Marching Forth!

When I played baseball as a kid, there were plenty of superstitions that went with it.  The unwritten rules of baseball are probably more extensive as the written rules--imagining things a player does or does not do can actually impact the outcome of a game.  If a pitcher is on a no-hitter, the cardinal sin is to mention it to the pitcher out loud as if they didn't know.  Even professional commentators broadcasting the game come up with creative ways to say a pitcher is on a no hitter without actually saying it.  When our team was losing a game that was reaching the end, we would don a "rally cap" and turn our hats inside out to hopefully spark an offensive outburst.  A particular bat was seen as lucky or the orientation of a helmet or random object was just the thing to help us to victory.  If it didn't work, we tried something else.  It was all good fun. While there are people who legitimately believe the socks or jockstrap you are wearing makes a di...

Sin leads to more sin, and even the most subtle sin will reveal itself openly.  As Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  The source of our problem with sin is not measured by words we say or things we do but fundamental aspects of who we are as a person living in a body of flesh marred by pride and unbelief.  Even a person who is born again with genuine faith in God has a soft-spot toward these subtle, sometimes latent sins that we are unable to recognise in real time.  It is only by God's grace conviction of these sins comes and we are strengthened by faith to confess them, repent of them and do what pleases God instead.  Salvation is of the LORD. A good illustration of the consequences of unbelief are seen in Exodus 6 when Moses went to speak to the children of Israel.  The almighty God told Moses to speak to the Hebrews and inform them God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with them.  He would bring them...

I remember an incident that happened a long time ago when I was in high school.  While at a Cross-country team dinner, a younger teammate decided to pester me.  I warned him if he continued to shove and touch me, I was going to drop him.  When it was evident my warning went unheeded, I did a judo throw that ended up knocking the wind out of him.  In that moment I had a mix of feelings:  I felt justified in warning him and the consequences doled out but at the same time had a twinge guilt.  I was older than him and should have demonstrated wisdom by walking away.  It was all good between us after the incident (I apologised profusely) and I was not surprised when he took up wrestling for the school the following season. From my view at the time, my teammate got exactly what he deserved because he was warned about the consequences of his actions and did not listen.  But at the same time I can say my actions were unjust and not from a heart of love....

Names and words are very important.  This is observed in fairy tales where incantations are used to wield magical power, and the invocations are used in pagan and religious rites.  In the animated film Prince of Egypt , the magicians invoked the power of Ra to do their bidding, similar to cartoon He-Man shouting, "By the power of Greyskull I have the power!"  From a Christian biblical perspective, no name can compare with the name of Jesus Christ, for God has put His name above all others forever ( Phil. 2:9-11 ).  All other names and powers are subject to Him--even those who say His name. Some people imagine that knowing or saying a name gives them power over the one they refer to when the opposite is more accurate:  to call on a name of a deity with an invocation is a claim the deity wields power we willingly submit to.  God revealed Himself to Moses from a burning bush, and when Moses asked by what name God should be identified to His people  Exodus...

" Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, a ccording to Your word;  30  for my eyes have seen Your salvation  31  which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,  32  a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, a nd the glory of Your people Israel ." Luke 2:29-32 These are the words spoken by Simeon as he held Jesus in his arms in the temple in Jerusalem.  The LORD God revealed to Simeon, described as being just and devout, that he would not see death until he saw the Christ.  He was led by the Holy Spirit to enter the temple right before Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to present Him before the LORD according to the Law of Moses.  Many assume Simeon was an old man, but the Bible does not say this.  Simeon might have been an old fellow, but his words are even more poignant if Simeon was not advanced in years, a man grimly clinging to life, a life that from God that seemed more burdensome than a blessing. I...

There are times when I wonder over the wisdom of God and think to myself, "Wow, God thought of everything."  Of course this is no surprise to the believer, yet it is good to be brought to a place of adoration of our God who is over and above all things, the holy God unapproachable in glory who came down from heaven in the person of Jesus.  Just because we know these are the facts held forth by scripture and affirmed by many eye witnesses, it doesn't mean we have appreciated them as fully as we could or should. The resurrection of Jesus and empty tomb provides quite a conundrum for secular historians because of the incredibly strong physical and textual evidence that supports it.  The evidence Jesus died, was buried and rose again is on par with the evidence Jesus existed at all.  The great lengths taken by the Pharisees to demand the Romans crucify Jesus, seal and guard the tomb supports the fact He was indeed dead and miraculously rose from the grave.  The virg...

While Samuel was judge over Israel, the people demanded God give them a king to rule over them like other nations.  Samuel was angry the people rejected God's rule over them, and he warned them of many negative impacts of having their way in this matter.  God did as the people requested and Samuel anointed Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to be king.  After he was anointed king, we read in  1 Samuel 10:26-27 :  " And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched.  27  But some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace ." The people were given exactly what they asked for, yet aside from a small band of men whose hearts God had touched despised and rejected him.  First the people rejected God, and then they rejected the man God set over them.  There is a parallel with Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son who was sent to the world...

In a Bible passage I read this morning, the people of Egypt expressed their gratitude to Joseph for saving their lives from a great famine.  After their money was spent for food, their animals traded for food, and their properties were given for food, Joseph freely supplied seed and land for the people to profit from.  The people were entitled to receive 80% of the produce of the land to provide seed and food for their families, and the remaining 20% was Pharaoh's portion.  The people were happy with this arrangement and pledged themselves to serve Pharaoh because he saved their lives, provided land and seed, and he gave them profitable employment and a future. The attitude of gratitude that marked the Egyptians ought to be found in God's people, for He has saved us from eternal ruin and given us everything that pertains to life and godliness forever.  Despite all God has graciously done for us, we can more resemble the older brother in the parable Jesus told of the ...

In Acts 8 , Simon of Samaria is an interesting case and by no means a unique one.  He had once made a living through witchcraft and was described as believing in the Gospel and being baptised after he observed miracles and signs done by Christians with amazement.  It seemed more than he desired the Holy Spirit to come upon himself, he desired to obtain the power that upon anyone he laid his hands they might receive the Holy Spirit.  This horrendous offer of money received a stern rebuke from Peter who basically said, "To hell with you and your money!" ( Acts 8:21 ) Peter continued in  Acts 8:21-23 :  " You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.  22  Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.  23  For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. "  Peter's response to Simon has led to some ...

God's word is active and powerful, and the importance of a single word cannot be understated.  For those who hold fast to the words of life, we observe this continually with gladness.  I was struck by the repetition of the word "hand" three times in the first half of Psalm 95 , and this provides a good illustration of what I mean. Psalm 95:1-4 begins by saying, " Oh come, let us sing to the LORD ! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; l et us shout joyfully to Him with  Psalms.  3 For the LORD is the great God, a nd the great King above all gods.  4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; t he heights of the hills are His also ."  This passage is a call to sing praises to God with joy because He is the "Rock of our salvation," the great God and King above all.  From the deepest valleys to the highest mountains, all is in His hand; all is His and under His sovereign ...

" Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people ." Deuteronomy 9:6 God cautioned the children of Israel from thinking it was due to their righteousness God established them in the land of Canaan, for it was because the inhabitants of the land were wicked.  God described the Hebrews as "stiff-necked" which could truly be said of all people. When God called His people as stiff-necked, it was not because they had slept with rocks as pillows the night before.  It was not that they were like a horse that resisted the tug of the reins made by the rider, for God told His people in Psalms 32:8-9 not to be like a horse or mule at all:  " I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.  9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, w hich have no understanding,  w hich must be harnessed with bit and bridle,  e ...

It is fitting and good we should see God's hand at work in everything, for God is always everywhere and working.  God is able to cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him ( Romans 8:28 ) and are assured of His everlasting love towards us nothing can separate us from.  By faith in Christ we can know God is for us even when everything seems to be against us.  It is looking to our Saviour Jesus--not the situation--Who brings rest for the weary and encouragement for the downcast. While this is true, it is very hard for us to maintain this perspective in the midst of pain and grief.  In the book of Ruth , Naomi suffered heartbreaking loss during the 10 years she spent in Moab, for her husband and two sons passed away.   Ruth 1:6 says, " Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread ."  See ...

Batman and other crime-fighting superheros in the comics, television shows or films often tempered their aggression when they caught the bad guys.  Often the superheros resembled a fisherman who embraced a "catch-and-release" approach because they were crime fighters--not the judge, jury or executioner.  I can't remember how many times I groaned inwardly when the hero who finally captured the criminal mastermind responsible for a murderous rampage and wanton destruction said in their best announcer voice, "I'm taking you to the authorities."  It's like the campy criminals knew Batman, Superman and Spiderman had their hands tied and wouldn't kill them, and they seemed to look forward to going to prison because it delayed their deserved punishment--not to mention the high likelihood of their escape, and thus could avoid a trial and sentence of judgment. I wonder if people think God is a bit like Batman or Superman when it comes to their sin.  They have...

For the last two days, I encountered a strange, intermittent rustling noise that disturbed the early morning silence.  On a couple occasions I rose from prayer to try to find where the sound was coming from:  was it behind the lounge, near the window or in the attic?  This morning (for a few minutes) I was convinced the most reasonable explanation was the movement of air in the attic caused sound to come through the flexible duct through the register--until I finally found the culprit.  A click beetle had somehow made its way into the attic and found itself trapped in the white plastic lens of a ceiling light.  It could see it crawl up the lens, roll back to the bottom, and then stubbornly try again. It is remarkable the beetle had the strength and endurance to continue actively trying to escape the ceiling light for over 24 hours with no water or food.  The constant effort to escape the plastic prison illustrated well the instinct God put in living creatur...

What comes to mind when you think of being prosperous?  The 1828 Webster's Dictionary describes "prosperous" as:  " advancing in the pursuit of any thing desirable; making gain or increase; thriving; successful ."  It is likely people have a range of views of what prosperity looks like, that it is gauged by financial net worth, possessions, being the boss rather than a new hire, one who owns houses and properties rather than the person cleaning them.  The Bible speaks of people who were prosperous, and the Scriptural examples fundamentally have little to do with any of these worldly metrics. Genesis 39:2-3 in the KJV reads, " And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.  3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand ."  There are likely few who would think a slave could be prosperous, but that is exactly how Josep...

In the New Testament, water baptism follows a basic pattern of personal willingness coupled with personal desire.  This is one reason why many Christian churches require the individual being baptised to have an understanding of the spiritual significance of water baptism after being born again by the Gospel.  Being baptised is symbolic that as Jesus died, was buried and rose again from the dead, we who were once dead in sins have now been raised to new, everlasting life by the power of the Gospel.  We are baptised in water in obedience to Christ, for identification with Christ and as a public testimony we have chosen to follow Christ.  Our salvation hinges upon our personal choice to repent and trust in Jesus, and the decision to be baptised in water is also a personal choice that requires our willingness. I see a connection between our willingness to submit ourselves to God in receiving the Gospel to be saved from our sins (for God will not force forgiveness or salv...

The Bible is full of encouragement for those who trust in God, and sometimes it is found in unexpected places.  This morning I was blessed by a pattern I considered that sprang from reading  Genesis 36:6 :  " Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob ."  After decades of living in Haran, Jacob returned to the land of Canaan a wealthy man with a huge family.  Esau was a wealthy and powerful man in his own right, having 400 men who followed him when he greeted Jacob upon his return.  Yet there was no power play between them for the land of Canaan:  when their flocks and herds became too many for the land to support, Esau voluntarily chose to leave. I found this very encouraging.  From the beginning, God is established as Creator and sovereign ...

In the Bible we see tragic examples of people being sold.  Rather than kill their brother Joseph, Judah suggested he and his brothers sell him to Ishmaelite traders who were heading to Egypt.  Esther said she and her people were "sold" to be killed by Haman's wicked decree.  God exposed the moral decay among His people in J oel 3:3 :  " They have cast lots for My people, h ave given a boy as payment for a harlot,  a nd sold a girl for wine, that they may drink ."  During Paul's missionary journey to Philippi we read of a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination who brought much financial gain to her masters, having evidently been bought or acquired previously by them. There are times recorded in scripture when God delivered His own people into the hands of their enemies in response to their rejection of Him and departure from Him.  Judges 2:14 tells us, " And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the han...

A refrain in a rock song goes, " Time is on my side, yes it is ."  The background of the story in the tune is the singer felt no time-pressure about his girlfriend leaving him, because it was only a matter of time before she would be back and knocking at his door.  He was confident the constant, relentless march of time would result in his relational struggles and separation being resolved.  I cannot say I share Mick Jagger's view on this, for time never feels like it is on my side.  The ticking away of every seconds is a force we must yield to, like it or not.  Things we dread edge ever closer, and favourite seasons pass us by.  The passage of time is an unescapable, unavoidable reality of life as the earth rotates around the sun according to God's design. It is because God created the heavens and earth governed by time we must say, " All good times come to an end ."  No matter how wonderful the current or future season is, we know they cannot last pe...

Today whilst waiting to check out at Woolworths, my eyes fell upon a statement on a magazine cover I found bemusing:  "Be Bold and Evolve."  Even for those who ascribe to the concept of Darwinian evolution of the species, this is quite a wild statement.  How by thinking or an act of the will can a creature or human being fundamentally change who or what they are?  Even the most extreme body modifications people undergo are incapable of changing them from who they are on the inside:  such actions are overt, intentional actions that ring true to themselves as they are.  Changing names and identifying as gender fluid is not the evolution of a species but people embracing the unique powers as humans and the freedom of our will given by God to do what we want--however unconventional it may be. Classic Darwinian evolution hinges on "survival of the fittest" as an explanation behind the origin of species, something the Bible's account of creation firmly contradict...

Last night in Bible study we read a couple of Psalms that spoke of going up to Jerusalem to appear before the LORD, to sacrifice and worship with rejoicing.  The sons of Korah reflected on the wonderful times they had with others who praised the God of Israel and rejoiced in His goodness.  A brother at the study pointed out the progression seen in  Psalm 43:3-4 :  " Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me;  l et them bring me to Your holy hill  a nd to Your tabernacle.  4 Then I will go to the altar of God, t o God my exceeding joy;  a nd on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God ."  For Jews appearing before the LORD a trip to Jerusalem was far more than a social gathering because going to Jerusalem, the tabernacle, and altar led to the presence of God Himself:  " to God, my exceeding joy ." In days long ago it was not uncommon for me to hear people call a church building "the house of God."  While this senti...

When Rebekah pulled Jacob aside and spoke of her plan for Jacob to steal Isaac's blessing (intended for his older brother Esau) for himself, it appealed to his greedy ambitions.  Though his father was blind, Jacob hesitated because he did not sound or feel like Esau:  he did not want to be found to be a deceiver.  He said, "I shall bring a curse upon myself rather than a blessing."  Rebekah replied, "Let your curse be on me, my son!"  Jacob chose to comply at the urging of his mother, and he brought young goats from the flock to prepare for Isaac.  Rebekah craftily used the skins of the butchered goats to cover up the smooth skins of Jacob.  And the plan seemed to work perfectly:  Isaac ate the food and blessed Jacob who went his way. It only took a short while for Esau and Isaac to find out what had happened.  Jacob had scarcely left when Esau came in with a feast prepared at his father's request.  When he announced his arrival Israel t...