Marching Forth!

Life on earth is one of pursuit.  Everyone is chasing something:  status, a feeling, career, relationships, sexual conquest, entertainment, riches, security, and on the list goes.  Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride" thirsted for revenge, but when his desire was finally obtained he didn't know what to do.  It was anti-climactic and left him empty.  King Solomon explains his many royal pursuits in Ecclesiastes.  His conclusion after following the rabbit trail of alcohol, comedy, women, work, and music to the end?  Vanity of vanities, all is vanity! An example of this human tragedy is seen in the story of Amnon and Tamar.  Amnon was a prince in Israel and loved his half-sister Tamar.  He was so love-struck he became literally ill with desire.  One of his scheming friends concocted a plan so he could have his way with her.  It's an ugly story, but a reality that plays out in unregenerate hearts every day.  The trap was set by ...

I can't count how many "Aha!" moments I have experienced in my walk with Christ, but the latest has been among the sweetest.  It is ironic concerning the subject matter:  suffering.  If my heart is Christ's home, I feel like a door I have never noticed before has opened up an entire wing for expansion of understanding.  It is like a gate to a broad, green pasture has swung open before my eyes and in faith I have entered.  No one on earth is a stranger to suffering, but to Christians the deeper significance of suffering is revealed.  Paul reasons in Romans 8:17-18 , "... if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us ."  No one enjoys suffering.  From our perspective, there is never a silver lining to that cloud.  The...

Everyone living has experienced hurt and sorrow.  There is a malevolent catharsis in recounting times in our past when our hearts were broken.  Feeling sorry for ourselves is one way of coping, but it is a deceptive, destructive path.  In the end we are left lower than before, choking back the vomit of shame, guilt, resentment, and bitterness. Acknowledgement of our pain and hurt is the first step to healing, and genuine healing of the soul is found only in Jesus Christ.  Because we have all been hurt, we all face the temptation of dwelling upon the wrongs done to us rather than the One who took my wrongs upon Himself. During my life I have been hurt in many ways.  I have suffered from a broken heart many times.  I have been lied to, deceived, misjudged, ridiculed, and ignored.  I face the very real temptation to look upon hurtful moments and seasons in my life and brood over them.  When I try to logically make sense out of some things that have...

" I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word ." Psalm 119:58 Even when we have learned, God continues to teach.  There is always a deeper level - a more personal application - for biblical truth beyond where we stand.  The necessity and value of an undivided heart is a theme I have often been reminded of lately.  Unless we come to a place of rest and complete neutrality on an issue when seeking God, clear direction from our heavenly Father will often elude us.  It is not that God has abandoned us, but our preferences cloud our judgment.  We can stumble through a self-induced fog, straining for clear vision of the path laid before us.  As long as we hold to our plans and ideas - even with the thought of bringing God glory - clarity of sight and sureness of footing will remain out of reach. In wrestling with God over direction of my life and even the church, only after I wholly yielded myself to God's plan did ...