Marching Forth!

Over 20 years ago I cut this ad out of a magazine because I thought it was weird and hilarious.  I still do.  The punchline in small print at the bottom reads, " Not even the best intentions can guarantee finesse 'n' success ."  If there was ever a photo worth more than a thousand words, this might be it. As the picture illustrates, best intentions do not guarantee a good outcome.  A classic example of this from the Bible is seen in the life of David when he decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.  His intentions were admirable, but the lack of preparation and negligence in the execution of the deed resulted in the sudden death of Uzza.  The party atmosphere was immediately hushed by death and the frustration of David's best intentions angered him.  He decided it was not the time to bring the Ark into Jerusalem.  Ultimately there was a good outcome, for during three months after the tragedy David sought guidance from th...

I remember the first prayer meeting I ever attended.  I was impacted to see men taking time to speak with God together when there were many other things we could have been doing that Saturday.  It was a men's breakfast hosted at our church, and based on the location I was 11 or 12 years old.  I was a follower of Jesus at the time, but it seemed odd to gather in a circle and pray as a group - for what seemed a very long time.  Time flies away when you are in the presence of the LORD, and having matured I have grown to relish it.  Gathering with fellow believers in one accord to seek God and to commune with Him is precious. In reflecting upon times of prayer, the best times were those spent praying.  It is ironic praying can be the very thing neglected when Christians gather to pray.  Much of the time that could be spent praying is often taken up by personal sharing or discussing how we should pray.  Isn't it strange that we have access to the A...

" Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. 15  The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16  Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer ." Deuteronomy 10:14-16 Many times in scripture God referred to the children of Israel as "stiff-necked."  God was gracious to choose the Jews as His inheritance, honouring the covenant He made with Abraham.  God did not choose them because they were the greatest, and they were not the most stubborn.  Like all people they inherited the sin nature of Adam which leads to sin and death, and all people today share this in common. When we say we have a "stiff neck," it is typically a reference to tightness in our physical neck.  Being "stiff-necked" presented a picture to the Jews in ancient times we mig...

" Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever !" Deuteronomy 5:29 This verse shows the heart of God longs to bless those He greatly loves.  He is not a cosmic killjoy intent on ruining the lives of people, nor does He deny fun out of selfishness or spite.  We do not argue the fact on earth what goes up must come down, that there exists natural laws which govern gravity our opinion cannot influence.  It is fine for a scientist to tell us why the force of gravity as it stands is important to sustaining life on earth, but this provides little comfort for the one who falls down. The force of gravity is not the only law God has established on earth.  There are spiritual laws the wise consider in addition to physical ones.  Deuteronomy 5:29 shows there is a clear correlation between obedience to God and blessing which endures.  ...

It may not be easy to read genealogies in the Bible, but the impact of them cannot be ignored.  Included in the Bible are reckonings of generations from Jesus all the way back to Adam the first man created.  Every name is a link in the chain which validates the creation of the world, man, and every living thing by God.  Though the names are hard to pronounce and may seem to have little significance to us personally, the fact genealogies exist and can be confirmed by secular sources is awesome.  For those who read them there are wondrous truths nestled in them, like coming across a tree loaded with ripe fruit when hungry. Today I read of valiant men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh who went to war.   1 Chronicles 5:20-22 says, " And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their...

When it comes to things of God, the natural man is unable to comprehend ( 1 Cor. 2:14 ).  Misconceptions and errors abound in the haphazard approach unbelievers and even Christians can take to the Bible.  Because it is compiled of sixty-six individual books written by different people inspired by the Holy Spirit there is perfect unity.  Perhaps due to being organised in Old and New Testaments people can view the Old as outdated and the New as more relevant.  No scripture can be wrenched from the context of a chapter without reconciling it with the book and the overarching truth and themes of scripture. Context is key to understanding or interpreting anything, and it is amazing how easily this practice is ignored in the quoting of scripture.  People quote scriptures to support their position or oppose others without even knowing when, why, or to whom it was spoken in the first place.  Sceptics produce countless of these tired chestnuts to accuse, and sa...

" To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan ." 1 Chronicles 1:19 This is an intriguing verse because in a few words it says something which both agrees and contradicts modern scientific thought.  It is commonly taught the continents today were once connected to one another but over time they split and drifted apart.  This is believed to have taken an incredibly long time according to the current rate of movement.  Scripture affirms the division of continents and islands happened, but it took very little time at all. Eber had two sons and one he named "Peleg" which means "earthquake."  He was named this because " in his days the earth was divided ."  At the time of Peleg's birth the seismic activity was so pronounced Eber named his son Peleg.  It was in the days of Peleg - during his lifetime - the earth was divided.  Perhaps the movement of t...

" Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: 22  only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23  everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. " Numbers 31:21-23 When the children of Israel took spoils of war from their defeated enemies, purification was required under the Law.  The principle was anything which could survive the fire which was taken needed to be put through fire so it could be purified.  The water of purification would also be sprinkled upon it, the water which had the ashes of the red heifer in it (explained in detail in Numbers 19 ).  This water was required to be cleansed after touching a dead body.  If a person was not cleansed according to the...

Humans have a way of bringing God down to our level.  Because we have brains which reason and think we figure it is sensible for other people to see things the way we do.  We also do this with God.  Though we have been created by God in His image, God is not comparable to us.  His wisdom, strength, justice, and love are infinite.  We are ever learning but He is the unchanging truth.  Every new scientific or medical discovery no one on the planet had previously known God already knew and designed it to be so.  We learn by trial and error but God does not make mistakes. God spoke through the prophet in Isaiah 40:25-26 , " To whom then will you liken Me, o r to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. 26  Lift up your eyes on high, a nd see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name,  b y the greatness of His might  a nd the strength of His power;  n ot one is missing ...

I was impacted by an interaction recorded in the book Same Kind of Different As Me  to illustrate friendship.  A man named Denver made the observation how some fishermen practice "catch and release."  They are into fishing for sport.  After catching, weighing, or taking a photo, the fish is released.  Denver had no interest in catching a fish only to release it.  Catching a whopper brought the town together to celebrate the catch and share a delicious meal.  The point driven home to me is friendship is for keeps.  If you genuinely love someone, you won't let them go.  You will always hold a friend close in your heart even if time or distance separates. Matt Redman wrote a song titled "You Never Let Go" which enforces how God treats us all like "keepers" though we have never measured up.  As sinners we have fallen dreadfully short of His righteous standards, yet out of His love for us God embraces and adopts us as His own through the G...

Jesus came to save sinners.  Once we are freed from the power and penalty of sin, the Holy Spirit provides all we need to know and do God's will.  Living in these bodies of flesh makes it a real challenge to walk uprightly.  I am a sinner and need a Saviour, and if I have truly repented I ought not consciously sin any more.  Paul asked rhetorical questions which have obvious answers in  Romans 6:1-2 :  " What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it ?" When we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, we are made new.  Our bodies stay the same, but our eternal souls have been raised to new life.  We ought to make a clean break between who we were and who we are by God's grace because we now know God and find our identity in Him.   1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, " Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of G...

I like the occasion in scripture when Elisha provided for a widow in a miraculous (and memorable!) way.  She was unable to pay off a loan and the creditor demanded her two sons as bondslaves.  In desperation she contacted Elisha the prophet.  He said, "What do you have in the house?"  The poor woman said, "Nothing, except a pot of oil." 2 Kings 4:3-4  says, " Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbours--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones ."  This is a strange directive, isn't it?  How could one pot of oil fill so many?  The woman wisely did not question the man of God but obeyed.  It says in verse 5 , " So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out ."  And pour it out she did....

Diligence is a good virtue to cultivate.  It is easy with the busyness of life to procrastinate or neglect important duties.  We start tasks with good intentions but for some reason completing them can elude us for weeks, months, and years.  We are exhorted in whatever we do in Colossians 3:23 to do it heartily as unto the LORD.  God requires stewards to be faithful, and in His strength we can do all He asks of us. Jesus said in  Luke 16:10 , " 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 ."  Because we are limited by time, ability, and resources, we prioritise tasks.  The completion of tasks large or small requires commitment with focused labour to that end.  It helps when we prioritise unfinished tasks (in most cases) before we embark on new ones.  Progressing and completing even a small task moves us in a positive direction. Whenever I have a new book to ...

All people naturally have sinful tendencies and habits.  Even after we are spiritually born again life goes on in the confines of our body of flesh.  There are plenty of things we realise are sinful and displeasing to God, but there are other things which fly under our moral radar.  We are not even aware of how often we sin until God opens our eyes to see! One thing I want to cull from my life is the tendency to complain.  Complaints may be exceedingly common and seemingly innocent, but the basis of complaining is a focus on self, a lack of acknowledgement of God's power and sovereignty, and vocal displeasure for all to hear.  It is one thing to pour out our complaints before God, but it is another thing to complain to others about our circumstances God has allowed.  Complaining is often a parade of selfishness. Just last night I read of an occasion after God delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt in  Numbers 11:1-3 : " Now wh...

" Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD , You preserve man and beast . " Psalm 36:6 It is insightful to meditate upon and consider similes in the Bible.  In this instance, the righteousness of God is compared to the "great mountains."  Mountains in the physical realm can open our understanding of the spiritual nature of God's righteousness.  Though righteousness and mountains are not the same thing, this verse teaches us there are similarities between them.  To better grasp the reality of God's righteousness, how could we describe great mountains? Mountains are immovable and endure.  Mountains are established, solid, and trying to shift them is out of the question.  While the earth is subject to erosion over time, the mountain remains.  Tunnels have been cut through them, roads have been carved into them and even diverted around them.  God's righteousness is established like a mountain a...

There are times when we recognise a personal need to change, but this knowledge does not provide the ability to change.  On the strength of our resolve anyone can adapt their behaviour to various degrees, yet on the inside we remain the same people we always were.  This is one thing God can and will do in the lives of Christians:  He changes us from the inside. Because we have been painting the bathroom, bottles of shampoo are not in their usual place.  The other day when I picked on up a bottle, I rapped my head on the fixed soap holder in the shower.  I instinctively said, "Ouch!" but I instantly discerned something was different inside me.  Years ago when I would hit my head or injured myself there would often be a flash of temper, an inner rage that surged energy into my limbs and widened my eyes.  During my life I have typically been able to "control" my temper, but it was a conscious act of the will.  When I hit my head and did not feel...

" O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections ." 2 Corinthians 6:11-12 The apostle Paul had been instrumental in preaching the Gospel and instructing the church in Corinth.  He chose to support his own pastoral ministry by making tents so no one could accuse him of using the Gospel to enrich himself financially.  At times the choice to support himself backfired in one sense, for some viewed this tradesman as being without proper credentials to teach.  But Paul had authority from God and spoke the truth in love, even when it stung.  There were some in the Corinthian church who aligned themselves with other teachers to oppose Paul and claimed his attempts to deal with sin and promote unity was an overreach.  Like a teenage son or daughter eager to throw off the authority of parents they feel are too controlling, they resented Paul's involvement. Paul r...

At the dawn of a new year, many people seize the opportunity to make resolutions.  Whether or not they tend to stick is beside the point!  It is not just a new year which can motivate a person to promise or pledge to do things differently.  For some it may be ill-fitting pants which lead to more regular exercise.  It could be a close call behind the wheel which prompts someone to stop drink-driving.  A decision to change doesn't always end with the desired change, but few positive changes in life occur without acknowledging we need to change.  The human will is incredibly strong, but it doesn't mean we always do what we say we will. A couple things I love about God is He is good and He does not change.  When He says He will do something, He will.  It may not look like anything is happening, and it may seem like an eternity before progress is made.  God will always be true to His Word, and when we meet His conditions we can place our comp...