Marching Forth!

Christianity is a lifestyle unlike any other.  The longer I walk with Christ, my sense of inadequacy and failure increases.  This occurs because I am drawn to greater faith in Christ, recognizing my inability to do the first works on my own.  Also I am realizing more and more how wrong I have been in the past while at the time I was sure I was right!  Little by little, God removes the spiritual pride that knowledge and experience can bring. The LORD gave me some fresh insight on Matthew 7:1-5 as I mowed the lawn today:  " Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye...

" Unity is necessary for the outpouring of the Spirit of God ." A.W. Tozer, quoted from the sermon " Unity that Brings Revival " While listening to a sermon delivered by Tozer online today, I was struck by the aforementioned quote.  Unity of the church is a topic that seems to keep popping up in my mind lately.  This morning in our church prayer meeting I was prompted to pray for unity.  In talking with a fellow follower of Christ this afternoon, unity was a topic emphasised over and over.  Unity is very important in the church, perhaps more important than we think! In his message, Tozer says that people make the mistake of praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so we might be united.  His claim is that prayer is in the wrong order:  God does not send His Spirit to unite us, but sends His Spirit when we are already united in Christ.  Tozer quotes Acts 4:31-33 : " And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shake...

How true it is:  unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it.  The great fallacy is that if God is doing the building, men need not labour.  The deception is that somehow, someway, the house will be built without us.  God works in and through His people.  Each man is responsible to built his own house:  we are either building for God or someone else.  In His wisdom beyond our comprehension, God has chosen to use men to labour for His glory.  Certainly the angels appear from a human perspective more suited for such heavenly work than mere men! I read yesterday about when David desired to bring the Ark of God into the city of David.  Since King Saul had killed the priests at Nob, no one had inquired of the LORD with the Ark ( 1 Chron. 13:3 ).  The Ark was placed on a new cart pulled by oxen amid celebrating people who sang and played instruments unto God.  As the procession moved along, the oxen stumbled and U...

" So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse ." 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 Reading the Bible lately has been a testimony to the depth and wisdom of God's Word.  God has been faithful to teach me new things from familiar passages.  What joy comes from the knowledge and wisdom of God, that He brings newness from scriptures which have been in existence for thousands of years.  The Bible is distinct from all books written by men because it is the inspired Word of God which will endure forever. I grew up in a church where the Bible was taught faithfully and raised by parents who read the scriptures daily.  For thirty years the Bible has been a close companion, but never closer to me than now.  And I am convinced I have...

I think every reader of the Bible has wondered what is the point of reading chapters of genealogies like ones contained in Numbers and 1st Chronicles.  Should we actually trudge through every name?  Even these more audibly-daunting passages serve valuable purposes:  they prove the historical authenticity of the scripture, verify that Jesus Christ was a descendant of the line of David, and actually contain much spiritual insight.  As I read through a couple chapters of genealogies today, the LORD shed light on a profound truth. One of the characters which intrigues me in scripture is that of King Saul, who hailed from the tribe of Benjamin.  1 Chronicles 8:33 reveals the lineage:  " Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal ."  The Bible introduces us to Saul as a young, humble man.  Though tall in stature, he remained small in his own eyes - that is, until he had been king of Israel for a few y...

My sons recently began playing the computer game "Minecraft."  In the game the player explores a huge pixelated three-dimensional environment, either mining in the ground or building structures.  After watching them play awhile I decided to have a go, seeking the ever-elusive gold ore and diamonds.  Within an hour I found a huge cavern underground which led me to another cavern with waterfalls of water and lava.  When I was a kid I used to dig around looking for quartz crystal and this game brought back those old feelings, without the blisters! As I continued to place torches for light and explore my surroundings, deeper and deeper I went.  Before too long I had found what I was looking for:  iron ore, diamonds, gold ore, and redstone dust.  But in our excitement (my kids of course were coaching me throughout!), we had gone deeper than initially planned and were running short on torches and wood.  I felt like Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer, trying to e...

" The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth . 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd ." Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 During a recent phone conversation with my dad, he drew my attention to this passage.  For much of his life my dad has both preached the word and worked as a carpenter.  Let's say he knows the difference between a well or poorly-driven nail!  In this passage King Solomon uses two illustrations to state the value and purpose of a discourse built on biblical truth.  God did not provide us His Word so we might merely observe, but so it could do a work in us.  Both goads and nails are used for work.  Both are honed to a sharp point to be effective. A goad is a sturdy long stick sharpened to a point of either wood or iron which is used to guide and motivate cattle through discomfort.  As oxen pulled a plow, the farm...

God never fails!  What He establishes will stand, for His Word endures forever.  The only way I can fail God is if He fails me, for any good in me springs from Him! Though man is feeble, frail, and makes mistakes in abundance, a Christian is not to view himself as a failure.  A dead man cannot fail because a dead man cannot do.  It is God who works in us both to will and do according to His good pleasure.  A man sees himself as a failure when he believes God depends on him in some way, or that he is able to help God in his own strength.  The reality is God has raised me from death to life in Him.  If we are disappointed in ourselves it shows we have trusted in our own strength.  God is the one who makes the dead rise alive for eternity, and it is in Him we live, breathe, and have our being.  What He has cleansed, redeemed, empowered, and indwelt we should not call a failure. Praise God He does not condemn us as sinners after He has paid our...

When I look carefully at the diamonds in my wedding band, a random rainbow of color gleams from each stone.  As the light passes through the gems, light is reflected in a board spectrum of beautiful color.  Each facet of the diamond is a tiny window to amazing beauty.  In a similar but grander way, when we take time to look upon the character of God as revealed in His Word God's beauty is revealed to our eyes and hearts.  The indescribable grandeur of God's holiness, mercy, faithfulness, and grace leaves us powerless to do anything but thank and praise Him. Lately for me the facet of God's character which has come into more clear focus is God's love.  The first part of 1 John 3:1 reads, " Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God !"  I believe we do well to do the first thing:  "Behold!"  We ought to consider, understand, and seek to know what manner of love God has lavished upon us. ...

Occasionally I will scan the titles of books in my personal library.  I am always amused when I find a book I do not recognize.  Somehow I manage to acquire books without my knowledge due to family, friends, or the gently used book fairy!  Anyway, yesterday I picked up Principles of Spiritual Growth by Miles J. Stanford.  I'm in the middle of a couple of massive puritan tomes, so the narrow spine in addition to the title was inviting.  Though I've read a few chapters, I don't feel like I've read too much of Stanford because he quotes other people very often.  But I like Stanford very much because he knows an excellent quote when he sees one! The first three chapters are titled, "Faith," "Time," and "Acceptance."  These three things alone are critical aspects to spiritual growth in Christ.  In my own life I must say these are three primary areas of struggle because they are fundamentally contrary to our natural man:  we want to trust ours...

Studies have been done which estimate how long a person on average will spend during their lives eating, waiting at red lights, or watching television.  I wonder how much time we actually spend waiting on other people.  I remember going to Souplantation (a buffet-style restaurant in the U.S.) and waiting for a woman who meticulously harvested every piece of chicken out of the chicken noodle soup into her two bowls.  I didn't even want that particular soup, but this chicken-vulture hunkered down and spread her wings over the clam chowder as well!  As the minutes passed and people in line politely waited, I gazed awestruck at the oblivious woman who dipped, dipped, dipped, and dipped again. No one is a stranger to waiting on others.  If we ring someone we have to wait for them to answer.  When we send an important e-mail we have to wait for someone to send us a response.  Our glass may have been emptied of soda ten minutes ago, but we must flag down th...

I enjoy cooking and baking almost as much as eating!  One thing I especially like is an American-style breakfast.  Toast and tea is a fine starter once in a while, but I prefer food from scratch cooked to perfection:  eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, omelets, french toast, muffins, fried eggs, zucchini bread, and sour-cream coffee cake (not all at one time!).  My idea of fruit for breakfast usually ends up as jam spread on an English muffin or pumpkin or apple pie!  Whereas most people have cereal for breakfast every day but once a week, I try to have cereal about once a week.  Breakfast is so good I don't even mind having it for dinner - how about a egg-bacon wrap or some huevos rancheros?  Count me in! Today I did something a little different and made some buttermilk biscuits from scratch.  The last couple times I wanted to make them I didn't because there is no cooking shortening in Australia, and I don't own a pastry blender.  I...

Last night my sons and I watched a program that showed the experiences of men from Tanna who visited the United States.  These indigenous people went from a tropical environment and loincloths in a remote village to living with people in a cabin in Montana!  As these men cooked for the first time, toured a cattle ranch, went to a rodeo, and experienced snow, they more resembled children than men in their excitement.  I was fascinated by their observations and insights which were both simple and profound. As they stood under the big Montana sky, they spoke to each other about how big America was.  One of them remarked to the best of my recollection:  "All these people have to do is learn to live forever.  How sad it is to have all this land and fat wallets and die like everyone else."  I was staggered by this simple wisdom.  Here is a man who had never likely enrolled in what western civilization would call an "accredited school" but showed wisdo...

When I was a youth, there was a woman at our church who raised foster children.  Let's say they didn't quite fit in with the "churched" kids:  they had tattoos, smoked, and hung out behind the church in the dark.  There were parents who felt very uncomfortable about their lifestyle, that those teens would have an adverse impact upon their children whom they sought to protect from "worldly" influences.  It seemed like many would have been glad for them not to be at church.  I may have been relatively sheltered growing up, but I never understood this view.  Didn't these tattooed smokers need Jesus too? I knew these kids smoked, but that didn't mean I was forced to put a cigarette to my lips.  Listening to the complaints of some parents it would seem their kids would have no choice but conform under such peer-pressure.  I wonder:  was the God they served able to save them from the mouths of lions?  Could their God open the eyes of the bli...

I am convinced most Christians do not lay hold of blessings freely offered by God.  I number myself among them.  There are several reasons which contribute to this:  lack of faith, ignorance, lies of Satan long believed, trusting in self, wrongly dividing the Word of truth, and immaturity.  When we repent and are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:3 teaches us a wonderful fact:  " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ... "  These blessings are not reserved in the heavens for us to someday experience, but we can fully experience them now in faith.  There will come a day when our souls will leave these bodies and be girded with immortality in a new, perfect body.  But spiritually we are already alive and seated in the heavenlies with Christ.     Unless God said this in His Word, I couldn't have believed it ! Con...

No one is born a Christian, but all are born with a degree of Pharisee in them.  Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders who upheld the traditional interpretations of the Law of Moses in the time of Christ.  They believed strict adherence to their traditions was necessary to be acceptable in God's sight.  In the sermon I delivered Sunday (5/1/11) at Calvary Chapel Sydney , one of the themes touched upon was the danger of legalism.  Legalism can be defined as when people impose their own convictions upon another in addition to faith in Christ..  Luke 18:9 explains the purpose of a parable Christ told:  " ...He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others."   When a man trusts in his own righteousness to commend him before God, the end result is he despises others.  The problem is, there are none who are righteous (Ps. 14:2-3) except Jesus Christ.  We might see ourselves as relatively ri...