PGA Chaplain Bible Studies
Study 22 June 16th to 22nd 2008.
Reading – John Chapter Ch17: verses 6 to 19.
“Avoiding what we know is wrong”!
The prayer of Jesus for his followers.
Jesus prayed; “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John Chapter 17: verse 15. (New International Version).
Golf is a great game when played in the right spirit. Yet there are times when it has been spoilt by cheating, unsocial behaviour and a winning at all cost kind of attitude. How sad it is when something good is turned into a bad experience. This happens in all of life, but it wasn’t always like this.
Genesis Chapter 1:verse 31 sums up the finished work of God in creating our world when it says “God made everything in all creation and it was very good”. What makes life unique for human life as distinct from the animal and material world is our ability to create, to plan and build, to exercise a certain control over life and to know what is right. The challenge however for us now is not our ability to know right from wrong, but to do what we know is right and not wrong.
When Jesus uses the word world, in most cases he refers to a way of life in rebellion to God. When Jesus prays for his followers, his intention is to encourage them to live in this world. There has always been a movement in the church from the beginning where we are encouraged to separate ourselves completely from the world. While this may seem noble in its intent, it is hard to influence the world with the good news of Jesus. Jesus calls his people to go into the entire world and share his life.
However, we are also called to live a faithful and different life; rather than one in rebellion of God. The other side of this prayer of Jesus is that in this world we will be protected from the evil one. If we go back to Genesis, we see there that the evil one deceived our human parents and so our relationship with God was broken and spoilt. Jesus has come to reconcile and restore this and in this prayer asks God to help protect his followers from the evil one and falling away in rebellion. While we may find it hard to identify this evil one mentioned, we can all recognise the pull towards evil in our hearts.
The world has its share of evil, just as much as it has many things that are good.
We all know cheating on the golf course is wrong. We know when we judge others by their skin colour or looks or achievements we have a wrong set of values that will hurt others. We know taking advantage of others because we can, is wrong. We know when we tell our loved ones a lie because we want to hide, something it is wrong. There are many things that are wrong, that the evil one loves to see, especially for us to ignore God and his call to change.
Our newspapers regularly have stories of politician’s excesses and abuses; clergyman power and sexual indiscretions, police corruption and so on. The only difference for us is we are not in the spotlight. Today there seems to be amazing latitude given to the things we know is wrong. A little white lie, it’s okay as long as you don’t get caught, a cover-up of expenses!
Jesus prays for his followers that they will not fall or be led by the evil one into behaviour that is ungodly. Let’s set our standards high as God calls us, and when we slip ask for his forgiveness, but never make excuses for our sins. Paul expresses the intent in these words:.
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think of these things.” Philippians Chapter 4: verse 8. (NIV).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as you prayed for your followers to be free from the evil one, help us also in this and to never to make excuses for our wrongs, but seek your forgiveness. Amen |
