Marching Forth!

The earliest version of the nursery rhyme " Humpty Dumpty " was written in 1797 by Samuel Arnold.  The first lines read, " Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.  Humpty Dumpty had a great fall ."  The higher the wall, the greater chance of significant injury from a fall.  Humpty Dumpty is commonly portrayed as an egg, and considering his fragile condition he may have been better suited for a downy nest.  Once Humpty fell, irreversible damage was done.  There was no putting him back together again. The well-known nursery rhyme has been around for centuries, but catastrophic falls for people and nations is nothing new.  This morning I read from Ezekiel 31, a passage where God spoke of how He had elevated Assyria as a towering cedar of Lebanon, the envy of the trees of Eden.  God had provided a tall, strong trunk and an ample water source to nourish the tree and cause it to grow.  Ezekiel 31:10-11 reads, " Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because yo...

" Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly--and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ ." 2 Corinthians 11:1-2 When a couple was betrothed in ancient Jewish society, the man and woman after a legal ceremony were viewed as a married couple - though they did not live together or consummate the marriage until their wedding.  This betrothal period could last a year or more, until the father of the groom gave the command.  The husband had been preparing a place for them to reside in, typically a room attached to his father's home.  The bride also prepared during that time, ensuring she had a dress for her wedding, as well as gathering clothing and items to take with her on the day of her wedding.  As the wedding drew near, her close female friends kept a watchful eye on her.  Both husband and wife were to remain sexually...

Nothing is too hard for God.  What is impossible with men is possible with God.  Psalm 135:6 says, " Whatever the LORD pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places ."  God has absolute power, and His power is always governed by justice, righteousness, mercy, grace, and love.  Such power would corrupt any mere man, but God is more than a man.  He is altogether not like us - finite beings conceived in sin - yet He created man is His own image. God's ways are past finding out, and His decisions and motives are righteous without question.  Daniel 4:35 records the observations of Nebuchadnezzar, a man whose eyes were opened to God and His glorious ways:  " All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done ?"  We have as much right to question God as our abil...

For a discipleship course at Calvary Chapel Sydney, we have been reading through an out-of-print edition of Spiritual Leadership.  It is lamentable how the more recent versions have been stripped of original force and power, but thankfully there are plenty of copies for purchase available online. I was struck with the perceptive wisdom of Sanders concerning the tactics the devil uses to stunt the growth, sap the power, and reduce the fruitfulness of Christians.  Paul was not ignorant of Satan's devices, and neither should any follower of Jesus Christ be.  Satan shamelessly appeals to the opinions of others and our flesh, and works tirelessly to distract and confuse.  Causing us to yield in our pursuit of Christ for even a moment lends him our ears and access to our hearts.  Sanders wrote this in his Christian classic: The epic contest of Moses with Pharaoh affords a classic example of the progressive temptation to compromise.  When Pharaoh discerned Mo...