Marching Forth!

I was reminded recently of the refrain of the hit by the British band  Yes that goes, " Owner of a lonely heart, (much better than an) owner of a broken heart ."  The song is certainly catchy, but I don't know I ever bothered to consider if this assertion is true when I sang along.  Beauty and often truth these days is determined by personal perspective, but looking at this through a biblical lens provides insight and clarity to crushed feelings we all experience in this life. God created man needy and for relationship with Him and other people.  Feelings of loneliness can plague people who know and trust God as well as those who enjoy meaningful relationships.  Loneliness can be exacerbated by unhealthy self-focus.  The feelings of being alone (and varying degrees of isolation) can be fleeting or chronic depending on more factors than I can suggest.  The point I feel inclined to consider is no heart created by the living God needs to settle for ...

In the waiting room of a local doctor's office there is a small cabinet filled with books supplied by a local book club.  A sign encourages people to take, exchange, or donate books so others can read and enjoy them.  As I was waiting a classic book I never read caught my eye:  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I flipped to the beginning of the story and was greeted by a gem of a simile on the first page:  " His friends were those of his own blood, or those whom he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object ." (Stevenson, Robert Louis, and Jenni Calder. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: and Other Stories . Penguin Books, 1979, page 29.) Comparing the affections of Mr. Utterson to the growth of ivy provides great insight into the man.  Ivy does not discriminate:  it will climb on a brick wall, a fence, or up the trunk of great trees to soak up as much ...

Consideration of the immediate context is important in Bible study as well as acknowledging what other Bible passages say on the same subject.  It is possible to exaggerate an interpretation or application of scripture when different verses are not weighed against one another.  Undue emphasis on a particular point has ironically led to error and misrepresentation of the facts by students of the Word.  While none of us (and me especially!) claim to understand all things, as we humbly seek the LORD in the study of His Word we remain on guard against falling into this trap. An example of this can be shown in the words of Jesus in  Matthew 21:22 :  " And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive ."  If we were to camp on this verse alone without considering other scriptures it seems Christians have the power in prayer to obtain whatever we want.  If we believe we will receive what we ask for, we will receive--after all, Jesus Him...

In contrasting the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit, there are variations of an illustration I heard in a sermon yesterday I have also heard by others over the years.  It goes something like this:  "You don't walk by an apple tree and hear it straining to pop out apples by effort.  The fruit of the Spirit is something produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within you."  I can understand why this analogy is provided to explain how we are enabled to be spiritually fruitful because the Holy Spirit indwells and enables us to do so.  But this example can be potentially misleading because it is narrowly focused on a complex, multi-faceted relationship believers share with God.  What it can suggest is, "Trees bear fruit naturally, and Christians produce fruit supernaturally without any effort or a struggle at all.  It will just happen."  And this is plain wrong. In the scripture believers are compared to trees and branches of the Vin...