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.

The Trial

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.”
John 18:28

There are more details of Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas and the Jewish leaders in Matthew 26. In Matthew’s account, and standing before His accusers, we read that Jesus remained silent, as the leaders desperately tried to find anyone who could say anything, even lies, that would warrant the death sentence. Matthew recorded that there was no shortage of false witnesses, but what they had to say was not admissible even in this kangaroo court. Matthew 26:60b-61, ” …  Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days’””. They of course were quoting what Jesus said in John 2:19, 21, ““All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” … But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.” Even with this “evidence” presented to Him, Jesus still remained silent. And then we read the final question, “ … Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven”” (John 18:63-64). Jesus didn’t have to say that, but I wonder if He realised that the trial wasn’t going very well for the authorities, and He had to say something that, although factually true, would enable the Sanhedrin to deliver a guilty verdict. If the trial collapsed then Jesus would not have been able to complete His mission on Calvary’s cross. The verdict was blasphemy and the council delivered their guilty verdict. But they weren’t out of the woods yet – the Jews did not have the power to execute anyone, so they now had to convince the Roman governor to rubber stamp their verdict.

What a sham! But if we try and superimpose Jesus’ advent on any other period in history, the outcome would probably have been very different. Today, Jesus would never have got anywhere near a court of any type, law or otherwise. The authorities would have written Him off as just one more deluded individual and ignored Him. But Paul wrote in Romans 5:6, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners“. God had a plan for the salvation of humans, and as He looked upon the history of the world laid out before Him, He could see when the right time would be. “Just the right time” occurred two thousand years or so ago, and God’s plan was completed, a plan that we pilgrims are so grateful for. 

This morning, as we consider what Jesus did for us, we bring to Him our humanity, our difficulties, our desire to please Him, our love for Him, our gratitude, and if fact everything we are, into the light of His presence, and on our knees in worship. In our minds we see a glimpse of what Jesus went through. He knew what issues we face today, but He experienced them too. We might struggle with religious persecution from secular authorities who think they know better than God. But so did Jesus. We might find ourselves being tempted by the devil, but so did Jesus. And today, as we face into many different issues, we know that there is a Man in Heaven interceding for us. Romans 8:34, “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us“. Somehow, with this truth planted deep within our hearts, our problems don’t seem quite so bad. I look back over a life, a roller-coaster of good and bad times, and see the results of Jesus interceding for me. Helping me make the right decisions. Keeping me safe in times of trial and adversity. Lifting me up when I had fallen. Carrying me when I was unable to cope with what was around me. How can I ever stop thanking Jesus for all He has done for me? And I’m sure that applies for many of my readers today. Let’s join together in praise today to the One who never flinched when before a hostile court, but instead could see you and me floundering and dying in our sins, and willingly went to the cross to take the punishment we so richly deserved upon Himself instead.

Dear Lord Jesus. How can we ever thank You? One day we will join the angels as we praise You fore all eternity. Amen.

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Plain Talking

Posted on by korgrocker

“The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:24-27 NLT

Jesus interacted with the crowds around Him in those days in Jerusalem and He made a significant claim about Himself, that he was the promised Messiah. But is spite of all he had said, the people were unconvinced. They had heard Him say, “ … If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me” (John 8:42). And then there was the time when He said, “ … I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” (John 8:58). On His journey to Jerusalem from Galilee, Jesus spoke with a woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria, and Jesus’ statement about Himself couldn’t have been clearer. We read in John 4:25-26, “The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”” Jesus never wavered in telling people about His Person, His pedigree and His message. The problem for the people of His day was not that He wasn’t speaking plainly, it was because their expectations of who the Messiah would be didn’t fit in with His narrative. Also, most of the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a political and cultural saviour, not a Saviour from sin. They wanted Jesus to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish Zion as the capital of the world. They could not see how the meek and lowly Jesus could possibly do that. Even after His resurrection, the disciples were still expecting Jesus to bring about a political solution to Israel’s occupation and free it from a foreign power – Acts 1:6, “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”” Jesus’ reply was recorded by Luke just before he was taken up into the clouds, never again to walk this planet until he returned as the conquering King. Acts 1:7-8, “He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” 

Jesus could never be accused of not speaking plainly about Himself. The problem was that the people weren’t listening. At the present time the UK’s political leaders and prospective election candidates are saying much about themselves and their policies. The speaking appears to be plain but in reality much will never be repeated or will be shrugged off as election rhetoric. Very few people actually believe that what is said will actually happen. Empty promises would sum up most of the election talk. Jesus was never like that. His manifesto was clear – believe in Me and You will inherit eternal life. John 3:16 again, “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”. We pilgrims also have a plain message. To those around us we repeat what Jesus said about Himself and in everything we say we point to Him as our Saviour, the One who took on the punishment we deserved for our sins so that we could inherit eternal life. Who is there in our circle of friends and family who we know needs to hear some plain talking about Jesus? They may protest about the message, but we see beyond the immediate claims that we don’t know what we are talking about, to the time when they too accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Jesus persevered with His claims about Himself and about His message to His needy people, and even in His last day he still maintained that he was the Messiah, the Jewish King long awaited. In Mark 15:2 we read, “Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it””. Pilate believed Him and added a name plate to the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion “And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”” (John 19:19). Right to the end, Jesus was the Messiah. And the people of His day missed the coming of their Messiah and instead crucified Him. A tragedy for them, but an event that brought salvation for mankind, past, present and future. Jesus said, “ … I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”” We have the light, folks; let’s turn up the wick and brighten our world.

Dear Lord Jesus. We echo the words of the Bethel song, Gratitude – “All my words fall short, I got nothing new, How could I express, All my gratitude?” But at Your feet we can worship the King of all kings. Amen.

Water to Blood

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood.”
Revelation‬ ‭16:3-4‬ ‭NLT

This is a disgusting thought. The blood inside a decomposing corpse decomposes and rots too. And that is how John saw the oceans of the world. Vast extents of rotting bodily fluids. The smell must have been atrocious. John also discerned that everything in the sea died as well. No more fish and plant life. The ways of commerce and fishing for food would have been destroyed at a stroke. The beast’s economy would have been destroyed. The world’s food supply eliminated. Oxygen required to sustain life much reduced, and reducing.

Earlier in our journey through Revelation, we found, “Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood, one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed.” (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭8:8-9‬ ‭NLT). It is almost as though this plague was finishing the job started by the angel with the trumpet. Desperate times for the remaining people on Planet Earth.

Similarly, with the rivers and springs also turning to blood, the process started in Revelation 8:10-11 is completed. We read, “Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star was Bitterness. It made one-third of the water bitter, and many people died from drinking the bitter water.” The bitterness of one third of the fresh water supplies was replaced by nothing but blood. For “water” read “blood”. Can you imagine it? Raining blood. Red snow and ice. What did people drink, being surrounded only by rotting, stinking, clotting, decomposing, blood? 

Do we take the references to blood literally, or do they instead have another meaning? Does the water everywhere really become like “the blood of a corpse” or blood itself, or is there some other meaning? We don’t know. Suffice to say, that the peoples on earth were at the end. That is, of course, unless they repented of their wickedness and sin, and turned to God.

In Exodus 7 we read about how Moses turned the Nile and all the water supplies in Egypt into blood, but even this miraculous sign failed to change Pharaoh’s resolve. The Egyptians were able to find fresh water by digging holes alongside the banks of the Nile. But in these End Times, that option would have been unavailable. Digging holes would have just exposed more blood.

In our society today, in 21st Century UK, or wherever we are, there is much to mourn. Not just the passing of our Queen, but also the rising cost of living. The sky-high energy prices. And we mourn the deterioration of the social values that we have enjoyed for so long. We mourn the breakdown of family life, the waiting lists for our medical facilities, the lack of dentists – the list seems to be endless. But all these things are trivial compared to what it would have been like living in the times of the beast. Faced with a catastrophic economic melt down, lack of food and acute difficulties finding water to drink, the remaining populations in these last days would have been gripped by fear, driven by panic, with scenes too desperate and graphic to imagine. 

In our times, many of us have a tendency to do a lot of moaning. When life seems hard, when depression seems to be just round the corner. When we lack the means to pay bills, or the car breaks down or whatever challenge we are facing into, we need to remind ourselves of what life will be like in the Last Days. In Philippians 4:12-13, we read about the Apostle Paul’s attitudes to life. “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength“. In this season of grace, God is holding the world order together. Yes, there are wars and economic problems. Yes, diseases and medical challenges abound. But in the Last Days, His grace will have run its course and He will loosen His grip on the world, allowing the forces of darkness to be unleashed on whoever is still alive on earth. The beast has emerged, preceding a time of an outpouring of God’s final judgements. Like Paul, in this life we must learn “the secret of living in every situation”, grateful for God’s love and grace, and all that He has done for us. And in our work-a-day lives, we continually express our thanks to our wonderful Heavenly Dad, regardless of our circumstances. 

Dear Father God. How wonderful You are. We are so grateful for Your mercy and grace. Please help us to keep a balanced and thankful attitude for all You have done, and will still do, in our lives. Amen.

Repetition

Posted on by korgrocker

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.”
Psalm 136:1-3 NLT

This Psalm is designed for a responsive congregation. The leader shouts out a God-truth, and the people respond accordingly. Over and over again a declaration of gratitude to God for something that He has done is responded to with a shout of how good He is and for who He is. A repetitive environment that implants within us a knowledge of God, what He has done for us, and how we should always respond. One day in Heaven, repetitive praise and worship of God will be the norm. We read in Revelation 4:8, “….Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.””  Being in the presence of God will be so amazing that we won’t want to do anything else. 

Repetition can be a good way of keeping our relationship with God fresh and vibrant. We can write our own version of Psalm 136, merging into it our own experiences of how good God has been to us. We have so much to thank Him for, so this should be a regular part of our devotional life. Let me start it off today with my own personal thoughts. Everyone will have their own of course.

Thank You Lord for Your love for me.
Your faithful love endures forever.
Thank You Lord for Jesus and His sacrifice for me.
Your faithful love endures forever.
Thank You Lord for all You have done for me
Your faithful love endures forever.
Thank You Lord for the food on my table.
Your faithful love endures forever.
Thank You Lord for my family.
Your faithful love endures forever.
Thank You Lord for my health.
Your faithful love endures forever.
Thank You Lord for …..

And as we continue to write our own Psalm, our attitude of gratitude to God will take us to new heights in our relationship with Him. Our pilgrimage through life will somehow be a bit easier as we dwell on what God has done for us. With a heart of gratitude, gratitude never forgotten and always repeated.