Marching Forth!

I remember hearing a prayer that thanked God for "making us worthy," and I felt rehearsing Inigo Montoya's line from the movie  The Princess Bride :  "Y ou keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means ."  To the credit of the people who have prayed thus, "worthy" is a word that has a range of meaning that has shifted over the years.  A partial definition from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary of "worthy" is:  " 1) deserving; such as merits; having worth or excellence; equivalent; with of, before the thing deserved; 2) possessing worth or excellence of qualities; virtuous; estimable; 3) suitable; having qualities suited to; either in a good or bad sense; equal in value. "  Worthy speaks of being meritorious, of being deserving when compared with others.  I do not believe the person who claims they are made "worthy" are suggesting they are equal with God or deserving of His help or grace, for that ...

One consequence of enjoying a delightful, satisfying meal is it kills the appetite to eat more.  Many times I have declined to even look at the dessert menu filled with tasty treats because I was already full!  Compare this with conversations I have had with children soon after dinner who complained they were still hungry.  I would ask, "If you're hungry, why didn't you have more dinner?"  It was evident the foods supplied for dinner weren't their "favourite thing" by later angling for something different. Have you ever been to an "all you can eat" buffet?  For people with a ravenous appetite this offering sounds very appealing.  My typical approach to a new buffet I have never tried is to walk through and see the range of what is on offer.  Unfortunately, quantity does not always equate with high quality.  Typically there will be something I find appetising, but there have been rare occasions when I went home from a buffet hungry because there...

There's a saying people use when referring to past events they regret:  "shoulda, woulda, coulda."  It is a way to dismiss what has happened in the past because there is no going back and doing things over.  Lamenting how life could have been better if different choices were made is in itself a pointless exercise that can lead to despair.  When we acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them going forward, that is when feelings of regret can be a personal boon. It is one thing when a person says something in the past should have been done differently, and how much more accurate is God's judgments in all matters!  God has great plans to deliver and save His people, yet our choices can hinder Him from doing all He should, would and could do.  Consider  Psalm 81:13-16 in the KJV (bold emphasis mine):  " Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!  14  I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned m...

" Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  15  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all ." 1 Timothy 4:14-15 These verses were shared in the message preached yesterday at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  The points made were Timothy had a gift given by God, and he could also neglect this gift.  We are not entirely sure what specific gift of the Holy Spirit was being referred to, but Timothy and others knew it because it had been prophesied unto him with the laying on of hands of the eldership.  If Timothy knew what gift he had been given and could neglect it, it follows believers today who have received the Holy Spirit and gifts by His will can neglect our gifts as well. To neglect suggests carelessness, to forbear proper use or responsibility of something.  We have seen neglected lawns overgrown with weeds and hedges untr...