Eternal Life

Posted on by korgrocker

“You welcomed him back with success and prosperity. You placed a crown of finest gold on his head. He asked you to preserve his life, and you granted his request. The days of his life stretch on forever.”
Psalm 21:3-4 NLT

These verses today are rich with several themes interwoven but all coming together in acknowledging God and giving Him the glory for all He had done for David. David had returned victorious from a battle, or had won an important political argument, and he and his followers, his people, were celebrating. The crown signified that he was the undisputed king and the fact that it was of the finest gold represented the quality of his kingship. David was a royal appointee, successful in all that he put his hand to, and prosperous through his receipt of taxes from the subservient foreign nations and his own people, and through his own activities in Israel. 

But the Psalm records that “the days of [David’s] life stretch on forever”. We know of course that David died at the age of 70 so it could not mean that he was going to be immortal on this earth.  We could assume that David was referring to eternal life, as we read in Psalm 16, another of his Psalms. “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever” (Psalm 16:11). Or this could have been referring to his dynasty, as we read in 2 Samuel 7: 11b-13, “ … Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever”. This was of course a reference to the coming Messiah, and we see the fulfilment of that in the angel’s message to Mary, recorded in Luke 1:31-33, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Returning to the royal implication in these verses, we know of course that we pilgrims are also of royal stock. Peter wrote, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). We may not have crowns of gold in this life, but Paul wrote, “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). We pilgrims will be supplied with a “crown of righteousness” when we cross the Great Divide into God’s presence, a crown of far more worth than something made with a commodity used to pave the streets of the New Jerusalem.

So, in a sense, our lives will also “stretch on forever” but without all the hassles of human life. Again, a verse from Paul’s epistle to the Romans, “And because you belong to [Christ], the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:2). Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36), and one day we will experience that freedom, as though a huge weight has been lifted from us. No more sickness. No more death. And eternal life spent in God’s presence. David asked God to “preserve his life, and [He] granted his request”. We too come to the Cross and ask Jesus to preserve our life, and as we  ” … confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). This was the moment when we passed from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, enabling us to commence our eternal lives at a time when we are also human beings on Planet Earth. Is that a “Hallelujah” or whoop of praises expressed to God I can hear in the distance? 

Father God. David knew that he would live forever in Your presence, as will we pilgrims. Please help us complete our journey, giving You all the praise and all the glory. Amen.

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.

Just a Little Longer

Posted on by korgrocker

“Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?” When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.””
John 7:31-34 NLT

Because of His miraculous signs, the crowds at the Feast of Tabernacles started to realise that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. John recorded that many believed in Him, triggering alarm amongst the Pharisees and the priestly hierarchy. So, the Temple guards, the heavies who kept order in the Temple, were sent off with an arrest warrant to take Jesus into custody. A brave act, because those in the crowd who believed in Him, might have had other ideas. But the Temple guards, and the leaders, were stopped in their tracks when Jesus told them that His time was short, and He implied that He would soon be returning to the “One who sent [Him]”. Jesus prophesised what was going to happen on an Easter Sunday a year or two later. We of course, with the benefit of hindsight, know why Jesus’ persecutors wouldn’t be able to find Him, and unless they believed in Him, they wouldn’t have been able to follow Him either.  

We pilgrims can be a bit impatient at times. We want God to do something quickly and find it hard to accept delays. It  is said that there are three possible answers to prayer. God will say, “Yes”, or “No” or “Maybe”, but often the answers don’t come as quickly as we would like. Perhaps God sometimes says “Yes … but just a little longer”. At other times, we may find ourselves in a dry season and long for it to come to an end. Sometimes, God is saying to us, “Just a little longer”, helping our persistence and faith. He may be building up our characters for something more challenging coming towards us. Hebrews 10:36, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised”. 

There is also the thought that the season of grace we currently enjoy may only be with us for “just a little longer”. One day God will decide that it is time to draw a line under the current kingdom and instead usher in the New Kingdom, with Jesus as its head. This could happen at any time soon, if world events are anything to go by. But when that happens, how would Jesus find us? Hopefully, doing His will and living by faith in our wonderful God. Hebrews 10:37-38, “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” In Romans 11:11-12, Paul wrote, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living“. 

We pilgrims live as though Jesus will soon return. The last recorded words of Jesus in the Bible are found in Revelation 22:20, “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” Jesus said it, so we believe it.

Dear Lord Jesus. We echo those words recorded by Your servant, John, “Come Lord Jesus” and we believe it is to be soon. Amen.

When the Messiah Comes

Posted on by korgrocker

“Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.””
John 7:25-27 NLT

So the animosity between the Jewish leaders and Jesus was obviously public knowledge. Everyone seemed to know about Jesus, and He split public opinion into two people factions – those that supported Him and those that didn’t. Jesus’ message and His claim to be the Son of God was clear, so clear in fact, that people started to ask the question if He really was the Messiah they had been expecting. But they had a problem with Jesus’ pedigree. If they had bothered to do some research they would have found that the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah fitted exactly with Jesus’ origins. As we know, Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, fulfilling the prophecy in Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf”. The Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus’ birth knew that, and Herod was convinced enough by the prophecy to murder many innocent male babies in and around Bethlehem. The people assumed that He was born and bred in Nazareth, a village located in Galilee, because that was where He grew up and worked.

Another misconception the people held was that the Messiah would just “simply appear”. It is sometimes strange how ideas and rumours quickly grow into becoming facts, even though there is no basis for them. Jesus made it clear that He was and is the Messiah. 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!”” But the problem for the people was that Jesus didn’t fit their preconceived notions of the Messiah they were expecting. They were expecting a King and the wise men from the east came looking for Him – Matthew 2:1-2, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”“ The Jewish people expected the Messiah to usher in an immediate kingdom that would re-establish the Jewish state, independent once again. Luke 19:11, “The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away“. But it was sad that the Jewish leaders and people selected the prophecies that they agreed with, and discarded those, such as the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, that didn’t fit their expectations.

I wonder how many of the Jewish people expected Jesus to establish a spiritual, not physical, Kingdom? His Kingdom was not of this world, Jesus said in John 18:36, and it was so sad that the Jews continued to search for their Messiah when He was walking amongst them. But we pilgrims have the benefit of hindsight, and we know that the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, indeed came to “seek and save the lost”. After all, we are amongst those for whom He came, and we look forward when His Kingdom is finally established, for all eternity. We have rewritten the phrase “When the Messiah comes” into “We know the Messiah has come”, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, He is still with us today.

Dear Lord Jesus. You are the Messiah, the Christ who came to save us from our sins. We worship You today. Amen.

Moses Prophesied

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
John 5:45-47 NLT

Was Jesus correct when He told the Jewish leaders that Moses wrote about Him? Of course He was, although admittedly it wasn’t by name. Jesus quoted Moses’ writings several times in the Gospels. For example, we have John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up”. Then there is the parallel between manna and Jesus being the bread of life, or Jesus proclaiming that anyone believing in Him will produce rivers of living water flowing from his heart. The Jewish leaders, however, failed to make the connection between what was written in the Pentateuch by Moses, and the Man standing before them. Their minds and religious thinking was stuck in a groove more focused on a different religion of rules and regulations, and nothing was going to change their minds. Not even with God’s own Son standing before them.

But the Jews were not unique in their approach to matters religious. Today we have Christian denominations and movements stuck in their own individual grooves. For example, if we look at the Church of England, we find the Book of Common Prayer. In this worthy tome we will find Orders for Morning and Evening Prayer, various Creeds, the Order of how Holy Scripture is to be read, and so on. There are a shed full of scenarios for all the offices of the Church but perhaps we wonder why all this is really necessary. After all, the early Church liturgy can be found in Acts 2:42, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer“. So what would happen to the orders of service if Jesus came along with a counter-cultural exposure of congregants trusting in liturgies rather than His teaching as recorded in the Gospels? In Hosea 6:6 God said, “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings“. Perhaps we could write, “I want you to show love, not follow a liturgy. I want you to know Me more than a pew or the Book of Common Prayer”. Of course, I might be doing many sincere Christian believers a disservice, but I’m sure my readers will understand my point.

By now, I’m sure my readers will also recognise that I am passionate about the Bible and its integrity and value in supporting life in the Kingdom of God here on 21st Century Planet Earth. In His day, Jesus came as the fruition of many prophecies about Himself, and He accused the Jewish leaders of not believing in Him in spite of all the evidence that said He was who he said he was. In particular He pointed out the incongruity of the leaders putting their hope in Moses and his writings, and yet refusing to believe and understand what those writings meant in the Person of the Man standing before them. But we pilgrims today must never abandon or rationalise the Scriptures to make them fit in with our ideologies, liturgies or world views. Just because we don’t understand, or refuse to understand, what the Bible says about living in the Kingdom of God, it doesn’t meant that what is written isn’t valid. We will never achieve everything that the Bible says we need to attain holiness by trusting in our own strength. But through the grace of God and the blood of Jesus, we can stand before God righteous and holy. It’s all about Jesus, not about the man made liturgies we love to install in our churches and fellowships. 

There is much more written about Jesus in the Bible. Throughout all the Old Testament books there is a thread foretelling the Messiah, woven almost into every page. And then He burst upon the scene, making an impact that launched the new order, the New Covenant between God and mankind. Most of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day failed to recognise Him, as many still do today. We have to remember though that the enemy has blinded the eyes even of God’s own people. But one day everyone, including all powers and authorities, will be forced to bow the knee before Jesus, the Son of God.

Dear Lord Jesus. We give You all the praise and glory. Amen.

Jesus Tells the Truth

Posted on by korgrocker

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
John 5:24 NLT

This must have been an astonishing statement in the religious context of those days. Standing in the Jewish leaders’ shoes, we would have heard this ordinary looking man making the assertion that He had been sent by God and claimed that all who believe in Him “will never be condemned for their sins”. We know there was nothing special about Jesus’ appearance from Isaiah’s prophecy, “My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him” (Isaiah 53:2). However, Jesus was a divisive figure. He challenged the status quo and left the people of His day with a choice to make. They either had to believe that he was who He said He was, the Son of God, or they had to reject Him as yet another person to be pitied, a person deluded and mentally deranged. But what about the miracles? Could a person making these false claims have healed a man who had been paralysed for thirty eight years? A dilemma both for the Jewish leaders and the ordinary people.

We often think that God is omnipotent, i.e. that He can do anything. But there are in fact some things that He cannot do. One of them is to tell a lie. Everything God says and does is truthful and righteous. And the same applies to Jesus because He was, and is, the Son of God. So when Jesus said that what He was about to say was truthful we who believe in Him need to sit up and take notice. Jesus said that we must listen to His message, and believe in God, who sent Jesus to this world. And if we do, then the result is that we will pass from death to life. Eternal life. 

We pilgrims have an opportunity to echo what Jesus said to those around us. Witnessing about Jesus and all He has done for mankind is something that I am passionate about, and do at every opportunity. The message is simple but takes a lifetime of application as we start to live out the reality of moving from a kingdom of death to God’s Kingdom of life. But Jesus was focused on why He came, as we read in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. More truths from Jesus’ lips. 

One difficulty Christians can experience is what to do about people who make certain claims about their mission in life. Jesus Himself warned about such people in Matthew 24:24, “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones“. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act ….” (Matthew 7:15-16a). And yet, if we reject someone, there is the possibility that we have rejected a messenger sent by God. Thankfully the Holy Spirit will help us discern who is right, and who is to be avoided. One question I ask is about who the person in question is accountable to. A man or woman only accountable to themselves are in danger of being in error, no matter how sincere they are.

Jesus backed up what He said by constantly asserting that He was accountable to His Father in Heaven. And the words He said, His teachings and parables, were supported by miraculous signs and wonders. His selfless and sinless life spoke for itself. No appeals for money. No lavish lifestyle. No mansions and private jets. Jesus came from Heaven and returned there after His death and resurrection. There is only one Messiah and He is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father God. Thank You for sending Jesus to this world, to fulfil Your plan for the salvation of mankind. We praise You today. Amen.

I AM the Messiah

Posted on by korgrocker

“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!””
John 4:25-26 NLT

Jesus wasted no more time in His conversation with the Samaritan woman. He came right out with a timeless statement, one that has reverberated down the centuries ever since. “I Am the Messiah”, He said. Of course, although we note the first two words, “I Am”, they would have had a special and much greater significance for the Jews. In the burning bush experience, the Lord engaged Moses in a conversation, as we read in Exodus 3. It started with the Lord saying to Moses from the burning bush, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). Moses appeared reluctant to take on the assignment of negotiating with Pharaoh to obtain the release of the Israelites from their slavery and we read in verse 13, “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?“”. In Exodus 3:14-15 we read, “God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations“. 

God’s name was revered by the Jews to the extent that they would not even say it. It was forbidden for them to say any of God’s names. So when Jesus used the phrase to describe Himself, He immediately brought Himself up against the religious authorities of His day. And then to claim that He was the Messiah as well ….! But the clarity of His statement removed all doubts in the woman’s mind. 

What do we pilgrims think of the Jewish Messiah called Jesus, the One who came to save us from our sins? Of course we have knelt at the foot of His cross, repenting of our sins. We have received His forgiveness, and we continue our lives in the knowledge that the righteousness imputed to us by Jesus makes us acceptable in God’s sight. In Israel two thousand years ago, the coming of the Messiah was expected, but not in the way Jesus came. They were hoping for a Person who would set Israel free. He did, of course, but freedom from sin was not what the people had in mind. Over the centuries, the Israelites had suffered greatly under the jurisdiction and oppression of conquering armies, and longed for the day when they would be a nation in their own right again. 

Jesus, even though He was the expected Messiah, was largely rejected by the people of His day. And that rejection continues even in these present times. People are looking for a “god” who will deal with the issues they are facing. For example, poverty, homelessness, relational breakdowns, illness and disease. And unable to find such a “god”, they sinfully make one for themselves out of their own thoughts and expectations. But they fail to realise that their sin is a much bigger issue than anything they experience in their natural lives. And there is the “I AM” waiting with open arms to welcome them into His presence. That is not to say, however, that God won’t help people with their needs. He is a wonderful God who keeps on giving, time after time. But, sadly, most people today have the same sinful attitudes that the Israelites had, rejecting the One who can save them from the consequences of their rebellion and sin. But we pilgrims echo the words of Jesus, communicate His Good News, and extend His offer of salvation to those around us. “I Am the Messiah” – only four words but probably the most important message anyone will ever hear. Words that will start them on a journey to eternal life.

Dear Father God. You are the great I AM. There is none like You. Amen.

He Who Comes From Above

Posted on by korgrocker

“He who comes from [heaven] above is above all others; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks [about things] of the earth [his viewpoint and experience are earthly]. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has [actually] seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony [as true].”
John 3:31-32 AMP

‭‭There are some potentially difficult thoughts in these verses. John the Baptist was setting out the differences between the inhabitants of Heaven and the inhabitants of earth. And, sadly, he pointed out that no one accepted what the Man from Heaven had to say about what He had seen and heard. Of course, we see the difficulty straight away because we look at these verses from a human perspective. We imagine in our minds a human being from Heaven and an earthly human, but of course this is not the case. Heaven is populated by spiritual beings and earth by natural beings. And the Man that John the Baptist was talking about had left Heaven as a Spirit and had taken on the form of a human being.

The Apostle John started his Gospel with the statement that “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). And a few verses on we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Paul wrote an explanation in Romans 8:3, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins“. 

We pilgrims all understand that within our human bodies is a spirit, and this spirit connects with our Father in Heaven through Jesus. But this isn’t the case for everyone. Those who don’t know God still have something within them that yearns for a spiritual connection with something or someone. So they try and satisfy that yearning by exploring other avenues. There are of course the other spiritual outlets emanating from the devil – he will always try and counterfeit the things of God. Then there are drugs like alcohol that seem to offer some sort of relief from the emptiness inside, but this is only a temporary solution. Some will try sex in all its deviancies, but find a downward path to oblivion. But John the Baptist knew the answer, and he pointed out that the Man with the solution to the spiritual yearnings, the Man who came down from Heaven, the Word of God Himself, but sadly He was not believed by the people of His day.

So what can we pilgrims learn from this? We too have seen and heard amazing things in the Spirit. We have glimpsed God Himself through Jesus. We have felt His loving arms around us. We have a testimony to tell others, a testimony about our amazing Heavenly Father. But we find that as we share our testimony with those around we are mostly greeted by scorn and derision, by ridicule and rejection. But, like Jesus, we never give up. In the background God works in the hearts of those around us, and we will find receptivity from those open to the truth.

Dear Father God. You have graciously given us a glimpse of Your heart, and have given us the privilege of sharing that with those around us. Please lead and guide us to those You have chosen for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus’s Glory

Posted on by korgrocker

“This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]. After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.”
John 2:11-12 AMP

From the day He was conceived, Jesus had a latent glory. This had to be so, because He was the Son of God, after all.  The Amplified version of John 2:11 explains His glory as “displaying His deity and His great power openly”. But Jesus’ first miracle at Cana wasn’t some conjuring trick, as perhaps some people thought. It must have created quite a buzz, particularly to those in the know, such as the servants who were involved as the miracle developed and unfolded before them. The disciples must have looked on in amazement. But for them this probably confirmed to them that this was no ordinary rabbi – this was the Messiah Himself. And as the events of the next three years played out, they were more and more convinced that God had indeed come to live with His people.

The disciples, we are told in John’s account, believed confidently in Him as the Messiah. They trusted Him, and relied on Him. And they followed Him closely for the next three years, being taught the fundamental truths of the Kingdom of God. Step by step, parable by parable, miracle by miracle. Day after day on a whirlwind training course heading for their graduation on the day of Pentecost. That was when the believing was enhanced by the doing. As Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:12-14). That was the reality of life for the disciples – the potential of doing great things for God in Jesus’ name. 

We pilgrims must wonder sometimes if Jesus’ glory ended on a Roman cross, and after He returned to Heaven. It would have done if it wasn’t for the gift of the Holy Spirit that He gave to mankind. Have we received the transforming power of the Holy Spirit? Have we used this power in Jesus’ name to see great works? If not we only have to ask. Jesus said, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him”(Matthew 7:11). The gift of the Holy Spirit is there for the asking. And through the Holy Spirit’s power we can propagate the glory of Jesus to those around us.

Dear Father God. Thank You for the plan for the salvation of mankind, a plan that involved Your Son Jesus. We worship You today. Amen.

The Very Person

Posted on by korgrocker

“Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.”
John 1:45-46 NLT

Apparently in Galilean circles, Nazareth wasn’t the best place to live. It obviously had a dubious reputation, according to Nathanael’s reaction. I suppose we can all look around our localities and think of places where a few people had in the past tarnished their reputations. And in some places local authorities engage in practices where they house problem tenants all together in a particular area, generating unfortunate outcomes. But perhaps Nazareth was just a poor village or town lacking the benefits of living in more affluent areas in Israel. We read in Luke 4 the account of where Jesus  ” … went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures” (Luke 4:16b). Initially his fellow villagers were impressed by what He said. “Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”” (Luke 4:22). But in Jesus’ subsequent words He obviously struck an area of sensitivity, from their reaction to His challenge. And those in the synagogue were intent on doing Him harm as we read in Luke 4:28-30, “When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way”. So perhaps Nathanael’s words, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” had some validity. 

Nathanael was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, and he had another name, Bartholomew. But apart from this introduction and one or two other verses we know very little about Nathanael. He seemed to have a friendship with Philip, or perhaps the two of them were related, but tradition has it that Nathanael preached the Gospel in Persia and India and died a martyr’s death. But in this early account in John, we know that Philip introduced Nathanael to Jesus as the “very person Moses and the prophets wrote about” or, in other words, the Messiah. 

Again, we pilgrims have the privilege of being able to introduce others to this “very Person”. It was Saint Francis of Assisi who was credited with the saying, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words”. We reach others by the way we live as well as by the words we say. Any disconnect between the two will put people off from meeting the “very Person”, Jesus Himself. 

Father God. Our life reflects our relationship with You. We pray for the resources we need to be Your messengers in our communities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.