Marching Forth!

As a Christian when you hear the term "signs and wonders," what comes to mind?  I think of things like Jesus healing the paralytic, cleansing lepers, casting out demons and raising the dead.  My mind goes to miraculous manifestations of God's power at work in the lives of people.  Let us not imagine, however, signs and wonders are a New Testament phenomenon.  The Bible makes it clear God has been doing signs and wonders through His people since the beginning, and in ways that might surprise you. The context of Isaiah 8 is God directing the prophet Isaiah to name his son "Mahershalalhashbaz," quite a mouthful.  I am sure many people were quite surprised anyone would name their son a compound word that is basically a sentence meaning, "speedy spoil and hasty plunder."  It was meant to be a divine encouragement that the Assyrian/Israel alliance formed against Judah would soon fail, even before the boy Mahershalalhashbaz would be able to say "my fathe...

It is wonderful when investigation into the claims of scripture confirm the truth of God's word.  Because the Bible is the word of God, we can place our faith in the infallible accuracy of the revelation.  I believe a problem can arise when well-intentioned people take it upon themselves to "prove" the Bible is true by the discovery of ancient artifacts or sites.  The Bible is not true because we have found the actual 10 Commandments or Noah's ark:  it is true because it is the word of God, and we therefore expect the evidence over time will stack up. There will always be naysayers and doubters even if every single ancient artifact mentioned in the Bible was produced, authenticated, cataloged and kept safe in a museum.  The discovery of the Ark of the Covenant would not necessarily stir belief in the historical authenticity any more than an empty tomb near Jerusalem prompts people to believe Jesus is risen from the dead.  The facts are Jesus did rise from t...

" Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah  3 But You, O LORD , are a shield for me, m y glory and the One who lifts up my head ." Psalm 3:2-3 When I read this passage it occurred to me David's knowledge of God lead him to rest and confidence believers can sometimes lack.  The circumstances around the penning of this psalm was Absalom had declared himself king in Hebron, David's most trusted advisor and many others defected and conspired with him, and thus David fled from Jerusalem to prevent bloodshed.  One might expect David to pray for protection for his household and himself, yet instead David acknowledged God was a shield for him. Do you see the difference between praying to God for protection and knowing God is your shield?  Since God was David's shield in Whom he sought refuge in by faith there was no need for him to pray for protection.  Of course there is nothing wrong with praying for God to protect us, but readi...

  “ A moving buddy -- if you don't have one, get one !” Woody – Toy Story As moving day approached in the movie Toy Story , Woody strongly urged all toys to find a “moving buddy” for their safety and support.   I have heard believers exhort other Christians in a similar manner to “get prayer” or encourage them to find someone if they “need prayer.”   This way of speaking of prayer might suggest prayer is something we need  others can do for us, that prayer is primarily about what we receive or there are greater benefits on offer when we coordinate with others.   The Bible does not speak about prayer in terms of getting but doing ourselves, and to pray with other Christians with likeminded faith is a privilege, responsibility and birthright of believers we ought to embrace.    The spiritual reality is we are exhorted to pray without ceasing because this is the will of God for us.   We need to pray for the health of our souls even as we breathe ...

It is remarkable that in the time between the creation of the world and the great flood, there were only a handful of people mentioned by name who feared the LORD and walked with Him.  Abel, Enoch and Noah are men spoken of in the book of Hebrews who were marked by faith in God.  By faith Abel and his offering were accepted, Enoch walked with God and was not because God took him, and by faith Noah was moved to obey God and build an ark according to divine specifications.  Everyone created in the image of God has the capacity to know and walk with Him by faith, but the scripture makes it clear those who do are numbered in the minority. It dawned on me clearly as I observed what we are told of the antediluvian world, that very few people walk with God.  It is one thing to call on the name of the LORD but another to walk with Him, day by day in communion and fellowship.  People who have heard of God and even believe He exists do not always call out to Him, seek Hi...

An aspect of God I admire is His power over all things at the same time.  There is nothing that happens without His knowledge; no scheme of man or Satan is allowed to be enacted that skirts His redemptive plans and purposes.  Knowing we will see God's goodness in the land of the living turns our eyes towards Him in faith, to see what He will do.  As the scripture demonstrates countless times, His ways are higher than ours.  We could be likened to dogs sniffing the ground when God is over and above all with all wisdom, knowledge and power.  When we are on the trail of truth it is only because He first blazed it before us. I love how God uses means we imagine are below Him.  He chooses to use human beings as His servants when He created angels for the purpose of being His ministers.  He can use the worst trials and tribulations to bring forth beauty, healing and comfort.  God even at times used enemies of His people to discipline His chosen people, ...

There is a place for rebuke in the body of Christ, as this is a way love can be shown by correction.  When I hear people who feel inclined to rebuke the devil, however, I wonder why not seek the LORD in prayer?  Why not make our supplications to God who will rebuke and destroy the enemy of our souls in due time?  Imagine, praying to the devil when you ought to be praying to God!  Even if Satan happens to be in earshot, our rebukes are nothing compared to God's. It is a good practice to see if the practices of professing believers have biblical merit.  A quick survey of the scriptures does not demonstrate believers are ever taught or led by Jesus to rebuke the devil.  The passage which some have run with is  Jude 1:8-9 that reads, " Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.  9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring ...

We can be our harshest critic at times.  Though it is unwise to compare ourselves with others, we can do this without even thinking.  I have heard people talk about the impossible standards set by the airbrushed pictures in glossy magazines and filters on social media that present a fanciful portrayal of beauty that leads to people feeling self-conscious and even hating their appearance.  The thirst for attention and praise is strong and feelings of inadequacy even stronger.  Every year people die from complications of cosmetic surgery, chasing the dream of improved appearance. How would you react if the words spoken by the Shulamite's beloved from  Song of Songs 4:7 were spoken directed at you:  “ You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you .”  One could say the Shulamite suffered from a negative body image, for she was self-conscious about her dark tan from working as a shepherdess.  In the song she was introduced to her beloved, a p...

There was concern among the staff at a camp when it was realised one of the girls had not been eating much.  Whenever she was encouraged to eat there were always excuses given:  she wasn't feeling well (possibly from not eating), had a headache, she didn't like the food on offer or claimed to have eaten already.  Eating disorders can pose a dangerous and even a deadly risk to the health and well-being of those who suffer from them, and thus the duty of care of leaders at camp was to ensure all had access to wholesome food.  At the same time we could not force anyone to eat anything or everything.  But we could call parents of campers, and praise the LORD loving parents have the well-being of their children in mind. A similar thing is true concerning pastoral teaching ministry.  Pastors and teachers are called and equipped by God to hold forth the word of God as the spiritual and practical nutrition it is for our souls.  People are also enabled by God t...

The old cliche goes, "The devil's in the detail."  This statement is not typically to espouse a belief in Satan or God, but I am convinced humans give the devil too much credit and God not enough.  I've also heard the large print gives and the small print takes away.  Again, God is intimately acquainted with all the most minute detail that escapes our notice, and all we have is a gift from Him.  Just because business owners and world leaders do not have much time for fellow citizens, it doesn't follow God is anything like that.  He is God , and thus has knowledge and interest in every person and details beyond our notice. I was struck by the details God considers when I read through a promise of coming judgment God would bring upon his people through Isaiah.   Isaiah 5:27-28 says, " No one will be weary or stumble among them, n o one will slumber or sleep;  n or will the belt on their loins be loosed,  n or the strap of their sandals be ...

God gave us feelings, and this is a good thing.  A problem arises, however, when we allow our feelings to dictate what we do or how we respond to a situation.  Knowledge of the truth helps keep our feelings in check, and faith in God enables feelings to serve us well rather than being mastered by them. Generally, parents have healthy and positive desires for their babies.  They want to nurture them to grow, learn to roll over, crawl, walk and talk.  A little child comfortable with crawling is not always keen to learn to walk because their legs are wobbly and uncoordinated.  Imagine a child who is barely able to stand with the aid of an object is made to stand in the middle of a room at a distance from a smiling parent who coaxes them to take a step.  The little one fusses or drops to the ground, not feeling happy about this torturous situation.  What is wrong with crawling?  Why is mum or dad just out of reach?  And why do we have to keep pla...

The Bible is packed with wisdom and encouragement all who trust God ought take to heart.  We need to look to the LORD continually to align our perspective according to His miraculous strength and good purposes.  It is easy for us to allow other people, circumstances and feelings to dictate what we do rather than the almighty God.  We check a weather report to see if we should bring along a jacket or umbrella or we decide not to mow our lawn that needs a trim due to a drizzle.  Jesus spoke about how sailors observed the sky to predict the conditions on the water.  Our call is to look beyond the natural world with eyes of faith on God, to do the work He has called us to do regardless of the weather or how profitable our efforts seem to be. Solomon spoke about how external factors can impact us without considering God's role in this world in  Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 :  " He who observes the wind will not sow, a nd he who regards the clouds will not reap....

Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, faults and particular sins they are bent towards.  This morning I experienced a culmination of circumstances which led to me losing my temper.  I allowed feelings of frustration over my own mistakes while baking that resulted in a seething rage.  There are at least two things I despise:  my own foolish mistakes, and wasting good ingredients.  Throwing away what could have been delicious baked goods provoked a grit your teeth, sputtering, white-hot anger that begged to be released on the world easily justified in the moment under the guise of the unexpected problems I faced. Looking back, my angry reaction was completely unjustified.  It meant I needed to use twice the amount of ingredients and needed to make an unplanned trip to the shops where there were ingredients in abundance I could afford to purchase.  It occurred to me that anger will not be reasoned with, and it prefers cursing over blessing....

I grew up playing Little League baseball as a kid, and my coaches stressed the importance of fundamentals at the plate, on the mound, on the base paths and in the field.  One aspect of fielding we worked on was knowing what to do should the ball be hit your way.  If a fly ball came in your direction and a catch was likely possible, we were taught to "call" the ball by shouting audibly to communicate with other fielders.  There was also a pecking order to avoid dangerous collisions or dropped balls if a ball was hit between teammates.  An outfielder had the right to "call off" an infielder as their momentum was heading in the right direction, and the center fielder had the right of way over a converging right or left fielder. Understanding the need to take initiative to call the ball before catching it was as important as knowing when to peel off and allow a teammate to make the catch.  This was not decided in the pressure filled moments of the game but during pr...

" Consider the work of God; f or who can make straight what He has made crooked ?" Ecclesiastes 7:13 It is good for a man to consider God and His works.  God worked in creating the world and established natural laws of matter, motion, gravitation and chemical interactions.  All the sciences, the calculations of mathematicians and physicists, to be proved and functional must align with what is.  Like God does not change, the fact level foundations and plumb walls exist are a testimony to the order of the universe God has created.  When God makes something straight, no man has the power to alter it any more than we can shift the earth off its 23.5 degree axis. The statement of the preacher is citing the opposite truth:  who can make straight what God has made crooked?  It is possible for us to stretch a coil of wire or string into a straight line by force, but no one can make straight what God has made crooked.  He has made judgments according to righte...

" Since there are many things that increase vanity, h ow is man the better?  12  For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun ?" Ecclesiastes 6:11-12 Reading through Ecclesiastes is a wondrous reminder of the new covenant we have entered into by faith in Jesus Christ today!  All the questions and wonderings of Solomon the preacher find an answer in our LORD Jesus who is altogether good, provides purpose, guidance and also reveals what is to come.  This world is passing away, but in Christ there is the hope of enduring fruitfulness forever. While we cannot know what will happen after us under the sun, Jesus taught we ought not worry about tomorrow because sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  The Son of God Jesus came to comfort troubled hearts by faith in Him.  The more we learn and grow, the more we realise we need Jesus today mor...

On the night Jesus was betrayed, Peter was guilty of doing something he believed was impossible:  he denied Jesus three times.  After Jesus rose from the dead, He never mentioned Peter's failure.  He did not bring up the incident as a joke, hint about it to embarrass Peter or shame him, but Jesus did initiate an opportunity for Peter to publicly affirm his genuine love for Jesus. Three times in the hearing of the other disciples Jesus singled Peter out and asked if he loved Him.  After Peter affirmed twice he did love His LORD Jesus,  John 21:17 says:  " He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep. "  The Bible does not say precisely why Peter was grieved, but the fact the question was repeated three times was a reminder of...

I recently read an insightful quote in Matthew Henry Commentary:  “ We are apt to dote too much on men and means, instruments and external helps; whereas God will change his workmen, and yet carry on his work.  There is no need of immortal ministers to be the guides of the church, while it is under the conduct of an eternal Spirit ."  While God employs the teaching and testimony of His saints long after He receives them into glory, I agree with the sentiment.  Many times I imagine many have wondered how the church or organisation was to survive after the passing of a much loved leader, but God is able to change His workmen and carry on His work. One verse Oswald Chambers directed his listeners to take to heart was one that God ministered greatly in his own life were the words of Jesus in  Luke 11:13 :  " 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 ...

God's wisdom and redemptive power are attributes of the living, almighty God Who is worthy of praise.  His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways past finding out, yet He has graciously revealed Himself to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ.  He is able to take something intended for evil and use the same thing for eternal good.  Glorious! Lately I have been studying through the opening chapters of Genesis and considering the fall of mankind into sin and the resulting curse.  Satan was exposed as being a deceiver, liar and murder from the beginning as he coaxed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in violation of God's command.  Many times as a youth I wondered how life on earth would have been different if sin had not entered into the world.  I can tell you one difference:  without sin in the world God would not have been provided an opportunity to demonstrate His love, grace, mercy, compassion, kindness and goodness.  If everything was ...

When we change our clothes, an article of clothing is put off before we put another on.  This concept is held forth in the Bible concerning the new man, for after we are born again we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to put off the old man--and the sinful behaviour, pride and self-confidence--and then to put on the new man which resembles Christ in humility, meekness, love and righteousness. Romans 13:12-14 exhorts believers, " The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  13  Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  14  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts ."  Because of the spiritual regeneration which has taken place in our hearts by the power of the Gospel, God intends our lives to align with Him in holiness.  A person can claim...

" Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, b ut a woman who fears the LORD , she shall be praised.  31  Give her of the fruit of her hands, a nd let her own works praise her in the gates ." Proverbs 31:30-31 It is amazing the lengths and pains people are willing to endure to pursue their ideals concerning personal beauty.  The treatments, augmentations, lifts, sculpting and injections can almost become a idolatrous pursuit of beauty that quickly passes away.  People post images of themselves to seek favour of friends and strangers, and compliments and criticisms both increase along with followers.  The standard of what is considered beautiful today changes by the day, for we are never satisfied. God tells us what is better than perfectly manicured brows, youthful skin and a toned body from hours in the gym:  the woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.  This chapter of Proverbs focuses primarily on the great value of a virtuous woman and wife...

It is good to realise no matter how much we know (or think we know!), God always has much more to reveal of Himself and our need for Him through His word.  A verse read hundreds of times and even memorised remains full of truth yet to be understood and applied by those who trust in God.  A passage that grabbed my attention today is from the words of Agur in the KJV of  Proverbs 30:7-9 :  " Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:  8 remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  9 lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD ? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. " Whilst the final words of verse 9 are in italics (meaning they are not in the original text but added by the translators to improve the English rendering), it caused me to consider how stealing can be connected with taking the name of the LORD in vain.  The ...