Marching Forth!

 During a prayer meeting last night I was led to read  Hebrews 12:1-3 and the exhortation to consider Jesus in verse 3 spoke to my heart:  " Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls ."  As followers of Christ we are to lay aside weights and sin, run with endurance the race before us, looking unto Jesus who was the righteous Son of God yet maligned like none before Him or since.  The hostility He faced ended up with Him dying a brutal death on Calvary, and because...

After Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He taught the people and preached the Gospel in the temple.  What I find compelling is how the way Jesus evangelised is quite different to many modern methods and approaches.  Never in the Gospel accounts did Jesus employ a formula to salvation.  Everyone who heard Jesus was confronted by who Jesus claimed to be and whether they believed Him or not. I was struck how the major emphasis of the gospel can be the process of how people can obtain salvation rather than primarily focusing on who Jesus is.  There is a way Christians can share the gospel as a checklist for people to tick while the identity of Jesus as the Son of God is glossed over.  The question Jesus posed to Peter is a central tenet of the Gospel:  " Who do you say that I am ?"  People had many opinions and theories about who Jesus was, and the scriptures reveal He is the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus is the promised Messiah who did many si...

" Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven ." Proverbs 23:4-5 It is good to set goals during our lives, perhaps even financial ones.  But there is one goal which will never be satisfied even when it is obtained:  the desire for more .  Dissatisfaction with our current income or financial net-worth leads to a lack of thankfulness and generosity with what God has given us.  Many people set their sights on being millionaires from their youth and many have obtained this desire.  There is no evidence the more money people have the happier and satisfied they are in life.  In fact, the evidence seems to suggest otherwise. The Swedish pop band ABBA wrote a hit song in the '70's titled, " Money, Money, Money. "  The chorus repeats, " All the things I could do, if I had a little money.  It's a...

 King Solomon admonished his son in Ecclesiastes 12:12 , " ...of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh ."  It is no easy feat to write a book (especially that is widely read), and it is easier to collect books than read them.  It would be a great shame to put our effort into acquiring books to our library without reading them with careful consideration.  Whether our books be many or few, their primary value is not as familiar decor:  we ought to read and re-read them as we welcome their input like dear friends.  The pile of books to be read for the first time can be interrupted as the LORD leads by books we already possess. One book which has proved to be an invaluable resource over the years is C.S. Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students .  It is by far the most useful book I own outside the scriptures, as it has provided great insights, wise counsel and encouragement from a man of godly character.  One of the ch...