Marching Forth!

I am constantly amazed by the wisdom of God in His Word.  It is deeply profound, yet very simple.  The Bible is not so much something to be explained by men, but to be read, believed, and obeyed as the Holy Spirit teaches us.  How much of Christ's teachings oppose what man naturally thinks!  Take this teaching of Jesus found in Luke 16:10-13 , for example: He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?" 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. In our natural state, we are convinced that we can be slack in the small things but faithful ...

" Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire ." Hebrews 12:28-29 Last night when driving home from church, I was reminded that God is a holy God.  He is flawless in character, beautiful in perfection, fierce, infinite in power, and a consuming fire.  Every example I can give in comparing God to man is woefully lacking.  He is like molten gold in comparison to dung, flowing lava that consumes chaff in an instant.  We are made of corruptible elements of earth, while God is unchanging, timeless, and a supernatural Spirit.  No man dare stand before Him, and only fools believe they can fool Him.  If a man should think twice about attacking the Leviathan mentioned in the book of Job, who can fight against God? In a day when personal rights are embraced and protected more than ever, the pride and arrogance of man...

In many cases, making comparisons is a path which leads to sin.  Comparing ourselves against others will move us to be self-righteous because we see ourselves as better.  We can also become envious and jealous because we don't measure up.  It is a product of our fallen nature:  humans delight in gossip, lies, back-stabbing, or cutting each other down with words.  When I am compared with another person in a positive light, I instantly feel uncomfortable.  I know it is only a matter of time before the same person compares me with another person negatively.  I find comparing is a hair's breadth from judging, something God tells us not to do.  Matthew 7:1-2 says, " 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 ." Paul was clear in his words to the Corinthian church concerning the danger of unwise comparisons.  2 Corinthians 10:12 read...

" Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy ." 2 Chronicles 8:11 Solomon was a man endowed with great wisdom from God.  Unlike most men, his wisdom lessened with age.  After God granted his request for wisdom to govern God's people, the report of his great wisdom reached far and wide.  But as he grew in affluence and power in a land without war, he let his guard down.  Moral lapses gave way to abominable idolatry.  He multiplied wives and horses to himself, and ended being a great fool because he ceased to seek after God with all his heart, soul, and mind. Most of us have heard about sins of commission (sin willfully committed) and omission (good left undone).  One of the ways we justify sin is when we grant sin accommodation.  Marrying the daughter...

A few months back I shared how God had blessed me with an opportunity to play baseball.  After suffering a shoulder injury and not making the school team at 15 years old, I walked away from the game for good - so I thought.  21 years later, I had no idea that I would be called by God to be a pastor, move to Australia, or take up the game of baseball.  My first season back in the game playing for the Rouse Hill Wildcats came to a wonderful conclusion Saturday as we beat the Castle Hill Knights in the Grand Final 15-5.  We are the "premiers" of the Sydney Metro Baseball league, H-Grade.  Much of our team had never played baseball before, much less play in a Grand Final.  Here's a team picture, each of us with our engraved trophy mugs - complete with a handle! Left to right: Randall, myself, Gav, Liam, Cam, Keith, Trav, Paul, Donna (scorer), Kyle, Pete, Pat, and Stacy  I thank my teammates for a great season, and most of all I thank God for enabling m...

Repentance is a theme which has been running through my mind for the last month or so.  This morning in prayer the LORD showed me PVC fittings and pipes for irrigation in my mind.  I found this most bizarre.  Why would I suddenly be thinking of irrigation?  As I prayed for wisdom and understanding I thought back to when I laid the pipes to irrigate my front yard.  After I dug trenches according to my set of drawings to the prescribed depth, I began to fit the pipes together without glue.  When every length of pipe had been cut, after every coupling, elbow, riser, and sprinkler head was in place, I began to glue the pieces together. The glue was a dark blue colour, suitable for wet or dry applications.  In a very short time the glue set strong enough to handle the water pressure.  But the way the glue is applied is key.  Glue must be liberally applied to the inside of the coupling as well to the clean-cut end of the pipe.  Quickly the p...

As I was reading through the book of Numbers last night, I came to the portion where Moses commanded the people to keep the Passover at the appointed time:  the 14th day of the first month.  Men approached Moses with an important question.  Certain men had been deemed unclean by the Law because they had come in contact with a dead body.  However, they desired to keep the feast and offer the appropriate sacrifice to the LORD - but were unclean.  Numbers 9:8 reads, " And Moses said unto them, "Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you ."  God spoke to Moses and told him that those deemed unclean under ceremonial Law could keep the Passover on the 14th day of the second month, as long as it was carried out in precisely the same way as it should have been done a month earlier. What struck me about the passage were the words of Moses when faced with this dilemma.  If I was in a situation like Moses, I would have said somet...

When people think about slavery, a variety of thoughts and feelings are invoked.  In the United States, the fight over slavery is one that affected the whole nation.  Quoting history.com , " In 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in America. The amendment read, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction ." It is not uncommon to meet people to this day whose ancestors were either slaves or slave owners.  Some people are shocked that slavery still exists in many forms in the world today.  The truth is, slavery is as prevalent, oppressive, and destructive as it has ever been in the world's history. Consider these excerpts from Webster's Dictionary (1828 edition) concerning the the noun "slave:"  1) A person who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose perso...

No matter how much warning is given, inevitably people are not ready for when disaster strikes.  There are times without number I have seen interviews of people talking about their near brush with death because they did not evacuate in time to ensure their safety.  Whether speaking of a tsunami, flood, fire, hurricane, there is a common phrase said by those interviewed:  "It just happened so fast.  We didn't have any time."  Please don't misunderstand my point:  many times tornadoes, earthquakes, or fires can be so fierce and unexpected that there was not even enough time to jump into the bathtub.  I don't want to trivialize or appear to blame victims in any way for being swept up in a disaster. But the brutal irony is that in some disasters which require rescue or some lose their lives, time was actually on the side of the victims.  Their death was preventable, had they heeded warnings in a timely manner.  In some cases, warnings of severe...

In Gene Edward's book A Tale of Three Kings , he shows how God breaks a man before He uses Him.  David is cited as a chief example of a broken man and the means God uses to break men:  circumstances, people, being misunderstood and wrongly judged.  On Wednesday night I heard a message on brokenness.  A man who is self-assured, self-confident, and self-reliant is unfit for use in the hands of the Master Potter.  There is no salvation in self, only destruction.  God is wise, loving, and good to break us from what kills us. As pastor Drew preached from the Word concerning Moses and Peter, he used a clay pot smashed by a hammer to illustrate the breaking process.  Moses was raised as a prince in Pharaoh's house and had all the benefits of royalty, while his countrymen toiled under harsh oppression in Egypt.  God used being misunderstood by the Israelites, fleeing for his life from Pharaoh after killing an Egyptian, and 40 years of tending the sheep ...

This morning Drew and I returned from a four-day jaunt to New Zealand to speak at the Calvary Chapel Bible Institute.  It was a blessing as we enjoyed the fellowship of Jesus Christ with staff and students alike.  It is a wonderful privilege to catch a small glimpse of what God is doing in another part of the globe. My first impression when flying into New Zealand was lush, green beauty.  Ironically, the Bible Institute is located directly across the street from a thermal pool and spa resort called, " Hell's Gate ."  On one side of the road people are spreading their beliefs concerning Ruaukoto, the Maori god of earthquakes and volcanic activity, while on the other side people are teaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, the One True God.  The demons worshiped by the Maori people have great power and influence over man, but the Almighty God is both Creator and Supreme Ruler.  Demons can copy God to a fixed point He ordains and deserve no worship.  2 S...

Every Christian knows we are pitched in a spiritual battle.  Our flesh, Satan, and the world under his sway resist and rage against obedience to Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit and faith in Christ that we can overcome.  Though our awareness or sensitivity to this battle against satanic wickedness and obedience to God might at times be muted, other times we become acutely aware of how much the devil hates God and all those who trust in Him. Jesus was condemned and crucified an innocent man, though He had only always done what had pleased the Father.  After He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to fill and come upon Christ's faithful followers to instruct and empower them to live for God's glory.  Men who once cowered behind closed doors for fear of reprisal from the religious leaders boldly preached Christ crucified and risen.  On one occasion Peter and John were arrested b...

Last night I was reading in Exodus 34 about how Moses communed with God on Mt. Sinai as God wrote the 10 Commandments for a second time upon tablets of stone.  After 40 days, Moses descended from the mount, carrying the two tablets inscribed with the finger of God.  Unbeknown to Moses, his face literally shone from the time he spent in the presence of God.  This frightened the people, even Aaron his brother, to the point that he needed to cover his face with a veil when addressing the people.  Otherwise no one would come near him!  Exodus 34:33-35 explains, " And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the vei...

In recent decades much emphasis has been placed on the ease and simplicity of receiving eternal salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The downside of this is a neglect of preaching repentance and the necessity of living wholly for God.  People used to agonize in repentance for months with many tears before receiving salvation, and today people quickly raise a hand while all heads are bowed.  The devil would much rather us make church attenders than disciples of Jesus.  He would be happy for people to have their heads crammed with theology and doctrines rather than simple obedience to love God, love others, and make disciples of all nations. Servants serve.  Service involves sacrifice and work.  Jesus is the One who said, " If any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me " ( Luke 9:23 ).  That sounds like a huge life adjustment for most people.  No man should come to Christ so he might have a better...

People acquainted with me know that I enjoy cooking, especially baking.  From when I was relatively young, my mom taught me how to make pancakes and waffles from scratch.  Since then my love for baking and sharing with others (not to mention eating!) has continued to grow.  Some days I will simply open my Betty Crocker cookbook for inspiration and make something I've never made before.  The house favorites these days are pancakes, Wacky chocolate cake, pineapple upside-down cake, sour cream coffee cake, and lava cake.  It's shocking with all those cakes I can still fit into my pants!  To tweak a quote my Grandpa says affectionately about "Ol' Uncle August, a Lutheran minister who only lived to be 96, he preached moderation:  one cake at a time." Last night I was reading to our family from Hosea and was intrigued by Hosea 7:8 :  " Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned ."  God had commanded his people not to...

" Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings ." Exodus 10:21-23 God performed signs and wonders in Egypt to reveal Himself in power and glory.  Led by God, Moses demanded that Pharaoh let the Israelites go, who for 430 years lived in Egypt.  Towards the end of their time in Egypt the children of Israel suffered severe oppression and bondage as slaves.  Again and again the might of God was manifested through miraculous plagues.  The same pattern was repeated over and over:  Moses demanded Pharaoh let the people go, God would send another plague upon Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, Pharaoh w...

Sometimes the most simple, basic fundamentals of a life in Christ are the easiest to forget.  Yet God, according to His unchanging, faithful character, does not forget anything.  He fully knows what He has said, and He remembers perfectly what we have said.  It is not uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night with perfect clarity.  Perhaps I have just experienced a vivid dream, or perhaps I remember something that I need to do.  Yet with the dawn of the day clouds drift through my memory and I find myself in a thick fog, unable to remember one detail of my thoughts which seemed at the time so clear and unforgettable.  God does not share my forgetfulness. Being a Christian is much more than words affirming the reality of our faith.  Following Christ is more than a desire to remain in God's will.  So much of our struggles and troubles come not from temptations or trials, but through our lack of obedience.  We all know we ought to ...