Marching Forth!

" It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD , saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron ." 2 Samuel 2:1 After the death of King Saul, David inquired of the LORD where he should go.  His place in Ziklag had been burnt with fire, and David wisely sought insight from the LORD concerning his next course of action.  He provides a good example for all who fear God in asking a specific question and did not act on the matter until he received a definite answer.  If we are honest concerning our prayers, we may discover we do not ask many definite questions.  If this is the case, we should not be surprised when a clear answer does not come. We are not told exactly how God spoke to David, but the text makes it evident God did speak and David heard Him.  In the previous book we read Abiathar, son of the high priest, ha...

I appreciate a person who "says it like it is," a straight-shooter who does not hint or allude to the truth but boldly speaks it.  Every man has his flaws and makes mistakes, but there should be no doubt about what he believes.  In this increasingly subjective and politically-correct age, people are wary of being transparent with their beliefs.  The problem often isn't a lack of thinking before speaking, but of thinking so much we stop short of saying what we really think.  This hollowed version of truth does little to present a viable consideration for belief. One thing I love about the Bible is the objective nature of it.  It states how things were, are, and will be.  Nature itself is governed by laws which cannot be broken.  There are absolutes which are unchanging, and to alter these absolutes even a fraction (not that man has this capacity) would mean utter catastrophe.  There are facts governing this world we inhabit, and one of the great...

" And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you .'" Acts 27:22-24 I was greatly encouraged to hear Paul describe his relation to God as " to whom I belong and whom I serve ."  People often try to "fit in," and even when these efforts seem successful it is a far cry from belonging.  Paul had been purchased with the blood of Jesus and his life was not his own, but he was not only a servant:  he eternally belonged to God. Paul was able to encourage his fellow shipmates in the midst of a raging tempest not to lose heart, for the God to whom he belonged had sent a message of deliverance.  God sent the message first to encourage Paul and also for the benefit of the crew...

Several years ago I went to a cricket test match for the first time.  I was struck by the number of warnings against "antisocial behaviour" at the Sydney Cricket Ground which said all who persisted in such behaviour would be removed from the venue.  Acts of violence, drunken or disorderly conduct, obscene language or threats directed at others, basically any hostility towards other patrons was not permitted.  There is an amount of drinking and sledging (good-natured ribbing) at any cricket match, but it was only permitted in the spirit of the game without becoming "antisocial." There are no such rules governing the use of social media, which I have found to be growing increasingly antisocial in every way.  What was once a novel and useful tool to connect people has been leveraged to drive people apart.  It used to be in social gatherings common courtesy and polite to avoid camping on emotionally charged subjects (politics and religion were often cited as ch...

Recently I heard of a young woman's passing at the age of 21.  Cancer previously in remission came back with a vengeance, and her graduation to glory was sudden and unexpected.  The only solace her friends have in this time of loss is the knowledge this woman chose to place her faith in Jesus Christ, having received the Gospel which saves to the uttermost ( Hebrews 7:25 ). A mate of mine who knew her well spoke about his grieving process, how his mind went to their last interactions, his sorrow and tears.  He thought about how in her brief life there are many things she never had the opportunity to experience:  to graduate from university, to be married, bear children, or own a home.  Despite the sadness, he was able to discover joy in the knowledge her days of pain are over for good, for she had a hope in the Gospel which is greater than a cure for cancer.  Because of the assurance provided in the Bible through Jesus, this dear girl now rejoices in the ...

I have been reading through Tozer's Pursuit of God  and have found it insightful and thought-provoking.  I like a man who does not only point out problems but holds forth the biblical solution.  While there is no shortage of self-proclaimed watchmen these days, those who cultivate the presence of God are surprisingly few.  After acknowledging the reality of God and our need for utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit, Tozer follows it up with the responsibility of man to labour to seek God and be receptive to His voice.  I find this convicting because of my own lame efforts yet encouraging at the same time because of the assurance provided by God in His Word.  Tozer wrote: " Receptivity is not a single thing; it is a compound rather, a blending of several elements within the soul.  It is an affinity for, a bent toward, a sympathetic response to, a desire to have.  From this it may be gathered that it can be present in degrees, that we may have li...

Wisdom is no good to us when unheeded.  In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as a woman calling aloud to all who will listen.  She raised her voice in the city gates and main thoroughfares, reproving the foolish and the scorner.  There is great grace in her boisterous approach, for she sought out and addressed people who were unlikely to listen.  It seems for the most part Wisdom's voice was ignored and scorned by those she warned and instructed. Her response to their stubborn folly is revealed in P roverbs 1:24-31 :  " Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 because you disdained all my counsel, a nd would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 when your terror comes like a storm, a nd your destruction comes like a whirlwind,  w hen distress and anguish come upon you. 28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; ...

" The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; m y God, my strength, in whom I will trust;  m y shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold ." Psalm 18:2 After David fled from Saul, he was relentlessly pursued by the king and his mighty men.  David was convinced there was but a step between him and death, and so David hid in the wilderness.  There is a remarkable account in 1 Samuel 23 when David and his men were on one side of a mountain, and King Saul and his men were on the other side.  When it seemed certain David would be discovered, word was hastily brought to King Saul that the Philistines had invaded and he immediately called off the pursuit.   1 Samuel 23:28-29 reads in the KJV, " Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.  29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi ." God was David's rock, his...

I find it exciting when someone I know has good news they want to share with me.  When I hear of a new job, buying a house, a proposal of marriage, or the birth of a child, those are all exciting times.  Seeing other people excited about most anything grabs my interest, and though what excites them may not directly affect me, I can be happy with them. Now it is another story when someone says, "I have some good news for you ."  Immediately I find myself on the defensive, wondering what product they will pitch or what they want from me.  Please, not another "pyramid scheme" that isn't one!  When I see someone excited about a book, product, diet, or deal, it is my prerogative to decide if it is good news for me or not.  Should a stranger tell me they have good news for me without even knowing me, their enthusiasm seems fake and their assertion presumptuous.  How could they possibly make such a claim?  I am not interested in your pamphlets, thank ...

" Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.' " So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city ." 1 Samuel 20:42 When I read this verse, it struck me how God changes our perspective of life entirely:  He enables us to view life through the lens of eternity.  Jonathan and David made a covenant of friendship before God, an expression of love and loyalty beyond life on earth.  It is remarkable how marriage ordained by God between a man and a woman ends when "death do us part," yet those who born again through faith in Jesus Christ will experience forever friendship. David was forced to flee because of King Saul's murderous madness.  Yet David and Jonathan took solace that as men who feared the Almighty God who lives forever, the distance which separated them was only tempora...

Thinking back, the Windex at church had looked strange for a couple weeks - a bit cloudy and not as blue as usual.  Then I saw a streaky glass window I know I had recently cleaned.  Something was up.  As I compared the cleaning product in the Windex bottle to the refill, I saw the problem:  someone (and that someone likely was me) had mistakenly poured similar looking surface cleaner into the Windex bottle!  That explained why the Windex looked different, and being a product not made for glass it did not perform as expected.  I am happy to say the cleaning crisis is over, as there is now real Windex in the Windex bottle. For a week or two I thought I was using Windex because of the professional label on the spray bottle, but the poor results on glass alerted me something was amiss.  It reminds me of the warning Jesus provided us in  Matthew 7:15-20 :  " Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are...

Something simple James Edwin Orr said in a sermon about spiritual growth always stuck with me:  " If you don't obey, you don't grow ."  Spiritual maturity comes through obedience to God in what we already know rather than learning something new.  New things have their allure, but often new things are not necessary.  Take golf clubs, for example.  I have played with people who constantly tinker with their equipment instead of taking lessons to learn how to hit the ball properly.  They hope buying a new driver or new shafts will help their game instead of focusing on developing a game with the decent clubs they already have.  They always seem to have a new club in the bag but perpetually shoot the same old score.  A new club does not eliminate the need for practice, and reading a new Christian book or listening to a sermon will not grant instant maturity. As believers, we can imagine spiritual growth is facilitated by the discovery of new truth, ...

It is mind-blowing the things God does and the way He chooses to do them.  Though God has made Himself known to men, He is past finding out and His ways are higher than ours.  The Almighty God is infinitely greater in power and wisdom than any created being.  God's wisdom is revealed to us through the Bible and Jesus Christ, wisdom no spirits or men have known.  Paul expressed in 1 Corinthians 2:8  if the rulers of darkness realised God's plan of salvation would come through Christ's death on Calvary, they would not have sought to kill Him! God's people in scripture were often baffled by the ways God used in chastening them.  They could not believe God would use the Assyrians or Babylonians to lay waste to Israel, destroy the Temple, and to take captive God's own people.  How could a righteous God employ such wicked nations to accomplish His will?  The truth is, God's people had adopted the wicked practices of the surrounding nations in viola...

The assurance Christians have of eternal life through the Gospel ought to impact the way we live now.  Since God has made provision for our future, it stands to reason He will preserve us today.  For followers of Jesus Christ eternal life has already begun, and we can be rid of the cares and worries of this life which potentially plague us with fear. Eternal life in heaven for some believers could be compared to life savings which remain untouched, an expensive insurance policy which has never been claimed on, or a immense financial investment which currently is a non-liquid asset.  Eternal life is typically (speaking from my own experience a bit) can be seen as something afar off and not quite useful for our experience of daily life.  More and more I am learning that eternal life is altogether relevant for today, a liquid asset we can draw upon to help our perspective remain fixed upon Christ. Life was not intended by God to be theoretical or philosophical ...

People are notoriously difficult to please.  Give someone what they want, and they can still end up dissatisfied.  Whilst it is true some are easier to please than others, we all tend to be upset when our expectations are not met.  When we don't receive what we expect - be it service or quality we believe we have paid for - it leads to ungrateful, bitter attitudes. The children of Israel provide an example of this after they demanded Samuel anoint them a king to rule over them like the other nations.   1 Samuel 10:24-27 reads, " And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!" 25  Then Samuel explained to the people the behaviour of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD . And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant m...

It is amazing how God has graced mere men with His presence.  God has made a way for us to enter into His presence, and for His presence to dwell in us through the Holy Spirit.  Paul wrote of what Jesus accomplished in  Ephesians 2:18-22 :  " For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit ."  Along with all followers of Christ, we are individually and collectively a dwelling place of God. How remarkable, that God would dwell with and in men!  For all who have tasted and have seen God is good forever chang...

One thing I find remarkable about God is the freedom of choice He grants to all people He has created.  Some wonder if God is loving because of what He allows, but it is precisely by allowing He shows His love and grace.  In this world overwhelmed with sin, hypocrisy, and hopelessness, it is the stark contrast of God's goodness which leads us to Him. Remember the parable of the prodigal son?  The son demanded his inheritance of his father, and his father complied without complaint.  His father could have decided to "do what is best" for his son by denying his request, but in his generosity - knowing beforehand the poor decisions he would make with "his" money - the father gave the money and all rights to it to the son he loved.  That is a picture of what God has done in giving us life.  He gives life to people who will wrongly use it to hurt others and ruin themselves, but He freely gives life anyway.  It might be, like the prodigal son, when we are...

" My Father has been working until now, and I have been working ." - Jesus Christ, quoted from John 5:17 It is Labour Day in New South Wales, a welcome day of respite from labours.  That is not to say it isn't a good day for working - like washing the cars and vacuuming them.  Labour is work, and would you agree "work" has largely a negative connotation?  We say things like, "I had to work on the weekend" or say a decision created "extra work."  If we can manage with less work, most people are happy with the concept. God has been working until now, Jesus was working, and it is fair to say a follower of Jesus should work too - and be happy and grateful for it.  After God created Adam, He put him to work keeping and tending the Garden of Eden.  It wasn't because God chose to delegate work He couldn't handle, but because work is something God does and loves to do.  No one made God work, but God has been working until now. ...

C.H. Spurgeon wisely said concerning sceptics who prefer to remain sceptical, " Our business is not to supply men with arguments by informing them of difficulties...Unbelievers only 'glean their blunted shafts, and shoot them at the shield of truth again.' Our object is not to conquer them in logical encounters, but to save their souls ." (Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to my Students . Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House, 1989. pg. 270)  Today I read a passage in 1 Samuel which illustrates this tendency to hold onto faulty ideas and idols well. The Philistines had captured the ark of God in battle and placed it in the temple of their god, Dagon.   1 Samuel 5:3 says, " And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD . So they took Dagon and set it in its place again ."  During the night, the idol Dagon fell before the ark of God.  Instead of ditching their god whic...