Marching Forth!

How important it is to have a biblical worldview!  God is revealed in scripture as the only true source of wisdom.  If we only see as men see, we are spiritually senseless and without wisdom from above.  Libraries contain a wealth of knowledge, and reading is required for understanding and application.  Without a vantage point provided by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we walk though life like an illiterate man wandering through a library.  He may be familiar with the appearance of books, flip through the pages of large tomes, and admire the pictures, but the captions and text remain unknown to him. We live in a world that largely claims (by whose or what standard I cannot tell) man is inherently good.  Besides, who is permitted to say what is right and wrong anymore with authority?  The Bible has a very different view of things.  It tells us that there is none good, no not one.  When measured against God's righteous standard ther...

It is easy to focus on the symptoms and neglect diagnosing and dealing with the source.  For years I have dealt with a shoulder injury by avoiding actions that cause additional pain.  I take care not to lie directly on my shoulder at night, and ensure I stretch properly and warm up before physical activity.  To this point I have not taken the time to seek a professional opinion or pay for scans.  Instead of having the cause fix, history says I prefer to treat my symptoms through strengthening exercises, avoiding painful activities, applying ice and pain relieving rubs, and using anti-inflammatory medications.  Eventually, I keep telling myself, I will have the shoulder examined and scanned.  But in the meantime, I will keep treating my symptoms rather than seeking out the cure. I do not believe I am alone in this.  Governments, businesses, churches, families, and individuals sometimes see a symptom as a problem rather than ferreting out the cause and...

No one likes the idea of confinement.  No one thinks, "I'd really like to see more restrictions placed upon my life."  But there is one Person who willingly accepted personal restrictions beyond anything we could ever imagine:  the Infinite, Almighty God took the form of a human being in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was in a human sense free to do anything He wanted, yet He voluntarily chose to take upon Himself the form of a servant and was obedient to His Heavenly Father in everything. Jesus is the Creator of all, for without Him nothing was made that is made ( John 1:1-2 ).  He existed from eternity past and had previously no date of birth.  But all that changed about 2,000 years ago when He was conceived in the virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit ( Is. 7:14 ) and was born in the city of Bethlehem ( Matt. 2:5-6 ).  For the first time, God entered the confines of time.  God was also confined within a human body as Immanuel, God with us....

I was riding back from lunch with a couple of mates when the car started making an odd noise.  The sound began a running commentary among all in the vehicle about the source of the sound.  As it persisted and grew worse, a passing driver honked and quickly ended the discussion.  We pulled over and found we had a flat rear tyre.  It turned out that my fellow passenger knew personally a tyre shop owner close by and directed the driver to the entrance.  True to his claims of good service, the process of the inspection and replacement was handled immediately.  This was a case of knowing where to go because you know someone you trust. The situation had me thinking.  My mate who directed us to the tyre shop performed a role similar to that a Christian who leads others to Christ in time of need.  Had we been without his aid, it would have taken us a long while to locate the jack, remove the spare, and possibly find the spare too was flat!  Because...