Marching Forth!

When we consider purchasing a product, we want to know if it really works--if it can deliver on the promises made.  If I buy a cleaning product for tiles, the BBQ or an oven, I want it to do the job well.  There are many products advertised that are a waste of money, and sometimes we learn this the hard way.  So we watch demonstrations, read online reviews and talk to people with experience to know what brands or products will suit our needs.  We want to be convinced of all the benefits of a product  before we pay money so we can avoid regrets. I am always a bit leery when people pitch Christianity to others like knives at a fair on the basis of how coming to Christ has benefitted them.  While there are countless practical and spiritual benefits of knowing God and having a relationship with Him through faith, Jesus Christ is not for sale.  Jesus is not a product we have obtained that we recommend to others because He has made our lives easier or simpl...

Because all sin is equally deadly to the soul guilty of committing it, there is not much of a point of arbitrarily categorising sins like some do with lies.  From a biblical perspective, there is no such thing as a "little" or "white" lie.  God identifies all lying as abominable in His sight full stop, and to think we can benefit ourselves or practically help others by lying to them is a deception.  To claim we have chosen to lie out of the goodness of our hearts is plain hypocrisy.  There are many sinful things people justify themselves doing and saying, but God's righteous standards do not sway with societal tendencies. While it may not provide great benefit for us to comparatively rank sins against one another--as we are called to do good rather deferring to a lesser sin--there are a handful of occasions where the Scripture does speak of one sin being greater than another.  Since God has provided this knowledge, it would be wise for us to consider why that is...

God reveals in Scripture idols are an unnecessary burden.  For all who are in Christ, if you find yourself burdened by anything it may be you have made an idol of something!  This fact struck me yesterday as I read Isaiah 46 and how the idols of Babylon were dead weight that needed to be hauled around.  Though they were spiritually powerless and nothing, unable to hear the cries of worshippers or save them, they wearied those who struggled to carry them.   Isaiah 46:1-2 says, " Bel bows down, Nebo stoops;  t heir idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded,  a  burden to the weary beast.  2 They stoop, they bow down together; t hey could not deliver the burden,  b ut have themselves gone into captivity ."  It is ironic beasts that grew weary pulling heavy idols had more strength than the gods of Babylon which were useless and hopeless. Later in the chapter God showed the futility of idolatr...

It's funny the things we can take for granted.  We can tend to group people together and imagine they are similar--when they are completely different.  I remember when it hit home I wrongly had the assumption all medical doctors must be averse to practices that are known to be unhealthy, and it was eye-opening to realise doctors are still regular people who do what they want.  Anyone who has hired a contractor knows all licensed plumbers, electritians, concreters and tilers are not the same.  Years back I hired a plumbing outfit to install a drain for a coffee machine, and after trips to the supplier and many hours of labour the drain was not properly installed or functioning.  Later that night another plumber from the same company came, installed the drain--and removed and installed a water heater--in a fraction of the time. This illustration can be extended to include nearly everything:  dogs of the same breed, trees of the same kind, and fruit of a sin...

Today I was led to consider the reputation Daniel garnered after years serving king Nebuchadnezzar.  The excellent and virtuous qualities observed in Daniel's character was not due to his natural goodness but the greatness of his God he trusted and worshipped.  Knowledge of God, His word and belief in Him guided Daniel to excel both as a student and a ruler throughout his entire career.  Like Joseph who was raised to be second to Pharoah in Egypt, he was successful at everything he did because God was with him. After Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar's son) assumed the throne, during a feast he had a shocking and sobering experience when the fingers of a man appeared and inscribed words on the plaster wall:  " MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN ."  The king commanded his astrologers and diviners to interpret the message on the wall, but they were unable to do so.  When the queen mother heard of the uproar, she said in  Daniel 5:11-12 :  " There is a man in you...

Years back when I worked in a trade, I installed a tool box on my truck with a commercial steel lock  for security .  The locks that came standard on the aluminium diamond-plate box could easily be pried open, so adding a hardened hasp and a robust lock was a necessity to deter thieves.  It would have been far easier to use a Sawzall on the lid than to go to work on the lock.  Since I had the key in my possession as the owner, opening the lock and storing my tools was easy. Recently at church the key to an exterior toilet our church maintains was misplaced, and having the key is required to open the door.  The fitted tamper-proof handle means even when the door is unlocked, it is impossible to enter.  Trying to use a hammer, crowbar or Sawzall would only lead to damage and great expense.  Thankfully in our case, there is a relatively simple solution:  contact our strata management company and request a replacement key.  While navigating the a...