Marching Forth!

God has blessed and blesses people in countless ways, and those who are in Christ have had our eyes opened to see and appreciate many of them.  Our lives and all we enjoy are gifts from God, and even trials and pain He allows serve His redemptive purposes for our good.  As I read the Bible last week, it occurred to me how prevalent it is to appeal to peace, joy, contentment and rest as reasons to seek and trust God while these are actually some results from faith in Him.  Could it be people are introduced to Jesus Christ as a source of blessing before they even comprehend they are sinners who need a Saviour? Imagine an orphaned little boy living in a group home without a father or mother.  Without parents, this child intensely feels a lack in their life and dreams of one day filling it with a dad and mum.  This child may desire a parent like a girl wishes for a cute puppy.  She wants the companionship of a pet and the fun of playing together.  Never ha...

Jesus died for the sins of the world, there is an important condition every individual must meet to receive the benefit of His atoning work.  We understand well the necessity of our own actions to obtain a college scholarship, apply for a home loan or collect unemployment payments.  Just because a benefit is offered freely we are still responsible to act.  God does not require us to fill out forms or make a deposit.  God has put it in writing He will save all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, and gives us the down payment of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  With the heart we believe, and with our mouths we confess our sinfulness and Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour. After the children of Israel settled in Canaan, God established several "cities of refuge" where a manslayer could flee and seek refuge from the avenger of blood.  Before he was granted entrance to the city, the man guilty of manslaughter needed to publicly confess how he had killed someon...

God has provided the scriptures so we might learn of Him, to walk in His ways and grow.  The Bible is much more than an accurate account of history but provides examples for us to observe wisely and heed ourselves.  Paul explained how the past experiences of others are useful for us to take to heart today in  Romans 15:4 :  " For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope ."  God recorded the failings of His people so we might begin to comprehend His faithfulness and place our hope in God whose love is revealed by longsuffering patience.  The Bible details how God was true to His word and fulfilled promises He made to undeserving people by His grace.  People were fickle and forgetful, yet God remained good and faithful. I was recently struck by what happened after God established the children of Israel in Canaan.  After the kings of nations were ov...

It is a great tragedy children and even older folks can be viewed as "burdens to society," a concept never put forth in the word of God who values and loves all people created in His image.  Those who appear strong and supportive in their prime of life can be gone in an instant, and this reminds us that health and strength of people with the most robust constitutions are limited and temporary.  Believers are called to carry one another's burdens, but we are also called to carry our own load.  It is when we are unable to carry our own load, small though it may be in comparison to others, that we realise we need God to carry us. Do you know God promised to do this for His people?  Even whilst they were in the throes of idolatry, labouring needlessly to find favour with foreign gods when they were established and blessed by the living God, He reached out to them through the prophet Isaiah.   Isaiah 46:1-4 reads, " Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols wer...

On the first day of the week, two disciples walked along the road heading away from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  They discussed and could make no sense of what had happened:  during the Passover feast, Jesus had been arrested, crucified and buried in a tomb.   Luke 24:15-17 reads, " So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16  But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. 17  And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad ?"  It is fitting their discussion and reasoning resulted in sadness because they did not realise or believe Jesus was risen, alive and walking with them. There are things in life that do not make sense to us, no matter how much we obsess or think it over.  The disciples talked, reasoned and perhaps vented but it did not change the reality the one they believed would redeem Israel was dead, nor coul...

I remember a singular experience years ago at the start of youth group on a Sunday night.  One of the youth workers was visibly frustrated as he told us of his decision to stop serving as a leader after several months.  " Guys, I'm just not seeing any fruit, " he said.  " I'm going to Horizon " (a different church in southern California).  After he voiced his displeasure at our lack of maturity and growth, the meeting had just begun when he walked out the door and I never saw him again. I was thinking today of how common it is to look for results from our efforts and how we can be disillusioned when we do not see them.  Like that youth worker we have made sacrifices, laboured faithfully and been patient and yet we cannot see any positive impact.  I am convinced fundamentally the youth worker's issue was not with us kids, ratbags though we were:  his frustration was actually with God.  Genuine believers must recognise the temptation we face when we...

Recently it occurred to me:  unless Jesus was physically seen by eyewitnesses alive after His death and burial, claims to His resurrection would be along the lines of tabloids or sites that claim Elvis is alive.  John wrote concerning Jesus that He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.  John continued in the introduction in  1 John 1:1-3 :  " That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ ."  It is reasonable to give credence to the natural senses God has given us, otherwise the term "eyewitness"...

" And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men ." Luke 2:52 The Bible never ceases to amaze.  It can illuminate the darkest heart and reveals hidden motives.  God's word can confront and shock as it exposes our ignorance, misconceptions and our need to personally change in ways impossible to accomplish without the Holy Spirit.  God and His unerring truth thunders forth with a still, small voice.  With one sentence He can send our heads spinning, and that is what He did to me with this familiar verse that literally kept me up at night. Though Jesus existed before He put on human flesh, His body grew and developed like ours.  As a child our thoughts were simple and concrete before we grew to understand abstract reasoning.  It makes sense Jesus increased in wisdom as He physically grew, a healthy body and mind worked together.  What floored me was how Jesus could possibly increase " in favour with God ."  To increase in ...

" Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day ." Joshua 10:12-13 Joshua recorded a miraculous and unique incident as God fought for Israel at his request.  Verse 13 says this event was also recorded in a source outside of scripture that exists to this day, the Book of Jasher .  As those who value the word of God, it is important to realise this mention in scripture does not validate a book which has been omitted from biblical canon.  Some have made the mistake for looking for truth outside the Bible in ancient texts that have been permanently disq...

No matter how long we have been believing in Jesus as LORD, we will always remain God's children.  We are called to grow to maturity, of course, but knowledge or experience should never lead to increasing distance from God:  growing in the LORD means we rely on Him more than ever.  We train our children to become independent of our care, and God trains us through countless means to be more dependent on Him. Jesus acknowledged parents are able to give good gifts to their children in  Luke 11:13 to teach that God is able to give infinitely better gifts:  " If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him !"  There is a biblical connection often made between our asking in faith and God responding.  James explained we often do not have because we do not ask, and also we have not because we ask with selfish motivation.  God is wise to refuse ...

How gracious God is to teach us and give us time to grow!  A farmer does not pull or throw out seedlings because they have not yet produced fruit, and God does not expect us to have a biblical perspective from spiritual infancy.  Like a child grows to walk and talk outside the womb, once we are born again God enables us to develop into mature children of God.  It may be a surprisingly quick process to the casual observer, but it still requires time and the wisdom of God to accomplish. Children have many misconceptions of the world around them due to their naivete, ignorance or from being misinformed.  In a similar way, many Christians can bring misunderstandings into their relationship with God after trusting in Jesus and being born again.  The transformation of a heart justified by faith may be immediate, yet even the most mature believers require a renewing of their minds.  All believers have the potential to lack faith, to forget what God has said and do...

There are many tasks we "leave to the professionals" because we lack the training, skills, tools or time to do a quality job.  When hiring a contractor we spare no pains to read through pages of reviews to ensure the price is reasonably and professionalism is adequately high.  One thing I find remarkable about God is His gracious choice to rely upon volunteers to gladly proclaim His praises and goodness.  God never shies away from using the weak and foolish to do His perfect will, broken vessels through whom His immeasurable glory shines.  Should a vessel God uses be proved flawed, He remains righteous, holy and good. When the children of Israel passed through the Jordan river, God caused the waters to stand in a heap.  The priests who bore the ark of the testimony stood on dry ground in the midst until all passed over.  Joshua instructed a man from each tribe in Israel to carry a stone from the riverbed of the Jordan which were later set up in Gilgal....

" So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before ." Joshua 3:2-4 On the cusp of finally crossing the Jordan river and entering into the Promised Land, God's people were told to keep their distance from the ark of the covenant carried by the Levites as they followed.  During their pilgrimage in the wilderness the presence of God led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to the next location to make camp.  The children of Israel were told to keep almost a kilometre distance between them and the ark of God so they could see th...

A phrase I keep hearing lately in light of current events in the world is, "Buckle up!  It's going to be a bumpy ride!"  I ask in response, "Who's sitting at the wheel of your life?"  If we look to politics, policies or people for peace and security, we are looking in the wrong place.  A metaphorical seat belt does nothing to help us endure turbulent times with hope.  If we allow things of this world to drive us, we are helpless and hopeless passengers at the mercy of fools.  This is not a wise posture for children of God to adopt. On one occasion Jesus told His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee.  Suddenly their small fleet of boats was overwhelmed by a serious storm and started filling with water.  The disciples panicked.   Mark 4:38-40 reveals Jesus did not share their grave concerns:  " But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"...

The apostle Paul observed in 1 Corinthians 8:1 , " Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies ."  We live in a day when vast amounts of information is available to us online, and this fits with what the angel predicted in the latter part of  Daniel 12:4 :  " But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase ."  As knowledge increases potentially pride does as well.  Though in many situations we only know what we have heard, pride asserts it knows what has happened, will happen or what should be done. The way knowledge can be rightly tempered is by walking in the love of God.  Having received the love of God by grace through faith in Jesus, those who are born again are filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit to wield knowledge to glorify God and edify the church--not to attack others or for self-promotion.  People are running to and fro to gain more knowledge, to ...

Yesterday I read a meme which contained a quote I have seen attributed to the stoic Seneca:  " The wise man is neither raised up by prosperity nor cast down by adversity; for always he has striven to rely predominantly on himself, and to derive all joy from himself ."  What was intended to be a "mic-drop" quote fell flat with a whimper, for this reeks of the wisdom of man which is foolishness with God.  Words are not true or insightful because they were recorded from ancient times but because they agree with God who is our Wisdom and words God has spoken.  This empty philosophy is completely without footing, a humanist ideal which fails entirely because it depends upon the strength of mortal, flawed men. A careful read of this statement reveals it to be self-defeating and contradictory.  Because men are continually raised up by prosperity and cast down by adversity it could be truly said there is not a wise man among us.  " The fear of the LORD is the begin...

As king Solomon wrapped up his discourse, he wrote in  Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 :  " The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12  And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh ."  The words we speak make a difference in the lives of others for good when we are led by the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ who is wisdom for us.  Many people who will not consider listening to a sermon or reading a book by a Christian author (much less the Bible itself!) can be impacted by godly, wise speech.  At times it seems pastors or professors are not seen to be worth their salt unless they have written at least one acclaimed book, but Solomon pointed out how there is no end to making books.  The implication is books, however insightful and useful, have a limit of effect and impact which demands another.  There will nev...

" The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law ." Deuteronomy 29:29 This verse ministered to my heart this morning as I considered it.  The first thing to be observed is there are secret things only God knows.  I can often be troubled by what I do not know, and it is possible the thing I desire to know will remain secret and unknown to me because it is only God's to know.  Since the LORD knows all things, nothing is hidden or a secret to Him.  Because He is the almighty, supreme God and is good, I can rest comfortably though secrets are kept from me. The second point which struck me is my LORD and Creator has chosen to reveal Himself and His wisdom to me.  God delights to reveal Himself to the soul who seeks and trusts Him, and the revelations of God are to be passed on to our children.  God directed His people to teach their children o...

The start of a new year is an exciting time of looking gladly towards the future.  Perhaps of all the years of my life I have never seen a "year" cop more hate than 2020.  I have seen countless memes and references of 2020 that paint those 365 days in a negative light.  I am reminded of a song I sang often growing up taken from  Psalm 118:24 :  " This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it ."  If we acknowledge each day we are given on earth is a gift received from our good God, how can we say 365 of them in a row are bad?  2020 was an awesome year because we have an awesome God, and should we live to see one day in 2021 we have been granted a blessing beyond what we deserve. What I love about the song taken from Psalm 118 is the context of the Messiah God would send who would suffer and die for sinners.  Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.  Jesus re...