Marching Forth!

It's amazing what is considered news these days.  I saw an online story about a family who claims to have seen the image of Jesus in mold on the wall in their bathroom!  According to the family, the image has given them strength.  Now it's possible in what we see, even in a bathroom filled with mildew, God will teach us things.  But to attribute power or divine ability to an image, article, or patch of mold is superstitious and unbiblical.  No person, object, or activity should ever usurp God's rightful position of honour and worth.  If I saw mold growing in my bathroom, it would be a loud and clear message to invoke the power of bleach and a little elbow grease! There are many things from which people draw strength.  It could be an item that is considered "lucky," like a kangaroo pouch .  Some people take to heart what they read in the newspaper listed under a daily horoscope.  Others start their day with thinking and speaking positive man...

" Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off ." Nehemiah 12:43 When God directs people to sacrifice unto Him, His focus is not primarily upon the gift.  God does not need material wealth, the blood of animals, grain, wine, or oil because all things are already His.  God's desire is that every sacrifice we make for His glory be accompanied with great joy.  He cares more about our attitudes and the condition of our hearts than the amount of money or time involved in our sacrifice.  After Nehemiah read a portion of the Law to the people, he commanded them to rejoice.  Nehemiah 8:10 reads, " Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength ." ...

The Bible makes it clear that everyone will give an account before God concerning their time on earth.  Every deed and even every word will be weighed according to God's righteous standard.  Jesus says in Matthew 12:36 , " But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment ."  Paul affirms in Romans 14:12 , " So then each of us shall give account of himself to God ."  For most people, to answer for your life as an entire body of work is not as daunting as citing specifics.  While we plod on in life, the Day of Judgment seems far away and not too important - just like a school assignment due in two months. Many of the parables told by Jesus support this view.  The master commits tasks to his servants, leaves, and then each is required to give account for their actions during his absence.  The profit gained or lack thereof is the proving ground of each servant's responsibility.  Again, this...

" But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves ." James 1:22 A person need not live long before they have been deceived.  Deception and life on earth go together like butter on bread.  When the first sin was committed on earth, deception was not absent.  Adam blamed his wife, and Eve blamed the serpent.  Genesis 3:13 reads, " And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate ."  In the KJV the word used for deceived is "beguiled," and is defined in the original as " to lead astray , to delude , or to seduce ." We have all been deceived, and we have all played the deceiver.  But the worst delusion of all is when we deceive ourselves.  James warns all who read his letter that self-deception, even for believers, is a condition we must soberly guard against.  We must remain vigilant and ever-watchful of the real potential which spawns fr...

If nothing in the Bible shocks us, then we're not reading it very carefully!  It directly opposes the "wisdom" of this age, which is termed "foolishness" in God's eyes.  One fundamental difference between the humanistic view of man and God's divine perspective is the condition of man.  Man assumes he is naturally good, but God says there is none good, no, not one.  All are condemned by sin.  No one gets a free pass to willfully commit sin without eternal consequences. 2 Chronicles 36:9 is a real eye opener:  " Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD . "  Jehoiachin was eight years old - and evil!  When I think of evil people, an "innocent" eight-year-old does not come to mind!  But according to God's righteous judgments, Jehoiachin did evil in God's sight.  Men, women, and even children must answer for a shred of evil...

Hosea 4:6 begins by saying, " My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge... "   Ignorance has contributed to much unnecessary suffering in the world, even through those who desired to do good.  Before the discovery of dangerous germs, surgeons did not wash their hands or clothes between operations.  The result of this lack of sanitation in hospitals led to the spread of disease, infections, and caused many preventable deaths.  Even to this day in developing countries, people remain who do not understand the connection between drinking contaminated water and sickness.  When a child is stricken with dysentery from drinking water containing sewage, village elders assume evil spirits are to be blamed.  While the world is not without a spiritual dimension, ignorance of something as simple as the importance of clean drinking water can lead to disaster. We live in a day when the world is experiencing a famine of hearing the Word of God.  The world has...

This morning I was treated to a living illustration.  Since the boys go to the same school and have heaps of books between them, we decided to hire a large locker for the entire school year.  The last couple days I noticed one of my son's backpacks was completely stuffed with heavy books.  On the way to the bus today I took this picture of him carrying the burden of books.  The whole reason behind hiring the locker was to reduce the amount in our son's backpacks.  But the backpack remained stuffed while the locker is empty. We have had several delightful conversations about why the locker is not better utilised.  The excuses have been plentiful:  "I don't have time," "It's full of spiders," "I never know what books I'll need," or "There's always a bunch of girls blocking the way."  So day after day, mile after mile, my son comes home with sagging shoulders under a heavy burden - a burden we've paid to have lifted. ...

We expend a lot of effort seeking balance in our lives.  No one wants to be branded a "right" or "left" wing extremist.  It seems like the demands of the world for everyone to conform is being heightened to levels unheard of in times past.  With the ever-changing landscape of political correctness, the influence of media, and the growing power of minorities to influence and transform the majority, the middle ground is becoming increasingly narrow.  It used to be that both conservatives and liberals shared some common ground.  That ground is becoming more and more scarce as traditional beliefs based upon biblical morals continuously erodes in decay. There is one questions that has never had middle ground:  is Jesus God?  This fundamental doctrine of Christianity has only a "yes" or "no" answer.  It is impossible to "ride the fence" on this point because it is sharper than an obsidian knife.  Jesus made many claims of deity.  Jesus clai...

No matter how wealthy someone might be, his net worth is limited.  It may be an unfathomable limit to the average wage-earner, but it is limited nonetheless.  All people face limitations which are on level with each other as well.  Everyone has the same amount of minutes and hours in the day and night to accomplish work and see their goals realised.  We all have basic necessities:  oxygen, water, food, clothing, and sleep.  Because of our naturally self-focused nature and the limitations we perceive, humans find great security in homes, careers, money, and possessions.  There are limits to the risks we take because we know that our resources can easily make wings and fly away if we are not careful.  We go to great lengths to protect and preserve what we have. We see evidence of this in an example from scripture.  Samaria had been under siege for some time by the Syrian army.  There was a grievous famine in the city and people were star...

It is a common practice in the States that an employee give a "two week notice" before leaving for another job.  Though it was never written into any of my working agreements, it is a simple courtesy which helps workers leave on good terms.  But there is a drawback to giving advance notice.  A difficultly arises when the company a worker is currently employed with comes back with an offer of better wages, role, or benefit package.  The employee who for some time had been seeking other employment and committed to a different job now faces a gut-wrenching decision:  leave the current company or burn the bridge you were planning to cross to the new job venture.  Most people I know who have been in this situation tend to stay with the same company.  I know other people who quit on the spot without giving notice because they did not want to have to deal with the dilemma. I always put in a minimum of a two-week notice with all the companies I worked for, ...

God used Moses and Joshua to guide the children of Israel into the Land of Promise.  God fought for His people and established them in the land.  But after Joshua died, the people faltered with the lack of spiritual leadership.  Judges 2:10 says, " When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel . "  It is a great tragedy that the generation who followed Joshua did not know the LORD or the works He had done for them.  The land was no longer seen as a blessing from God but was seen as their rightful entitlement.  The end result of not knowing God, His works, or His Word, is that everyone does what he thinks is right.  Judges 21:25 plainly states the facts:  " In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes . "  There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it is death ( Prov. 1...

The Bible reveals the Almighty God as the " God of all comfort " ( 2 Cor. 1:3-4 ).  The comfort God provides is often used as motivation for trusting in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  The modern-day Gospel presentation and emphasis of comfort is quite unlike the means used by Ichabod Spencer detailed in his book A Pastor's Sketches .  There was a man who knew something about fruitful soul-work.  When he found people in despair and sorrow, he was very careful NOT to administer the comforts of scripture until all sin had been confessed and forsaken.  Pastor Spencer was sometimes foiled in his attempts to save souls because well-meaning Christians had shared promises of comfort to the unrepentant and unregenerate.  Not wanting to see people sorrowing under conviction, self-justification and promises out of context took away all sorrow.  The conviction of the Holy Spirit was muted by the persuasions of men with soothing words - words spiked with sweet lies of S...

Last night after dinner our family read Proverbs 3.  Proverbs 3:1-4 reads, " My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, 4  and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man ."  How many times does God provide what the world frantically seeks!  Many people hope for a day when medicine and science will prolong life far beyond today's average life span or perhaps eliminate death altogether.  But God has promised length of days, long life, and peace to all who hear His Word and keep it.  What the world will purchase at any price is freely given by the hand of a loving Father through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ.  He gives eternal life and peace to all who repent and trust in Him. It is not difficult to find faults in the l...

" Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered ." 1 Peter 3:7 Breakdowns in communication occur when we do not listen carefully to what someone says.  How far a misunderstanding can blow things out of proportion!  I find when we take the time to actually listen to what someone else is saying without jumping to conclusions and mentally formulating a rebuttal halfway through a sentence, much confusion could be avoided.  Most of the people offended by the Bible do not actually know the Bible, but have picked up fragments twisted out of context.  They have been hurt or disillusioned by people who claimed to be Christians.  A wall is put up against the Bible or any "fundamentalist," while bitterness and hatred festers under the surface.  God is resented and rejected because of the unloving conduct of people w...

Over the years I have helped a lot of people move.  The biggest move I was ever a part of, however, was moving with my family from San Diego to Sydney.  My wife, our family, and more people than I can name helped us with packing, storing, shipping, and delivering.  Before we could move, a lot of preparation was involved.  Having to move brings to light how much stuff you have and how much stuff you don't really need.  When a friend of mine moved to Africa, he spoke of this phenomenon.  We simply don't realise how much stuff we have accumulated over the years until we are confronted by the moving experience.  Slowly but surely cabinets, drawers, closets, and shelves start to fill up and overflow.  So much of the stuff we tossed out or gave away was of use, but we rarely or never used it. Accumulation is part of life on earth.  "Accumulation" is defined as "an increase by natural growth or addition ."  We accumulate stuff, knowledge, mem...

Embracing doubt robs people of experiencing God's blessings.  Many people have heard about or read concerning the peace, joy, forgiveness, and love of God, but unbelief keeps them from receiving.  A perfect illustration of this is seen in 2 Kings 7.  The army of Syria had besieged the city of Samaria, and the inhabitants were suffering from a grievous famine.  The situation had become so dire, people were boiling and eating their own children to survive.  After seeing the desperation of the people, the king of Israel stormed over to the man of God, Elisha.  The king sought to kill Elisha, blaming him and God for the terrible state of the city.  2 Kings 7:1-2 reads, " Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.' " 2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said,...

The Bible is full of flawed people.  They are displayed in scripture, not so we can criticise and shake our heads at their foolish decisions, but so we might learn from their example.  In every flaw we see a mirror image of ourselves in holy writ, the divine light driving the mist from our eyes to see ourselves in truth.  In my house we have a framed print on the wall that contains a hidden picture within.  At first I didn't see the hidden shapes carefully concealed by the artist.  But once my eyes were opened to them, the silhouette cannot be hidden from my eyes!  This is similar to when the Holy Spirit pulls back the veil from our eyes in reading scripture.  When we read of the stubborn Israelites grumbling in the wilderness, we should see ourselves.  When I see Peter taking his eyes off of Jesus and becoming overwhelmed by the tempest, I see myself.  Even as Esau traded his inheritance for a bowl of lentil stew, yep, that's me. In the da...

It's a fact that what tastes delicious is not always nutritious!  Junk food may taste great, but it does not adequately provide for the wide range of dietary needs of the human body.  Suppressing the appetite with sugary drinks and foods decreases the intake of water, fruit, and vegetables which contain necessary vitamins and minerals for growth, repair, good digestion, energy, and concentration.  When the body is sluggish from inactivity or experiencing pain, the desire to exercise is reduced. For people like myself who have done physical work or have been active on the sports fields, nagging injuries are part of life.  I have learned to manage my injuries over the years.  I have learned that stretching, taking anti-inflammatory medication, maintaining a decent level of fitness, and staying well-hydrated are keys to staying on the field.  Over six months ago I pulled my upper hamstring.  I was still able to play baseball, but the injury kept me from...

I received the word today that longtime San Diego Charger great Junior Seau, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest today at the age of 43.  Though I never personally met Junior, I feel like I knew him.  I had watched him play linebacker at USC and remember him being drafted to the Chargers.  I remember his exuberance on the field, how he was ejected from his first game as a professional because of his enthusiasm.  I always loved Junior Seau, and there can never be another 55.  His number 55 jersey still hangs in my closet to this day.  Junior Seau owned a restaurant in Mission Valley and I still remember the commercials and food.  My sincere condolences and heart goes out to his family and all those who are grieving his passing.  It stings a little more knowing that Junior may have hurried along his own death.  It is a sad ending for an otherwise exemplary life in the public eye.  When I heard of Junior's pass...