Marching Forth!

" After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him ." Luke 5:27-28 Jesus called people to follow Him from many walks of life:  fishermen, a zealot, doctor, and a tax collector.  It is most instructive that in many cases Jesus called people to follow Him when they already had careers and even called them during their work day!  Jesus knew His disciples before He called them, and He no doubt knew their daily routine and working hours.  But He did not wait for a convenient time.  This is always the case when it comes to following Jesus.  Following Jesus means leaving other things behind, and Levi illustrates this well. What I find most interesting in this passage is the order of verse 28 .  Before Levi stood to his feet, he already left all.  His heart was no longer yoked to his career, money, or even his responsibili...

" Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil ."   Ephesians 5:14-16 Sleeping is a necessary aspect of life for human beings.  Though some need more sleep than others, physically we all require a regular amount of sleep to function at our best.  Spiritually speaking, those who have been born again through the Gospel need not sleep.  Our bodies need sleep and rest, but we are called to awake to righteousness and sin not ( 1 Cor. 15:34 ).  A biblical definition of a fool is one who does not believe God exists or lives in a way that does not acknowledge Him or His wisdom.  A wise man is the one who has heard God's Word and obediently applies it to his life.  A fool - being spiritually insensible and asleep - does not walk with this knowledge of God or His wisdom.  There...

" The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway ." Proverbs 15:19 During the WORD Bible study on Friday night at Calvary Chapel Sydney, we discussed this verse.  Passages like this can reveal our tendency to filter biblical claims through our experience or current understanding rather than believing the text at face value.  It is very common for us to read an objective statement and accept it because it confirms previously held views.  If we will read honestly, openly, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, God's truth will confront and dash the presumptuous assumptions of the flesh.  A man of understanding seeks knowledge with the intent to apply it to his own life.  Those who are faithful to heed the truth of God's Word will grow, be fruitful, and richly blessed. This verse paints a compelling contrast between the way of the lazy man and the upright.  Proverbs 20:6 says, " Most men will proclaim each his own g...

One of my sons was doing a school assignment which involved making "trading cards" with challenging words.  He chose "colloquial" for one of the words.  For whatever reason, I find the word does not roll simply off the tongue!  Easier for me to define than pronounce, a "colloquialism" is an informal, commonly used word or term of phrase.  Colloquialisms can be slang, and they are often understood by local people yet sound completely foreign to others who speak the same language.  Australia is rife with colloquial terms which remain relatively unknown by other Australians.  Being an American, it's always strange when I use a colloquial term I have picked up over the years and a true-blue Aussie looks at me funny, totally unaware of what the septic just said.  There, I had to say it. :) I find it interesting when a colloquialism has what I will call "crossover."  This is when a person uses a colloquialism which carried no special significance...