Marching Forth!

God spoke to His people in Jeremiah 13:23:  " Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil ."  Through Jeremiah the prophet, God told the people of Judah they were incapable of self-reform.  They were accustomed to doing evil and had no power to be righteous.  The skin pigment of a person and the natural markings of a leopard's fur are due to genetics.  If a leopard should want to look like a zebra, it is a change the leopard would be incapable of making.  The day when pigs can fly and grizzly bears are born with lime green fur will be the day when people can turn from their sin to doing good on their own.  But God is able to do what is impossible for man or beast.  He is not in the business in changing spots to stripes:  He is the One who transforms people from within.  All are born with a sin nature, but Jesus gives us forgiveness, new hearts, a future, and an unfa...

The Bible teaches that man is inherently wicked, not righteous.  Even as gravity exerts the same force on all objects to fall to the ground whether they be living person or an inanimate object, sin shows no partiality among man, woman, or child.  The downward spiral of every human soul towards Hell because of sin is certain and sure.  From our birth, sin has us in its death-grip.  We do not merely tend towards sin but are completely polluted by it, mind and soul.  As we grow older our appetite for sin grows.  Our capacity and desire to sin initially is fettered by childish ignorance and limitations.  It is when we grow out of this fetter that we make larger and stronger ones for ourselves by willfully seeking after sin and embracing it.  Greater bondage occurs because sin is suited to our natural state.  Sin is like a bait perfectly selected for our tastes, even as a fisherman covers the hook with bait to lure an unsuspecting trout.  Tho...

It is a wise practice to consider our reasons for doing things.  Our motivation can be even more important in God's sight than the good works we actually do.  A "good work" is sinful and hypocritical if spawned through selfishness.  If the way to Hell is paved with bricks of good intentions, sinful motivation is the mortar. On Saturday I was talking with a couple who asked why I volunteer to spruce up the grounds at a local cemetery.  "Do you know someone here?  How were you connected with the clean-up committee?"  I explained that I am a pastor at a local church and emailed the council to request how we could bless the community.  I told them how the Hills Council responded with a couple of options, and the cemetery clean-up seemed the best suited opportunity for us to lend a hand.  We shared an excellent chat and morning of picking up rubbish, thinning overgrowth on the tombs, and clearing noxious weeds. As I reflected on our discussion, God...

The Christian life is all about following Jesus.  We are called to abide in Christ, even as a branch is connected to the vine.  I don't know if you've ever tried following someone while driving, but its very hard to follow people when you can't see them.  When I worked in construction as an apprentice, I would meet at the shop and follow the journeymen out to the job.  Sometimes I wondered if the mechanic was intentionally trying to lose me in traffic!  Once visual contact was lost, following became impossible. The good thing about following Christ is He will never try to ditch us.  While the world is constantly changing at a frenetic pace, Jesus remains stable, true, and trustworthy.  When we call out to Christ for aid, He does not hide from our sight, laughing to Himself about our predicament.  He doesn't try to avoid us because we've offended Him by our foolishness.  When we pray to the Father, Jesus isn't like someone who receives a cal...

The struggles we face as human beings are complex.  Past experiences, personality, mental, physical, and spiritual dynamics converge to create imposing, seemingly impossible problems.  Something God is teaching me which vastly simplifies issues I face is deciding I am going to do things God's way.  There are two basic ways to approach any problem:  we can follow the world's way, or the way God has revealed through scripture. As we go through this life, stuff clings to us.  We need to change our clothes and wash our hands and bodies with soap.  Even if we avoided dirty things, our skin excretes oil and sweat.  Stress raises our heart rate and physical activity can produce unpleasant odours.  Not a lovely thing to think upon, but it is the truth!  In a similar way to our physical need for cleansing and hygienic maintenance, our life experiences can load us down with cares, worries, and baggage.  We can be beset with sinful thoughts, be o...

I have heard it said, "In preaching the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."  The phrase is a bit simplistic, but few would argue against the truth it contains.  It is very easy in preaching to be swept up in current events or follow the tendency to often harp upon a single string of non-essential doctrine.  The imperative in preaching is to preach the Word as led by the Holy Spirit.  Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 , " I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching ."  Those who are called to pulpit ministry are not called to invent new truths, but to be a heavenly reminder of God's truth as revealed in scripture.  Nehemiah 8:8 reveals the gist of what all preachers should strive for:   " So they read distinctly from the book, in...

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive ( Acts 20:35 ).  While this is most certainly true, there is also great blessing in receiving.  What do we have as Christians that we have not received?  We have received great joy in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ ( Romans 5:11 ).  1 Corinthians 2:12 states, " Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God ."  As we read God's Word, the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and understanding.  All that we have has been freely given to us from God. God has given us much that we have yet to receive.  There are often conditions which must be met before we can receive what God freely offers.  If we will be honest, we are not always initially willing to meet His conditions.  Whether it be pride, ignorance, or foolishness, no one hinders us from receiving of God's goodness more than oursel...

Millions of people in Australia are waiting with great anticipation because tonight the winner for "The Voice" Australia will be crowned.  Week after week, contestants have competed in the televised show for the title. What made the show intriguing from other talent-based reality shows is the judges first heard the contestants with their backs turned.  The focus was on the voice, not on appearance or showmanship.  Both judges and the public have weighed in to advance singers to the final four.  Tonight the winner will be revealed, and it's a tight race anyone can win. As I was reading the Bible last night, it occurred to me that as amazing and talented as those four final artists are, they could never be "The Voice."  They may sing with power, skill, and beauty, but none of them are deserving of the title.  Psalm 68:33-34 reads, " To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe...

It's funny what we can find important.  In the ad, "the whole world" was watching the unblinking woman, pulling for her to claim the world record for the longest time without blinking.  People react as she survives close calls.  There is an absurd sense that those who watched either won or lost vicariously through this woman's strong effort to keep her eyes open.  Though the woman falls short of her goal, to me there was a satisfying conclusion.  All this media coverage, hoopla, anticipation, and heartbreak was generated over something that in the light of eternity didn't matter one bit. We can be caught up in so many things that affect our attitudes, emotions, and outlook that are pointless from an eternal perspective.  In rugby, a man who kicks the ball wide of the posts is a failure, but the one who places the ball with downward pressure beyond the try line is a hero.  A man who runs the wrong direction on a gridiron pitch is a laughing s...

I was reminded yesterday how important it is for parents to be ever vigilant concerning what their kids are exposed to.  It is very easy for us to lower our guard.  We might think because of homeschooling, sending kids to a Christian school, or going to church is enough.  Nope!  If you own a TV, a computer connected to the internet, if your kids have mobile phones or Ipods, if your car has windows which allows a child to see out as you drive, if your kids have family, friends, or acquaintances, if you take them to the shops to buy food or clothes, if they read books, magazines, or listen to music, the potential for ungodly influences on your child is a real threat.  The world works tirelessly to indoctrinate our children to accept evil as good. We send our children to a Christian private school.  One of my sons was selected out of his class and he received an invitation to participate in an extra-curricular course geared to inspire bright kids to be autho...

The Bible never masks the flaws in people.  It confirms to man what his conscience already knows to be true:  no one is perfect.  Jesus Christ is the only righteous one, the Lamb of God without blemish or spot.  There is no "cult of personality" concerning the kings, prophets, and others who placed their faith in God.  The Bible reveals weakness, foolish choices, sin, and pride.  It shows us that although we can have our sins cleansed through faith and repentance in Jesus by grace, we still live in a body of flesh.  The potential for wandering from God is real for us all. Take the case of King Uzziah, for instance.  His fifty-two year reign in Judah taken as a single body of work was good.  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD ( 2 Chron. 26:4 ).   2 Chronicles 26:5 reads, " He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper ."  God ...

My dad is a carpenter.  From a young age I was taught to distinguish between different tools.  Almost every time I accompanied my dad on a work project, he would ask me to fetch a tool.  I learned very early that it would not be good to return to him with the wrong tool or with no tool at all because I didn't look well enough.  He would say something like, "In the back of my truck, in my shoulder box, under the tray, there is a set of Channellocks."  Dad always knew where his tools where.  If for some reason I couldn't immediately find the tool, I would double and triple check that it wasn't there.  I hated it when I couldn't find a tool that my dad would immediately find!  I became a pretty savvy go-fer!  He needed a tool, and I would go-fer it! This morning I was reminded of a acquaintance I knew as a youth.  When the families of the church would gather together for a work day, there was one boy who was unlike all the rest.  At ...

Jesus is a humble King.  The powerful in this world invest in bullet proof glass, secret elevators and entrances, security systems, bodyguards, and automated iron gates.  Closed circuit televisions and paid guards ensure that no threat ranges too close.  Though a King, Jesus did not live in a stone castle surrounded with a moat filled with crocodiles:  He did not even have a place to lay His head.  He picked up and blessed little children, healed the sick, delivered those who were demon possessed, and raised the dead.  Kings historically have armies to fight for them.  Courageous men faced and embraced death for king and country.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only King I know who died in place of all people:  His own, and for even those who would reject Him.  He could have called legions of angels to His aid, but He refused.  Jesus humbled Himself, made Himself of no reputation as a servant, and laid down His life upon the c...

Have you ever walked up to a group of people to find them involved into a passionate discussion?  After standing there for a minute of two, you face a decision to either jump in or step away.  That's a little how I feel after my last post on tithing.  In the years of contributing to this blog, I have penned over 500 posts.  I have had more feedback in less than 24 hours on this particular post than all the other posts combined!  It is clearly a conversation that's been going on for a while.  For those of you who have written messages, thank you very much.  I appreciate you reading and commenting.  Part of the reasons for the post is that I Google searched "Is Tithing for Today?" and was surprised at the amount of negative posts in the first five pages I scanned.  I decided that I would share some scriptural reasons to support the other side of the discussion.  I see tithing as a good work, not evil.  After reading some responses, ...

How exciting is the walk of faith in following Jesus Christ!  It clashes on every level with the wisdom of the world:  when we lose our lives for Christ's sake, that is when we find it.  As Christians mature and grow in Christ, God deals with old ways of thinking, our habits, attitudes, thoughts, words, and deeds by confronting them with the Word of God.  If we are in Christ, we are new creations.  We are not our own, having been purchased through the blood of Christ by grace through faith.  Our whole life is to be brought into subjection of God in obedience to His Word as led by the Holy Spirit.  One of the ways God challenges our faith is in the area of finances and giving.  Sometimes we can be ignorant of our responsibilities as Christians which holds us back from obedience.  Other times we dig in our heels.  There are also occasions when we are not convinced which is the right way so we remain undecided. I am convinced by scripture...

Recently I began a new exercise regimen with the idea of building muscle and burning fat.  To maximise the effectiveness of a workout, a good diet and quality supplements are key components.  After doing some research, I bought a big tub of whey protein powder from Costco, along with a good multivitamin.  Whey protein isn't cheap, but the health benefits from building a stronger body is worth the investment. As I loaded the protein powder into the cart, I wondered, "Will this stuff really make a difference?  What happens if I take all this and nothing changes?  Would I buy another tub if the results are negligible?"  So I determined I would commit to the workout while carefully monitoring my progress.  If I don't see improvement, I'm not going to keep going back to what is ineffective.  Why should I pay money for what is not beneficial? It occurred to me that it is wise to have this sort of self-examination on a spiritual level.  The book...

Much of the world is looking with anticipation to the Olympic summer games being held this year in London.  Since I was young, I always enjoyed watching the televised events.  It was an opportunity to see people compete in events I didn't even know were events!  No one makes an Olympic team without dedication and sacrifice.  In the sporting world, there is no stage greater than the Olympics.  With the exception of the boxing scoring system, the Olympics leave nothing to be desired:  tradition, rivalry, patriotism, emotion, determination, and grit. The Olympic games are more than a platform to crown the world's best.  It is an opportunity to join with athletes from all over the world who have dedicated their lives to excellence in sport.  Sprinkled in among the televised action, I remember Bob Costas narrating inspirational vignettes documenting the struggles and difficulties of athletes who obtained their Olympic dreams of simply being able to c...

There have been a rash of electricity salesmen knocking on my door of late.  The thing that bothers me about them is their dishonesty:  they claim they are not trying to sell me anything when the exact opposite is true.  Listening to them talk, it is simply out of the "goodness of their hearts" they are trying to save me money on my electricity costs.  They all have similar tactics:  they butter me up or ask a loaded question, and then try to sink their hooks in.  No matter how direct I am, a salesman who understands the point and walks away before I close the door is rare. Because of the influx of well-intentioned salesmen who want me to switch my electricity provider (and I'm not changing, so please stop bothering me!), when I hear a knock at the door I instinctively groan.  Who could it be now?  Who else wants to make me their customer?  How many more times will I have to endure the shallow chatter and repeat myself over and over?  ...