The Christian Life

Posted on by korgrocker

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.”
Psalm 18:30 NLT

At first reading of our verse today, perhaps a new Christian would think that the Christian life before him will be an easy one, without the hassles and struggles the people of the world are facing into. After all, when we read about God’s way being perfect and God providing a shield to protect us, what could go wrong? Add into the mix a Bible full of God’s promises, which will all become true, so David wrote, then becoming a Christian must open a door into a utopian world never before experienced. But after a few weeks into the journey, reality starts to dawn, that being a Christian in the true New Testament sense introduces a way of life that not only includes the difficulties previously encountered, but also includes the discipline of following the Lord. So why do we seasoned pilgrims do it, plodding along the roads, sometimes as though through treacle, that lead to a life beyond the grave?

Well, for a start, we have to consider our future. We responded to the message of forgiveness of sins, to a God who loves us and cares about us, and who wants us to join Him in Heaven where we will live forever. We continue in our journey to try and become more like Jesus, cleaning up our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our relationships, in the process we call sanctification. To be honest, it can be hard work at times. It’s great when all is well, and we experience wonderful times of prayer and worship, our spirits flying high into Heavenly places, seemingly touching the very fringes of Heaven itself. But there are then other times when we find valleys of darkness and turmoil, when the Heavens seem like brass, and we cannot even pray effectively, let alone find the means to worship, times when we even find that opening the pages of our Bibles becomes a chore.

But none of this devalues the words of David, written so long ago. God’s way is indeed perfect. We cannot dispute that, and the wonderful thing is that He helps us understand and follow His way. One of His promises is written there in Deuteronomy 31:8, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you”. That verse was written to encourage the Israelites, but its timeless message hangs in the air over us even today. What a wonderful thought that our Lord Himself is there just before us, showing us the way, helping us over the obstacles our enemy, the devil, has placed in our paths, and nothing will happen that will cause Him to abandon us, whatever the circumstances. 

And we read that God Himself is our shield, protecting us from the fiery darts of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil“. Our faith in God will protect us. It is often good to look back over our lives and see those times when disaster could have struck us down, was it not for God’s shield protecting us. Strange circumstances that inexplicably emerged to keep us safe. I remember times that could have gone horribly wrong was it not for God’s protection, times that even now, many years later, drive me to my knees in deep prayers of gratitude. 

So today, we pilgrims continue our Christian lives, embracing the One who made it all possible. We will not deviate to left or right, but instead will set our faces towards the Light that is before us. Those of us in our twilight years can perhaps see a faint glow on the horizon, likened to the dawn of a new day. That’s where we are heading, folks, and nothing will stop us because “God’s way is perfect”, His “promises prove true”, and “He is a shield for all who look to him for protection”. 

Father God, thank You for all You have done for us. One day we will find out the total story of Your goodness and love, and will fall at Your feet in worship. Amen.

Thank The Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

“I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”
Psalm 7:17 NLT

I can remember as a very young Christian singing one of the songs prevalent in the church at that time, “Praise the Name of Jesus”, and I can remember being puzzled and planned to ask the pastor why we were praising His name and not the Lord Himself directly. Then I found the answer in the Bible, “ I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High”. We know that the Jews revered God so greatly that they even took care in how they referred to God, and using His name was one way they did this. In some ways, it’s a shame that the same reverence and awe of God is so often absent in our services and prayers. But David, at the end of this Psalm, largely written because of his enemies and in particular one Cush the Benjamite, expresses his thanks and praise to God. David focused on one thing to thank God for and that was His justice. God is righteous as well as loving. He is just as well as forgiving. But having considered the activities of evil people, David relaxed into a muse of thanks and praise, happy to leave his problems in the hands of a just God.

We pilgrims have much to thank God for, but there will be many Christians who are being maligned and mistreated by people intent on causing them difficulties. It could be minor things like some form of low level persecution in the workplace, or more serious, as some of our brothers and sisters are facing in hostile regimes in other nations. And in it all, cries and prayers for deliverance are offered up to our God of justice. But to many the Heavens are silent and justice is delayed, apparently. David reached the end of this Psalm, acknowledging the evil present in his society, knowing that “God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). But he didn’t stop in the negative territories of self-pity or worry. Instead, he thanked God for His justice. He knew that one day he would be vindicated and God would come through for him.

The prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples encourages us to ask God for all we need for life (“give us this day our daily bread”) and for forgiveness for our sins (“forgive us our trespasses”). And at the end of the prayer God is acknowledged for who He is, with His (“power and glory”). In response, we can do nothing else than follow His prayer with a symphony of thanks and praise, relaxing in the knowledge that God will look after us. 

David’s evil persecutors didn’t disappear overnight – they were with him in one form or another for the rest of his life – but he had faith that God would bring justice, and deal with them one day. And so it is with us. Instead of fretting over the attitudes and hostility of those around us, we can bring the issues to God and then relax in the knowledge that he is just and will deal with evil people sooner or later. It might not always be as soon as we would like, but it will happen one day. God is faithful and we can trust Him, thanking Him with faith that He will bring justice. And, again in faith, we can thank and praise Him each and every day for His goodness and mercy.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your care and protection, available to us every day. Amen.

Protect Them

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
John 17:11-12 NLT

Jesus continues His High Priestly Prayer with a focus on His disciples. He prayed for their protection by the power of His name. But there were many in the religious society of their day that hated them, and we can see through the early chapters of Acts the abuse they suffered for sharing the Good News about Jesus and His death and resurrection. In Acts 12 we read about how Herod Agrippa had one of the Apostles, James, the brother of John, killed, and he then arrested and imprisoned Peter, presumably with the intention of killing him too. So what was the protection Jesus was referring to, if not the life of His disciples?

Under the Old Covenant, we see how God protected His people from physical harm. There is an amazing story in Daniel 3 about the three Jewish exiles, Shadrach, Meshach, and Adebnego were saved from a very hot furnace. We read in Daniel 3:27, “Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” In Daniel 6 we read about how God saved Daniel from becoming supper for a pride of lions. He said, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty” (Daniel 6:22).

In the New Covenant, God’s protection is for our spirits from any attack of the enemy. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution“. Paul wrote about our spiritual resources in Ephesians 6. In this, his last epistle, Paul was facing death, and yet he could write, “Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

We pilgrims have no need to be anxious about our future. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Jesus prayed for His disciples’ protection and I have no doubts that, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, they are all in His presence today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that once we are in Your hands we are there forever. Please continue to lead and guide us in Your truth. Amen.