Lips That Defend

Posted on by korgrocker

“those who say, ‘By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us – who is Lord over us?’ ‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’”
Psalm 12:4-5 NIVUK

Human beings are blessed with the ability to reason and communicate. Even from an early age, children can weigh up the pros and cons of a situation and make a decision. To supplement our mental powers, we have instincts such as “fight or flight” when faced with danger. So all in all, a human being is an impressive example of God’s creative powers, far above all other created beings on our planet. But why should we be surprised? We read in Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground’”. Then in Hebrews 2:7-8a we read, “You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honour and put everything under their feet …”. But due to sin, corruption of God’s creation followed, and David correctly recorded man’s propensity to lie, deceitfully adding an evil element into his reasoning powers. 

Those people who follow the way of evil, lying and cheating their way through life, justify their position by claiming that they are outside the rule of the Lord, not as a conscious thought, or in so many words, and instead they rely on their intellects to defend themselves in life’s situations. But they will of course get away with it, at least for a while. There are some very clever people in positions of authority in countries all over the world, there because of very quick and shrewd minds, able to talk their ways into places where they want to be. And with their mental and communicative skills they become arrogant and claim, “Who is Lord over us?”  With the passage of time they hone their skills and really believe that their “own lips will defend [them]”. 

But waiting in the wings is the Lord of all. He sees all that is going on and will arise to correct the situation. David visualised the time when God will protect the poor and needy  “from those who malign them”. The significant words in these verses are “I will”. We worship the God who will. The only thing that we are unsure of is when. But in God’s plan for this world “when” will happen one day.

There are people groups everywhere who come into the needy and poor categories. This is not always a financial scenario, and many live their lives deprived of the means to realise their full potentials. In some parts of the world, women and girls are deprived of education. In others, a person’s family and ancestry determine their status in life. Many are enslaved against their wills, forced to work long hours doing menial tasks for little of no money. But in all these cases their plights do not escape the Lord’s notice. Because the scales of justice will one day be balanced, God’s “I will” will indeed prevail. He will protect the helpless and defend the needy.

We pilgrims are aware of a different Kingdom, one where the Lord is King. One where there will, one day, be no more sickness or crying. But a Kingdom of which we are citizens now, and one that we encourage others to join. There is salvation for all available through Jesus, and the Apostle James wrote, “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:3). We don’t know whose names will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but as Martin Luther wrote, “First, there will be people in heaven I did not expect to be there. Second, there will be people not present in heaven I was certain would be there. Third is the greatest surprise of all—that I will be there myself!” 

There will come a day when the intellect, and defensive lips of mankind, will be of no further use to Godless people. It may be because their lives will be cut short when God intervenes to protect the poor and needy. But eventually for those who escape judgement in their natural lives will one stand before Him. But for us pilgrims it is far better today to use our God-given ability to reason and communicate about the things of our wonderful Heavenly Father. Daily we offer Him the praises of our lips not the lies and deceit of sinners. And the worship of our hearts will ultimately prevail on that glorious day when we see Him face to face.

Dear Heavenly Father. We praise and worship You today, the Maker of Heaven and earth. Amen.

Lips and Hearts

Posted on by korgrocker

“Neighbours lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues. They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?””
Psalm 12:2-4 NLT

‭‭Strong stuff here – “flattering lips” and “deceitful hearts”, “boastful tongues” and “lies”. According to David, it was a problem in his day, but, as we know, it is still a problem thousands of years later. David associated such behaviour with his neighbours. The politically disillusioned today will perhaps immediately think about the behaviour of one or more of our politicians. Some will know that our 21st Century lawyers spend a lot of time untangling lies from truth. Human nature hasn’t changed much at all, it seems. David was quite dramatic in requesting action from God to cut off the “flattering lips” and the “boastful tongues”, but did he really expect God to do such a thing? Imagine the scene if God had in fact performed the surgery that David had asked for – all the people wandering around, unable to communicate, lips and tongues no longer present, because, after all, who has never told a lie? 

David continued, expressing the attitude of heart that is a symptom of the people indulging in lying behaviour. And of course what people think will be expressed verbally – David referred to this as people having “deceitful hearts”. Today we know that in our hearts, our thoughts and imaginations, we brew all sorts of scenarios and outcomes. We process what we see, we consider an uncomfortable situation, we receive negative and accusing comments, and we even imagine situations that might happen to us but haven’t just yet. And in consequence our minds produce a response that more often than not has considered lying as an option. Our sinful nature sometimes considers a lack of truth as the best outcome, because, so we think, the truth instead might dig us into an even deeper hole. And so today, all the problems with hearts, tongues and lips prevail, just as David observed with his neighbours. 

The Apostle James wrote much about tongue problems. James 3:2, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way”. He continues, “And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself” (James 3:6). And James really hit home with this thought about tongues, “Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:9-10). I don’t think anyone would disagree with James because he expressed a sobering reality that impacts everyone, even us pilgrims. 

If we left things there, we would all be depressed. We would end up in the same place as the Apostle Paul, who wrote, “I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:22-24). But the next verse explodes with hope and a solution to our sinful lips. “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin” (Romans 7:25). We turn the page and start reading Romans 8, and the warm glow of hearts now thankful and free from condemnation overflow us. Lips redeemed and free from deceit and lies. Praise be to God! Heavenly surgery takes place, not with a scalpel, but with the blood of Jesus redeeming us from our sins. Of course, we endeavour to clean up our lives, and pursue righteousness even if it causes us short term problems. But as we do, God’s peace and love will follow us all the days of our lives.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your patience, Your grace and mercy. Instead of dispensing the punishment we all deserve, You sent Jesus, to free us from our sins. We are so grateful. Amen.

King Forever

Posted on by korgrocker

“Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed. The Lord is king forever and ever! The godless nations will vanish from the land. Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.”
Psalm 10:15-18 NLT

In the middle of another rant about wicked people and what the Psalmist would like God to do to them, we read, “The Lord is king forever and ever”. It is important that in the middle of our frustrations about God’s apparent lack of action with the evil around us, that we don’t lose our perspective. In the end, it’s not about us, or the apparent injustice we see in our nations and societies. We need to look up and see the Lord. In the time of a national crisis, Isaiah looked up. King Uzziah had just died, bringing a fear of political instability to Judah after a long reign of 52 years. Uzziah was one of the good kings and Isaiah, fearful of what the days ahead would bring, went to the Temple and there we read, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple” (Isaiah 6:1). Isaiah looked up beyond the circumstances around him, and, if we read on in Isaiah 6, we find that his encounter with the Lord transformed his life and ministry. 

We pilgrims yearn for the King to return and bring peace and His Kingdom to this war-torn world. We know that the Lord is King. We know that He is coming back to this world again, although we don’t know when. We know that He is the forever King, present since before the world was created. But instead of looking around at the “wicked evil people” as the Psalmist did, we need to look up and see the Lord. Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord in the Temple changed him for the rest of his life. He wrote, “Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies”” (Isaiah 6:5). The Lord asked Isaiah, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” and his reply was, “Here I am. Send me”” (Isaiah 6:8). Instead of wallowing in fear and misery, paralysed through the potential instability of his nation, Isaiah became a messenger for the Lord to his people.

There is something significant about having a forever King. We often forget that, although we are living in this world, with all of its sin and evil, we are in all reality citizens of another world, the Kingdom of God. There the Lord is King forever. No evil. No wars and strife. And it is there we run to when we are in danger of being overwhelmed by the worldly events around us. It might be helpful if we stand up and say to ourselves something like “I choose today to step into the kingdom where the Lord is King” and then take a step forwards, looking up as we do. We never know, but we might, like Isaiah, see a vision of the Lord, “high and lifted up”. Where is our faith because with the Lord anything might happen?

When we look up, we find an opportunity to see what the wicked in this world look like to God. When we look up we also find ourselves looking forward to the time when God will bring justice to correct all the injustices that have ever gone unpunished. And when we look up, we see the King and our hearts melt in the warmth of His gaze, flowing with love and compassion. There is no better place to be than in the presence of our forever King.

Father God, please forgive us for our lack of vision and understanding. You are our forever King and we praise and worship You today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Fate of Nations

Posted on by korgrocker

“The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set. The Lord is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. … The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.”
Psalm 9:15-17 NLT

‭It is not just the wicked who end up in a grave, of course. We will all die one day and our physical remains will ultimately end up either in a grave or our ashes scattered where our families decide. Cheery subject to start the day, I know, but one that cannot be avoided, no matter how hard we try. So when David wrote about the “fate of all the nations”, he was stating the obvious. But other Bible versions substitute “grave” for “hell” or “Sheol”, and this makes more sense in the context of these verses. David writes that there are consequences for individuals and nations who “ignore God”, in that they will be trapped by the very tactics they use against others. I suppose the last world war comes to mind, with a militarily-aggressive Germany ultimately ending up as a defeated nation and its evil leader dead. The Nazi programmes against the Jews and others put the German government well into the “wicked” bracket and even those like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who vocally opposed the evil being promoted, failed to turn round the wickedness present in that nation and at that time. The AMP version of Psalm 9:17 reads, “The wicked will turn to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Even all the nations who forget God”. 

But what is this “Sheol” (or “Hades” in the Greek), called the place of the dead? If the wicked nations end up there, will believers join them in the same place? Simplistically, Christian thought is that when we die, our spirits end up either in hell or Heaven. The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16 gives some credence to this thought, with Lazarus, the poor man ending up with Abraham eating at the Heavenly banquet, and the Rich Man in a place of torment. Luke 16:23 (AMP), “In Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom (paradise)”. But whatever we believe, it is inconceivable that a wicked person or nation will ever end up in a place called Heaven or paradise, and that is what David wrote about the “fate of all nations who ignore God”. 

We UK residents are living in an increasingly secular society with Christians being marginalised by legislation at variance with what God has ordained in His Word. But there are also green shoots of a new move of God starting to emerge. In my home town of Dunfermline, in Scotland, there are some exciting things happening with new Christian groups emerging and some existing churches growing almost weekly with new converts and baptisms. And we thank God for His grace and favour, with believers providing a ground-swell of opposition to the ideologies and laws that promote rebellion against God but will not end well for their adherents and promoters. One day they will find themselves in Sheol, in the company of the Rich Man, even desperate, like him, to send a warning back to those they left behind, colleagues or family members living a life ignoring God.

We pilgrims probably will never fully appreciate the impact we have on our societies as we continue as salt and light, beacons of hope in a Godless nation. We look to Jesus, as we read in Hebrews 12:2a, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith …”. And we extend God’s love and grace to those around us, who are journeying to a lost eternity.

Dear Father God. Not for us to be a part of a Godless people who will end up in a place they don’t want to be. Please encourage and empower us to spread Your Gospel each and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Unforgettable Deeds

Posted on by korgrocker

“Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.”
Psalm 9:11-12 NLT

The problem about what people do in their lives is that most of them are forgettable. They quickly disappear into the mists of time, with very few lasting legacies. Occasionally a “deed” is remembered and is recorded in the history books. Something like Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin. Or when Martin Luther affixed a document with his 95 Theses to a church door in Saxony over five hundred years ago, starting the Protestant Reformation. Florence Nightingale is remembered for her compassionate deeds caring for wounded soldiers in the Crimean war. But there are dark and wicked deeds that are remembered today. Deeds committed by evil men such as Hitler or Stalin. 

But what about God’s “unforgettable deeds”? The most well remembered deed committed by God was the time when His Son Jesus was crucified two thousand years ago in propitiation for our sins. Jesus took on Himself the punishment for the sins committed by human beings, past, present and future. A single act of love and grace that has secured the future of the human race as God intended – in His presence for eternity. Of course, this is only if people respond to this “unforgettable deed” in faith, confessing and repenting of their sins and receiving God’s forgiveness. And that is the issue for any of God’s “unforgettable deeds” – it is the way we respond to them. If we read about all that God has done for us and then walk away with a “that’s nice” and promptly forget what He has done, then there will be consequences that could affect us for ever. The Bible is packed full of God’s “unforgettable deeds”, and it is only as we read about them and believe them, that they will benefit us and bring about an ever closer alignment between God and ourselves. 

The Psalmist, David, continued to declare God’s righteousness and compassion. Those who commit murder will face consequences because He cannot, because He is righteous, allow such a crime to go unpunished. We think of all the murders that are committed every day in the UK, with unborn children having their lives terminated at the whim of parents, an act of murder carried out by medical professionals. David wrote that God “cares for the helpless” and He will avenge their murder. A truly sobering thought. And regarding people who have already been born, Open Doors has recorded that 4476 Christians world-wide were murdered for their faith last year. And that’s the ones they know about. God “cares for the helpless” and He will avenge their murder. In our sin-ridden world, God’s care extends beyond the grave and one day the murderers will be held to account.

So we pilgrims pick up our Bibles and read, and read. It is an amazing Book packed full of God’s “unforgettable deeds” and the Holy Spirit will reveal to us time and time again all that God has done for us. Of His goodness and mercy there is no end. David started verse 11 with the exhortation to sing praises to the Lord. One day the Lord Jesus will rule and reign in Jerusalem – we know that because we have read to the end of the Book. Will we be counted in the New Jerusalem’s population? Of course we will and we praise the One who made it all possible by the most famous of all of God’s “unforgettable deeds”.

Dear God. Thank You for Your Son Jesus, who has indeed done it all for us. Amen.

Trouble and Strife

Posted on by korgrocker

“My enemies retreated; they staggered and died when you appeared. For you have judged in my favour; from your throne you have judged with fairness. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever. The enemy is finished, in endless ruins; the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.”
Psalm 9:3-6 NLT

Why is it that so many of the Psalms contain references to “enemies”? David often brought his enemies before God with a request that they be judged and dealt with, leaving him vindicated. And he continued to pray for judgements and punishments to extend beyond his boundaries into the adjacent nations. The political situation in David’s days was volatile and has continued unchanged right up to the 21st Century, with the Middle East being a hot bed of factions and different political interests, with nations, and even people groups within the nations, striving with each other and at times descending into extremes of violence. External influences stoke up the flames of discord and hatred, raising them to intolerable levels, with violence viewed with puzzlement by peoples in other parts of the world. The nations and borders might have changed since David was king in Israel but the strife has continued across the generations almost as though the very ground in that part of the world is cursed. 

Of course, the glib answer to the Middle East’s problems is laid at the door of sin, and the enemy who introduced it to the world, in the Garden, itself being located in an adjacent area, so some have thought, near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Southern Mesopotamia. But whatever the geography, the very fact that there are people regarded as “enemies” indicates that sin is present. David expected God to be his arbiter and rule in his favour, and his writings describe both real and imagined Godly judgement, with punishments meted out on his “enemies” and even their infrastructure.

It is true that God has judged sin and wickedness in the past – think about the situations in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Noah – but does He do that today? Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. From that perspective, does God therefore favour one people over another, and bring judgement to bear in these modern times? But introduce into that scenario the following verses in Romans 3, “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26). Sinners have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and now stand righteous in God’s presence. This elevates us into a different kingdom, God’s Kingdom, and introduces a different emphasis, as we read in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”. Two kingdoms emerge, the kingdom of the world which contains all unredeemed peoples wherever they live, and God’s Kingdom where His people are united through His love and grace. We have weapons of defence and one of offence, all of which can keep us safe from our enemies, should we choose to use them as God has ordained. 

We pilgrims read what David wrote all those years ago and superimpose over his words the principles and perspectives of the Kingdom of which we are a part. We have a Judge who rules with righteousness and love, with mercy and grace, and who will ultimately deal with the sin and sinful people that has polluted this world. We might not see a solution to the battles taking place in the Middle East in our earthly lifetime, but we will one day see all wickedness and evil being dealt with, and banished forever. 

Dear God. You are the righteous Judge, who will fairly deal with all human beings one day. We pilgrims thank You that, although sinners, we have been redeemed by Your Son, Jesus, and can come before You covered over with Jesus’ righteousness. Thank You for the miracle of Your grace and love. Amen.

Praise the Lord!

Posted on by korgrocker

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvellous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”
Psalm 9:1-2 NLT

Another Davidic Psalm from the Bible’s song and prayer book. These two verses contain words such as “praise”, “tell”, “filled”, “joy”, and “sing”. These are all words that are not very common in the secular society around us. Unbelievers won’t experience the joy of being able to praise God. They won’t appreciate the “marvellous things” God has done. They won’t be making their ways to work this morning humming a hymn tune or singing His praises in their hearts. I can remember some years ago walking through an underpass under the River Thames in London and many people were hurrying the other way, heading for work. I was struck by the tight and drawn look on the faces of most of them. No joy visible. No lightness and freedom present. The best efforts of a busker largely ignored. Just people existing in a Godless environment, shackled to a secular world where there is no God worthy of praises, able to fill them with joy. 

In 1 Kings 8:23, Solomon starts his prayer of dedication with, “ … O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion”. The Psalmists were scathing about those who denied the existence of God. Psalm 52:1, “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!” It is so sad that all those people who do not know God, who have not ever experienced the joy of salvation, who have never seen the marvellous works created by God, and who have no song of praise to sing, just exist without hope, heading for a lost eternity.

At the start of this day, we pause and step through the door into another Kingdom, where we find God in all His glory. Where we focus on praising Him. Where we feel His joy filling our hearts. Where we feel His touch and His Spirit bringing reassurance and guidance for the day ahead. And as our time with Him draws to an end, we step back into our monochrome world but bringing the colour of knowing God into the dark places of hopeless souls. People with no hope who are desperate to hear some Good News. Where the “marvellous things” of God will be able to penetrate their hardened hearts. In the Old Testament we read about Moses having to wear a veil, because His face radiated the glory of God. “When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. … But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29, 34-35). As we pilgrims emerge from our time with God, do we have radiant faces. Are we glowing with the presence of the Lord? Perhaps those around us will see God in us, in our faces, and will feel within themselves something lighten up. And they might even ask us why. Why are we so joyful when circumstances dictate otherwise? We have an answer to that question, in the person of Jesus. Only He has the words of eternal life. Only He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And we pilgrims, shining like beacons in a dark and dismal world, can introduce the hopeless and depressed around us to our wonderful Saviour.

Dear Lord Jesus. We praise and worship You, the Giver of life to the lifeless, the Giver of hope to the hopeless, and the Giver of salvation to all who come to You in faith and repentance. Thank You. Amen.

End the Evil

Posted on by korgrocker

“End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.”
Psalm 7:9 NLT

Wouldn’t it be nice if evil could be banished from this world. We look around at global events, and see the wars and strife that decimate nations. As I write, the war in Ukraine continues. The Middle East appears constantly in the news, as one nation, faction or religious group battles against another. Evil people doing evil things to other evil people. There seems no let up in the wickedness present in this world. We yearn for the day prophesised by Isaiah, when he wrote, “The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore”(Isaiah 2:4). 

But then we look closer to home and see the evil present in our societies. Communities blighted by drugs. People dying at the hands of drunk drivers. Children abused. Fights at football matches. The list seems endless. Wouldn’t it be nice if evil could be banished from this world.

But then we perhaps stop to think about ourselves, and the evil thoughts that emerge from time to time in our minds, redeemed even as they are. Perhaps we echo what Paul wrote in Romans 7:23-24, “But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” We find ourselves in a place where we would dearly love to see the end of evil but accept that we are as much the problem as any other person. Thankfully, through Jesus, we have the remedy for our sin as we read on in Romans. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1-2). 

Jesus told a parable of the Wheat and the Tares, which we can find in Matthew 13, and which pictures a farmer planting good seed but the enemy comes along later and plants weeds. The wheat and the weeds grow together, and when the workers observed the weeds, they wanted to leap in and pull them all up. But the farmer asked them to wait until the harvest time, when the weeds could be separated from the wheat crop, and burnt. Applying that to today, God created human beings to be like Him (in His image) but the enemy, the devil, corrupted His creation (the Fall in the Garden). Through Jesus, believing and repentant people become the crop of the good seed but all those who prefer evil will be separated at the End of the Age.

There is another thought. If God removed all evil from the earth today, would there be anyone left? As Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). There is coming a time when evil will be dealt with, at the End of the Age. We don’t know when that will be, but happen it will. God sees what is going on in people’s hearts. He sees the righteous people saved and forgiven of their sins. But he also sees the hearts and minds of evil people, and takes note. God is righteous as well as loving. He wants all people to respond to His love and be saved from the judgement to come. But equally, He allows all those who prefer evil to continue in their ways. He created mankind with the ability to choose their destinies. 

Dear Father God. Sobering thoughts this morning. We come once again to the Cross, looking once again at our Saviour and asking for forgiveness. Not for us, Your children, the ways of evil. And we pray for both for domestic and world events, that You will hold back the tides of evil and protect Your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Judges

Posted on by korgrocker

“Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice! Gather the nations before you. Rule over them from on high. The Lord judges the nations. Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High!”
Psalm 7:6-8 NLT

People must think that David was either very brave or very stupid, speaking to God like that. We, of course, know intuitively that our Creator God cannot be ordered around like David was trying to do, but that didn’t seem to stop him having a good rant about divine justice being meted out on his enemies. David wanted God to become angry with his enemies and bring about a universal judgement of nations, all arraigned before Him. Oh, and in the process, David demanded that God declared him righteous and innocent.

But David wasn’t wrong in his expectations, because there is coming a day when God will judge the nations. It was just that David seemed to require an immediate Godly response, so we can perhaps instead consider a prophetic message here, embedded in David’s rant. But we mustn’t forget that God had judged the sin and wickedness prevalent in the earth before. We remember the Flood, Genesis 6:5-7, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them””. God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and we can read the account in Genesis 18 and 19. “So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant”(Genesis 18:20). “Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulphur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation” (Genesis 19:24-25).

Has God judged peoples today? There is the reality of what God’s present judgement looks like in Romans 1. Here are some extracts, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. … So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.  … Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and gossip. … They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too” (Romans 1:18, 24, 28-29, 32). Persistent and wicked people will be abandoned by God, and we can read the consequences in Romans 2:5-6, “But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done”. 

David asked God to wake up and deal with his enemies. But God is very much awake and is storing up all the information needed for that terrible day when everyone, without exception, will come before Him and be judged. Thankfully, God is extremely patient, as Paul wrote in Romans 2:4, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”‭‭ And that’s the issue. God wants no-one to perish and end up in hell, and He has allowed a life span for mankind to respond to Him in repentance. Once the last breath is taken a person will find that, for them, God’s patience has expired.

God judged people through the Flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, but He also judges today by abandoning people to the consequences of their wickedness in their lives on earth.

So, we pilgrims must never give up in sharing with others the Good News about Jesus. Only He can forgive our sins – there is no other name through which we can be saved. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for Calvary and Your willingness to die for mankind so that whosoever believes in You will inherit eternal life. We are so grateful, and we pray for our friends and family, that they too will find the narrow gate that leads to life. In Your precious name. Amen. 

Betrayal and Justice

Posted on by korgrocker

“O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice, if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause, then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honour in the dust.”
Psalm 7:3-5 NLT

Psalm 7 continues with David apparently still in a hard place, bothered with his conscience, persecuted by those around him, and desperately seeking God for rescue and His protection. But he started to do what we all do at times – he looked for a cause for his distress. Have we ever been in a place where the Heavens seem like brass and we feel that our prayers never reach God? Have we ever been in a place riven by troubles and wondered where God has gone. Perhaps we are in a place like the Psalmist when he wrote, “Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”” (Psalms 42:3). A place that perhaps feels like David’s “darkest valley”. 

David wondered if there was something that he had done that had made God withdraw from him, and so he asked God if he had done anything wrong. Had he treated someone unjustly? Had he betrayed a friend? Had he behaved in a way to his enemies that wasn’t right? If he had done any of these things, then David invited God to let things happen to him that would count as punishment for his misdemeanours, justice for his crimes.

But thanks to Jesus, we know that God doesn’t treat us in that way. Paul wrote, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. … But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:6, 8). In Romans 8 we read, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? … And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:35, 38).

So when we find ourselves in a dark place, seemingly a long way away from God, is it God who has withdrawn from us? Of course not. He is always there for us, His loving kindness, grace and mercy beyond measure. And so once again we seek Calvary’s cross, where we look into the face of our wonderful Saviour, Jesus. There, as we cast off our burdens of sin before Him, we find once again a right relationship with God and comfort in our times of trouble. Refreshed and restored, we can prayerfully face into the issues troubling us, with God providing the care and support that we need.

Dear Lord God. Nothing can separate us from Your love. Please help us to live in the light of that every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.