Marching Forth!

A familiar plot in many westerns begins with outlaws and anarchy reigning because there is no sheriff in the town, or the sheriff or deputies are unwilling or unable to do anything because of corruption or fear.  It is only after a brave lawman comes to town that order and peace are restored to the community.  This is the plot arc of a movie I watched as a kid called Support Your Local Sheriff , a parody of westerns and a comedy starring James Gardner who was just a guy "on his way to Australia."  His talent with a firearm was only matched by his ingenuity as he made a prison without bars secure with a little red paint.  There was no question having a new sheriff in town meant there were changes in the ways things were done, and for the better. Years ago when I lived in the States my wife and I purchased a house with the aim to completely renovate it.  Over the course of many months the layout was altered significantly as walls were knocked down, the kitchen and...

Occasionally a video pops up on my newsfeed about a lone or neglected animal given a new start by a caring rescuer.  I am impressed at the great lengths people go to for the purpose of rescuing strays and nursing them back to health.  They patiently build the trust of the animal until they can safely catch it with the aim to provide food, shelter and love.  Often over the course of months or years (which take mere minutes in a video) the horse, cat or dog that was rescued, fostered and settled undergoes massive changes in physical appearance and behaviour.  Animals that suffered neglect and abuse transform from being aggressive, skittish or cowering to bouncing around a yard at play, tail wagging with bright eyes, looking happy and healthy. Whenever I see those videos, I consider how the change in these animals provide insight into the lives of people who also have suffered for whatever reason.  One thing the rescuers do not focus on is how the creature came to...

The Bible has unrivaled wisdom and richness within its pages, and through it we gain divine insight we ought take to heart.  My eyes were recently opened to an incredible parallel all Christians do well to consider.  The children of Israel demanded a king, and according to God's direction the prophet Samuel anointed Saul of the tribe of Benjamin king.  God gave the people what they desired and asked for, yet many of them were displeased with God's choice.  For years people continued living autonomously as if they did not have a king when they actually had a king.  Saul was God's anointed, and their refusal to submit to him lead to unnecessary trouble. 1 Samuel 11:1-3 says, " 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 y...

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Having been provided access to God through prayer by His grace, it is both a privilege and duty of believers to pray.  What ought to be a first impulse can be relegated to a last resort when God is not in all our thoughts.  It is God's will we would pray without ceasing, and those who are wise discipline themselves to often align our hearts and minds with His. The prophet Samuel provides a good example of a person who often sought the LORD in prayer in 1 Samuel 8:4-6 :  " Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,  5  and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."  6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD ."  When I am displeased, there are many things I can do instead of praying to God.  I ca...

It is amazing how God created every human being with a unique personality, perspective and eternal soul.  Soldiers who march together in step wearing matching uniforms have different strengths, weaknesses, preferences and desires:  there is nothing uniform about the individuality of people created in God's image.  The twins Jacob and Esau spent nine months in the womb of Rebekah together, yet when they emerged their appearance was completely different.  As they grew older their differences were more marked, for Esau was a cunning hunter who preferred living in the fields whilst Jacob was a plain man who preferred dwelling in a tent.  Esau was hairy, and Jacob was smooth skinned.  Their physical differences were small compared to their spiritual relationship with God, for Esau did not regard Him whilst Jacob was a man who had faith in God, wrestled with Him and was given a new name. Martha and Mary of Bethany were sisters who had contrasting personalities....

The grace of God is revealed by the divine inspiration of Balaam, a man whose eyes were open as he viewed the encampment of Israel according to their tribes.  Though Balaam was greedy and selfish, he had been given revelation from God concerning the nation of Israel and the Messiah who would rise out of Jacob and rule.  Afar off Balaam saw a Star come out of Jacob, and when Jesus was born wise men followed a star to worship the Child whose birth of a virgin had been foretold.  Balaam may have loved the wages of unrighteousness ( 2 Peter 2:15 ), yet God graciously for a season opened his eyes to see and proclaim what only God knew. Blessed is the one whose eyes are opened by God to behold wondrous things in His word!  Blessed are those whose eyes are opened by faith in Jesus Christ to behold Him as their God and KING of KINGS!  It is like the one Jesus makes to see is given the key required to open up the vast wealth of God's wisdom and understanding found throug...

The richness of God's word is beyond compare.  It is a light to our feet, a lamp unto our path and more still:  they are the words of life revealed.  In pages filled with history, narrative, dialogue, poetry, praise and prophecy, we discover situations we can identify with and apply personally to our situations.  Though it was penned thousands of years ago and translated in English centuries ago, it remains relevant spiritual truth that transforms and sustains countless people through faith in God. Last night I read the passage when Hannah wept before the LORD at the tabernacle in Shiloh, deeply hurting from the provocations of her rival concerning her barrenness.  She cried out to God who had closed her womb to answer her request for a son she promised to give to the LORD and His service.  Eli the high priest, who watched her with a degree of disgust as her lips moved without audible sound, rebuked her for being drunk!  Hannah explained she was not in...

I have heard it said God works in mysterious ways, and we can rest assured He is working through intentional delays.  We can often tie God's love for us by His prompt responses to our prayers and requests, and some even doubt His favour if a painful trial be prolonged.  A passage in the Gospel of John reveals God delays with a glorious purpose in mind to accomplish far more than we could ever ask or think. When Lazarus the friend of Jesus was deathly ill, his sisters Mary and Martha sent a messenger to Jesus to notify him.  They knew Jesus had the power to heal, and appealed to His love for Lazarus so He would quickly respond.   John 11:4-6 said, " When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was ."  Martha an...

Jesus is LORD over all, and God has put everything under His feet.  When I grew up in the church I often heard of my need for Jesus as my "personal LORD and Saviour."  It was not enough for me to give mental ascent to the fact there is a God and He has been revealed in the person of Jesus, but to make a personal decision to receive Him by faith.  Whether my parents were "saved" did not remove my personal responsibility to choose to follow Jesus and obey Him. When we say something is personal, we often mean it is something to keep private.  This is not the case when a soul is born again by the power of the Gospel, for a supernatural and transformational event has taken place.  The pop band Depeche Mode wrote a song about a "personal Jesus" that is not a Gospel song at all, for it suggests a person can be a "Jesus" figure for someone else, one who makes their life have meaning.  The "Jesus" depicted in that song who assures a caller of th...

It is a wonder God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.  What a time to be alive!  We are blessed beyond measure with the reality of the truth proclaimed in  Hebrews 1:1-3 :  " God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;  3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high... "  Many people who feared and sought God did not have the benefit of being introduced to Jesus Christ, the Son of God who created all things, purged our sins and sat down in heavenly glory.  He is our High Priest and KING OF KINGS, the One who calls those who follow Him in obedience " My friends ."  This isn't a snoozing, b...

It seems to me we live in a day of protest, to gather to declare opposition.  Because of the widespread utilisation of protests these days there is little need for me to cite examples of protests or groups that mobilise and gather to oppose the protestors!  Protests are an intriguing social phenomenon, for while they may draw attention to a cause they can also harden the perception of others against them.  As long as protests do not disrupt or negatively impact the lives of others by blocking traffic or destroying property, most people outside the protest pay little mind.  Protesting seems to do more to bolster the morale of people involved in protesting because by shouting slogans and carrying signs they hope to be heard and effect change.  Being unified in opposition against something can bring people together to form a community and a sense of belonging they could cultivate by themselves. I have been studying through the book of Job and I continue to marvel o...

Like Joseph was promoted in Egypt to second under Pharaoh, so Mordecai was promoted under King Ahasuerus in the kingdom of the Medes and Persians.  Joseph was brought out of prison, and Mordecai was brought out from under the sentence of death by the decree issued by Haman.  By God's grace Mordecai was promoted greatly, and in his illustrious role as ruler he did not drift from the fear of the LORD and the love of his people.   Esther 10:3 tells us, " For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen ."  Though Mordecai personally possessed power and authority beyond the scope of a democratic or parliamentarian government today, his rule was administered in the fear of the LORD, humility and with the good of people in mind.  As a servant of God he was made fit for the role of public servant. God caused...

In the book of Esther, Haman used his influence over the king to deceitfully enact a decree which doomed the Jewish people to destruction at the hands of their enemies.  Jewish people in all the provinces were shocked and confused over the edict.  They put on sackcloth and mourned bitterly as the king and Haman, his trusted advisor, had a drink together.  In an ironic twist that puts Hollywood's best efforts to shame, the Jew Mordecai Haman hated--who was the driving force behind his desire to annihilate the Jews--he was forced to publicly honour.  Later that same day it was revealed Esther the queen was Jewish and Haman's scheme backfired in spectacular fashion with him being hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, while Mordecai was promoted to Haman's former post. Because no law of the Medes and Persians could be changed, Mordecai was given the power and authority to write a new law which gave the Jewish people the right to unite, defend themselves and plunde...

It is a wise man who recognises signs of the times and also when the time is not yet.  Jesus taught His disciples it was not for them to know times and seasons God has in His own power, but they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.  The disciples wondered about when the destruction of the temple would occur, the sign of His coming and the end of the world.  "When" questions burned within them, yet Jesus did not give them a future date so they could mark their diaries:  He wanted to teach them to look to Him in all seasons, recognise the signs of the times and lift up their heads knowing their redemption drew nigh.  Instead of grim concern, realising they were in the end times and things were going exactly according to God's plan would bolster their faith. Because we have been given the word of God, the Bible, we can be certain what God has promised will surely come to pass.  The wisest among us who know what will happen cannot know when ...

In the book of Esther, when word reached Mordecai of the decree that all the Jews would be killed and plundered he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, went to the gate of the king and wailed bitterly in grief.  Mordecai did not venture within the gate wearing sackcloth because this was forbidden by the law.   Esther 4:4-5 reads, " So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them.  5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was." When Esther heard her cousin mourned in public, Esther was deeply distressed.  She sent clothes to Mordecai with desire to take away his sackcloth, but Mordecai refused.  Perhaps she wanted him to be properly clothed so he could enter the gate of the king and s...

" Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel ." Joshua 24:31 Whenever I read passages like this, I am not left with a feeling of satisfaction and gladness.  It is great Israel served the LORD during the life of Joshua and the elders who outlived Joshua, but the verses imply that after their passing the people stopped serving the LORD.  As the book of Judges tells us, that period of history was marked by people "doing what was right in their own eyes" and their negligence to obey what God had commanded in His covenant.  The people who knew the works of the LORD He had done for Israel feared and served Him, and it seems this knowledge died with them. Judges 2:10-12 affirms, " When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done fo...

I admire the godly qualities seen in Nehemiah, a man who God prompted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and gates of Jerusalem which lay in ruins.  He was a man who feared God, received favour from God and his king, and was bold to press on in obedience whilst facing strong opposition.  Uniting people in the building of the wall was a great task, and even a more difficult task followed:  to ensure people continued to follow God in obedience to the Law of Moses when Nehemiah wasn't around. God moved people as one to clear away debris, rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem stone by stone and hung the gates.  A great revival of religion followed where people put themselves under a covenant to observe and heed the Law.  After setting all in order, Nehemiah later returned to find the society as distressed and ruined as the walls burnt with fire:  Tobiah the enemy of Israel had been lodging in the temple in a storeroom cleared for him, the Levites had ceased mi...

Whenever I venture into an Australian Post Office, I have always been curious of the odd assortment of goods sold there.  There are office related goods like notepads and envelopes, but the volume is mostly comprised of colourful cheap toys, a variety of "As Seen on TV" products, CD music compilations and gifts.  I have wondered often who would go to the Post Office to buy such things, and today I had this question answered. A mum and two young daughters were queued in front of me, and the little one aged about six or seven asked her mother to buy her a notepad.  The request was immediately declined.  The little girl went on.  "Pleeeease...it has lines on it...I can practice my writing.  Pleeeease."  Within seconds of observing the behaviour of this little girl I knew beyond doubt she was wise to something her mother may not have realised:  "No" did not mean "No" and was negotiable.  "No" could be expertly overturned with persistence, a...

During early morning walks this week I have noticed the moon slowly move day by day in a northeast direction through the sky as a waxing crescent.  Today it peeked out from the clouds like a child playing hide and seek who delights to be found.  In His wisdom God established this nocturnal luminary and reminds me to consider and praise God, the Creator of heaven and earth.  As the celestial bodies move through space with precision according to God's design, so His love and grace continually shine forth to all those whose eyes are opened by faith in Him.  How could we question or stand in judgment of our God who is most awesome? Revelation 1:7-8 reads, " Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.  8 " I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End ," says the Lord, " who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty ."  The ...