Marching Forth!

As I was departing from a carpark today, the car in front of me stopped and very slowly inched forward.  At first I thought it was caution before turning right, as there were cars lined up on both sides of the street that obscured a clear view.  Then I suspected it was out of care for the paint on the bumper because the dip was extreme.  When my turn came to make a right--careful though I was--I felt the front bumper graze the bitumen and scraped off some paint.  Likely the fellow before me had already learned the lesson I did by experience. I have found learning by personal experience to be the natural order of things.  Though I saw the other driver taking great care in turning right, I did not know precisely why he was so slow in doing so.  Even when I suspected I knew the reason, we were driving different models of vehicles, and his car had lower profile tyres.  Drivers of utes of four-wheel drives would not need to slow down at all to safely navig...

The more God's people consider the awesome attributes of our God, it blows our minds away.  Though God has created us in His own image and given us minds able to understand, reason and remember, God is not like us.  He knows all things, and because He is outside time sees what is past, present and future all at once.  Though He cannot forget, God chooses what He will and will not remember.   Jeremiah 31:34 speaks of the new covenant God would bring and how He will forgive repentant sinners:  " No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD ,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD . For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more ."  Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven and God remembers it no more! God does not need reminders like we do (because we forget), but God takes specific action to remember and do all He has said....

Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses their brother after he married an Ethiopian woman.  The passage says ominously, " And the LORD heard it. "  Because he was a meek and humble man, Moses did not say anything to defend himself from their attempts to publicly undermine his God-given leadership role.  God is patient and longsuffering, yet in this case He acted quickly by summoning all three of them to appear before him at the tabernacle.  The LORD descended before them in a pillar of cloud and stood in the doorway, and He commanded Aaron and Miriam to step forward. Numbers 12:6-9 tells us God's words:  " Then He said, "Hear now My words: "If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD , make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.  7 Not so with My servant Moses; h e is faithful in all My house.  8 I speak with him face to face, e ven plainly, and not in dark sayings;  a nd he sees the form of the LORD . Why then were y...

When facing tragedy and loss, we can be overwhelmed with hopeless feelings to the point we can refuse comfort.  We observe this in the life of Jacob after his eldest son Reuben presented the special colourful coat Joseph wore that was torn and soiled with blood.  There was no mistaking the coat, for Jacob had given it to his son who was at the time 17 years old.  The destroyed state of the coat caused Jacob to assume the worst.   Genesis 37:34-35 reads, " Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.  35  And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him ." Because Joseph was precious to His father, he took no comfort from his sons, daughters and grandchildren.  He was determined to grieve the loss of his son presently and perpetually, for the death of Jos...

Have you experienced being overwhelmed, when everything seems too hard and you've had enough?  When we feel this way our tendency is to feel lonely, disillusioned and like we ought to quit.  If you have felt this way as a Christian, you are not alone.  Elijah was a man who feared God, who was protected and miraculously provided for, whose prayers were answered, and saw God work wonders firsthand.  Yet after he received a death threat from queen Jezebel, he left his servant behind ventured alone into the wilderness.  He prayed to God he would die and said, " It is enough!  Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers !"  It was all too much for Elijah. 1 Kings 19:5-8  reads, " Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."  6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.  7 And t...

This morning I was struck with a phrase I found in the King James Version of  Hosea 12:4-5 that speaks of Jacob wrestling with a Man near the Jabbok river crossing as the day began to break:  " Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;  5 even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial ."  Jacob prevailed over the angel by refusing to let him go, even after his hip was permanently injured by the touch of the Man's hand.  As Jacob wept he begged for a blessing, and the angel (who seems to be much more than an angel) replied in  Genesis 32:28 :  " And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed ."  God changed Jacob's name to "Israel" which includes God's name, meaning "God strives" or "one who struggles with God." Before Jacob...

" He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity ." Ecclesiastes 5:10 Wise king Solomon observed things people love and pursue will not end up satisfying them even when they obtain their desire.  The one who loves money will have an insatiable appetite for it after acquiring it, and those who seek increase are pleased with the prospects of a bit more.  This concept can be widely applied in this world of vanity whether it be tattoos, cosmetic surgery, praise, recognition, likes and acquiring goods.  People can make great personal sacrifices to become famous, and after they acheive their dreams they can hate and love it at the same time. Because we are naturally restless and dissatisfied, we often busy ourselves with fruitless pursuits.  Though we seem to gain ground, our desire remains just beyond our reach.  There are those like Solomon, however, who obtained and achieved more than anyone...

" It is good for me that I have been afflicted, t hat I may learn Your statutes. " Psalm 119:71 I don't think anyone sees affliction as intrinsically good, yet the psalmist affirmed through experience that God was able to use affliction for his good.  If a tree could speak, it might cry out in pain to have branches cut and trimmed by a skilled arborist, but as a result of pruning the tree will be healthier and produce more fruit.  Years ago our family had a lemon tree in the back yard with one large but light lemon on it--and it hung there for months.  I didn't want to trim the neglected tree for the sake of the "fruit" that never seemed to ripen, and when I finally harvested it was dry, woody and inedible.  I trimmed the tree following an online tutorial, and the tree for one year did not produce a single lemon.  The next year, however, we harvested over 80 juicy lemons! When the lemon tree was neglected and left alone, it grew many leaves and branches. ...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples not to give what was holy to the dogs or cast their pearls before swine.  It would be abominable to offer food God provided to sustain the priests and Levites to scavenging dogs, and it makes no sense to toss valuable pearls at animals that will disregard them and trample them underfoot.  God has given us great wisdom in His word that is food for our souls we ought to treasure, and when people refuse to regard God or hear His word there is little point to continue speaking to them on the subject.  They will often pivot to biting the hand that reaches out to feed them. Since Jesus told His disciples not to give what is holy to the dogs, we can know He walks in His own wisdom.  We can see this illustrated in the life of king Saul who disregarded God's word and disobeyed the word of the LORD spoken through Samuel, and when given opportunity to repent and humble himself Saul refused to do so.  He cared only for ...

" Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  12  Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,  13  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed ." Hebrews 12:11-13 The writer of Hebrews exhorted Christians not to be faint or become weary of God's chastening for sin, for it was not a rejection of them but their wickedness.  His divine correction affirmed they were God's beloved children, and this ought to be a cause us to rejoice greatly.  Jesus endured great hostility from sinners against Himself, and with Christ in us Christians can endure hostility from sinners as well as God's chastening by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Being chastened and disciplined is painful, yet by faith in God it will work to yield pleasant fruit in our lives:...

This morning I read the passage where Daniel had been fasting for 3 weeks and saw a vision of a glorious man by the Tigris river.  The men who were with him did not see the man but quaked with fear and fled, whilst Daniel beheld the man and fell on his face in a deep sleep.  Suddenly a hand touched Daniel, and he rose to his hands and knees, for he still lacked strength to stand.  The angelic messenger spoke in Daniel 10:11 , " And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling ."  Having been without bread and wine for weeks, coupled with the glorious vision, Daniel's weakness was apparent. After he delivered the message, Daniel looked to the ground and was unable to speak.   Daniel 10:16-19 reads, " And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and s...

I have met Christians who seem to have a complicated relationship with having nice things or owning a house.  There are some who come across as feeling guilty there are many people in the world whose standard of living that is less comfortable or lacks amenities we are accustomed to.  That same person is faced with the problem that even if they gave away everything to the point of becoming completely destitute, it would not make a notable, lasting impact in the lives of others or in the world.  It also would be sobering to give someone money or a house and find them in a worse state than before.  The sad testimony of lottery winners paints a depressing picture of loss and regret. It is God who gives people the ability to acquire wealth for His good purposes ( Deut. 8:17-18 ), and we are wise to heed  Proverbs 3:9-10 that says, " Honour the LORD with your possessions, a nd with the firstfruits of all your increase;  10  so your barns will be filled w...

" It is not good to eat much honey; s o to seek one's own glory is not glory ." Proverbs 25:27 Honey is very sweet, and it is a sweetener we can feel sick of eating.  Previously in the chapter it said in  Proverbs 25:16 :  " Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need,  l est you be filled with it and vomit ."  Some people do not process fructose well, and that may be a reason for nausea or vomiting from eating too much honey.   The days of Solomon were long before pasteurisation was a thing, and eating raw honey can also potentially expose eaters to natural toxins bees pick up from poisonous plants or flowers they visit.  I read of rare cases of people being allergic to honey due to the pollen source used by bees.  The point is, we can have too much of a good thing. With this is mind, Solomon used synonymous parallelism to connect seeking the praise of people.  We likely all appreciate being recognised or complimented for a jo...

 " To do righteousness and justice i s more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice ." Proverbs 21:3 God delights in His people who obey Him, who walk according to His righteousness and justice.  God was not interested to receive offerings from people who refused to seek and submit to Him as is written in  Proverbs 15:8 :  " The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD , But the prayer of the upright is His delight ."  The prophet rebuked erring King Saul in  1 Samuel 15:22 :  " So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  a s in obeying the voice of the LORD ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,  a nd to heed than the fat of rams ."  Everything that is has been created by God, and all we have is a gift from Him.  God delights more in the obedience of His people to Him than the sacrifice itself. One might read these passages and assume because obedience and doing right...

" 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 This revelation God gave Paul cut deep against the grain of his upbringing, traditions and perspective.  As a man raised in Judaism who was a devout student of Gamaliel and in time became a Pharisee, there were many things deemed unclean in the law of Moses.  Paul could prove what was clean and unclean in black and white.  Yet after being born again by faith in Jesus, over many years Paul knew and was convinced by the Lord Jesus there is nothing unclean of itself.  I imagine this teaching directly confronted Paul's long held beliefs, judgments and outlook--and perhaps ours as well. I have observed in myself and in others a tendency to assume many things are unclean in itself.  For instance, I have spoken to people who rail against materialism as a great evil to the point they feel guilty for...

" And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps, that it might be one tabernacle ." Exodus 36:13 The Bible contains many lists of people in genealogies, offerings brought by leaders of tribes, and items made for the service of the LORD in the tabernacle.  It may be tempting to skip or gloss over such passages, but God can still speak volumes by verses that seem obscure or mundane. When I read about the offerings people brought daily for the tabernacle, it struck me how God employed a combination of materials He created that were freely offered by His people to build it.  God created gold, silver, trees, every variety of precious stones, olive oil, goats with hair and rams with wool, as well as naturally occurring dyes.  God's people brought these articles which were skillfully weaved, cut, carved, beaten and shaped into the desired size and shape to fit together.  Fibres of wool were twisted into yarn, and the yarn was dy...

Under the Law of Moses, God commanded to keep the sabbath day holy ( Exodus 20:8 ).  After creating the heavens and earth in 6 days, God rested on the seventh day, blessed it and made it holy.  Later in the book of Exodus, God explained how the sabbath was a sign to the Jewish people, not only that He created the heavens and earth in 6 days but that He made them holy, sanctified as His people.  Exodus 31:12-13 ( LSB ) says, " Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,  13 "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely keep My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who makes you holy ."  Even under the Law of Moses, it was God--not the keeping of ordinances--that made them holy, set apart and sanctified. God's people were made holy by God, and they were also commanded to be holy--to sanctify themselves unto God by keeping His commands, doing what is right in His eyes.  Th...

In 1 Corinthians 13 , Paul spoke of God's love being the most important thing in the life of a believer--which must have been a shock even to the believers to whom it was addressed.  Paul began the chapter with examples of radical personal sacrifice and supernatural power, yet without God's love it such acts were empty and worthless.  Let us consider Paul's claims one at a time to see how exquisite and amazing God's love truly is above what is commonly valued in the world and church alike. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says, " Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal ."  In Paul's day, the Greeks were known for their famous orators who were masters of the "persuasive arts."  In public speaking, they utilised the pillars of credibility, emotion and logic to develop persuasive arguments to sway men to their side.  For all their skill in rhetoric these men did not speak in the ...

Have you ever given thought to what it would have been like to have lived during the season Jesus walked through Jerusalem and Israel with His disciples?  They were blessed to have heard Him teach, see the miracles He performed and know He was the promised Messiah and Son of God.  It would have been interesting for Joseph and Mary to have Jesus grow up as their son, and for your older brother to be the anointed One of God and to hear Him speak of repentance for sin and the kingdom of God. After Jesus cast out a demon and gave insight concerning the spiritual realm as God who knows all things,  Luke 11:27-28 says:  " And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  28  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it !"  Mary was blessed to be the mother of Jesus, for the angel G...

In Ezekiel 15 , God compared the usefulness of a vine to a tree in doing work and making things.  From the wood of a tree, boards can be milled and structures can be built.  Wood from trees would have been used to make many things:  carts, tools, doors, furniture, crates, ships, musical instruments and much more!  In stark contrast, the building potential of a vine was nil.  Trying to make dowels out of the soft runners would be a pointless waste of time.  In regards to doing work, what the vine was best suited for was to be burned in the fire.  At least it could provide a bit of fuel for a short time until it was reduced to ash. God spoke through the prophet in  Ezekiel 15:6-7:   " Therefore thus says the Lord GOD : 'Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem;  7 and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fir...