Marching Forth!

This morning I read in  Proverbs 31:30 , " Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, b ut a woman who fears the LORD , she shall be praised ."  Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart.  Whilst hairstyles and clothing options are different for men and women, the chaste conduct Peter exhorted women to exhibit is practical for both sexes in  1 Peter 3:3-4 :  " Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God ."  Luxury watches are called "timeless" and Gucci and other designer apparels command a high price, but God deems humble hearts beautiful and precious. A person need not be a model or beauty queen to be vain, even as we need not be wealthy to be miserly.  Vanity can be a very subtle sin similar to that of ...

" He who covers his sins will not prosper, b ut whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy ." Proverbs 28:13 When I think of prosperity, success in business and good health come to mind.  Because there are many people who have become wealthy, famous, and prosperous through immoral and illegal means, what the scripture says reaches beyond the temporal.  That is the trap of concealing sins, for it does indeed seem to promote prosperity in the short term.  It is natural for us to hide our faults as children to avoid being "in trouble," and this tendency does not cease in adulthood. David covered up his sin with Bathsheba and Urijah the Hittite, and though a powerful and influential king he did not prosper from his efforts.  As Moses warned the people about being sure your sin will find you out ( Num. 32:23 ), David's sin was exposed in infamous fashion by Nathan the prophet.  True prosperity comes from a healthy, growing relationship with God be...

News shook the National Football League last week when the star running back Kareem Hunt was unexpectedly suspended by the league and released by his team for alleged instances of assault.  Shortly after his release Kareem sat down for an interview with ESPN and was quoted in a CNN article: " I'm asking for forgiveness and I definitely believe I deserve forgiveness," Hunt told ESPN. "Everything is really happening fast right now, and I just want everybody to forgive me ."  His perspective has me thinking about the nature of forgiveness. It is common for people to feel sorry when they have done wrong, and especially when the are "in trouble" because of it.  In Kareem Hunt's case being in trouble means losing employment, money, sponsorship, and endangers his future career.  I am sure there are many NFL teams after the investigation concludes that would entertain the opportunity to offer Hunt a second chance because he is a young superstar.  But t...

The concept of being able to do something to obtain our desire is attractive to us.  People are willing to make sacrifices, beg, borrow, or steal to achieve their goals.  This is true regarding the attempts of people to gain favour in the eyes of men or God.  A lot of what passes for piety or devotion is not motivated by love for God or faith in Him but what we hope to gain for ourselves.  It is sobering how much selfishness can move us to sacrifice much. Jesus was approached by a rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life.   Mark 10:17-19 says, "Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, " Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" 18  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19   You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not ...