Marching Forth!

" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him ." 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 How compelling is the love of Christ!  During our mid-week Bible study at church, we spent time discussing them together.  The overwhelming theme of scripture is Jesus Christ and how man can only be reconciled to God through faith in Him.  The Bible teaches us of our perfect Cre...

Today I planted some seeds in our small garden in the back yard.  I planted some chili peppers and tomatoes in pursuit of some delicious fresh salsa.  As I poured the seeds into my palm from the tiny packet, I looked from the tiny seeds to the picture of a huge tomato on the envelope.  The pale, dry seeds were extremely tiny, yet the package said to plant them almost a full meter apart!  It is phenomenal that one miniscule seed in the proper environment will certainly sprout into a large bush and bear much fruit.  Amazing! Planting the seeds was very simple.  I felt no pressure whatsoever, because the growth of the plant and its fruitfulness does not depend on my ability.  They will either grow or they won't.  If there is not growth I will plant more!  I carefully dropped seeds into a slight depression, covered it with soil, and pressed it firmly.  In mere minutes I had sown, watered, and now the waiting begins!  I was reminded of...

I spent a couple hours this morning digging in the backyard.  With spring rapidly approaching (and today it felt like it had arrived full-force!), it was time to start preparing the plot for a small vegetable garden.  We aim to plant different varieties of chiles, beetroot, tomatoes, and lettuce to start.  As I cleared an area overgrown with grass and weeds by the fence, I found myself having to contend with roots from our neighbor's trees.  Several of his trees near the fence apparently have found an abundance of water in my yard.  Whenever I found one, I dug up as much as I could and cut it off. I don't know why, but God often teaches me things as I work in the yard.  Lately the lessons have a common thread:  the proper use of my time.  I consider the roots of my neighbors trees as thieves, intruders on my property.  They rob the plants I am trying to cultivate of water and nutrients.  They choke out my plants and impede my ability ...

I read an interesting article about the lack of team chemistry in sports these days due to modern technology.  This claim has been substantiated by many coaches at the professional level.  It used to be that when the team rode the bus, traveled on planes, or sat around in the dressing rooms, they would be talking with one another.  Camaraderie grew between the players as they ate food, told stories, cracked jokes, made fun of each other, or shared in ridiculous antics.  A good team became better because players were not just teammates but friends.  There was a large overlap between personal life and the playing field. Where there used to be conversations, now there is silence between people.  Everyone has their headphones on or their ear buds in.  A little world is created where the programming, playlist, and activities are all controlled by the user.  It is all about me.  People play mindless games on their mobiles to fill the time, or su...

Early this morning I walked into my son's shared room to see Abel lying on his back, shivering in bed.  The air was chilly and the room dark.  Though Abel had thick blankets available for him to use, one had fallen off the bed and the other was at his feet in a ball.  His arms clung tightly to the thin flannel sheet as he slept. My initial reaction was a cross between amusement, annoyance, and compassion.  It struck me funny that Abel clung to the thing which offered him least protection against the cold.  But if the bed had been completely made with the blanket tucked it could not have slid onto the floor!  The boy was cold and needed warmth.  The steps which precipitated the shivering was not as important as the cure:  lifting the blankets back onto the bed, smoothing out the blanket pile, and Abel laying underneath them. In Australia, a thick bedspread is often called a "doona."  In the States where I was born, a common term is a "comf...

Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in Webster's Dictionary of the English Language , First Edition, 1828 DUTY, n. [from due, Fr. du.] - That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt. Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , Third Edition, 1992 DUTY, n. - An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion. A lot of things transpired during the 164 years between the printing of these definitions.  Not all cha...

While reading a book yesterday on the importance of ordering the inner life, I began to reflect upon the differences between leisure and rest.  From a worldly perspective, they could almost appear to be synonyms.  As I compared and contrasted the two, I was amazed at the vast differences between them.  Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28, " Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ."  Rest is not the absence of work, even as peace is not the absence of war.  Jesus bids us to take His yoke upon ourselves.  A yoke is attached to a plow and allows the ox to do work he could not naturally perform.  The strength of an ox when yoked to a plow can aid a farmer to sow and reap much grain. When we are fatigued physically or spiritually we often seek rest through the ceasing of effort or activities.  Yet if we do not seek rest in the person of Jesus, it will not satisfy the need we have for rest.  Rest is simply the in...

" Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel ?'" Ezekiel 33:11 Before I finally went to bed last night I flipped back and forth between a couple of movies.  I wanted to see the end of both "The World's Fastest Indian" and "The Count of Monte Cristo," movies I had seen previously.  I wanted to see Burt Munro finally open up the throttle on the salt flats .   Then I couldn't remember the exact ending of Monte Cristo, as Dantes took his revenge upon the wretched traitor Mondego.  He is a most unlikable villain who even makes Nurse Ratched seem genuine and caring. As I saw the final battle scene of the movie that ends with Dantes' sword skewering Mondego's heart, I sensed a difference in myself.  The satisfaction I expected from seeing the fitting end of th...

How important it is for Christians to comprehend their identity concerning their authority in Christ!  Jesus has all authority in heaven and in earth and has granted that same authority to all who repent, trust in Him, and are regenerated through the Holy Spirit.  We have been fully equipped and enabled by God to operate according to the power which raised Jesus from the dead for God's glory.  I think it would be safe to say that this power has not been realized in the day-to-day living of many Christians.  But we must be convinced that it is God's will that our lives be a demonstration of the Holy Spirit in power before we can ever do it.  I do not need to convince you:  I trust the Bible and the Holy Spirit to do that! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, " For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down argumen...

As I walked back home from dropping off the kids at the bus stop, I sang the words to the familiar song by Chris Tomlin:  " We bow our hearts, we bend our knees, oh Spirit come make us humble.  We turn our eyes from evil things, oh Lord we cast down our idols.  Give us clean hands and give us pure hearts; let us not lift our souls to another... "  I thought carefully about the lyrics of this song I enjoy singing to God.  My mind focused on the phrase, " Give us clean hands and give us pure hearts ." Immediately my mind went to James 4:8:  " Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded ."  When I compared the song to the verse, I saw a subtle but profound difference.  Now don't get me wrong - I am not trashing the song by any means.  When singing the song, I asked God to give me clean hands and a pure heart.  When I read the passage in James, these are things ...

The Bible is an amazing book because it is the living Word of God.  It is also amazing how many books have been spawned through biblical wisdom.  Though thousands of commentaries and millions of books (and blogs such as this!) have been penned inspired by the Bible, not one of them excels the divine inspiration of the original.  Books written by godly men and women can be beneficial and influential in sparking ideas and bringing clarity to our minds.  Though valuable resources, they should never replace the Bible. It seems like today people are interested in methods.  People want to know what "works" or has been found successful and seek to emulate the process to achieve a desirable result.  They read book after book in a quest to discover a machine where raw materials can be combined in a prescribed order to receive what we want:  three elders, laying on of hands, 10 mils of oil applied just right - and divine miraculous healing is the result! ...

This past weekend at Calvary Chapel Sydney we hosted a conference on the Holy Spirit-filled life.  We were blessed to have two pastors share with us currently ministering in New Zealand, Mark Walsh and Scott Clifford .  All who attended were no doubt encouraged, challenged, and strengthened in our walks with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  It was a great opportunity for the fellowship to gather together, open the Word of God, and enter into the presence of the LORD.  I have no doubt that it was fruitful and will continue to be so as we appropriate all God has for us by His grace. I would say Christians are quite at ease with the idea of God revealed in the person of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ.  But the same people can be uneasy with the operations of the Holy Spirit.  The reservations people have about the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives can be infinite.  If we were to do a word association with "baptism with the Holy...

A difficult thing for Christians to balance is the necessity of hard work.  I have heard it preached (myself included!) that spiritual growth is a natural product of abiding in Christ.  The life of a Christian will produce spiritual fruit due to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  This is completely true.  At the same time, we have been called and empowered by God to labour for Him.  These are not a conflicting statements, but are intended to compliment one another.  We have a responsibility to choose to follow Christ, submit to the leading of the Spirit, and work hard motivated by the love of Jesus Christ. In our modern society, we seem to grasp at anything to make life easier or find ways to eliminate work or effort to obtain the results we want.  Some body-builders and athletes resort to supplements to achieve faster results from workouts.  We buy all sorts of kitchen appliances and gizmos to make meal preparation and household chore...

After our family eats breakfast every day, we read a daily devotional called " Keys for Kids ."  Today's story was about a group of boys who made the habit of cutting the corner of a block by walking across a lawn.  At first there was no evidence of their path on the turf, but toward the end of summer there was a clear trail of damaged grass.  This brought to mind my own lawn.  Mail carriers in Australia are called "posties," and instead of delivering mail on foot they ride small motorbikes.  Because there is no fence around my lawn, the postie has made a habit of cutting the corner of our property.  As I mow the lawn I cannot help but notice the deep ruts his tires have cut when he traverses the lawn in wet weather.  The more he cuts the corner the deeper the track goes. Our habits, whether good or bad, have repercussions.  If a man habitually uses tobacco, his body inside and out will present evidence of that fact.  In the same way, if so...

It's wonderful to witness the power and provision of God at work in another person.  It's even more incredible when you have firsthand experience yourself of God speaking through His simple yet miraculous ways.  Sometimes a simple impression on my heart through reading the Word or a coordination of events undeniably confirms just what I've been thinking or feeling.  This week I had a lovely reminder of how God will provide for me and my family. It began with God challenging me to trust Him in the area of finances.  We all know that God "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" in our brains, but we can falter when it means giving by faith.  As I sought the LORD's direction through prayer concerning giving, I came across an appropriate passage in 2 Chronicles 25.  King Amaziah had hired men from the tribe of Ephraim as mercenaries and paid them 100 talents of gold, a kingly sum.  A prophet of God visited Amaziah and told him not to allow the men of Ephrai...

" Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's ." Psalm 103:1-5 It is God's will that sin would not reign in our mortal bodies.  Because of this fact it is reasonable to conclude it is God's will that sickness, a product of original sin, would not reign in our mortal bodies either.  While we agree to the first statement our faith can waver with the second.  How can this be?  What happens when God's Word seems to contradict our experience?  Should we trust what we see with our eyes or the naked Word of God? Our God is a God who forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, and redeems our lives f...

An article on CNN.com caught my interest yesterday written by  Kaj Larsen.  In the waters of San Diego (my hometown), the U.S. Navy trains dolphins and sea lions to counter the threat of combat divers and marine terrorist attacks.  Quoting from the article, " While it seems strange that in this digital era, there's such a seemingly lo-fi approach to guard the Navy's most sophisticated and expensive assets. But according to Rothe, nothing in today's hi-tech world can compete with these mammals' biosonar abilities ."  Five times the CNN reporter tried to swim across the bay both on the surface and using scuba gear, only to be found and tagged by either a dolphin or sea lion.  It's amazing that bottlenose dolphins have natural biosonar which is far superior to any device engineered by man. I find it astounding that most people in the world believe that dolphins evolved this "biosonar" from some other species, developing these incredible abilit...