Marching Forth!

How gracious God is to teach us and give us time to grow!  A farmer does not pull or throw out seedlings because they have not yet produced fruit, and God does not expect us to have a biblical perspective from spiritual infancy.  Like a child grows to walk and talk outside the womb, once we are born again God enables us to develop into mature children of God.  It may be a surprisingly quick process to the casual observer, but it still requires time and the wisdom of God to accomplish. Children have many misconceptions of the world around them due to their naivete, ignorance or from being misinformed.  In a similar way, many Christians can bring misunderstandings into their relationship with God after trusting in Jesus and being born again.  The transformation of a heart justified by faith may be immediate, yet even the most mature believers require a renewing of their minds.  All believers have the potential to lack faith, to forget what God has said and do...

There are many tasks we "leave to the professionals" because we lack the training, skills, tools or time to do a quality job.  When hiring a contractor we spare no pains to read through pages of reviews to ensure the price is reasonably and professionalism is adequately high.  One thing I find remarkable about God is His gracious choice to rely upon volunteers to gladly proclaim His praises and goodness.  God never shies away from using the weak and foolish to do His perfect will, broken vessels through whom His immeasurable glory shines.  Should a vessel God uses be proved flawed, He remains righteous, holy and good. When the children of Israel passed through the Jordan river, God caused the waters to stand in a heap.  The priests who bore the ark of the testimony stood on dry ground in the midst until all passed over.  Joshua instructed a man from each tribe in Israel to carry a stone from the riverbed of the Jordan which were later set up in Gilgal....

" So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before ." Joshua 3:2-4 On the cusp of finally crossing the Jordan river and entering into the Promised Land, God's people were told to keep their distance from the ark of the covenant carried by the Levites as they followed.  During their pilgrimage in the wilderness the presence of God led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to the next location to make camp.  The children of Israel were told to keep almost a kilometre distance between them and the ark of God so they could see th...

A phrase I keep hearing lately in light of current events in the world is, "Buckle up!  It's going to be a bumpy ride!"  I ask in response, "Who's sitting at the wheel of your life?"  If we look to politics, policies or people for peace and security, we are looking in the wrong place.  A metaphorical seat belt does nothing to help us endure turbulent times with hope.  If we allow things of this world to drive us, we are helpless and hopeless passengers at the mercy of fools.  This is not a wise posture for children of God to adopt. On one occasion Jesus told His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee.  Suddenly their small fleet of boats was overwhelmed by a serious storm and started filling with water.  The disciples panicked.   Mark 4:38-40 reveals Jesus did not share their grave concerns:  " 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?"...