Marching Forth!

Once a man named Jairus came to Jesus and asked him to heal his sick daughter.  As they made their way to his house, a messenger came bearing bad news:  the twelve-year-old girl had died.  "Do not trouble that Master any more," was the suggestion.  What more could Jesus do now?  Jesus told Jairus, " Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole ."  They continued their trek to the house of Jairus. When they arrived at the residence, many mourners wailed the passing of the girl.  Luke 8:52-53 says, " Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping." 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead ."  The KJV says the mourners " laughed Jesus to scorn ," knowing she was dead.  They knew a dead body when they saw one!  Who was this man who suggested they should cease mourning?  If she wasn't breathing, how could she be sleeping?  His suggesting was insulting and offensi...

Most people who know me also know I am fond of watching and playing sport.  In my adulthood I have been on 10-pin bowling teams, company and church softball teams, and have played baseball during the last few years.  I used to enjoy going down to the park and playing touch and tackle football (gridiron) on weekends and holidays with my brother and friends.  Being from San Diego, I have been a Padres and Chargers fan since the early to mid-80's.  Long before I had a TV in our home, I would carry my little battery-powered radio around and listen to the Padres games.  Every year I would actually write a letter to the Padres office to request the annual schedule.  Every year I rejoiced to receive that envelope in the post, stick my new schedule to a cork board, and listen to as many games as I could. Even now as I sit at my desk, I can see last year's San Diego Chargers schedule hanging in plain view.  As much as I enjoyed the Padres, the Chargers have b...

The true measure of wisdom is not found in the amount of knowledge you possess, but your willingness to receive correction from God.  Christ has become for us wisdom, and a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.  Proverbs 15:31 says, " The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise ."  How we respond to rebuke and chastening of God is one of the most accurate gauges of whether we are walking in wisdom or not.  Both the wise and foolish man hears the words of Christ, but the wise will adopt His ways.  The wise will heed His rebukes and take appropriate action. This wisest among men realise God is righteous and good.  Even when God's ways appear unreasonable or ridiculous, a wise man humbly affirms that if anyone needs correction it is himself.  Habakkuk was a prophet of God who was dismayed with God's plan to use the Babylonians to judge the people of Israel.  It didn't make sense to Habakkuk God would choose to use a ...

Have you heard of the term, "Fighting fire with fire?"  To prevent massive fires, small controlled burns are utilised by fire fighters to protect areas potentially at risk.  Burning brush removes the fuel source which could allow a fire to rapidly grow out of control and spread into inhabited areas.  "Back burning" is commonly done in preparation for fire season to reduce risk of damage to property.  Inaccessible areas abound in Australia, and back burning in controlled areas help wildfire prevention and limit resulting devastation. Fighting fire with fire is one way to prevent massive fires, but it doesn't ensure success.  Sometimes even after starting a back-burn in ideal conditions with professionals and equipment on hand, things can flare out of control.  An intended preventative measure can spiral into a complete disaster.  Today I thought about how Christians can try to fight the flesh with the flesh.  It is common to use external methods ...