Church Discipline

Posted on by korgrocker

“I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 NLT

Jesus gave us some teaching about church discipline. This has only rarely had to be followed, in my experience, but the process is there. There was a real problem in the Corinthian church because they were accepting an immoral and adulterous relationship between a man and his stepmother. Perhaps they had misinterpreted Paul’s teaching about grace. In Romans 5:20-21, he wrote, “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord“. Paul was effectively saying that as sin increases, God’s grace increases even more. In other words, sin cannot grow past God’s capacity to give good to those who deserve His angry judgment instead. Paul concludes that God’s grace is the greater ruler. It reigns over sin and death. How? He declares righteous all of us sinners who, by faith, receive his grace-gift of Jesus’ death for our sin on the cross. He wrote this letter to the Romans probably while he was staying with the Corinthians, so it is very likely that Paul shared his understanding of God’s grace with the Corinthian church. Did they therefore decide that sinning was fine because God’s grace would cover it? They may have deliberately ignored the verses that Paul wrote over the page in Romans 6:1-4, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life”. So we have sin and God’s grace, and a congregation that seemed to be setting their own rules, based on a misunderstanding, deliberate or otherwise, of Paul’s teaching.

But Paul soon had them back on track, pointing out that rather than pridefully accepting the immoral situation, they should instead have been “mourning in sorrow and shame” and started the process of evicting the man (and presumably his step-mother) from the church. But back to what Jesus taught, something we find in Matthew 18. There are three steps to follow:

  1. Matthew 18:15, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over”. The first step involves a low-key opportunity to point out that there is a sin that needs to be dealt with, and the sinner and the one who has observed it have a chat and hopefully resolve the problem at that point. Such an approach requires much love and gentleness, with the situation kept strictly private and confidential. Of course, there has to be a good relational and trustworthy bridge with the one who is the sinner, who must also be prepared to be obedient, repentant, and recognise the fact that God is at work in his life. 
  2. Matthew 18:16, “But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses’”. Things are getting a bit more serious now because the sinner involved has failed to respond to the first step. But the second step is still intent on the restoration of the miscreant, with additional witnesses helping to resolve the problem. Again, privacy, love and gentleness are involved because the “brother or sister” will by now be feeling a bit under siege. It may at this point be helpful to involve a church leader, who would be able to assist with a plan of action and would be able to follow up with some Biblical help.
  3. Matthew 18:17, “If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector”. The third step is the nuclear option, and the one that Paul was advising the Corinthian church to follow. There is still a chance of repentance and restoration, and it would be a very stubborn and hardened sinner who would let things go this far. However, note that Jesus didn’t teach that the sinner should be excluded from the church. Instead, he or she would be allowed to sit in the meeting, as if they were a random unbeliever who walked through the doors. If such a thing happens in our churches today, we welcome the visitor and treat them with love and acceptance, and if sin is apparent, then we still love the sinner but hate the sin. 

To be fair, my experience is that after the first step, the poor person involved is more likely to leave the church and find another, or reject the idea of church, and even God, for good. In the case of the situation in Corinth, Paul was so appalled about what was going on that he advised that the man involved be ejected from the church, perhaps an early example of the practice of excommunication. 

So what can we pilgrims learn from this? We need to guard our hearts and lives, striving for a sinless existence. Some Christians have a tendency to think that any private sin can be brushed under the carpet, and they can continue to appear righteous and holy in the pews. But there is a verse in Numbers 32:23 that reads, “But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out”. I can think of one high profile Christian leader whose sins found him out when he was caught with a prostitute, and I know from my own experience about a church pastor who turned up one day at church with a new car, paid for, he said, from a businessman’s gift, but sadly he lied about a win through a scratch card purchased from his local newsagent. In 1 John 1:8-9, we read, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”. We pilgrims must walk in holiness and truth, and be secure in our knowledge that God loves us and wants our highest good. That’s why Jesus came, to seek and save the lost, those who otherwise, through their sins, were heading for a lost eternity. And we soberly remember that one day that was us, dead in our trespasses and sins. But we are now children of God “ … created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24b). What a wonderful Saviour! And as each believer functions in the way that God desires, any problems within the church will be nonexistent, eliminating the need for “church discipline“.

Father God. In the same way that You discipline Your children, You will discipline Your church. One day, we will all attend the wedding feast as the Bride of Christ, without sin and being holy and righteous in Your presence. Thank You. Amen.

Integrity and Honesty

Posted on by korgrocker

“See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge. May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.”
Psalm 25:19-21 NLT

Integrity and honesty seem in short supply these days. As an example, what do people think of the political class in any Western country? I’m sure such words as “integrity” and “honesty” would not appear on the list of descriptive adjectives for most. David claimed that “integrity and honesty protect [him], for [he has] put [his] hope in the Lord”. He had a point, because those who behave in such ways will avoid most of the troubles that come from living in a society that is rife with lies and deceit. It says in Proverbs 10:9, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed“. From a slightly different angle, Proverbs 11:3 records, “Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people“. In fact, the Book of Proverbs contains quite a few verses about integrity and honesty, and their opposites, lies and deceit. Proverbs 12:19-20, “Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!” The wise old sages in Israel knew all about the value of telling truth and avoiding lies.

According to “gotquestions.org”, “In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “integrity” means “the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.” Integrity in the New Testament means “honesty and adherence to a pattern of good works””. A comprehensive, Bible-based exposé of the qualities necessary to enjoy God’s security and protection.

The best example of a person with integrity in the Bible is Jesus. As both God and man, He was without sin, totally without blemish of any kind. There was no deceit on Him at all, as we read in 1 Peter 2:21b-22, “… [Christ] is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone”. We read the accounts about Jesus and find a sinless man of complete honesty and integrity. Hebrews 4:15, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin“. We read about the temptations of Jesus, where the devil caught Him in a time of weakness, and see how Jesus stood strong and resolute, standing on the integrity of Scripture to fend off the temptations that would have led to sin. We pilgrims, believers in Christ, are called to be like Him. We knelt at the Cross, confessing and repenting of our sins, and Jesus took them upon HImself. But here’s the wonderful thing, He then gave us His righteousness, His sinless righteousness, so that we could become His brothers and sisters, adopted children of God. How amazing is that! So we too aspire to walk in integrity and honesty, just as Jesus did. No! More than that. In faith we do walk in integrity and honesty, resisting all attempts and distractions to corrupt us and lead us into sin. Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father”.

Of course, it is inevitable that we will stumble and fall. We are human, and always the focus of the devil and his minions who want to lead us into sin. Sadly, we will on occasion fall for one of his scams. But we have a remedy. 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”. There you have it – back on track again walking in integrity and honesty. In God’s Kingdom we are new creations. Paul wrote, “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:22-24). We walk in faith towards the goal of perfection and holiness through Jesus. We will never get there in this life, I fear, but we try, in the knowledge that our loving Heavenly Father is there helping us every step of the way. One day we will be like Jesus – Paul wrote, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29). Amen?

Dear God. We aspire to walk in integrity and honesty just like Jesus did. Please help us, we pray, and please forgive us when we fail. We want to become more like Jesus. In His precious name. Amen,

Future Generations

Posted on by korgrocker

“Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.”
Psalm 22:29-31 NLT

It is a fact of human life, that the species homo sapiens maintains its existence by the production of future generations. God’s plan was set out in the early chapters of Genesis, starting with Genesis 2:7, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person“. That was the male of the species, but he was shortly joined by the female, “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:22). That original male “WOW” must still be reverberating around the Universe! The next wonder is a few verses on, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one”. Earlier in Genesis 1:27-28a we read, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply …””. To complete the picture we turn to Genesis 4:1, “Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!”” And so “future generations” were established and the process repeated. Simple biology as we all know, but this was God’s plan for populating Planet Earth.

But each new life introduced into our world has a problem – they are born with sin built in. Psalm 51:5, “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me“. It is troubling to think that this beautifully formed child, so innocent and so loved, has the potential within it to be sinful, but there is no escape, as Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard“. And as that child grows up into a man or woman, a process that can be painful, particularly for the parents, one of three things happen. The child may, through the witness of his or her parents or others, become a believer like them and live a life of piety in relationship with God. Or the child may become more and more sinful, living a life of evil and wickedness that continues to the end of their lives. Thirdly, the child may grow up to become a “good” person, following all the laws of the land (well, mostly!) and be considered an upright citizen in whatever country they live. But however they live their lives, these grown up children continue the cycle, producing their own children, adding to those in the category of “future generations”. 

But David wrote, “Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord”. In fact, he developed this theme, writing “His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done”. How is that going to happen, in our world corrupted by sin and bombarded with sinful advertising, and in places where sinful practices take place. How will people hear about the Lord’s wonders in our schools where sinful ideologies are taught, often as fact. And overlaying it all, like letters embedded in a stick of rock, within each human being there is a preference for doing sinful things, a preference for evil rather than for God’s ways. In these final verses of Psalm 22, David wrote down a promise of the Lord. In faith, and prophetically, he assured his, and future, generations that God’s wonderful works will never be forgotten. In fact, he wrote, even those not yet born would know about them. We pilgrims know within us the wonderful things God has done in us, through us and by us. Hardly a morning goes by without me being reminded of the wonderful presence of God, with memories of how He has come through for me in dark times as well as good times. Our enemy the devil has forgotten one major thing about human beings – they are all born with a God-shaped hole within them, and throughout their lives people will try to fill it. Genesis 1:27, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them“. If people are created in God’s image then they will inevitably look for ways in which they can connect with Him. Some turn to mystic practices such as mindfulness or Yoga. Back in the 60’s, transcendental meditation was all the rage. Others explore all the chemical substances available, drugs and alcohol just for starters, in the hope they can introduce some way of filling the yearning within them, or, more likely, to dull the pain of knowing that they are lost without Him. But intuitively people know that there is only one way into God’s presence and that is why today there is an increase in the numbers of our young people embracing Christianity here in the UK. A wonderful revival is about to take place, because God will never forget His creation, and His love and compassion with burst into the lives of human beings through His grace. 

Isaiah wrote, “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously” (Isaiah 55:6-7). While a human being, now or in the future, is alive and breathing, he will have an opportunity to look for, and find, a personal relationship with God. But once dead, the opportunity is gone. That is why we pilgrims are on a mission, to tell everyone about the “wonders of the Lord”. Yesterday I met a depressed dog walker, weighed down by, as she put it, the state of the world. So I took the opportunity to tell her that because of Easter Sunday we have hope in this otherwise dark and evil world. A seed planted that God will water and nurture, hopefully bringing eternal life to one of the “future generations”. It is a privilege to be able to share what God has done for us. There is no shortage of stories to tell of God’s grace, and we never know that the stranger we might share the Gospel with may become another Billy Graham, reaching millions with the Good News of God’s saving grace. And so we praise and worship the One who has promised never to leave us or forsake us, ever. As we step out today, we pray for God to lead us to yet another hopeless soul, scared witless by the state of the world. The society around is full of such people, just existing in a life of sin, some even wishing that they had never been born. And we pray like we never have before, because the days are short.

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You have the words of eternal life. Only You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. Please help us reach out to those You have prepared for the seeds of the Gospel to be planted, bringing hope to the hopeless, and life to the dying. Amen.

The Conquerors

Posted on by korgrocker

“I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered. I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet. You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet. You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me.”
Psalm 18:37-40 NLT

More war-like words from David’s pen start our meditations this morning. David had physical enemies in a land containing hostile nations all intent on getting the upper hand over their neighbours, and he pursued these nations until they were no longer a threat to him and to his fellow countrymen. But today, we read these verses and struggle to connect with their meaning, living as we do in largely peaceful societies. Here in the Uk there is no mention of a village conquering another, or one of the four nations prevailing over another. That is, of course, until we mention sports that tend to aggravate our tribal instincts. Football and rugby are notable for their jingoistic talk, particularly in the pubs and bars before and after the event. Other sports too have become aligned on national grounds, with athletics and racquet sports worthy of mention.

But we pilgrims have an enemy that we must conquer because it cannot be allowed to exist within our lives. An enemy that is always ready and waiting to trip us up and defeat us. An enemy that potentially lives with us. And that enemy is sin. How do we define this particular enemy? One definition of sin is “any thought, word, or action that violates God’s laws or standards and is considered wrong or immoral”. This is an all-encompassing meaning that would be in danger of driving us into depression but for one thing – Jesus. In our own strengths we are totally incapable of living a sinless life. Even the Apostle Paul expressed his personal frustration in Romans 7:24, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” And he breathed a sigh of relief with the next three verses, “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. 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 7:25-8:2). 

Jesus has already conquered our enemy, sin. It is defeated and has no further hold over us, because we ” … [keep] our eyes [fixed] on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin” (Hebrews 12:2-4). 

There is no point in listing all the sins that continue to torment us and hold us back. We know what they are. We know our weak points, vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. A quote from “gotquestions.org”, “As long as we are living in this world, our sinful nature and fleshly desire will remain with us. But we also have a new nature in Christ. This leads to a struggle between what we want to do and what we actually do, as sin continues to assault our earthly nature. This struggle is a normal part of living the Christian life”. Four verses I learnt long ago in my early Christian days can be found in Ephesians 4:21-24, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”. Many years ago I wrote out those verses on a small card, and kept it somewhere prominent where I could refer to it. Throughout our earthly lives we will battle with sin, but as the battles ebb and flow, we will find that we do indeed start to conquer sin more and more often. The blood of Jesus will cover all sins, and even though we will sometimes be knocked down, we get up, allow Jesus to dust us off, and move on.

The last words today from Paul, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). So, when we feel like giving up, finding the struggles almost too much to bear, we reach for our Bibles and turn to Scriptures like Romans 7 and 8, refreshing ourselves once more, as we go out to face another day in our battles to conquer sin.

Dear Lord Jesus. At Calvary You died and took onto Yourself the punishment for our sins. So today, at Your cross, we confess our sins and feel Your love and grace flow over us once more. Your forgiveness will never expire, and we are so grateful. Amen.

The Shield of Salvation

Posted on by korgrocker

“It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.”
Psalm 18:32-35 NKJV

David continued to write with war-like tones, referring to strong arms able to “bend a bow of bronze”, with training for warfare, and containing a reference to a shield, an essential device in the hand-to-hand combat of those days, and able to fend off missiles coming towards the warring soldiers. These verses previously appeared in 2 Samuel 22, with the addition of “Your right hand has held me up” to Psalm 18:35. But, regarding the shield, this was not any ordinary shield – it was a “shield of salvation”. In a military setting, such a shield could be the difference between life and death, especially because it was the Lord’s shield. How would that work? Well, with a foe pressing hard with sword or some other sharp or heavy device, perhaps the defending soldier would feel the shield move in a direction, and at the right speed, necessary to save his life. The Lord’s shield of salvation saved his life.

But this morning, we will be concerned with another type of shield, to be used in spiritual warfare. In spiritual realms we know that ” … 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” (Ephesians 6:12). In such an environment we need a different type of shield, because holding up a square piece of metal in the face of the devil will not prevent his attacks at all. He attacks in evil ways, by trying to get us pilgrims to sin, or by confusing our minds with worldly philosophies and ideologies, that sound plausible but instead are subtle ways of drawing us away from God’s truth. Another way the devil lures us away into error is by twisting Bible verses, causing us to fall into error. He is behind theologies such as Universalism, that maintains everyone will be saved and go to Heaven, regardless of their faith and actions in this life. The list of ways in which the devil and his minions attack us is long and comprehensive, and, knowing their ploys, Paul helpfully described in Ephesians 6 five items of spiritual armour, and one item of attack, to keep us safe on our journeys to our Heavenly home. 

David described a shield of salvation, something that protected his body from attack. Paul described a helmet of salvation, to protect our minds, where the majority of evil attacks will take place. We read in Ephesians 6:17, “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God“. We might even put the helmet and sword together as an invincible combination able to complete the advice in James 4:7, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you“. 

Regarding salvation, we would do well to even go through the motions of taking an imaginary helmet and placing it over our heads, praying as we do for God’s protection through the blood of Jesus to keep us safe. Our salvation is a daily need, and one that we must dwell upon and pursue all the time. A Roman soldier’s helmet had to be tightly fitted over his head, buckles adjusted, straps inspected and tightened, every time he put it on, because one that was loose and liable to fall off was no good at all in protecting his head from an enemies sword. And I would suggest that our spiritual helmets of salvation must always be polished and inspected, to make sure that there are no sins reducing their usefulness. Because of the power of the cross, our enemy the devil no longer has any hold on us. Jesus died in our place on that Calvary Cross and His blood is an eternal demonstration to the devil that we are under God’s protection. We are now a different people, not trapped anymore in a world of sin and evil, twisted, defeated, and led away by our enemy to a lost eternity.

So on our knees today, once again we confess our sins, and in the process we remind our spiritual enemies that we are God’s children under His protection with His shield or helmet of salvation protecting us every day of our lives. God’s plan for our salvation is complete and achievable as we allow His love and grace through Jesus rule and direct our lives.

Dear Lord Jesus. You saved is through Your selfless act of taking on our punishment on our place. Through You we are assured eternal life with You in Heaven and beyond. We are so grateful. Amen.

The Humble

Posted on by korgrocker

“You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.”
Psalm 18:27-29 NLT

Humility is not a word revered by most people these days, but then, as now, the same dichotomy between humble and proud people features in the difference between the two kingdoms. In God’s sight, the humble are exalted, and the proud are humiliated. In the world’s sight, the humble are trodden on and the proud elevated. But what is being humble all about? One dictionary definition, with a secular viewpoint, says, “humility is a low self-regard and a sense of unworthiness”. Another expands with, “humility involves having an accurate opinion of oneself and expressing oneself modestly as situations demand”. But as is often the case, a real life example brings out the true meaning. If we look at Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel when he said, ““Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favour with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31), it was not one of pride at being especially selected by God Himself. Instead she modestly and humbly said, “ … “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her” (Luke 1:38).

David wrote that God rescues the humble, but why would they need rescuing in the first place? Perhaps a comparison between David and his adversary Saul brings out a man who depended on God for his position and situation in life, and one who relied on his own strength, ignoring God. One became King, the other was killed in battle. David was rescued many times from his enemies because he displayed the quality of humility favoured by God. 

Regarding Psalm 18:27, the Amplified version of the Bible reads, “For You save an afflicted and humble people, But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes“. We pilgrims have all met “arrogant fools” haven’t we? In fact, we might at one time have even been one ourselves. A dictionary definition of pride is “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements”. Straight away we can see the difference with humility with the word “own”. A humble person depends on God and looks to Him as the Source of all they are. A proud person looks only to himself. The root of pride is of course sin, and we need to be careful in striking the right balance between God’s ways and our ways. So even though we might achieve great things, we point to God and His provenance as the real reason for our success. But sadly, we have a tendency to adopt a feeling of pride in our achievements, excluding God in what we do. 

David wrote that the proud will be humiliated, and we see an extreme example in Acts 12. Herod Agrippa, the last king of Judea, granted an audience to the people of Tyre and Sidon, and we read what happened after Herod gave a speech, “The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”” (Acts 12:22). But his pride took over and we read in the next verse, “Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died“. Was Herod humiliated? Sadly, very much so.

Peter wrote, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour” (1 Peter 5:6). James said much the same thing, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour” (James 4:10). Jesus warned, “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12), and of course we mustn’t forget, “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth” (Matthew 5:5).

God upended the world’s view of people when He expressed a preference for those who meet His criteria of humility. It’s a choice that we make, when faced with situations where pride is in danger of rearing its ugly head over the parapet of our lives. At a time when the world’s opinion of us is one of praise, we instead point to our Father God, and give Him all the glory. We quietly get on with our lives, batting aside all attempts by ourselves and others to take the glory for ourselves. When we feel that warmth of pride starting to emerge within us, we snuff it out before it blossoms into sin. If we don’t then God will deal with us in a much less comfortable way.

Dear Lord God. You have granted us ways that allow us to serve You, with talents and abilities much admired by others. Please help us to keep the lid on any thoughts of pride in our achievements and instead give You all the glory for all You have done in our lives. We praise You today. Amen.

Satisfied Hunger

Posted on by korgrocker

“Arise, O Lord! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword! By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.”
Psalm 17:13-15 NLT

Again, a theme of the difference between people who “look to this world for their reward” and God’s “treasured ones”, a difference between unbelievers and believers, finishes Psalm 17. At first glance, David would seem to be obsessed by God’s judgement of the wicked unbelievers, comparing them with the lot of the favoured believers, between those heading for a lost eternity, and those who will go to live with God forever. But then what could be more important? Compared to eternity, the life span of a human being is indeed infinitesimally short. James 4:14, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone”. Eternity is a concept that is difficult to imagine, because humans are constrained in a temporal world, the result of sin with lives cut short in a cursed world, a world that, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:22, “ … has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time“. But in this world, the believers and unbelievers jostle along, side by side, heading for a final separation at the End of the Age. 

David wrote that the unbelievers, by their choices, will end up satisfied with the things of this world, a portion allotted to them as a reward for their brief life. In 1 Timothy 6:7, Paul wrote this to Timothy, “After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it“. That is the truth about temporal rewards. So many people spend their short lives trying to accumulate wealth, property, goods, and the things of this world, only to reflect on their death beds that none of it can go with them across the Great Divide. And we even find that such people find that their lives are shortened by the stresses and anxieties involved in the process. 

Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21). We pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, echoing David’s prayer for God to “satisfy the hunger of [His] treasured ones”. Our “daily bread” isn’t just the food we eat of course. It also refers to our spiritual “bread”, the Word of God that sustains our souls. God’s food is a complete formula designed for the health and wellbeing of all. 

David finished Psalm 17 with the thought that one day he will wake up and see God’s face. I sometimes think of Lazarus, graveyard dead and who had been buried in a tomb four days previously. He was wrapped in grave-clothes, lying on a cold slab in a rock tomb, when suddenly through the cloth strips covering his ears, he heard someone calling his name with a loud voice. Jesus, of course, called out, “Lazarus, come forth” or probably more colloquially, “Lazarus, come out of there!” and that was enough to miraculously wake him up and completely reverse the decaying process. We next find Lazarus hopping his way out of the hole in the rock, constrained by the strips of cloth that had been tightly wrapped around him. I would have loved to have been there, seeing the reaction on people’s faces, but the thrust of this story is what it could mean for all believers one day. After we too have died, will the next thing we hear be the voice of Jesus calling our names? What applied to Lazarus will apply to us as well, because we too have been called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light. Lazarus woke up in a dark tomb to then continue his previous earthly life, having to die again one day, but we will wake up to a life with God, and, as David wrote, “be satisfied”. 

David was certain that because he was righteous then he will see God one day. We have the same assurance, because Jesus Himself gave us His righteousness in exchange for our sin. That momentous day on a hill called Calvary was enough for Jesus to take on all our sins, receiving the punishment that was ours to bear. And amazingly, because of Jesus, we will see God one day. Too good to be true? Too good not to be.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your Son Jesus and all He did for us. May we live our lives honouring to You, day by day. Amen.

Multiplied Troubles

Posted on by korgrocker

“I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.”
Psalm 16:2-4 NLT

Just a few words previously, David wrote about the “Godly people in the land” but here he is now pushing back at “those who chase after other gods”. He exposed a dichotomy between believers in God and the unbelievers around him who believed in false gods. If I was an extraterrestrial alien looking at the behaviour of the Israelites spanning a few hundred years, I would have observed a bountiful and merciful God who had miraculously fed a large number of Israelite slaves, after parting the Red Sea to facilitate their escape from Egypt, for a period of forty years. I would have observed how time and time again God had helped them overcome their enemies, after bringing them into a land this same God had promised to them, and He even parted the River Jordan, then in flood, to allow everyone to cross over to the other side. And yet I would have now been very puzzled, because so many of the descendants of the favoured people had now rejected the very God who had helped and supported them. What had gone wrong? 

The alien would have probably shrugged his shoulders (if he had any) at this point and moved on elsewhere, not wanting to have anything to do with such an irrational people. But the answer to the question can be found in a single, three-letter word – sin. David observed that in his day, those of his fellow Israelites who had abandoned the God of Israel would soon find the trouble that God had warned them about. In Deuteronomy 28 there is a list of all the troubling curses that will be incurred by those who choose to reject God and stop following His laws and precepts. The curses start with Deuteronomy 28:15, “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you“, and the chapter continues with a list of troubles that will come upon them. As we read on we find that troubles do indeed multiply. The lure of the sinful practices that accompany the worship of idols was so strong that many Israelites chose the way of evil, but soon afterwards they experienced the fruit of their idolatry.

Today, a secular society finds that life is afflicted with modern day equivalents of multiplied troubles. I’m saddened by David’s statement referencing the “sacrifices of blood” that were taking place in the name of the other gods, wondering if the same sacrifices are continuing today in the abortion clinics and in our hospitals. I observe a society increasingly at odds with itself, with strange ideologies emerging, with economic woes endlessly appearing both at the macro and micro levels, with people trampling over each other in their race to fulfil their selfish desires. By default, those people who do not follow God will reap their rewards at the altars of their own false gods. 

Paul wrote in Romans 1 about “… God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused” (Romans 1:21). Paul continued, “Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:22-23). But here’s the thing that applies to the times in which we live, “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” (Romans 1:24). It’s a terrible thing to be abandoned by God, and what He said through Paul has come to pass, with “multiplied troubles” appearing in the idolaters lives. Paul finishes Roman 1 with these verses, “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 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“. Soberly, we know that their troubles won’t end at death, with another appointment waiting to be kept and the ultimate judgement taking place.

David wanted to have nothing to do with the people who “chased after other gods” with good reason, and neither must we pilgrims. We of course continue to try to draw the idolaters back from their sin with our stories of what God has done for us, and the Good News of what Jesus did for every human being at Calvary, should they choose to believe in Him. These days, idols might not be a wooden or stone edifice located in a home or shrine somewhere, but they exist in peoples’ lives. If we asked an unbeliever today if they instead have an idol, they worship, they would probably say of course not. An idol can be anything the takes the place of worshipping God. An idol can be another person, particular an actor or a pop star, (popular saying – “he worships the ground she walks on”). Or perhaps a motor car, or a mobile phone. Some people spend a lot of time playing computer games. The list is endless.

It might be a good idea if we pilgrims ask God if there is anything in our lives that shouldn’t be there, things that could lead us into idolatry. Paul’s instructions were clear – he wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:14-15 “So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true“. And having decided we move on, in worship to the only God worth the name.

Dear Heavenly Father. We pray, “lead us not into temptation”, and today we pray that we will not be tempted to run after idols, of any persuasion. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

All Have Become Corrupt

Posted on by korgrocker

“Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!”
Psalm 14:13 NLT

A damning indictment of the human race from David. He equates those who say “There is no God”, or fail to seek Him, with people who lack wisdom and are corrupt. The corrupt, he writes, also fail to do good. He wrote that “The Lord looked down from Heaven” to make this observation, but does the word “entire” include righteous people as well? But then, who of us is really righteous? Imagine the grief that God must have felt, as sin entered the human race and made everyone “corrupt”. We remember Paul’s words in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. 

The dictionary defines “corrupt” with references to dishonest dealings with money, but it is more than that. Any object can be corrupted by a malign action. Imagine a perfect mirror corrupted by a scratch. Or a sculpture or other work of art desecrated, corrupted by a deliberate act of vandalism. But here’s the thing, imagine a perfect human being, created in the image of God, but then corrupted by sin, the consequence of a devious thought introduced by the devil in a conversation that has had lasting connotations. What a tragedy! 

Corruption started in the Garden with the introduction of sickness and death, moral contamination and spiritual decay. The sin that blighted humanity caused spiritual death – Ephesians 2:1, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins“. In Genesis 6:11-12 we read what Noah’s generation was like, “Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt” and God decided that he would start again with Noah and his family, eliminating the corrupt from the earth. 

And so it would have continued, with every person deemed “corrupt” before spending eternity in hell, because there can be no corruption in Heaven. The Jews were given the Law to help them escape the consequences of corruption, but God’s intention to save His people was rejected by many of them. So God finally provided the ultimate solution to sin’s corruption by sending His Son, Jesus, to save the world. 2 Peter 1:3-4 summed up God’s amazing grace, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires“. Jesus was and still is the “great and precious promise” allowing all who believe in Him to live a Godly life.

But before we pilgrims start to feel a bit smug because we think we have escaped the consequences of corruption, be aware that such thoughts are sinful and are in danger of relegating us back into the company of the corrupt. We need to keep short accounts with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus. They paid the ultimate price for our freedom, remember that!

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for coming to this world to save us from the corruption of sin. Amen.

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.