Understanding God’s Generous Grace in Our Lives

Posted on by korgrocker

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.”
2 Corinthians 8:9-11 NLT

Grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense – is at the very heart of why we pilgrims are Christians. And as Paul rightly wrote, the grace became flesh through the person of Jesus Christ. He left the richness of Heaven to become poor for the sake of anyone who believed in Him and who responded positively to His message of grace. We didn’t deserve such favour from our Creator and holy God. We had done nothing of ourselves to warrant it. Rather, our unholiness was a stench in God’s nostrils, and we could have no complaint if there was no future for us in His presence. And yet, “He became poor, so that by his poverty He could make [us] rich”. And rich we are. Paul wrote, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). There are no spiritual blessings that are unavailable to us, and we have a treasure trove that we can draw on now and in the future. In Philippians 4:19, Paul wrote, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus”. I’m sure all of us pilgrims can testify that, so far, we have had a life where God has supplied all our needs (not “wants”, by the way). Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! …” (Revelation 2:9a). In all these cases, however, we need to beware of associating richness with worldly wealth. The richness in Christ is priceless, and He said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26). We need to remember that hell is a depository for rubbish, just as the valley next to Jerusalem, called Gehenna, was. Jesus often associated hell with this rubbish dump “where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out”  (Mark 9:48). It is a place where those who decide not to benefit from the free gift of God’s grace will spend eternity. Jesus was horrified by the thought of hell, and His life was dedicated to supplying an unlimited fountain of grace to provide sinners with a Godly alternative.

“let your good deeds
shine out for all to see“

We pilgrims are the children of grace, because through all that Jesus did for us at Calvary, we can now stand righteous before our Heavenly Father. We call Him “Abba”, which, translated, means “Daddy”. The only way any of us can enter into a relationship with God is because of His grace toward us. Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God”. But we can’t leave it there. We hold that message of grace and have the opportunity to take it to those we know and meet. That does not just mean providing tracts to anyone we meet, but it also means we are dispensers of “salt and light” wherever we go. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16). In my walks around the West of Fife, I occasionally meet people who are scared and fearful, without hope or vision for their lives. One elderly man I recently met confessed that he was glad that he did not have many more years in this life to endure the worry of the wars that blight our planet and the political decisions made by our government. A lady walking her dogs talked in a similar way, using it as an excuse for not becoming a believer, because, as she claimed, how could God allow all the suffering in this world to happen? We pilgrims have the words of Jesus, which we can use to counter the lies of the devil. But to know these words, we have to be diligent in reading what He said. When He was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus used Scriptures to refute the devil’s invitations. And so can we, when faced with arguments from people who have no knowledge of who God really is.

As Paul wrote, we pilgrims “know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Let us today look for opportunities to share that with others through our attitudes, our generosity, our kindness, and our love for those not as fortunate as we are. And if the opportunity arises, we can share our testimonies of what God has done for us.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your “generous grace”, made so available to Your children and the people around us. Help us, we pray, to find the time to reach out to the needy and share all that You have done for us. In Your precious name, Amen. 

Understanding Loyalty in the Christian Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us. We have been greatly encouraged by this. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.”
2 Corinthians 7:12-13 NLT

After Paul’s first letter, there would have needed to be loyalty on the part of the believers in Corinth, if they were going to take on board what he had written. It is true to say that some issues can only be addressed when there is a relational bridge between people, and in the issues Paul raised in his first letter, some form of loyalty had to be established. Otherwise, the believers would have just rejected what Paul wrote. Loyalty is a word that has fallen into much disrepute in British society because of the many different people groups present. A definition of “Britishness” has become confused because recent research suggests it can mean several things, depending on geography, ethnicity, human rights, respect for the law, and so on. So loyalty to the nation of Britain has become a thing of the past, at least to the extent that my parents, who came through the war years, would have understood. Our nationalities or origins are occasionally requested on NHS or government forms, and there is usually a long list of options, which perhaps pushes people away from “British” towards more fragmented societal and loyalty options.

But here in Paul’s second letter, the issue is simpler: the loyalty of the Corinthian believers to the Apostle, Paul, who established the church there in the first place. And Paul wrote, “We have been greatly encouraged by this”. Perhaps, when Paul put the final full stop on his first letter and sealed it for dispatch, he must have experienced mental gyrations, wondering whether he had been too hard or too soft in his comments and advice. Wondering if the Corinthians would reject what he had said and, in the process, reject him as well. Those early church days were fraught with so many attacks and issues, and Paul confessed, “Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). He hinted at his anguish in Galatians 4:19-20, when he wrote, “Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labour pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance, I don’t know how else to help you”. And that was Paul’s dilemma. In an age without denominational structures to address grievances, well-trained ministers, the Canon of Scripture, and internet-enabled instant communication, problems could fester for far too long. And that is without even mentioning the plethora of false teaching and prophecies, such as Gnosticism and Docetism and others, all conspiring to draw the early believers into error and back into the clutches of the devil. 

As we read the Bible, we find that loyalty is a virtue that involves steadfast commitment to God, family, friends, and responsibilities. It is often synonymous with “faithfulness” and is considered a reflection of God’s own unchanging character. First and foremost, there is loyalty to God. Deuteronomy 6:5,  “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength”. Any believer, not just a new one, who is unable to sign up to that needs to reflect on their salvation. Jesus also taught, in relation to the subject of money, that “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus went further in His letter to the church in Smyrna, when He said, “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). How many of us would stay the course if we were staring death in the face because of our faith? 

“You have the words that give eternal life“

Regarding friendships, the Bible also offers some advice on loyalty. Proverbs 17:17, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need”. We have the poignant scene in Ruth where we read, “But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth was only related to her mother-in-law by marriage, and yet she promised to remain loyal come what may. As we read the rest of the Book of Ruth, we find that her faithfulness resulted in her becoming an important part of Jesus’ bloodline, even getting a mention in Matthew 1:5b, “ … Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). … ”, something unusual for a woman in those days. Peter and the disciples were very loyal to Jesus. When the teaching Jesus was delivering became too hard for some of the more peripheral disciples, resulting in them leaving him, we read, “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God”” (John 6:67-69). As we know, Peter and the rest of the disciples (with the exception of John) all died violent deaths through their loyalty to their Master and Lord. 

What about our loyalty, fellow pilgrims? Are we loyal to our families and friends? And above all, are we loyal to God? The Christian life is a journey along a narrow and difficult path, but there is no option to occasionally rest for a while “on the broad way that leads to destruction”. When the journey gets tough, we dig even deeper into the resources God has made available to us, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). 

Dear Heavenly Father, we pledge our loyalty to You today, in the assurance that You have a plan reserved for us in Heaven. We thank You for Jesus and all He did for us, and continues to do for us, in every day of our lives. Amen.

The Source of True Comfort in Christian Life

Posted on by korgrocker

“For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.”
2 Corinthians 7:5-7 NIVUK

Three mentions of the word “comfort” in our verses today. Paul had already shared about being harassed and conflicted, with “fears within”, and he was obviously feeling pretty depressed about it all. Sometimes we look at a spiritual giant like Paul and think that they will never suffer the troubles in life that we do. Reading Paul’s letters He seems to have such a grasp of the Christian life, even establishing much of today’s theology, that we forget he was human like everyone else and needed comfort. 

Elijah was another one. In the middle of a drought, and after the Mount Carmel event where God sent fire to consume the sacrifice and Elijah “slaughtered” the 450 prophets of Baal, we read about the drought coming to an end. But Elijah then ran into the wilderness after a threat from a woman. We read, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors’” (1 Kings 19:3-4). How could that have happened? But we read on to find that Elijah was fed by “the angel of the Lord” before his long 40-day journey to “Horeb, the mountain of God”. It was there that God restored him, giving him the comfort that he needed.

Then we have Peter, devastated and depressed after denying Jesus three times. In Luke 22:61-62, and after Peter’s third denial, we read, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” What followed was that poignant conversation with Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, after a breakfast of barbecued fish. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, one time for each of Peter’s denials, and He gave Peter the comfort and assurance to put him back on track in his mission. 

We tend to think that the men of God like Paul, Peter and Elijah were somehow supermen in the faith, far too holy to suffer from the kinds of troubles we do. We also sometimes think the same of our pastors and other church leaders, somehow putting them on pedestals set apart from ordinary folk like us. But nothing could be further from the truth. We, too, need comfort from time to time, and we enjoy our needs being met by those loved ones closest to us, but unfortunately, there are many lonely people in our societies who lack family or friends and instead suffer in silence, lacking the comfort that all human beings need. Paul wrote that he was comforted “by the coming of Titus”, his needs being met in his hour of need.

“He comforts us in all our troubles“

The Bible bulges with verses and passages about comfort. And they all major on the one fact that God is the source of the comfort we need. He cares for us in all circumstances. Psalm 23 is a good place to start if anyone needs to be comforted today. Read it and re-read it if necessary, and in the process, we feel the comfort of God flooding over us. We get to verse 4 and read, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”. The rod and staff were the shepherd’s tools to encourage and direct the sheep before him, and as we look to our loving Heavenly Father, we will find the same willingness to keep us on the right paths, no matter what we are going through.

Of course, from our position of being comforted, we can comfort others. We read in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us”. I envisage a merry-go-round, with each believer encouraging and comforting another, while God pours His love and grace into the mix, bringing comfort to all. This is what living the wonderful Christian life is all about. So who do we know who needs comforting today?

In my walks, I often meet people who are totally devoid of the comfort they need. Depression and loneliness abound. Worry and anxiety are endemic emotions. People without God lack hope and vision for the future. But we pilgrims have a Source of comfort, and sometimes we have the opportunity to bring just a glimmer of that comfort into the lives of those we meet, wherever that is. We must never neglect an opportunity to share the “words of eternal life” that God has so graciously given us.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your comfort and grace. Through Jesus, we have come into a favoured place, where we find Heaven on earth. Please help us to bring comfort to others whenever we can. Amen.

Pursuing Holiness: Cleansing for Spiritual Growth

Posted on by korgrocker

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT

The Christian life is not only about receiving God’s promises, but it is also about responding to them. In this verse, the apostle Paul calls us pilgrims to a life of intentional purity and spiritual growth. Because of what God has promised us, we are encouraged to actively pursue holiness in our daily lives. But what are “these promises” that Paul referred to in today’s verse? In the closing verses of the previous chapter, Paul quoted his paraphrase of two Old Testament scriptures, “ … I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. … And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”. (2 Corinthians 6:16b, 18). These promises remind us that believers are not distant from God because we are His people, His children, and His dwelling place. When we truly grasp that reality, it changes how we live. Our motivation for holiness is not legalism but relationship.

Paul continues, “let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit.” Paul wasn’t suggesting that we pilgrims wash more often or change our soap. This was a call for us to cleanse our inner beings, the spirits within us. It’s obvious, really, because how can the Holy Spirit, who is pure and holy, live inside a sinful human being? Sin can affect both the body and the spirit. Some sins contaminate our actions, while others slowly shape our thoughts, desires, and motivations. Paul encourages believers to deal with both. This cleansing is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process of repentance, confession, and renewal as we walk with God. The Psalmist David wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). In the Biblical context, our hearts are our inner beings, our spirits. David also wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24). We will need God’s help because, as Jeremiah wrote, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9). 

So with God’s help, we move on to the next part of 2 Corinthians 17:1, “And let us work toward complete holiness”. Is this ever achievable? Are we pilgrims believing something to which we can never attain, in this life anyway? The Christian life involves spiritual growth. We are saved by grace, but we are also called to grow, to develop our characters to become more like Jesus. Paul wrote, “ … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12c). The life of a believer starts at the point of salvation. But it doesn’t stop there, because we go through a period in the rest of our lives that we call sanctification, the act of being saved. But there will come that wonderful day when we experience glorification. And what a wonderful day that will be! The holiness that Paul wrote about simply means being set apart for God. It is reflected in our choices, speech, attitudes, and priorities. As we grow spiritually, we become more like Christ. Peter wrote, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16). 

Paul concludes by reminding believers that this pursuit of holiness flows from a “fear of God.” This fear is not terror but deep reverence, respect, and awe for who God is. When we truly understand God’s holiness and love, we desire to honour Him with our lives. In Proverbs 19:23, we read, “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble”. Imagine preparing our homes for a very important guest. We would likely tidy up, clean the rooms, and remove anything that shouldn’t be there. We would want the house to be ready. To the church in Laodicea, Jesus wrote, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus could turn up at any time and knock at the doors of our hearts. Are we ready?

Dear Heavenly Father. You don’t want us to remain in a life of sin, our hearts corrupted and unsuitable for You to live in. Please help us to get our houses in order, ready for the day when You call us home. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Understanding Our Identity as God’s Temple

Posted on by korgrocker

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 
And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 NLT

Paul’s knowledge of the Bible was extraordinary. Here, at the end of 2 Corinthians 6, he quoted three Old Testament verses in succession, all focused on the relationship that believers have with their Heavenly Father. The first was from Leviticus 26:12, “I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people”. The second was taken from Isaiah 52:11, “Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves, you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord”. And the last was taken from 2 Samuel 7:14, “I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do”. It is interesting that Paul’s quotations were not word perfect by a long way, but allowance has to be made for the translations from one language to another, and the context in which they were quoted. How many of us have a memory like Paul’s?

We remember that, in the context in which Paul was writing, these verses referred to believers as God’s Temple, and this will have a significant impact on their relationship with God. Think about it for a moment. God lives within us. He walks with us as we go about our daily lives. He is there in our thoughts, and He feels our pain when we hurt. Being God’s Temple is all about our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

But in all of that, there is one thing that must prevail, and that is that being in a relationship with God means that other relationships must be discarded. These verses that Paul quoted paint a picture of separation from the things of the world, things incompatible with God and His Kingdom. We live in the world, but we do not belong to its values, its idols, or its compromises. When Paul speaks of not touching “their filthy things,” he is calling believers away from the spiritual contamination of idolatry, moral compromise, and divided loyalty. Jesus said, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do” (John 17:15-16). In some ways, it is preferable to be taken out of this world because it is hard to live here as a Christian sometimes. But God has given us a job to do on His behalf, and in the process, He provides the opportunity for us to grow in the faith and become more like Jesus. This life is a training ground for the life to come.

Paul wrote, “I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”. Look at the tender welcome in God’s statement. His love and grace are palpably present and are a promise for all those who come to Him. Separation from the world, from sin and evil, is no loss when we realise it opens the door to a deep relationship with the Creator of the Universe. In Romans 8:15, Paul wrote, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father””. The relationship we have with God is so intimate that we can call Him “Daddy” (Abba is the Aramaic word for Daddy). 

“Now we call him, “Abba, Father“”

If we truly grasp that we are God’s temple, we guard what we allow into our hearts. Our “eye gates” can be a problem so we need to be careful about what we watch on TV or in the cinema. Similarly, we carefully examine what influences shape us. These days, news reports and social media posts can be an evil and disruptive factor in our thoughts and decisions. Because we love God, we pursue living a life of separation from worldliness, conscious of how debilitating that can be to our spiritual lives. And through all that we do, we are conscious that God Himself walks with us. Let’s pause for a moment and focus our thoughts. The Lord Almighty—the sovereign, all-powerful God—chooses to dwell in and with His people and call them His sons and daughters. What greater privilege could there be? We pilgrims are truly a blessed people.

Dear loving Heavenly Father, thank You that You dwell within us by Your Spirit. Help us to live as Your holy temple. Give us courage to separate from anything that dishonours You, and draw us deeper into the joy of being Your sons and daughters. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Finding Joy in Christian Poverty: A Biblical Perspective

Posted on by korgrocker

“We serve God whether people honour us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”
2 Corinthians 6:8-10 NLT

There seems to be a paradox here: heartache, poverty, and a lack of material things are compared with a life overflowing with joy, generosity, and abundance. A dilemma that faces all Christians as they go about their life of faith in a hostile and evil world. From a worldly perspective, this doesn’t add up. How can someone be poor and yet enrich others? How can someone own nothing and yet have everything? And to cap it all, be full of joy?

Earlier in 2 Corinthians 6:4-5, Paul explained the heartache he and his colleagues were enduring. He wrote “ … We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food”. But regardless of the heartache, Paul wrote that he always had joy. Paul had an eternal perspective, as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” And that is true, because if we tried to put a marker on the timeline labelled “Eternity”, it would be so small as to be invisible. So the use of the word “vastly” becomes something of an understatement. That hope within him filled Paul with unquenchable joy – heartache perhaps now, but joy forever. Did that mean Paul went about the days of his life laughing and seemingly detached from the reality of his existence? Absolutely not, but there was something within him that kept his eyes focused on the horizon where the glory that awaited him illuminated the sky. Because of that, for Paul, the spiritual riches began with a joy that circumstances cannot steal. Paul’s joy flowed from his reconciliation with God, from knowing Christ, and from eternity secured.

Paul often lacked materially, being without food or warm clothing. In 2 Corinthians 11:27, we read about his privations: “I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm”. Occasionally, Paul worked with his hands to generate some income. “Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was” (Acts 18:3). But in it all, Paul’s main focus was to give “spiritual riches to others”, a great treasure that he carried around within himself, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). What is this treasure? Not silver and gold, of course, because there is nothing spiritual about precious metals, but qualities such as the Gospel, reconciliation with Christ, and the knowledge of Him as he went about his business of giving what he had to others, anyone who would listen. There is that great, much-quoted verse in Acts 3:6, “But Peter said, ‘I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” That is “spiritual riches” in action. A believer may lack wealth in the bank, but in Christ, they possess riches that can transform eternity.

Paul wrote, “We own nothing, and yet we have everything”. This statement makes sense only when the earthly and spiritual worlds are compared. Paul claimed poverty in one and great wealth in the other. But the two kingdoms are mutually exclusive. Paul knew and experienced that a believer cannot be in both. Jesus said to His disciples, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The world measures possession by accumulation. The Kingdom measures possession by inheritance. Paul wrote this to the Philippians, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour” (Philippians 3:20). From that perspective, we pilgrims also share in the “spiritual riches”, the spiritual treasure that we are accumulating safely in God’s Heavenly bank. Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21). In these days of rising living costs, we can be reassured that the treasure we value is beyond such worldly pressures. 

Paul’s life challenges modern believers. We often equate blessing with comfort, but Paul equated blessing with Christ. With Paul, we may not feel wealthy. We may face difficulty. We may experience seasons of heartache. Yet if we belong to Jesus, we carry eternal treasure within us. We think again of the paradox that underpins the life of Christians. The world may see lack, but Heaven sees inheritance. The world may see poverty, but God sees sons and daughters who possess everything that truly matters.

Dear Heavenly Father. You have “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ”. Help us to continue to deposit our spiritual riches with You in Heaven, as we are obedient to You and Your Son, Jesus, in all that we do. We love You and praise You today, expressing our humble thanks for such a wonderful salvation. Amen.  

Easter Sunday

Posted on by korgrocker

“From then on, Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.” Matthew 16:21
“For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.” Psalm 16:10
“Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.” John 20:1.

“Christ is Risen!” That is our strident call this Easter Sunday. I repeated this to churchgoers near where I live on Easter Day last year, and most responded in kind, although one or two gave me a funny look. Perhaps they weren’t going to church, but I gave them a greeting anyway. 

This day is fundamental to our Christian belief, because if it all ended with Jesus in a grave, what hope would there be for us pilgrims for the future? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, “For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world”. Thank you, Paul, for setting out this truth so clearly and logically. 

We know factually that Jesus rose from the dead because of the number of witnesses. We turn again to 1 Corinthians 15, and read what Paul wrote, “[Christ] was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him” (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). I presume, because of the male-driven society of the day, the women weren’t counted, but Scriptures tell us that the first person who saw the risen Jesus was a woman. We read in John 20:11, 14-16, “Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. … She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognise him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”)”. 

The impact of the Resurrection on believers, both men and women, today is life-changing. We pilgrims do not have to be concerned for the future, because one day we too will be resurrected and able to join Jesus and the rest of His followers in a tremendous worship service in the air over Jerusalem. We can only dimly imagine what that will be like, but in the light of that experience, there is nothing that this world can offer that will come anywhere near to matching the day when we see the Lord. Somehow, all the worldly privations, such as the cost of living, the price of petrol, the aches and pains, the limitations of the health service – the list is endless – become a momentary irritation on the way to Glory, where we will spend eternity.

Jesus Christ is risen today. Let’s shout out that truth from the rooftops so that Jesus gets all the honour and all the glory, and all the praise. I don’t personally care what the society around me does or thinks. All that matters is the empty tomb; the image of an angel sitting on the stone will always be a reminder that the grave could not hold Jesus any more than it will hold me. 

Dear Lord Jesus. I’m gripped this morning by the excitement that You are risen and the grave you borrowed for the weekend is empty. You went through so much for my fellow pilgrims and me that all I can do is worship You today, with a deeply thankful heart. Amen. 

Easter Saturday

Posted on by korgrocker

“Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”
John 19:38-42 NLT

The details are gruesome. Three men crucified on adjacent crosses, with Jesus in the middle, but the Jewish leaders had a problem. They didn’t want the spectre of an ongoing crucifixion, with tortured men hanging naked on their crosses, to continue overnight and spoil the Sabbath, their holy day. We read in John 19:31-33, “It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs”. A crucified man with broken legs would have been unable to breathe for long and would soon die of suffocation. This was the lot of the two thieves, but Jesus was already dead. The weight of the sins of the world had seen to that, and His mission to save the world was complete. We remember His final cry, recorded in John 19:30, “When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit”. 

Joseph and Nicodemus, two Jewish leaders, performed a hasty burial of Jesus’ body, with His internment being in Joseph’s own brand new grave (Matthew 27:60), followed by a “great stone” being rolled across the entrance. And there Jesus lay, His body at rest. However, if we turn to 1 Peter 3:18, we read, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit”. Jesus died physically, but His Spirit continued to live. This is extremely good news for us pilgrims, because the same thing will happen to us. When our “earthly tent”, as Paul called it, our bodies, come to the end of their lives, our spirits will live on. Where will that be? We receive a glimpse of what will happen from the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in which the poor beggar, Lazarus, ends up in a place of comfort, while the Rich Man ends up in a place of torment. We remember too that Jesus said to the repentant thief on the adjacent cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise”. So, through faith, we will indeed find ourselves in a better place after we die.

But Jesus’ Spirit was busy during that Easter Saturday, because we read, “So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. …” (1 Peter 3:19-20a). What that was about has kept many theologians and Biblical scholars awake at night, but the important thing was that, after His body was placed in the grave, Jesus was still ministering through His message of Good News by His Spirit. Death will not mean a time when we can put our spiritual feet up and relax, either. Jesus will have work for us to do, I’m sure.  

Jesus’ body was placed in a tomb, but thank God, the story didn’t end there. A visit to the tomb will not find the remains of a few bones. But more on that tomorrow.

Dear Lord Jesus. The crucifixion came to an end, and loving hands took your body down and laid it in a grave. We pause this Easter Saturday and reflect on the reality that nothing could keep Your body in the grave. No authorities or powers. Nothing that the devil could contrive. And with intense anticipation, we watch the stone to see who would roll it away and what would happen next. Amen.

Good Friday

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. …”
John 19:16-18a NLT

Another Good Friday, many will say, as they continue with their work-a-day lives. The shops are open. Office lights are burning. Traffic is just as heavy. Even schools are still open in some places. When the societal amnesia is confronted, people shrug, as though to say, “What is that to do with me?” They might even add, “Anyway, what’s good about nailing a man to a cross and leaving him to die?” A lady in my office once said to me, ”What’s the big deal – a lot of men were crucified in those days”. But the scoffers, shruggers and deniers then go about their business, oblivious to the reality that the dying Man on a cross held the key to their future beyond the grave. One day they will know the truth, as we read in Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. There will be no exclusions, and today’s scoffers will realise that what they dismissed on one Good Friday was in fact the crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. 

The enormity of what Jesus did for us has never left me, regardless of the number of Good Fridays that have passed. I still marvel at how radical and complete God’s plan was, assuring all who believe in Jesus that they will receive the gift of eternal life. I still cast my mind to Calvary, the Cross and the lonely God-man, dying for me. I will never get over His gift of love, so complete and selfless. I mourn the fact that the sin of mankind required such a radical plan, but my thanks to God know no bounds.

We pilgrims have been “washed in the blood of the Lamb”. We are assured of our salvation, and one day we too will see the prints of the nails and the hole in His side, as we fix our eyes on our wonderful Saviour. So we rejoice today that Jesus went through all that He did, just for the salvation of all who believe in Him. Today, we finish with a 300-year-old hymn by Isaac Watts, which has blessed many a person this day. With it we worship Him, the Son of God

Dear Father God, we thank You for Your Son Jesus and His sacrificial death on a Roman cross. We cannot help but praise You and thank You for all that You have done. Amen. 

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my Lord
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

See from His head His hands His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul my life my all

Proving Ourselves

Posted on by korgrocker

“In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.”
2 Corinthians 6:4-6 NLT

Paul the Apostle gives us a powerful portrait of authentic Christian ministry. But it is not a picture that correlates well with modern, worldly ideas of success. True servants of God are recognised not by comfort, applause, or influence, but by endurance, character, and purity of heart. Paul wrote that he and his colleagues “patiently endure” things that would have destroyed many lesser people. How convinced are we of our mission in life to put up with the things that Paul did? Look at the pressures he endured. Beatings, imprisonment, exhaustion, sleeplessness, and hunger were listed in our verses today, but there are many others in his list of persecutions. How was Paul able to endure such things? How far would we have got if we were one of Paul’s colleagues? 

In 2 Timothy 4:10a Paul wrote, “Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. …” and I suspect we would have been hot on his heels, had we been facing into the situations that Paul seemed to attract. Jesus said to His disciples, “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). Paul experienced “many trials and sorrows” on steroids, but he was prepared to endure such a life because of His Lord, Jesus. Paul wrote, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Philippians 3:10-11). So Paul declared that “true ministry” is not delivered in an absence of suffering but faithfulness in it. We pilgrims have not, and will not, be guaranteed a trouble-free life, but those producing the fruit of endurance are those who faithfully stay the course and don’t abandon the ship at the first hint of a storm. It may mean we have to make decisions that reduce our employment opportunities. It may mean that we have to live somewhere other than our preferred postcode. It may even mean we have to walk away from a relationship because it was becoming toxic to our fellowship with God. The troubles we have to endure may not be of the physical variety experienced by Paul, but we have to persevere in them anyway.

Paul continued to write, “We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love”. Taking these qualities in Paul in turn, we firstly consider “purity”. This is living a life of integrity in all we do, in the public things and the hidden things. Psalm 24:3-4, “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies”. Paul’s next quality is “understanding”. This is having spiritual discernment and wisdom. James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking”. Some situations require us to be patient and kind. But in all of this, regardless of any hardship we might experience, we must persevere, enduring what comes our way. So, when criticised, do we respond with kindness? Or if we are misunderstood, do we act with patience? And a big one – if under pressure, does purity remain?

Paul finished verse 6 of our reading today with “by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love”. In his own strength, Paul would have been unable to survive the hardships. But within Him lived the Holy Spirit, empowering him to bridge the gap between God and man through his love for both. We remember what Jesus experienced, and yet He didn’t lash out when He was abused. He loved people with the love of God, even asking forgiveness for those who hammered the nails home. Paul wrote, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good” (Romans 12:9). He was a living example of doing just that.

We pilgrims may face workplace opposition or family misunderstandings, but how do we respond? Everything within us may want to walk away, but there is a higher goal at stake. Often, people are looking to see whether our faith is genuine and able to withstand the opposition we face. Is our love for another person able to press through the bad stuff to finally find the good in them? “He who is within us is greater than he who is in the world”, is a great verse to remember when the going gets tough.

Father God. Please help us when troubles come our way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.