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.

Peter’s Death Foretold

Posted on by korgrocker

“A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.””
John 21:17-19 NLT

John records in these verses that Jesus foretold the kind of death Peter would experience at the end of his life. No chance of a peaceful slipping away in his sleep. Peter’s death was to be something he didn’t want to experience. For the rest of his life Peter had the spectre of a violent and painful death hanging over him, but he never flinched from his mission. But he always had the option of keeping his head down and keeping out of harm’s way, avoiding upsetting anyone. Jesus had warned His disciples about what was to come in Matthew 24:9, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers”. In John 17:9-10 we read, “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory“. But the disciples, apart from Judas, never stopped following Jesus and they were all present in that Upper Room the day that the Holy Spirit came.

If someone presented to us the Gospel and we were warned that this would lead to physical harm and even death, would we have accepted Jesus and believed in Him? Today, many evangelists present a Gospel of a loving God, saying that by believing in Him we will receive eternal life. John 3:16 is their text, but correct as it is, they fail to present the other facets of God’s character. His sinlessness, purity, holiness, justice, righteousness and so on. God is complete and highlighting just one of His attributes is a dangerous path to follow, both for themselves and the people who respond to it. It is only be receiving the whole counsel of God that we will be able to be truly saved. How do we do that? By reading the Bible, God’s Word, by prayer, and by going to church to fellowship with God’s people. It will take us a lifetime to even just scratch the surface of finding out who God is, but he is patient and kind and will help us every step of our journeys. 

Dear Father God. We too, like Peter have wobbly moments. Thank You for Your patience and loving kindness, and for the Holy Spirit who helps us day by day. Please forgive us for our sins, for the things we should have done but haven’t, and the things we have done but shouldn’t. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peter Recommissioned

Posted on by korgrocker

“After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”
John 21:15-17 NLT

After they had eaten together, Jesus put Peter on the spot. Peter would have still been hurting, his conscience shredded, after denying that he knew Jesus, not once, but three times, and after vowing to Jesus that he would even have died with Him. That this was an awkward moment would have been an understatement. The ensuing conversation, involving as it did the use of the word “love” and the different meanings in the original Greek, commissioned Peter for the rest of his life. Of course, sheep and lambs referred to people, human beings who had a relationship with Jesus, and Peter’s pastoral mission has led some to even believe that he was the first pope. Peter didn’t write a Gospel, as did his friend John, but he did write two letters, the first probably about thirty years or so after this “do you love me” conversation with Jesus. 

The first verse of 1 Peter reads, “This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia“. Here he was shepherding the early Christians, scattered around the area East of the Mediterranean, and the encouragement contained within his letters is clear to see and read. The Holy Spirit empowered Peter on the Day of Pentecost and he stood up and preached an amazing sermon straight afterwards, leading to a commitment for Jesus being made by over three thousand people. If anyone ever doubts the power of the Holy Spirit, just consider the change in a man who went from a God-denier to a God-affirmer over the space of a few days. As we read through the early chapters in Acts we see the prominent role Peter played in the birth of the church. And historical accounts record that Peter stayed faithful to his mission right up until he was crucified on a cross many years later.

We pilgrims have been commissioned to tell others of our faith in God, spreading the Good News to the lost and hopeless around us. We probably won’t have the opportunity to preach to thousands, seeing large numbers of people saved, but we might bring someone to Christ who might be the next Billy Graham. Ananias might not have achieved anything else, other than praying for Paul that day in Damascus, but his one act of obedience to God might have been all that he was asked to do. We followers of Jesus are called to be faithful and obedient, and a good prayer to start the day is …

Dear Lord Jesus. What do You want me to do for You today? Speak, Lord, for Your servant listens. Amen.

Fishing Lesson 3

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.”
John 21:6-8 NLT

The penny finally dropped. It was Peter’s boat that Jesus used, in the Luke 5 account, as a platform to teach the crowd, and he would have immediately been reminded of that occasion, one that resulted in a tremendous catch of fish. Something stirred in Peter’s mind as he realised who the mystery Man was standing there on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. For Peter, this was where his journey started, in a boat with more fish than he could ever have expected catching. Peter was the man who had let down his friend and Master by denying that he knew Him three times, and his conscience would have been badly affecting his nights’ sleeps. And yet, Peter couldn’t wait to return to the shore. He put his clothes back on and waded or swam back to shore, leaving the others to sort out the boat and heavy net. It wasn’t Peter though who firstly recognised who the Man was. Once again it was “the disciple who Jesus loved”, who we know was John, the writer of this account in his Gospel. 

As we reflect on this story and remember God’s generosity, we turn to what Jesus had previously said in Luke 6:38, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”. The picture of a generous God who multiplies our puny efforts in giving applied first to the disciples. They gave up everything to follow Jesus and He returned their commitment with the miracle of catching more fish than they could have imagined. We pilgrims may also have had a similar experience, finding out that God knows our needs and makes provision for them in response to our faith. 

Initially, the disciples failed to recognise Jesus standing there on the shore. But when they had come to the end of their own human resources, God, in the form of Jesus, was waiting to take over. And so often it is with us. Instead of praying about a problem and engaging God’s help and provision, we try every method we can think of to come up with a solution without Him. Then, finally, we think about prayer and more often than not, find God was patiently waiting in the wings with the answer all the time. Psalm 37:25, “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.”

Dear Lord. Please forgive us for our reluctance to pray and bring our needs before You. You are always wanting to bless Your children. We praise and thank You today. Amen.

A New Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).”
John 1:42 NLT

Jesus gave Simon a new name. It was to be Cephas, translated as Peter, which is the name we are more familiar with. But in the Bible, the changing of someone’s name had a significance which we don’t always relate to today. Imagine the chaos that would happen if many people regularly, almost at a whim, or even at God’s command, formally changed their names! The benefits and taxation system would probably collapse. The NHS would become hopelessly confused with challenging outcomes. And so on. But in these gender-confused days, names are being changed to reflect the preferred gender of an individual, but without any consideration of the biological and God-created facts. Our enemy the devil has taken something God considers sacred and has peddled a lie, deceiving those who lack any form of moral or spiritual compass. 

God changed people’s names for a reason – to reflect a change in their identity. As an example, God changed “Abram” (meaning “high father”) to “Abraham” (meaning “father of a multitude”). The reasons for his new identity can be found in Genesis 17. Today, a person’s name is chosen by their parents because it is nice sounding or fashionable. It may be inspired by a celebrity or religion. By an ancestor or relative. But in Biblical times, a name assigned to a new baby sometimes captured a national or local event, or was God-inspired to record a prophetic message. 

Simon, now called Peter, had a new identity in his standing before God. The “Simon”, with all his faults and foibles, was to become the rock, “Peter”, on which the Church was established. A new identity, a new assignment, a new man. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!“‭‭. Today, even though we retain our birth name, we have a new identity. The old person, with all its sins, has been replaced, as we read in Ephesians 4:24, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”.

There will be a time when Jesus will give us a new name. Revelation 2:17b,” … And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it”. I’m intrigued! I wonder what my new name will be. Hmmm… 

Dear Father God. We worship Your holy Name today and pray together, ‘Hallowed be Your Name’. Amen.

Final Words

Posted on by korgrocker

”You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.“
2 Peter 3:17-18 NLT

Peter has come to the point in his letter when he finally decides he has written all that needs to be written. There’s nothing more to be said. A final warning to his readers to “be on guard”. Watch out, he wrote, because there are wicked people out there who are preaching error and leading people away from the truth about Jesus and His Gospel, distorting and twisting His message of Good News and hope for the future. Perhaps we are tempted to think that this was an early church phenomenon, and Biblical preaching and teaching today is much less prone to error. But thinking this is just what the devil likes. Complacency leads to apostasy, and an ineffective Christian life. We pilgrims must never cease our journey. We must never become becalmed in a morass of distractions, diverted from our mission.

Peter exhorted his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ“. To grow takes effort, and God wants us to mature as Christians. A “baby” Christian cannot stay in that infantile state forever, but sadly many do. Just as a human baby looks to their mother, “baby” Christians expect their pastors or ministers to do everything for them, feeding them a palatable diet that they can enjoy. And when such attention is unavailable they look elsewhere for their spiritual input. They think that another church will supply their needs. Or perhaps they find a spiritual “creche” somewhere else, and go there instead.

It is by God’s grace that we can grow and He allows us the time and space to mature as Christians. Sometimes I check in again with those verses at the end of Acts 2. ”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” (Acts 2:42). We have distorted the purity of the Gospel with our liturgies, our “all about me” Christian worship songs, our pews providing fellowship limited to the back of a person’s head, our programmes to raise funds for the church organ or new roof instead of furthering the Gospel to those in need. The Christian life is all about Jesus and following Him and His teaching. We have wonderful resources in the Bible and its many translations, and we must study it with the devotion the early believers had. We must pray so fervently, that something significant happens in our prayer meetings. Acts 4:31, ”After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness“. We must look after each other, in times of fellowship not just restricted to a hand shake after the Sunday meeting. God’s grace abounds when His people are flowing in His ways.

Peter encouraged his readers to grow in grace and knowledge, and that will require a shift in our Christian world view and life style. Paul summed up this way of life in Colossians 3:1-4, ”Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory“. The Bible teaches us much about the “things of Heaven”, and we must appreciate the reality, as believers, that we are now citizens of Heaven. We must adopt the laws and customs of our new world. It is here that our eyes are opened and we realise the sinful and worldly ways that we have left behind. The transition from the old kingdom to the new will take a lifetime, as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”. 

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your servant Peter and his letters so full of Your grace and love. We pray together today that Your Words will be food for our souls. In Jesus’ name. Amen.