Marching Forth!

There are few books I have read which are as poetic, expansive, and thrilling as His Part and Ours by J. Sidlow Baxter.  To meet a man who knows of God is common:  to peer into the heart of a man who knows God is a rare privilege.  Here is a passage which should cause the heart of every follower of Christ to be enraptured with appreciation and love for our Savior: "My Beloved is mine, and I am His" - this is a complete union.  The bridegroom and the bride have given themselves fully to each other.  Christ has given Himself fully to His mystic bride.  Christ is mine in all His offices and capacities - in His incarnation, in His teaching, in His redeeming, in His resurrection life, in His exaltation, in His second advent and the glory of His coming reign, yea, and in all the blessedness of His eternal glory!  He is altogether mine .  O the wonder of it!  My heart, what of thy present response to all this?  Truly thou art Christ's by ...

There is beauty in a body functioning at a high level.  It is amazing to see the abilities of an athlete on display, whether it be an Olympic diver, a NFL running back, or a cheer captain.  There is control, poise, and grace that most do not naturally posses.  It takes years of practice and refinement to condition a human body to operate perfectly in sync with the mind.  Coaches know exactly what to do, but are typically unable to combine their knowledge with the raw talent required to be world-class athlete.  There is a big difference between knowing what to do and perfect execution of that knowledge. It is interesting that when a person is born again of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, this person becomes part of His Body.  Paul says in Ephes. 4:15-16 :  "... speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- [16] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, acc...

Among Christian leaders today, there are few books save the Bible that have been more influential or universally appreciated than Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.  Years ago I read the book and was not impressed.  I am horrified to say that until quite recently I have misjudged Sanders.  Why?  It is because the book I read was not actually written by J. Oswald Sanders.  Was his name on the cover?  Yes.  But I admit that I am indignant of the wretched (my opinion) paraphrase that has been attributed to him by the editors at Moody Press.  The second revision, which are all copies printed after 1994, is a " line-by-line revision ."  Why they thought it necessary to butcher the latest edition in the process, I will never know.  What I do know is that this revision is a shadow of what J. Oswald Sanders actually wrote.  The original and first revision by Sanders are powerful, inspired, and dynamic. You be the judge.  Her...

I've been working nights this week, and the hours are exceptional to wreak havoc on my daily schedule and writing routine!  I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can spend time with the family.  It's been nice to see Laura a bit during the day, but I have not seen my kid's faces since Monday.  In a word, LAME. I was encouraged yesterday during my morning devotional time.  I'm in the book of Deuteronomy, and it ranks high among my personal favorites.  Deuteronomy 2:7 reads, "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing ."  Here are the initial impressions God placed upon my heart: This is not presumption, for God knows His people.  He can say, "Thou hast lacked nothing" because He provided for every need all along the way, never skipping a day.  He does not say, "That's good eno...