Marching Forth!

I remember watching a show that interviewed centenarians and to what they credited with their advanced age.  The ironic thing was many of them admitted habits and choices of food and drink that would not be considered healthy--like smoking cigars and cigarettes, eating chocolate, drinking beer, and downing shots of whisky or Worcestershire sauce.  There were some healthier habits credited, like walking, swimming and dancing, but for the large part I doubt there was any medical or scientific evidence to support things people swore by. In God's wisdom, Jesus came to earth and did miraculous works and signs that could not possibly be attributed to anything or anyone other than Him.  When else did mud placed on the eyes cure blindness?  At what point in history did water turn to quality wine in an instant?  There was no formula Jesus followed, no magic incantations, amulets, charms or gathering of obscure items to bring cures.  His power over demons, illnesses,...

During discussion groups at church camp, one of the questions I wanted to ponder more deeply is how our goals are often different to God’s intended destinations.   As people living in this world, our goals relates to here and now—to what will be passing away.   We seek God’s guidance in decisions we make, not realising every trial and circumstance of life we wish could change can be used by God to change us.   We set our sights on making money, having a successful career or what we will do after retirement when God is working spiritually to make us wiser, reliant upon Him and quicker to obey His word every day. For Christians, we know our home is in heaven.   Ultimately God will call us come to be with Jesus forever, and we will enjoy the presence of the LORD glorified free from sin, sorrow, pain and death.   One thing about goals we often make is they are quantifiable.   We work towards buying a house, earning a raise, or winning the competition.   ...

When it comes to Christians being baptised, I have seen varying levels of emphasis.  The common extremes are problematic, that it is necessary for salvation or because it is not required for salvation it is unnecessary!  The Gospel is clear the salvation of sinners is by grace through faith in Jesus alone, and baptism is necessary for obedience.  Jesus commanded His disciples to proclaim His death by receiving communion together and also said in  Matthew 28:19-20 :  " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20   teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen ."  Both receiving communion and being baptised in water are symbolic of what Jesus has accomplished for us, outward acts pointing to Christ's inner works. John the Baptist came baptising in water, and his baptism was...

During my university days long ago, my co-workers and I had a dress-up for fun.  I worked in shipping a receiving and fashioned a hat out of a large manilla folder that resembled a bishop's hat.  "Do you know why those hats are shaped like that?" a co-worker asked.  She offered, "Those hats were made in the shape of Dagon modelled after a fish, and by wearing that hat you are worshipping Dagon."  I was incredulous and at this suggestion, for I could not see how wearing a hat in any way paid homage to a heathen idol.  Once I was made aware she found the hat offensive, I did not goad her by wearing it. When I grew up in the church, no one I knew ever took issue calling the holiday "Easter" that is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  As a kid there was simply no other name in Christians circles I ever heard the holiday called.  It was probably in my twenties when I noticed a shift in our church and the name "Easter"...

During my Christian walk and time in ministry, I can recall a handful of occasions where times of corporate worship were disrupted by people doing their own thing.  I remember when there was a decorated Christmas tree in the back of the church and a mother removed a functional bell ornament from the tree and handed it to her fussy child who rang it for the remainder of the worship set.  On another occasion, ribbons were handed to children in the back of the church who ran around with them as an impromptu activity.  In both of these instances, there had been no discussion with the worship team who was leading the congregation and practiced and prepared for the occasion.  Though the bell or ribbons were not loud in volume, the disunity revealed by those activities was louder to me than a clanging cymbal. The first problem that came to mind was the message sent by giving bells and ribbons to children.  It immediately puts the emphasis on the item given and what the...

I recently received a large, colour brochure about an upcoming performance of Shen Yun which is an outreach funded by the religious group Falun Gong.  As a follower of Jesus Christ, alarm bells start ringing when I read of this group and how all spiritual authority is vested only in teachings of Falun Gong's founder, Li Hongzhi.  While the dance performance looks to be very colourful, performed by skilled dancers and accompanied by orchestral music, going to a show does not interest me in the slightest because of the clear connection with a group whose teachings are not of Jesus Christ. The flier contained a quote that grabbed my attention more than the vivid colours which encouraged people to see the show:  " Go see it to believe it, because otherwise, you are going to miss the most important thing in your life ."  This is a very interesting thing to say as it runs absolutely contrary to the revelation of Jesus who was born of a virgin, died on the cross, rose from ...

I was struck by the first part of God's command to His people in  Exodus 22:29 (LSB) :  " You shall not delay the offering from the fullness of your harvest and the juice of your wine vat.  The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me."   According to the blessing of the LORD upon His people, they were guided to give.  The command for the Hebrews under the Law of Moses to bring tithes and offerings to God is well-known, but this command not to delay bringing it may be less known.  To delay doing what is right can lead us to forget or put off doing it altogether. Another reason God's people were not to delay in bringing the fulness of their harvest and juice of their vats was the priests and Levites were dependent on offerings to provide for the service of the house of God, for drink offerings that were required by Law.  A portion of what was brought to the temple was also provision of food and drink for those serving in the tabernacle or temple...

There is a local bridge that attracted the attention of a community Facebook group due to an odd reason.  Someone, for some reason, had climbed the supports of the bridge to fly an Australian flag.  Days passed and I was surprised an individual or local council had not had it taken down.  From a liability standpoint, it makes sense to remove the flag to deter additional people from risking their health in scaling the bridge to fly a flag.  When the flag was finally removed, people on the online forum noticed and the majority lamented it was gone.  Overnight, on each side of the bridge Australian flags were attached near the footpath.  After these were taken down, 10 Australian flags took their vacant spot--5 on each side! The bridge was flag-free until around Australia Day when one Australian and Australian Aboriginal flag were displayed by one another on each side of the bridge.  It wasn't too long until the Australian flags were taken down, but the A...

I have seen pictures of religious annual festivals where people traditionally re-enact the crucifixion with people nailed to a cross.  It is one thing to do a stage production where the crucifixion of Jesus is shown, but for me it goes too far to shed real blood in a demonstration when Jesus already shed all His blood to provide atonement once for all sinners when He laid down His life ( Hebrews 10:10 ).  The cutting and piercing of the flesh was a pagan practice in the Old Testament and was forbidden for God's people in the Law of Moses, and the mutilation of the body does nothing to sanctify anyone or honour God by obedience.  The aspect of crucifixion not copied in the festival was the whole point of the brutal Roman method of execution:  the killing of a person. Perhaps some view people with hands nailed to crosses as pious and devout to voluntarily suffer such pains out of devotion to Christ.  I am reminded of Paul's words to believers who put themselves un...

The choices we make are more indicative of our convictions and beliefs than what we say.  Many times we have observed people rail against evils in society or the church who are later exposed as partakers of those very things.  Perhaps being outspoken against a particular sin is an attempt to distract from their  own indulgence in it or is a vain attempt to convince themselves of something being sin they want to avoid because their flesh finds it alluring.  Since we cannot plumb the depths of the hearts of mankind, we can only guess concerning the motivation or intentions of others, and it is infinitely more profitable to honestly examine our own hearts, repent of sin and seek to do what pleases God than guesswork about others.  What is in our hearts will find its way out, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The Bible shows how actions speak truer than words.  Yesterday I read a passage that illustrates this fact in  Exodus 9:20-21 t...

How indescribably good is the blessing all Christians have in God's word delivered to us!  Sometimes when I read words written in a message or email it is impossible to decipher the tone or the intent of the writer.  I have read bios that give details about a person but I still do not know them at all.  There have also been many people I thought I knew who ended up being completely unlike my assessment or changed so drastically they were a stranger known in name alone.  God and His word do not change, and therefore what God has revealed about Himself can be known and relied upon.  Adopting a worldview with the lens of Scripture guides us to discern truth from error. Recently I was told of a situation that illustrates this well.  Many times God-fearing people believe God has spoken to them, and while God is never wrong--sometimes we are.  I heard of a conversation between believers where one person believed God had said they would always be alone, and ...

When I was in high school, for 3 years I was part of the cross country team that competed against other schools in a weekly 5K run.  Over 3 decades have passed since I raced, and this morning I decided to run the 5K fun run course our suburb hosts every week.  Let's just say, long gone are the days of running 30-40 miles a week for training that kicked off with an easy 7 or 8 minute warm up before stretching!  I was pleased simply to continue jogging nonstop for first half and averaged 10 minutes a mile throughout.  While I was jogging, puffing and walking, the LORD brought some observations to mind concerning the race of life God has prepared for all of His people to run with joy. I was never close to being the fastest, most technically sound or best runner on my cross country team, and yet there is a massive contrast between my ability and endurance back then compared to now.  The same can be true concerning our walk with Jesus Christ, that we can go from ener...

When I left my house the other day, I noticed something out of the ordinary at a house on our street.  Despite the early hour, the front door adorned with a Hindu banner stood wide open with no one in sight.  A small wooden table was arranged on the porch with two ornamental brass and silver vessels sitting on top.  I am not sure what the significance of the decorations and the open door were, but it seemed to signal a home that was open and welcoming to spirits and good luck.  It certainly requires faith to believe a banner (Toran) can act as a spirit filter like a flyscreen--allowing sunlight and the cool breeze to pass through but prevents flies and mosquitos from coming in as well. I suspect those who go to great lengths to obtain good luck and prosperity are often in a quandary when troubles arise and lack sure spiritual footing:  did a malevolent spirit come into their home?  Is their bed or mirror arranged in the wrong way?  Have they angered sp...

" The heavens declare the glory of God;  a nd the firmament shows His handiwork.  2  Day unto day utters speech, a nd night unto night reveals knowledge.  3 There is no speech nor language w here their voice is not heard ." Psalm 19:1-3 The heavens and earth declare the glory of God, and everything that is has been created by God's wisdom and power.  It is remarkable to me people can observe the rising of the sun every day and the phases of the moon, the orderly march of days, weeks, months and years, and not consider this world is more consistent, precise and orderly than we are at our best.  I have never written anything in my diary on a particular date on accident, yet there are intelligent people who assert today is a fortuitous accident--the culmination of billions of years of natural processes that has resulted in things like stable elements, the water cycle, dolphins, rabbits, and human beings. Last night I watched a bad science fiction movie that...

What a wonderful privilege and opportunity we have to bring our requests to the LORD in prayer!  Speaking to God has none of the hindrances we experience with modern phones.  We can call but it does not mean anyone is available to talk.  They may not receive or hear a notification, and when we leave a message it can go unread and unanswered.  Our phones can run out of battery or be out of the range of networks which renders communication using them impossible.  Communication with God depends upon the LORD who knows and does all things, God who does not slumber or sleep, and His ears are always open to our cries.  The God who appeared to Solomon and said, "Ask!  What shall I give you?" is just as eager and willing to respond to our praying. The Bible has many examples of people who were locked up and prevented from contacting others yet had continuous communion with God--and sometimes it was God who initiated the call!   Jeremiah 33:1-3 says,...

Conceiving a child proved difficult for Rachel, and at one stage she said to her husband Jacob:  "Give me children or I die!"  He was angry with her request, for she demanded children from him that can only be given by God.  Jacob had done his part best he could, but Rachel's conception was beyond his power.  In time she did bring her request to God who responded to her in  Genesis 30:22 :  " Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb ."  Rachel's firstborn son was Joseph, and she was confident God would give her another son.  He was birthed into the world in sorrowful circumstances. Genesis 35:16-19 says, " Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labour.  17  Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also."  18  And so it ...

Paul exhorted the believers in Corinth to walk in the way of God's love and to desire spiritual gifts.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit and bearing good spiritual fruit is paramount for a Christian, and the greatest of these is love.  He asked in  1 Corinthians 12:29-31 :  " Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  30  Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  31  But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way ."  While God has comprised the church of people who serve in a variety of roles and have spiritual gifts that differ from one another, God's love is what ought to govern us always. Paul told Christians to earnestly desire the best spiritual gifts, and in saying this he is not pitting gifts God gives against one another in a sort of competition.  Even as we learn to choose to use the right tool for the job, the best gift...

One of the more well-known quotes from G.K. Chesterton about Christianity is, " The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried ."  (Chesterton, G. K. What’s Wrong with the World . Ignatius Press, 1994. page 37)  Following Jesus Christ is no guarantee of an easy life, but all who are in Jesus know He is  the Life!  Those who trust and love Jesus shall not want, for He is our Good Shepherd.  Just because we follow Jesus, however, does not mean we are always willing to follow His word when the world and our experience leads us differently. It can be difficult to submit to God's word and obey Him because it is not our natural inclination.  It requires faith for us to trust and obey God when it comes to the administration of discipline, whether it be in the church or with our own children.  Recently I was in a conversation when we discussed the few times we had ever observed church discipline ad...

Recently I had a chat with a fellow believer and a well-known worship song writer came up in conversation.  "I hope he continues to follow God and lead a holy life," she said.  "It's always a shame when Christians fall."  I agreed with her sentiment wholeheartedly.  It is a shame when Christians fall into sin or choose to walk away from the LORD.  It is awful when a private or public scandal leads to an opportunity for unbelievers to blaspheme--and it can happen to a man after God's own heart. David, the shepherd, king and sweet psalmist of Israel, sinned by committing adultery and then resorted to murder to try to hide his transgression.  From a human standpoint, David managed to sin without any negative personal consequences.  But because the God of Israel is loving and all knowing, He sent Nathan the prophet with an indictment in the form of a story.  David became incensed to hear a rich man had stolen and butchered the only lamb of a poor man...

In the first chapter of the Bible in Genesis, we read of God creating the heavens, earth, plants and living creatures.  God created all living things to reproduce after their own kind, and we observe this happening to this day.  Over and over it is repeated that grass and fruit trees produced seeds that yielded according to their kind; birds, fish and living creatures brought forth after their own kind.   Genesis 1:26-27 reads, " Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."  27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them ." Mankind is distinct from all other living creatures because we have been created in the image of God who put eternity in our hearts ( Ecc. 3:11 ), breathed into Adam the b...