Marching Forth!

As a person in charge of building maintenance at a church, Proverbs 14:4 is a verse I take to heart.  It reads, " Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; b ut much increase comes by the strength of an ox ."  If you were a farmer, would you rather have a clean trough or the assistance of a strong animal in work?  A dirty trough may be a good trade.  In a church building it is good to strive to keep toilets clean, surfaces wiped, carpet vacuumed, and chairs aligned, but it is frankly impossible when many people are involved.  I would rather have damaged paint and stains on the carpet - because there are people enjoying serving and in fellowship with one another - than to have an clean facility free from the wear and tear of life. Today a friend told me about a sister-in-law she had who kept her kitchen in an immaculate condition, and she was able to do so easily because she never cooked!  I like the thought of never having to clean a BBQ, oven, and espe...

Much is made of Esther's uninvited approach of King Ahasuerus and for good reason.  Under the law of the Medes and Persians which could not be changed, all who approached the king without an invitation were sentenced to death - unless the king held out the golden sceptre towards the one who approached as a signal of his favour.  Queen Esther had not been called before the king for 30 days, yet after three days of prayer and fasting she drew near to the king to plead for her people.  She found favour in the sight of the king and her life was preserved because the king delighted in her. Did you know Esther did not only approach the king once but did so a second time?  After Haman's treachery was exposed, Esther again appeared before the king uninvited.   Esther 8:3-6 states, " Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the...

Yesterday our family read the passage which spoke of Cain and Abel and their offerings to God.  Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel was a keeper of sheep.  These are both useful and worthy occupations, providing great benefits for man and beast.  Out of the bounty God provided them these men chose to present an offering before the LORD.  Until this point in the Bible there had been no mention of offerings and no clear command from God what would be acceptable. Genesis 4:3-5 reads, " And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD . 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell ."  When I heard this passage discussed in my youth there was great emphasis placed on the different offerings themselves.  I have come to beli...

I have been reading through books by A.W. Tozer recently and one thing he strongly recommended was the benefit of old hymnals.  He asserted hymns of old were packed with solid theology and were indispensable in private worship.  I thought about what he said and realised among my books I didn't have a hymnal.  So I checked out a website based in Australia which sells rare or out of print books and came across The Book of Praise, selections of English hymn writers by Roundell Palmer in 1867.  When I opened it I discovered the very first hymn is notable among my all-time favourites:  "How Great Thou Art" by Bishop Reginald Heber penned in 1827. One of the first things I do when I buy a used book is as I flip through to fix all dog-eared pages.  The book is not in the best condition, but it undoubtedly will be a great tool and blessing in drawing near to God.  In the heart of every child of God there is a longing to draw near to the LORD in prayer and p...