qualities we like to see in a leader. We look for integrity, charisma, fairness, enthusiasm, competence, and so on. We also know that some people are born to be leaders, but most are followers. Another fact is that there are many leaders out there who shouldn’t be in such a role, because they lack the necessary abilities and qualities. Paul wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy, and pointed out to him the sort of qualities a church leader should have. We read them in 1 Timothy 3:2, “So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach“.

Paul starts by making a statement that is contentious in mainstream Christian organisations, that a church leader must be male. David Pawson, the controversial Bible teacher, who sadly died recently, wrote a book “Leadership is Male” that reflected a view that was totally based on his understanding of the Scriptures. In his autobiography “Not So Bad As The Truth” he wrote, ”My second ‘reactionary’ belief is of male leadership, in the church and the home. I believe it is a God-given role and responsibility, not a question of superiority at all. God made us male and female, with distinct and complementary functions. The current trend to blur and even obliterate the distinction, both inside and outside the church, owes more to the spirit of the secular age than the Holy Spirit”. Pawson’s belief was founded on a fundamental interpretation of Scripture, not only shared by him, but we won’t dwell on this point – we each have to make up our own minds.

A church leader must have the quality of being “above reproach”. In other words, the person must not live a life that lacks integrity or honesty. He (or she) must behave in a way that is an example to their followers. So it would not do their reputation much good, if they are caught shoplifting or even speeding. Such behaviour would disqualify them from leadership. In the 1990’s, the Assemblies of God evangelist, Jimmy Swaggart, was found to have visited prostitutes. His high profile confession and subsequent events were well reported at the time, and the incident led to his withdrawal from ministry. Such behaviour fails to meet the quality of being “above reproach”. But before we take the moral high ground, we must remember that we are all sinners. It’s just that some people are more vulnerable to media scrutiny.

The next quality of a church leader, as listed by Paul, is that he must be faithful to his wife. Obvious really, because much of a church leader’s ministry is about relationships. How can a leader preach or teach about the family, if his own is in ruins? A pastor who cannot manage his own family must have a question mark hanging over him. Some years ago, I heard of a pastor whose wife left him to form a relationship with another man. As far as I am aware, he did what he could to rescue the situation, but without success. So he left the ministry, traumatised and sad. There was always the possibility that some of the blame for the situation would rest with him regardless of the circumstances.

Dear Father. We pray for our leaders, that You will be with them day by day, guiding them in all truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Serving Others

Posted on 9th Jun 202330th May 2023 by korgrocker

We continue to look at the list of motivational gifts listed in Romans 12. The next one Paul listed was “serving others”. Service is not a fashionable word today, and perhaps one still carrying negative connotations because it exposed a class distinction between those who “have” and those who “haven’t”. Servants were people who found employment as a butler, maid, or cook, serving an aristocratic or wealthy family in a big house somewhere. The class distinction can be seen in period dramas and television series such as “Downton Abbey”.

Back in the 1930’s, my father found employment as an under butler, serving several families such as the Youngers, of Scottish brewery fame, who owned the large house at Mount Melville near St. Andrews in Fife. Before him, his father was a chauffeur/gardener, latterly working at Huntingtower near Perth. Today, the same jobs exist, but have different names. But in the end, every act of employment is a form of service, because we serve an employer.

However, was Paul referring to employment when he wrote that God has given us a gift of “serving others”? I think not, because he was bringing in the notion that “serving others” is both an essential part of Christian fellowship, and is underpinned by a heart attitude that is enhanced by a gift from God. Note three things here – “serving others” is something that God wants us to do, that He wants us to do well, and something that He has enhanced and helped us with a gift. In God’s Kingdom, the question – “What’s in it for me”? – is replaced by an attitude of heart that says – “What can I do for them”? In Philippians 2:3-4 Paul wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too“. Jesus taught His disciples about “serving others”. We read in Mark 10:42-44, “So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else“.

So, what does all this mean for us pilgrims? Well, first of all, we are called to serve God, as we read in 1 Samuel 12:24, “But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you“. Also, serving others is not an option in our Christian lives. We Christians all need to be in fellowship, and, once there, we need to look for opportunities to serve our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And some of us will find that our willingness to serve is enhanced by a gift from God. How wonderful is that?

Dear God. Thank You that You saved us for a life of service. We thank You for the encouragement that You have provided. Amen.

Prophesy

Posted on 8th Jun 202330th May 2023 by korgrocker

Paul starts to expand his thoughts about the gifts God gives us. We need to note that God has commissioned us to do something in our service to Him, and, through His kindness and grace, He has given us gifts to do what He wants us to do, so that we are effective. But what is the context within which we are to exercise these gifts? Is it in our church fellowships or in the communities in which we live? There is a clue in who the letter of Romans is addressed to. It is thought that Paul wrote this letter in AD57, while in Corinth, and it was addressed to the Roman Christians, who were experiencing a bit of strife between the Jewish and Gentile converts. So, primarily, the gifts that God supplied were to be used in a Christian fellowship setting. However, that said, our Christian lives, enhanced by the gifts God has given us, will shine like beacons on a dark world, and, who knows, there may well be opportunities to use our God-given gifts to help our fellow citizens in our schools, workplaces, and communities.

Paul starts with the gift of prophesy. Prophesy is, quite simply, a message from God. It can be about something that hasn’t yet happened, or it could be something that is related to a particular Biblical message. Foretelling or forth-telling. But in either case its roots must be in God. There are many examples of prophesy in the Old Testament, and the practice continued in the New. As an example of New Testament prophesy, there was the occasion when a prophet graphically brought a message about what would happen to Paul when he returned to Jerusalem. We read the account in Acts 21:10-12, “Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem”. The prophet’s message, unwelcome to the believers as it was, turned out much as he told it, as Paul was indeed arrested and bound, as we read in Acts 21:33, “Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done”.

An example of forth-telling occurs when a preacher brings a message from the Bible. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he or she preaches from a certain verse or passage of Scripture, that is helpful to the fellowship at that particular time in their journey together. So the message might be about the Gospel and salvation, or about giving and stewardship. Such a message could fall under the category of prophecy, particular if the message needs to be heard, and the preacher doesn’t know the local situation.

How open are we pilgrims to prophetic messages? Sometimes God will bring us a prophecy in answer to our prayers. We might have been praying about moving to another city and, seemingly out of the blue, a prophecy would be given to us that answers our prayer and provides the direction, or otherwise, that we need. At other times a message might be preached that helps us get back on track in our Christian journey, or provides us with a new information to clarify the season ahead. But however delivered we need to wisely evaluate the messages to ensure that they came from God. A prophetic message will never contradict with the Word of God, as written in the Holy Scriptures. And we need to follow the wisdom of the Berean Christians. Acts 17:11, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth“.

We pilgrims are in a privileged place. We worship a God who wants to helps us and interact with us. Prophesy is just one gift, out of many, that He provides.

Father God. We thank You for this wonderful gift of prophesy, so rich and fulfilling. Amen.

Certain Things

Posted on 7th Jun 202330th May 2023 by korgrocker

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.”
Romans 12:6 NLT

So God has given us “different gifts for doing certain things well”. We listed in a previous blog the seven ministry or service gifts – leading, faith, encouragement, teaching, hospitality, prophecy and giving. These are all practical gifts, graciously given by our loving Heavenly Father. And with them we can do “certain things well”. What things?

As we review the gifts that Paul lists in Romans 12, we find that they are there mostly to help us in our life experiences with other people. In particular, the gifts of encouragement and hospitality help us to help others, who find themselves in negative territory. The other gifts are there also, providing invaluable resources for living in the way Jesus has requested for His church.

So how do we get these gifts from God? His grace, being so available, means that the door to His gift cupboard is wide open. Imagine a room full of precious jewels or banknotes, riches that are there just for the taking, and we find that it is unlocked. All we have to do is to ask God for the gifts we need. Obviously, there are some prerequisites that need to be in place before the gifts can be dispensed. We must have a loving and obedient relationship with God, but from that we love those around us. 1 John 5:1-2, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments”. It is that love, agape love, that underpins the motivational gifts we need.

We pilgrims live in a land of “certain things”. In the 17th Century, the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, a man called John Donne, included the following quotation in a sermon. ”No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” We are in constant contact with our neighbours and friends, in our communities, in our workplaces, in our schools and colleges. As John Donne said, we are involved in mankind, and we need all the gifts in God’s goodies cupboard to enable us to do what God has asked us to do. We may not see Kingdom fruit in our lifetimes, but we do what God has asked us to do anyway, with the gifts we need to do them.

Dear Father God. You have been so generous to us. But the biggest gift by far was, and is, Jesus. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Self Honesty

Posted on 4th Jun 202322nd May 2023 by korgrocker

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us”.
Romans 12:3 NLT

This is a difficult one. What do we think of ourselves and our abilities? And how do we know? There are some empirical ways of assessing our abilities, and academic exams are one of them. We might, for example, think we are good at arithmetic, and we can prove it by passing some sort of test. The same would apply to a driving test, where we can demonstrate to an external examiner our ability, or not, as the case may be. Similarly, we might think we are good at speaking a foreign language, something that is easily confirmed by a visit to that country. But these are all specifics. The problem comes when, for example, we say we are good at a subject like art just because we can pass an arithmetic test.

I used to work for someone who was an expert in his vocational field. He wrote for scientific and technical journals, and people consulted him about their theories and projects. So he started a company to market his products, thinking that he would have the same expertise and abilities when it came to business matters. Sadly he didn’t, and the company collapsed. Now here’s the reason – he didn’t have an honest evaluation of himself. He should have read the verse we are looking at today. The problem in much of today’s employment, particularly in white collar environments, is that those who climb the promotion ladder have to make claims about how good they are, by talking up their abilities. I was once in a project meeting with a very confident manager, who impressed the project sponsor by his apparent knowledge of the subject in hand. Afterwards I complemented him on his knowledge, to which he replied, “in a land of blind men, a one-eyed man is king”. The reality was that he had a good grasp of all the buzz words, but little else. But life isn’t like that for most of us.

At the other end of the scale, I have known people who are really good at something, but they lack the confidence to leverage their abilities, failing to make them a useful addition to their lives and the lives of others. But the emphasis in Paul’s message would indicate that this is less of a problem then being overconfident, by thinking that “you are better than you really are”.

Was Paul merely applying what he was writing about to spiritual matters or everything that the person, the “each of you”, was involved in? He was probably, in my opinion, referring to life, everything the person was involved in as they went about their everyday lives. Paul also included some guidance in his letter to the Philippians. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4). He continued, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. …” (Philippians 2:5-7). The world has got it wrong. Society demands that self-promotion is necessary to get on, and be better than anyone else. The Christian way is the opposite, one of humility and preferring one another. A way where we step back and allow God to do the promoting. Because of Jesus’ humility, He was honoured, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:9).

Paul writes about self-evaluation through the faith that we have. To present this as an example, perhaps someone who claims to have a healing ministry, but doesn’t see the fruit of it, may not have the faith to make their claim. There is a partnership between a person’s spiritual and natural abilities, seasoned with the faith that comes from a lifetime of service to God.

So we pilgrims, humbly in God’s presence, work with Him to maximise our potential for His kingdom. Through our faith in Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit working within us. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). And, in the end, that is what we really want to do – please our loving Heavenly Father.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship You today, deeply grateful for Your presence in our lives. Please help us, we pray, to serve You with faith and in truth, trusting that it is only through You and Your Son, Jesus, that we can really succeed in all that You have for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thought Programming

Posted on 2nd Jun 202320th May 2023 by korgrocker

“Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 NLT

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”
Romans 12:2 J B Phillips

The implication of Romans 12:2 is that the world thinks and acts in a different way to God. How did that happen? After all, weren’t we made in God’s image? Of course, we know the answer. It’s all down to sin. Even though we know, intuitively sometimes, how God would behave, we act in a different way, because it feels good. Or it’s an easier option. We could very quickly compile a table with three headings – Behaviour, God’s Way, World’s Way. And the results would be shocking. Let’s take some examples:

Behaviour	God’s Way	World’s Way
Treatment of enemies	Love	Hate
Response to accusations	Tell the Truth	Tell Lies
Temptation	Don’t give in	Just do it
Adultery	Run from it	Give in – no one will know
Relationships	Prefer one another	Look after ourselves

The list is endless and I’ve left a space for our own additional and personal contributions. Wise old Paul could see the “behaviour and customs of this world” for what they were – riven and influenced by sin.

Paul appealed to his readers to allow the transforming power of God to change them from worldliness to Godliness. And that is never more important than in these dark and Godless days. Days when the society around us is confused and misguided – as an example, just look at the mess the Scottish politicians have made with their legislation to allow a person to change their gender at will. A mess that could have been prevented if they had just opened a Bible. On the same subject, there are people who blatantly and openly behave in homosexual acts, and engage in “Pride” events. Businesses decide that they can sell more of their products if they embrace fashionable ideologies and customs. The societal cauldron in which we live is constantly fuelled by sin, becoming a merry go round of behaviours that compete to be the worst possible. Thankfully, believe it or not, God holds back the worst excesses. One day His restraints will be removed and society will become a forerunner of hell. However, before anyone takes issue with that statement, we need to note that there are many Godly behaviours we can see even in ungodly people. Kindness, love, or other-centredness for example. God’s grace will shine through mankind in many different ways, even in those who don’t know Him, but there will come a time when His grace will be replaced by judgement.

So the question must be – how do we let God change us, in the way we think and behave. Some years ago, youth events would be taught how to obtain God’s perspective of a behaviour by thinking “What Would Jesus Do”. Rubber wrist bands were handed out with the initials WWJD engraved on them. And that is really the way we find out what God’s thoughts are. The teachings of Jesus in the Gospels are fundamental to our every day lives, and as we read them and align ourselves to His principles, we will find that increasingly we become a new person, thinking God thoughts. We must remember what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right“. Reading the Bible, and referring to it for guidance, will expose us to God’s thoughts, with the consequence that we will “learn to know God’s will for [us], which is good and pleasing and perfect”.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, as they guide us day by day through our journey to paradise. We worship You today. Amen.