Marching Forth!

How blessed Christians are to be God's adopted, beloved children!  Young children might be small, weak, and vulnerable and learn to rely upon their parents for understanding and help.  A child who is loved can be secure and carefree knowing their parents are near.  The simplicity of a child's trust and reliance upon their parents is a lesson to all followers of Jesus Christ we should never grow out of. Paul provides an example of this when a voyage which began with a gentle breeze turned stormy and deadly.  When all hope seemed to be lost, Paul stood up and addressed the crew and fellow prisoners with words of encouragement.  He said in  Acts 27:22-25 , " 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 grante...

In a meeting this week I was asked to describe the way God spoke to me when it came to deciding to move to Australia before I was aware of any open door.  I suppose I can describe it as similar to a symphony:  a crowd of musicians playing a variety of instruments led by one Conductor.  God is unlimited in the means and manner He speaks to us, confirming His leading by the Bible, other people, what some people might call "coincidence," and the witness of our own conscience, motives, and thoughts.  God is intimately acquainted with all people and knows the way to communicate in a way we can receive.  When we seek the LORD He is faithful to speak. I remember the day very well God's call to go to Australia was crystalised in my mind.  Even the date was significant and unforgettable, commemorated in the title of this blog:  March 4th, 2009.  From early in our relationship my wife always said "March 4th" was her favourite date because it was also an ...

It is important to understand how the coming of Jesus was intended to impact the views of people previously under the Law of Moses.  As believers who hold to the divine inspiration and relevance of all the Bible, it is vital to our understanding that the New Testament holds precedence over the Old.  This is not to say the Old Testament is of lesser value or is in any way outdated.  It is all the infallible Word of God and the context, with the help of the Holy Spirit to compare scripture with scripture, guides us into rightly dividing the word of truth with practical application. Just this morning I was reading what David wrote in  Psalm 139:19-22 :  " Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. 20  For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21  Do I not hate them, O LORD , who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22  I hate them with p...

I don't think we can imagine a world where the almighty, living God is not good .  If God was not good, there could be nothing resembling good in the world.  It is only because God is good there are admirable and praiseworthy characteristics in people.  Love, joy, peace, and kindness are a reality to be desired because in God we find all these things. Today I checked out a new sandy spot to metal detect and I saw a sign which was amusing and confronting at the same time.  The beautiful natural landscape was in stark contrast to the reminder that everything is not right in the world. The sign read in all caps:  "BEWARE:  DO NOT TEMPT THIEVES, DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN VIEW, LOCK YOUR CAR."  The only reason why these signs were placed throughout the car part was because people do not keep God's 8th commandment which says, " Thou shalt not steal ."  The signs warns and urges law-abiding citizens are to take precautions against thieves because...

God has many lessons to teach us outside of church, practical sermons we can put to personal use.  Yesterday I was gifted one such lesson.  Our church building is located in an industrial park which has unit numbers painted on each space in the carpark in addition to a sign on the kerb.  I removed the signs to prep the concrete to install new signs and placed them on top of the kerb in the meantime due to rain.  When I arrived at church yesterday the signs had been thrown into the planter.  There are almost always people who utilise our parking spaces since we do not keep regular business hours.  Seeing those signs in the planters made me shake my head and smile, imagining people could then justify parking in our spots.  This is a picture of hypocrisy that seeks to justify self. I was suddenly reminded of an event which unfolded over 15 years ago when I worked in the shipyard at NASSCO.  One of my work mates came into the shack before work abso...

" If You, LORD , should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4  But there is forgiveness with You, t hat You may be feared ." Psalm 130:3-4 Last night I tossed and turned after going to bed.  Summer heat coupled with sinus congestion made initial attempts to sleep fruitless.  So I decided to meditate on noble and praiseworthy aspects of God's character in gratitude.  Paul's exhortation in  Philippians 4:8 is fitting for night and day:  " Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things ."  Who is more true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, or praiseworthy than God?  He is the ultimate personification of all these qualities and infinitely more. Isn't it amazing a holy and just God of absolut...

Positive though change may be, there is in everyone natural resistance to personal change we don't want.  Maybe we cannot see the benefit or need to change; changing requires too much sacrifice or does not fit our ideal.  Receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour brings about a dynamic, transformational change of the heart and mind of Christians that is continual and relentless as we grow in grace.  As long as we remain in these bodies of flesh there will be conflict Paul described between our flesh and the new man created after Jesus Christ.  Our call is not to focus primarily on the need of others to change but to hear the echo of Christ's words to Peter who wondered about John's responsibility:  "What is that to you?  You follow Me." Even as the flesh resists the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, so those who reject Christ as Saviour rebuff the efforts of God's people to affect godly transformation.  An example of this tendency is seen in  Acts...

Words fail to describe how awesome and praiseworthy God is.  He stands apart and alone from all that is created in power, righteousness, and love.  David mused in  Psalm 8:1-4 : " O LORD , our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him ?"  The inescapable irony is man who God graciously created in His image is often not mindful of God. Even when we think of God, our deepest considerations of Him are shallow and short-sighted.  This is to be expected because we are beings with limited intellects bound by times and measurements.  God is better than we can conce...

I was looking for a C.S. Lewis quote I mentioned in a previous blog post and on the first page of Google results there was a blogger who wrote an expose on the occult agenda of C.S. Lewis in his Narnia books.  The internet is rife with this sort of thing, people who claim to have discovered a "hidden agenda" which may or may not be true. As I thought this claim to knowledge over, it occurred to me that "having an agenda" often directly corresponds with personal motive .  Because we cannot perfectly know the hearts of men making absolute claims about the motives of others is dicey at best.  Take for instance in western culture the marriage of people who are vastly different in age:  a young woman marrying an older wealthy man could be viewed by some as a gold-digger or some might call the old man a pervert.  But the reality is the couple could very much be in love, regardless of what is common practice in society or our judgments based on appearances and ...

Because of our limited understanding and ignorance we can tend towards oversimplifying biblical truth.  There are many clear-cut doctrines in scripture which are objective and plain.  But like the apostle Peter who was filled with the Holy Spirit, we can admit there are teachings in scripture which are hard to understand.  He wrote in  2 Peter 3:15-16 , "... and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,  16  as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures ."  To understand, rightly divide, and apply the scriptures requires being born again by the Holy Spirit and discernment only God provides. One challenge all followers of Jesus face is the personal application of God's ...

The Bible is packed with amazing insights God provides generously by His grace.  I was intrigued by what I read this morning concerning Herod's arrest of Peter in  Acts 12:4 :  " And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people ."  I read my devotions and study out of the King James Version because of the Strong's concordance so I can look up the original words.  I have read this many times before but it struck me "Easter" was used instead of "Passover" way back by learned and pious scholars who embarked on the seven year, peer-reviewed process of fulfilling King James' commission to translate the scriptures in 1611. I found the inclusion of "Easter" ironic and illuminating.  Some of the more conservative-leaning folks in Christendom prefer to avoid the term and utilise "Resurrection Sunday" to ...

Today I officiated a funeral for a much loved mum, nana, and friend.  It was an emotional time for all to hear touching tributes that conveyed the depth of love and gratitude coupled with mourning great personal loss.  Saying goodbye to a loved one is always hard, and it is a great blessing when grief can be tempered with the knowledge of a future reunion in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. During the service attendees were invited to place a flower on the casket adorned with a lovely bouquet, Scottish tartan, and smiling portrait to the sound of bagpipes.  All the flowers provided were ultimately laid on the closed casket soberly and with tears.  It occurred to me after the service how the person we honoured and remembered was no longer with us, though the deceased body remains.  The real person created in the image of God, the soul of the departed, had already gone to God.  What remained in that casket could be compared to a seed, a husk that bear...

From the cross Jesus uttered the opening verse of Psalm 22 which went on to describe the suffering of the Saviour.  Roman crucifixion was the way God chose to fulfill  Psalm 22:16 :  " For dogs have surrounded Me; t he congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet ."  As unbelieving, unclean men mocked and scorned Jesus Christ He hung by nails which pierced hands and feet.  The Jewish religious rulers arrested and delivered Jesus to Pilate for judgment, saying Jesus ought to die for claiming He was the begotten Son of God ( John 19:7 ).  Jesus went to God's chosen people with the Good News, but they rejected and delivered Him to the Romans to be crucified. Isn't it ironic how a majority of the persecution and wounds Jesus carried were caused by His own countrymen?  We do not read of the Greeks plotting to destroy Him, nor of the Romans arresting Jesus for alleged insurrection:  it was the Jews to whom Jesus w...

At the people's request and God's permission, the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel.  The ironic thing is people demanded a king yet many rejected the king at his coronation.  They weren't satisfied even when their request was granted in full.  This lack of contentment and refusal to accept or submit fully to God's authority is a chronic malady in man.  There were many people who were loyal to king Saul, gave gifts, and honoured him as the anointed of the LORD, though in the eyes of the majority he was without authority or power.  The following passage illustrates this. 1 Samuel 11:1-4 reads, " Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." 2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel." 3 Then...

Due to a prolonged drought in NSW, level 2 water restrictions are now being enforced.  This means sprinklers and hoses are no longer permitted for watering lawns or washing cars.  All watering must be done by hand with a bucket or watering can.  Had I known water restrictions were coming I wouldn't have put so much effort or time to beautify the lawn in spring! Because it has been so dry and hot lately when I bucket water on burnt spots the water just runs off.  The soil and roots desperately need water but the hardness of the ground repels it.  When I was trained to remove asbestos as a union mechanical insulator it was common to add a "surfactant" or wetting agent to the water before spraying the material to be removed.  Because asbestos is most dangerous when airborne a key part of the removal process is to thoroughly wet it.  The high surface tension of water does not allow it to penetrate the material and much of the water is wasted as runoff....

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Peter and other apostles told Jewish rulers in  Acts 5:31 :  " Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins ."  Jesus humbled Himself to be crucified for sinners, and God exalted Him above all by raising Him from the dead in eternal glory.  Jesus willingly laid down His life on Calvary and took it up again according to His Word, and provided salvation and redemption for all through the Gospel. Peter's explanation provides insight concerning repentance and forgiveness.  When people think of repentance it is often in the context of something we must do, an obligation and responsibility of a sinner before a holy, just God.  Repentance is more than being sorry or feeling guilty:  it is when a person sorrowfully acknowledges their sin and guilt and turns from it in submission and renewed agreement with God.  It means to change, to reform, to turn from ...

God is infinitely good, and one of the aspects of His character I have appreciated lately is how longsuffering He is.  We labour to avoid suffering however we can, and when we suffer our main objective is to find relief.  If God was not longsuffering, patient, and compassionate He would have wiped us wretched sinners from the globe ages ago.  See how Paul introduces a description of God's love in  1 Corinthians 13:4 :  " Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up... "  Love suffers long.  The death of Jesus Christ on Calvary was a demonstration of His love:  every insult, physical blow, and slanderous accusation against Him was patiently received.  With every step towards Calvary His longsuffering character was on display. Having been born again through faith in Jesus Christ, it is God's will this longsuffering love of God would be displayed as we bear our cross daily.  It invol...

Places that are inhospitable or bleak are sometimes called "godforsaken," but looks can be deceiving.  No matter how barren the landscape or isolated the place the Bible teaches the presence of the almighty God is available and accessible right there and now.  In the darkest dungeon, in the most frantic emergencies, when no help is coming and no one seems to care, God is there and ready to save. Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?  They were Jews who were taken captive by the Babylonians and trained to serve King Nebuchadnezzar.  He made an image of gold and commanded when music was played all his subjects would bow down in worship before it.  These three men of faith refused.  They were ultimately thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal.  In that moment a remarkable miracle occurred:  those who threw them into the fire were consumed by the flames, but only their bonds were burnt off.  They walked f...

At the moment my family and I are reading through 1 Chronicles , a book heavy with genealogies.  Because the names can be a mouthful and sound foreign to English speakers the temptation might be to skip them.  Even in genealogies there are some delightful insights, like Jabez in  1 Chronicles 4:9-10 :  " Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain."  10  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested." The Strong's Concordance defines the name "Jabez" as " to grieve, sorrowful ."  The birth of Jabez was painful, yet out of pain was borne great blessing because he called on the God of Israel.  He prayed believing and God granted him what he requested.  Ja...