Marching Forth!

Genuine faith in God is expressed through obedience to Him.  Righteousness is imputed by God to those who trust in Him as is seen in the life of Abraham and others.  A great example of the impact of faith in the lives of people is seen with Elijah and the widow and her son who dwelt in Zarephath. There was a severe drought in the land and God directed Elijah the prophet to travel to Zarephath.  He saw a woman gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water.   1 Kings 17:11-14 reads, " And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12  So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." 13  And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake ...

" And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesse s." Luke 12:15 One of the chronic problems of men is not believing God, and the words of Jesus illustrate this well.  Coveting for human beings is as natural as breathing!  To covet is an inordinate desire to gain for yourself what someone else has.  It doesn't seem sinister or wicked at all to desire nice things for yourself, right?  The problem with covetousness at a fundamental level is it springs from a lack of gratitude with what you already have.  It sets stuff as an idol to be worshipped in the place of God.  A man who is dehydrated desires a drink of water, and it is not covetousness to have physical needs met.  It is covetousness and greed which causes a man to desire more than he needs and gives rise to excesses like gluttony, drunkenness, and lustful cravings. Jesus taught our lives do not consi...

In Ezekiel 16 , through the prophet God shared a personal story of love, betrayal, and grace.  God compared Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Israel to a helpless infant he found by the side of the road who had been abandoned soon after birth.  He showed compassion on the little one and rescued her, cleansed, clothed, and raised her as His own.  God spared no expense to meet her every need, provided the best clothes, wholesome food, and even gave her ornaments to accentuate her beauty.  In time He made a covenant with Israel, even as a man enters into a marriage covenant with his wife. God said in Ezekiel 16:11-14 , " I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12  And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13  Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, ...

" A wise king sifts out the wicked, a nd brings the threshing wheel over them ." Proverbs 20:26 As a person raised in a western culture of democracy, the implications of living under a monarch with absolute authority is difficult to fathom.  A wise king cares not only for himself but the well-being of his subjects, and therefore he establishes and upholds justice.  History shows even unwise kings were vigilant to protect their throne and interests, even being unjust in their zeal to weed out potential threats.  A wise king does not destroy the loyal subjects with traitors, but sifts out the wicked carefully with severe consequences administered upon the guilty. One thing I hear often about the administration of tough sentences or capital punishment is these are not statistically proven deterrents and therefore should be abandoned.  This is a fallacious argument, for the primary purpose of the justice system is not to deter potential criminals but to bring ...

Knowing Jesus Christ is the end of the Law for all who believe is a fact we must take to heart.  There is no shortage of well-meaning people and groups who, in an attempt to promote righteous living, create new laws to follow as a measure of righteousness ( Romans 10:4 ).  New regulations to prevent potential sin are imposed upon the impressionable, and sadly the bondage to sin remains.  This error inevitably leads to condemnation and hurting people being ostracised. One thing Christians can never comprehend fully is the motives of other people.  Every person and circumstance is different, and it is dangerous to assume your judgment of another is correct.  Now the Bible does teach us right from wrong, but as we soon realise situations in life are not always so clear cut.  There are many interpretations of meaning and application of Bible passages people use to promote or confirm their view as being correct.  There are many complex subjects people ex...

" Plans are established by counsel; b y wise counsel wage war ." Proverbs 20:18 There is a time of war, and a time of peace.  Those who make the unfounded claim of "religion" as the sole or main cause of war or human conflict perhaps ignore the fact in every war people are involved.  Nationalism, a desire to seize resources, control a prime location, conquest, political expediency and many other factors have moved people to wage war.  There are wars nations have waged, but there are also individual conflicts we are beset by continually.  There are things worth fighting for, and battles should be enjoined for admirable causes.  As followers of Jesus the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God to pull down strongholds - internal strongholds which can be well-established within us as sinful habits, ways of thinking, and affections of our hearts. Some view Jesus as a pacifist because of His refusal to lead a rebellion or take up arms agains...

A Federal Election was held last Saturday throughout Australia, and all of voting age in our family drove down the road to a civic centre to fulfil the responsibility of all adult citizens.  We went around 9am and the queue wasn't long at all - probably because it was a little early for the sausage sizzle as the stall was still undergoing preparations.  Unlike elections in the United States, voting only concerns parties or people - not policies or propositions.  It took plenty of paper (Australians know what I mean) but not much time to cast our vote and be on our way. The results of the election were a surprise with the more conservative Liberal party winning big over Labor, the other major party in Australia.  I found the results of the election impacted people in a variety of ways:  some paid it no mind, others were ecstatic whilst others were despondent.  The very thing which caused one person to experience happiness was precisely what brought sadnes...

The book of Ruth touches me deeply, not just because of the loyalty of Ruth or the unlikely love between Ruth and Boaz:  it is the lovely parallel of Boaz as kinsman redeemer and my Saviour Jesus Christ who has redeemed me from sin and death. After tragedy struck in Moab, bereaved and bitter Naomi returned to Bethlehem with her daughter in law Ruth.  Without husbands to provide for them, Ruth went to glean in the fields.  Under the Law of Moses the poor and foreigner could glean, meaning picking up little bits which fell to the ground during the harvesting process. She "happened" to choose to glean in the field of Boaz who was a relative of Naomi.  Boaz looked favourably upon the young woman who showed great kindness to her mother of law and bid her to not go to glean in any other fields.  He said in  Ruth 2:12 , " The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge ." Aft...

God has provided us brains to reason and think, and it is good to consider carefully the things we read and hear.  Though we all have knowledge, we can come to incorrect conclusions.  Even Christian believers we respect who have taught us much through books, people we knew personally who led exemplary lives of obedience and faithfulness, are not infallible.  It is the scripture, not the teachings of men or even what seems expedient or useful, which keeps us grounded in truth.  Another difficulty is when the reader misunderstands what is meant by the author.  This can happen when the definition or common use of words change over time or are used differently in another culture. I am reading through a new compilation of A.W. Tozer's sermons and came across a thought which has been on my mind of late.  Having established how obedience to God is a key aspect in our relationship with God, he said this:  " My obedience is based on my commitment to God....

Yesterday during the evening quiz on ABC radio the question was posed, "If you could time-travel to any time in history, where would you go?"  It didn't take long for me to have an answer:  to Jerusalem at the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is not because I question or doubt the biblical accounts or need visual confirmation, but to witness events which had an eternal impact for all humanity.  To talk to the "man on the street," hear the buzz of the locals and travellers alike concerning Jesus, and to see their reactions of the reports of His resurrection would be intriguing. A few callers in there was a man (to my surprise) who said he would like to see Jesus.  "I'd like to hear Jesus teach the Sermon on the Mount and see if He really did miracles," he said.  "Seeing a miracle or two would be great."  "Sure," the host declared.  "You could see if Jesus was the real deal."  The caller surpris...

One thing I remember struggling to reconcile with Jesus Christ being the end of the Law of Moses for all who believe were the commands given by the Holy Spirit and the church leaders in Jerusalem to Gentile believers.  It seems the Jews struggled with it too, as they mistakenly believed to be saved it was necessary for Gentile believers to be circumcised and keep the Law - a Law which they themselves could not keep and could only condemn.  God did not call Gentiles to live as Jews or Jews as Gentiles, but having made the two groups one they were to love one another as Jesus loved them. The context is key to understanding and applying the Acts 15 passage personally.  The background of the Jews and Gentiles could not have been more different:  Jews were monotheistic, kept the Law of Moses and the feasts in Jerusalem, and it was forbidden to fashion any image.  The Gentiles were pagan and had countless deities they worshipped through drunken feasting and fornic...

 " So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,  17  which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ ." Colossians 2:16-17 The truth of these verses has impacted me this week.  Instead of Paul saying, "Don't judge one another in food or drink" he exhorted believers:  " Let no one judge you in food or drink ."  This is an important distinction.  Navigating through life requires choices and judgments, and we are called to judge righteously ( John 7:24 ).  These judgments are no longer to be dictated to us by the Law of Moses because Christ is the end of the Law for all who believe.  The Law was a schoolmaster to correct and guide us until Christ came, and having instituted a new covenant in His blood we are guided by our risen Saviour through the Holy Spirit. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are not to be swayed by people who urge us to return to Law for our s...

Retiring from regular work is difficult for many people.  At the age of 70 my grandpa gave me his perspective on the matter:  " When you retire, you're just waiting around to die ."  Believe it or not, he continued to run his own business laying carpet well into his 80's.  Many times I had colleagues during my mechanical insulation career who excitedly retired because they were finally of retiring age, just to see them return 6 months later because they missed the routine and extra money.  There were only so many projects left on their houses and fishing wasn't the outlet they hoped it would be. Though I am God-willing decades from retirement (at this point it will be when God retires me!), I find it a great challenge to take my leave of pastoral ministry for weeks at a time.  When I do take leave, church related responsibilities seem to find me.  If I am asked to take weeks of my paid leave, it feels like a demand to leave family and the thing God...

Jesus ushered in a new covenant through His shed blood which is far better.  The first covenant depended largely on man's ability to live according to the Law, but grace and truth came through Jesus.  Circumcision was required to submit to the first, but see what Paul (a man circumcised according to the Law) said in  1 Corinthians 7:19 :  " Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters." Hold on, some might wonder:  circumcision is a commandment of God.  Is Paul talking out of both sides of his mouth?  Not at all!  God wrote with His finger commands upon tablets of stone, but He promised to one day write His laws upon hearts.  After trusting in Jesus Paul continued to keep the Law of Moses so he would retain credibility amongst the Jews to win them for Christ.  But God did not provide salvation through faith in Jesus for Gentiles to live as Jews.  The lack of Law does...

As enjoyable and pleasant as like-minded people can be, it is good to have people in our lives which look at life from a different perspective.  I have grown to value differences more as I progress through life:  instead of assuming differences due to ignorance, threatening, or a liability, a variety of viewpoints helps us to see the limitations of our view and thus works to expand our thoughts to unfamiliar arenas. The late C.S. Lewis was asked in an interview by a Mr. Wirt:  " Do you think there will be wide-spread travel in space ?"  I found his answer interesting, partially because he did not bother to deal with the question directly at all.  He said, " I look forward with horror to contact with the other inhabited planets, if there are such.  We would only transport to them all of our sin and our acquisitiveness, and establish a new colonialism.  I can't bear to think of it.  Bit if we on earth were to get right with God, of course, all wo...

" For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13  For by one Spirit we were all baptised into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit ." 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 It struck me today with fresh intensity the wonder of the Gospel, that sinners through faith in Jesus Christ are made saints.  Having trusted in Christ as Saviour we are spiritually regenerated - born again - by the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in us.  We are in this moment, Paul explained, "... baptised into one body ," the church of which Jesus Christ is Head.  His Body is comprised on many members with various roles which all work to edify the Body and glorify their Head.  This is the first of several baptisms mentioned in scripture. Christians have been spiritually been baptised into the Body through faith, and in obedience to the comman...

I have almost finished a book of compiled essays by C.S. Lewis titled, God in the Dock .  Throughout the book I have encountered passages which in our day have proved almost prophetic as Lewis shared thoughts and insights.  After hearing the frantic claims of politicians quoting scientists concerning how swift action must be taken on climate change, what Lewis wrote years ago is relevant today.  In an article printed in 1958 titled "Is Progress Possible," C.S. Lewis had this to say concerning government control and overreach in the name of science: Again, the new oligarchy must more and more base its claim to plan us on its claim to knowledge.  If we are to be mothered, mother must know best.  This means they must increasingly rely on the advice of scientists, till in the end the politicians proper become merely the scientists' puppets.  Technocracy is the form to which a planned society must tend.  Now I dread specialists in power because they are...