Marching Forth!

God rewards those who trust and diligently seek Him ( Hebrews 11:6 ), and the life of Enoch is cited as an example.  Enoch pleased God, and without faith it is impossible to please God.  He was translated to heaven and never saw death, and what a great reward eternal life is for all who place their faith in Jesus Christ.  Heaven is not the only place where God rewards His people, for we are abundantly blessed with God's presence, love, forgiveness, peace, and fullness of joy even now. The rewards supplied by God by His grace come to us in unexpected ways.  God has set aside for us a "full reward" John alludes to in 2 John 1:8 .  There are ways we can miss out on the rewards God intends to give us.  Paul revealed when followers of Jesus are judged for our stewardship before the judgment seat of Christ we could potentially suffer loss ( 1 Corinthians 3:15 ).  Perhaps a little story might help this make sense. There was once a man who worked for his...

The Bible is full of truth, layer upon layer.  The more I consider and study it, the basic and fundamental themes grow more profound.  I find myself increasingly amazed by the power and simplicity of the Gospel.  God's love and grace is a revelation of not only His goodness towards us, but to guide how we live.  The world has hijacked terms like "love" and "peace" for worldly pursuits, and these feeble caricatures bear no resemblance to the abundant provision God supplies for those who trust in Him. After Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of thousands, they returned the following day hoping for more food.  Jesus told them not to work for food which perishes but for what would provide them eternal life.  The Jews asked Jesus, "How can we do the works of God?"   John 6:29 says, " Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent ."  The good work Jesus spoke of was to believe Jesus was indeed...

"Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27  nor give place to the devil ." Ephesians 4:26-27 Anger is a natural response for people, and it is not always a sinful one.  It is possible to be angry without sin, but the occasions are very rare.  Paul makes clear the connection between remaining angry and giving place to the devil - which makes us exponentially susceptible to sin.  When Jonah became angry after God relented from destroying Nineveh, God asked Him a question we do well to consider when we are angry:  " Is it right for you to be angry ?"  If we would answer honestly, much of our anger has nothing to do with God or righteousness at all.  The driver behind much anger we experience is pride and self.  It is fuelled by perceived infringement on our rights or desires, and it is nothing about God being robbed of His just due or being sinned against. Is it possible to be justified in anger towards God?...

" O LORD God of hosts, w ho is mighty like You, O LORD ? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. 9 You rule the raging of the sea; w hen its waves rise, You still them ." Psalm 89:8-9 The LORD God of hosts is supreme over all, and all power and authority is His.  The One who created the sea can rule it, and His might is incomparable.  The psalmist Ethan the Ezrahite asked, "Who among God or man can compare with the LORD?"  Man is at the mercy of the power of a raging sea, but God has the power to still the waves. This passage reminds me of when Jesus and His disciples sought to go to the other side of Galilee in ships.   Mark 4:37-41 reads, " And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ...