Come and See

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.”
John 1:38-39 NLT

Those two disciples of John just had to spend some time with Jesus and He was gracious enough to receive them. John had previously pointed out that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” and that was enough for them. I’m reminded of the parable Jesus taught, about treasure. We read in Matthew 13:44, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field“. ‭‭How excited are we about spending time with Jesus? Is it important enough for us to abandon what we are doing and just sit at the Master’s feet? Reading His Word and praying? Worshipping, lost in His presence? Of course, we still have a living to earn. There are chores to be done. But are our lives orientated around Jesus or is He peripheral to our worldly existence? Or in other words, which kingdom do we desire to be grounded and promoted within? 

The Christian life provides a priceless opportunity to be close to our wonderful God, and live a life His way, not ours. In Matthew 6:19-21, 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“. And He went on, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). 

Jesus set out life priorities. His invite “Come and see” hangs in the air, always there, always available, just waiting for us to respond and hear His words, personal and tender, gracious and loving, never harsh, always wanting our highest good. Can I ask a question – do you know Jesus? I mean, really know Him personally, and not just know things about Him? If not, His invitation is there just waiting for a response. Jesus’ invitation “Come and see” is timeless, and is just as relevant and potent today as it was two thousand years ago. There is a choice to be made. Do we say, “Yes Lord, Your will be done” or is Jesus going to say to us one day, “Sorry, but your will be done”. Hmmm…

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your patience with us wayward and sinful humans. We commit to follow You, this day and every day. Amen.

Slaves

Posted on by korgrocker

“You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.”
1 Peter 2:18-20 NLT

We pilgrims read verses written to slaves with perhaps a thought that they don’t really apply to our Western societies. Occasionally a news report surfaces here in Britain highlighting the plight of a person trafficked to our shores and exploited for the benefit of another person. But much goes on that we apparently don’t know about, not only because someone in slavery doesn’t wear a badge defining their status. But there are estimates that, worldwide, there are 50 million people in slavery today, and a web search will soon reveal the extent of the problem. We know, of course, about the efforts of politicians in the 19th century, men and women who ceaselessly campaigned to have the slave trade stopped here in Britain, with the trade finally abolished in 1807 and existing slaves freed in 1833. 

In the early church, slavery was rampant, and conditions for the slaves were dire. Cruelty was common and the lot of a slave was not pleasant. Of course, the Jewish slaves were very well treated and they had rights, as we can read in Exodus 21. “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom” (Exodus 21:2). But most slaves in those days were treated as no more than possessions, to be treated in any way their owners desired.

But Peter wasn’t dealing with the rights and wrongs of slavery. He was focused on the behaviour of those who were Christian slaves. The essence of the Gospel was unity and the common bringing together of people of any status in life under the headship of Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus”. The same applies in our relatively slave-free society today. Our churches are made up of people from all walks of life. Rich and poor. Blue collar and white collar workers. Young and old, married and single. And people from all races and nations. We are indeed all “one in Christ Jesus“.

Peter wrote a hard message to those early Christian slaves. They had, he wrote, to treat their masters with respect, even if it wasn’t reciprocated. If they were treated badly, and didn’t react unsubmissively, then God would be pleased with them, Peter wrote. It was a difficult message for the slaves to take on board. But one having to be accepted amongst Christians all over the world, then and now. People may not be enslaved in the same way as they were in Peter’s world, but as they suffer persecution for the sake of their faith, God is pleased with them. They are banking treasure in Heaven, and one day there will be a celebration as it is cashed in.

Dear Father God. We will one day hear You say “Well done”, as we stay the course through this life. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Babylon is Fallen

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.””
Revelation‬ ‭18:2-3‬ ‭NLT

The bright angel had a declaration to make. He spoke out, shouted even, the final condemnation of the world religious system, which had finally collapsed, taking with it everything that is foul and corrupt. In his vision, John saw a literal city called Babylon. There is of course a possibility that this was the case, but the result will ultimately be the same. In John’s vision, Babylon imploded and ended up as a smouldering pile of ruins, spiritually, religiously, morally, economically, nationally, and even globally. Babylon is fallen.

The language John used to described the fall of Babylon in his vision is graphic. You can almost see the horror and disgust dripping from his pen, or feel the shivers of dread running up the spines of the observers. The words he used, such as “foul”, “dreadful”, “immorality”, “adultery” – they all capture the event. But he also observes something we might see little harm in – words such as “luxury” and “rich“.

The bright angel, with his shouts, exposed all that is wrong with the world religious system. I use the word “religious” because that is what our world culture has become. The religion of secularism, materialism, and godlessness, and including a spiritual system conforming to what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:5, They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. …..”. And, ominously, a component part of “Babylon” is those things that make our life comfortable – luxury and wealth.

Jesus taught about the power of money in His parable taught in Matthew 6:21, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” and in Matthew 6:24, He said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money“. 

We pilgrims have to be discerning when it comes to having comfortable lives. If we are fortunate enough to enjoy luxury and wealth, we must hold what we have with open hands. Always aware that our riches, no matter how modest, must be under our control, not controlling us. One day, the world system, of which luxury and wealth is a part, will collapse. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20, “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”. Eternal Heavenly treasure will be the only commodity of value when we pass from this life.

Dear Father. We know that You wish to richly bless Your children. Please help us to be good stewards of what You have entrusted to us in this life, and help us discern and seek out those things of Heavenly value. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Glass Sea

Posted on by korgrocker

“I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.”‭‭
Revelation‬ ‭15:2‬ ‭NLT

The Apostle John must have been approaching exhaustion with all these visions. Daniel too received visions and we read in Daniel 10:8, “So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak”. But John, like Daniel, faithfully recorded what he saw, casting aside the human weaknesses that threatened to close down God’s revelations. John could now see “a glass sea mixed with fire”. That fact that he used the word “seemed” described something he had never seen before, so he wrote down what it appeared to be. But what was this sea of glass? Glass is a reflective substance, as well as being something that is transparent. So perhaps the “glass sea” was a reflection of God, and the transparency allowed all to see His character. The fact that the glass was mixed with fire could indicate the judgement to come. 

The glass sea was a special place for all those dear saints who had endured to the end, in spite of all the attempts of the beast to ensure otherwise. They resisted worshipping the beast’s statue. They resisted having the mark of the best applied to their persons. And they were therefore victorious over the beast. It is interesting to note that victory took place in spite of their possible demise at the beast’s hands. Victory was recorded when they triumphantly stood before God. Winners indeed.

They were each holding a harp, John’s vision records. Now before this, the only harp-holders were the twenty four elders, who appeared in Revelation 5:8, “And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people“. So those standing on the glass sea, were worthy of making music in Heaven. And it was God Himself who handed them out. Can you imagine that? So all those people who hold the populist view of people wearing a white gown, wings protruding from their shoulders, sitting on a cloud and playing a harp is probably just fiction.

The problem with human beings is that we often look at short term goals and gains, instead of looking to the long term. We want to receive any rewards in the now, rather than bank them for some time in the future. But we pilgrims have to consider our lives as extending into eternity. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal“. (Matthew 6:20). Jesus’ teaching was clear – looking for rewards during our natural lives will be of no benefit to us once we reach Heaven. We cannot take anything with us out of this world. The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes said, “We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind“. (Ecclesiastes 5:15-16).

So those pilgrims who could see the truth were intent on ensuring that one day they will be with God. Their faith was unshakeable. Their resolve faultless. I’m sure there were times when the going was so tough that they considered giving up. But once they stood on that sea of glass, all become OK. What was behind them was just that – in the past. May we too take inspiration from their example, and pray too that we will endure to the end.

Dear Father God. The feeling of standing in Your presence, worshipping the only One worthy of such a focus, must be amazing. Please help us when we throw a wobbly, and the thought of giving up flits across our minds. Our strength is in You. Amen.

The Love of Money

Posted on by korgrocker

“Give me an eagerness for your laws 
rather than a love for money! 
Turn my eyes from worthless things, 
and give me life through your word.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:36-37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Aah! The love of money. It is only a matter of time before it emerges from the dark recesses within a person’s heart. I suppose there is a spectrum, from the money-dominated Scrooge, gloating over his piles of cash, through to a money-denying monk living a life of austerity in a bare cell. But we are all on that spectrum somewhere. Money has its uses of course – it lubricates the wheels of life in our secular and materialistic societies, and we need it to survive – but it can dominate our thinking. If we let it.

The Psalmist sees the danger of a life with a pecuniary focus. He sees the importance of dwelling in a place of eternal currency rather than in a world populated by “worthless things“. It is interesting that the Revelation picture of the new Jerusalem includes so many precious jewels, pearls and gold. What is considered of value in today’s world will be considered building materials in the world to come. Ubiquitous items of little value when compared to our Almighty God. 

But for the pilgrim working his way through this life, what is the correct balance between money and God? Jesus could see the dangers of getting this wrong, and taught that the service of both at the same time was impossible. He said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” The key is in the use of the word He used to describe how we see and use money – “enslaved”. The Psalmist was trying to get to a place of the correct balance, where money would be used but not worshipped. A place where the value of money would be eclipsed by our great and glorious God and His Word. 

The pilgrim of course needs money to make his way through this life. But he must not succumb to the temptation to acquire more and more glittering temporal objects, call it “stuff” if you like, at the expense of the eternal jewels in God’s Word. The one will be left behind when we pass the Great Divide. The other will be waiting for us on the other side. Let us join the Psalmist in declaring our eagerness to mine those precious jewels and nuggets from His Word so that we can accumulate them in our hearts and lives. A last word today from Jesus. “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.”