Marching Forth!

" Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil ." John 12:3 The worthiness of Jesus Christ to be praised and worshipped is awe inspiring.  Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed the feet of Jesus with costly perfume as He and His disciples visited them for dinner.  As I considered the passage in light of what happened in the previous chapter, it marked an incredible change in Mary. After Lazarus died of an illness and had been buried four days, Jesus and His disciples came to Bethany and found a town in mourning.  Martha initially came to meet Jesus, and later (seemingly with reluctance!) Mary did as well.  Both sisters expressed regret Jesus had not been there before Lazarus died, for they were confident Jesus could have healed him.  What they did not comprehend was Jesus intentionally did not return until Lazarus w...

Being God, Jesus was able to look upon people and knew their hearts perfectly, and He discerned their true motivation for what they said and did.  He saw through their facade of devotion and saw fickleness they would have denied if confronted.  What goes on in the hearts and minds of other people is usually unclear to us when we are at our most perceptive, and this can go for our own hearts as well.  Jesus asked a series of questions to prompt people to consider their motivation for going into the wilderness to see John in  Matthew 11:7-9 :  " As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: " What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?  8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet ." People did not tramp out to the wilderness to...

Early in my insulator apprenticeship we were urged to make a positive impression by being on time, working hard and having a good attitude because the reputation made as an apprentice would stick for the next 10 years!  Apprentices who were late, lazy or arrogant would find it difficult to ditch their sullied reputations that were set in stone even when they worked hard to redeem themselves.  King Solomon wrote a similar thing in  Proverbs 20:11 :  " Even a child is known by his deeds, w hether what he does is pure and right ."  Parents play a larger role than they may think in raising their children in the knowledge of God by their love, faithfulness and consistency in following Christ. This morning I spent some time continuing to dig up stumps and roots that enmeshed themselves in retaining walls.  Once established, trees are not the easiest plants to remove--but it crossed my mind how much easier the removal of the stumps would have been if they had n...

What rest and peace God gives those who trust in Him who only does wondrous things!  In an ever changing world Christians have an anchor for our souls forever in Jesus Christ who loves us and has given us exceedingly great and precious promises.  His resurrection from the dead and ascension in glory gives us confidence through the Gospel our sins are forgiven, we have been justified by faith, and have a sure hope of eternal life in His presence. When the church was birthed in the book of Acts  after Jesus ascended to heaven, Christians faced intense persecution in Jerusalem:  none of the apostles, deacons or unnamed disciples were exempt.  It was not like the church was an organisation where leaders were insulated from the threat of beatings, arrests or execution as they were primary targets of those who hated and killed Jesus.  A man filled with the Holy Spirit named Stephen was falsely accused of speaking blasphemy against the Temple and the Law of Moses,...

I have heard people say children have a great imagination, and I would agree.  Kids can be amazingly imaginative, creative and perceptive from a young age.  I would also say that adults also have a great imagination--except it isn't always great.  A child imagines a red-eyed monster is in their closet, and an adult can worry if other people are judging them or what will happen in the future.  How many times, as an adult, has your wandering mind, twinged with fears, concocted great horrors that never remotely came to pass?  While there are many fearsome things in this world, most of our fears and worries live rent-free in the realm of our imagination.  We can know our fears are irrational, but we can choose to submit to them anyhow--as if God is powerless to help, protect or change us. This struck me as I considered Saul of Israel, a man of the tribe of Benjamin God chose and anointed to be king over His people.  1 Samuel 13 describes a key turning poi...

" I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean ." Romans 14:14 God had taught Paul many things by the time he wrote the letter to the Romans as led by the Holy Spirit.  As a Pharisee, Paul would have likely fought tooth and nail against the suggestion some things or people were not unclean in themselves.  The Law of Moses was full of clear statements that described kinds of birds or beasts as unclean for eating, and how a person could be made ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body or due to illness.  There were detailed washings and sacrifices required to cleanse the unclean, and a complete paradigm shift coupled with humble faith in Jesus was needed for Paul to write what he did.  The LORD Jesus Christ needed to convince Paul of the truth nothing was unclean of itself, and so he held forth this truth boldly to the brethren--even those who had not yet ...

In my Bible reading this morning, I considered  Psalm 107:17-19 :  " Fools, because of their transgression, a nd because of their iniquities, were afflicted.  18  Their soul abhorred all manner of food, a nd they drew near to the gates of death.  19  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, a nd He saved them out of their distresses ."  The Bible describes the fool as people who say in their hearts, "There is no God," those who live as if God does not exist, has not spoken, and proudly exalt themselves in God's rightful place.  It is a very predictable and guaranteed outcome, that sin embraced brings affliction and trouble we cannot escape. When we see people experiencing trouble as a direct consequence for their actions, we are less apt to show compassion on them because they "deserved" what they suffered.  A parent who warns their child not to bring a balloon into the kitchen or swat it towards a burning stove would likely rema...

Yesterday something that amused me happened during a drive through the country.  As the sun began to sink over the horizon and the shadows grew long, I decided to turn on my headlights to ensure best visibility.  Somehow the lights were on high beams that shone into the rear vision mirror of the car I was following.  Noticing this, I quickly toggled the beams to the normal setting. This also did not go unnoticed by the driver of the car I followed along the road.  I imagine the driver viewed this an an intentional act to urge them to pass the car in the front.  The driver showed his displeasure by giving his windscreen a thorough spray--which caused water to sprinkle all over my vehicle--to my great amusement.  The simple act of turning on my lights to see more clearly sent a message I was annoyed or displeased with the driver ahead of me who instantly retaliated. It was probably too dim for the driver to see my smile or see me laugh as the droplets rained ...

I'm not a "favourite colour" kind of person, but I do have a favourite sermon that stands tall above all the rest:  Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead.  He masterfully employed a passage from Judges to illustrate how humanism can creep into Christianity, suggesting God exists for the happiness of man when the reality is we exist for God's glory. Paris Reidhead made a powerful point concerning Christ's worthiness:  " Lord Jesus, I'm going to obey you, and love you, and serve you, and do what you want me to do, as long as I live even if I go to Hell at the end of the road, simply because you are worthy to be loved, and obeyed, and served and I 'm not trying to make a deal with you! "  This well encapsulates the heart of a humble believer who understands the privilege of being saved, forgiven, chosen and blessed to have a relationship with the living God. I remember years ago at a camp I asked a cabin leader and his group:  "Would you ...

According to the Bible, we are assured of many things concerning praying to God, the eternal Creator of all things.  The true, living God knows all and is able to do everything:  nothing is hard or impossible for Him.  We can know God hears and answers the prayers of those who need Him.  This morning I was reminded of this when I read  Psalm 102:17 :  " He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, a nd shall not despise their prayer ."  God invites and welcomes His people who pray to Him.  His words to the prophet Jeremiah show God's ready willingness to answer prayer as it is written in  Jeremiah 33:2-3 :  " Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name):  3  'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. '"  God freely chose to reveal Himself to people He created in His image so we might have a relationship with Him,...

It struck me today during a morning walk that cults remain as popular as ever, and this reveals their tactics can be powerful and effective.  The Merriam-Webster  dictionary explains the history of the word "cult" like this:  " Cult, which shares an origin with culture and cultivate, comes from the Latin cultus, a noun with meanings ranging from "tilling, cultivation" to "training or education" to "adoration."...The earliest known uses of the word, recorded in the 17th century, broadly denoted "worship." From here cult came to refer to a specific branch of a religion or the rites and practices of that branch, as in "the cult of Dionysus."... Finally, by the 19th century, the word came to be used of "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious ."  Though cults can be diverse, they employ many of the same tactics because they are effective to help manipulate people and retain control. One thing I have generally ...

I am blessed and encouraged by Christians who are intelligent, gracious apologists who take an unapologetic stand on the truth of God's word.  Exploring perspectives and beliefs personally can be beneficial, and God can use these interactions to draw people to Himself.  As we are led by the Holy Spirit, we are Christ's ambassadors to bring the message of reconciliation of sinners to God through the Gospel.  It is important we emphasise the Gospel is not our opinion or view in a sea of options, but Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to eternal life, the Truth in a world of error.  Spurgeon made this point very well in a sermon titled "Gospel Missions," that the divine revelation aspect of our Christian faith can be neglected: "... I conceive that a great mistake has been made in not affirming the divinity of our mission, and standing fast by the truth, as being a revelation, not to be proved by men, but to be believed; always holding out this:  "He that beli...

It is biblical to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.   Psalm 122:6-9 says,  " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.  7 Peace be within your walls, p rosperity within your palaces."  8 For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace be within you."  9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good ."  There may be some who pray for the peace of Jerusalem because they want prosperity, but Christians are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem because Jesus is our peace.  While no temple to God stands in Israel today, Christians stand by God's grace as His chosen habitation, the temple of the Holy Spirit by the Gospel. The prayers of God's people ought not to be limited by the boundaries of the Old City of Jerusalem, but we can expand our range to include the cities of people who could be viewed as enemies of Israel.  Paul wrote in  1 Timothy 2:1-2 , " Therefore I exhort first of ...

Last night at Bible study the passage was Psalm 73 , a song of Asaph that describes his struggle with how the wicked seemed to prosper and the envy this stirred within him.  He wrestled with God's grace of blessing the wicked who ought to be punished (in Asaph's mind), and that compared to him they did not seem to suffer.  His legalistic mindset bucked against the grace of God that seemed to reward bad behaviour and repay God's faithful followers with affliction. It was when Asaph sought the LORD in His temple that he received insight from God in  Psalm 73:16-19 :  " When I thought how to understand this, i t was too painful for me-- 17  until I went into the sanctuary of God; t hen I understood their end.  18  Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.  19  Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors ."  As Asaph turned his eyes from the prosperity o...

Perhaps out of envy and pride, there are some who characterise God as a cruel authoritarian, labelling Him a tyrant because He has all power.  But if God truly was cruel and intolerant, why would He create people He gives the freedom to oppose, rebel and hate Him?  Why would He choose to freely put on human flesh, suffer and die so sinners could be saved and reconciled to Himself?  Because God is loving, His will is that none would perish but all come to repentance.  All who perish will do so justly, and all who are saved is due to receiving His grace by faith in Christ. There is an opposite error to the "cruel ogre" caricature of God by those who despise Him, and it is often perpetuated by professing Christians who view God as a grandfatherly pacifist who ignores the folly in his grandchildren he dotes upon.  Their view of God ignores what they feel are uncomfortable subjects like holiness, justice and eternal condemnation.  The picture of Jesus returning ...

On a drive to the shops this morning, I saw a bus was emblazoned with a large "R U OK?" banner to remind people to care for their mental health as well as asking others how they are going.  It is a helpful question to ask because many people are not "OK," and they may struggle to let on how they are feeling and the difficulties they face.  The reality of struggle and suffering are all around, and domestic violence and bullying has led people to think their situations are hopeless.  The sobering reality is the situations may be hopeless--but only when we exclude God from the picture, focus on hurtful things people have said or done, or our inability to do anything to help ourselves.  God who saves souls is able to bring hope to the hopeless, is a safe refuge, can heal our hearts and renew our minds. The writers of the psalms were not strangers to trials and troubles, for many times in Scripture they express feelings of depression, hopelessness and despair.  It i...

In the Law of Moses, God forbade His people from fashioning likenesses of people or animals lest they be worshipped in  Deuteronomy 4:15-19 :  " Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,  16  lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female,  17  the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,  18   the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.  19  And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage ."  Man has a tendency to wor...

The benefits of studying through the word of God are immeasurable.  While we may tend to gravitate to what is familiar and comfortable, it is useful to read the Bible in its entirety.  There will be much we do not understand, for God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways.  At the same time, reading through the whole Bible ought not to be viewed as a race or an accomplishment we can take pride in.  The point isn't how many times we have read through our Bible in a year but that God's word daily goes through us.  If we see the benefit of fueling our bodies with food every day, we ought to feed spiritually on God's word daily as well. Our stomachs have limited capacity, and our minds also can be full.  For this reason, I prefer quality over quantity when it comes to reading and studying God's word.  Ironically, the more we read at a time the less opportunity we have to absorb and apply personally what we are reading.  Reading fiv...

What do you view as loveable?  A newborn baby or a fluffy puppy?  What if I told you the most loveable being in the universe is not something small, cute and cuddly but the almighty God who is love?  Truly, there is no one more worthy of being loved than God who loves us with an everlasting love.  The amazing thing is how God presently and eternally rewards those who love Him when it is the very thing we ought to do.  Loving God is right for everyone to do, and God's desire is we would go beyond liking what we receive from God to loving Him with our whole heart. See some things God promises to do for those who love Him in  Psalm 91:14-16 which are all beyond price:  " Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.  15  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him.  16  With long life I will...

" Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they ?" Matthew 6:26 When Jesus taught His disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, He directed their attention to the birds that soared in the skies.  Without sowing, reaping or storing food, they were fed every day by the grace and goodness of God who created them.  No man could know the number of them, the location of their nests or young, where they came from or where they were heading.  The point Jesus made was His people did not need to worry or be anxious about their lives or what they were going to eat because God is faithful to feed the birds--and His people are of far greater worth to Him.  Rather than seeking to have their physical needs met, God's people were to prioritise things of far greater importance as Jesus said in  Matthew 6:33 :  " But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousn...

In a parable Jesus told, a man asked one of his sons to work the following day in his vineyard.  His son replied, "I go sir!" yet he did not go.  His words proved to be empty because he did not follow through with all he said.  The son saying what he would do did not profit him or his father at all, and his good intentions were shown to be fleeting by his empty words--which have been remembered to this day. The point James made about claims of faith being pointless without works that provide evidence of it is a valid consideration in regards to words we say.   James 2:15-17 reads, " If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  16  and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  17  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead ."  James gave a practical example to illustrate how faith without...