Marching Forth!

" Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, a t the presence of the God of Jacob,  8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water, t he flint into a fountain of waters ." Psalm 114:7-8 The earth created by God has been witness to countless miracles and displays of divine power.  God caused the earth to open its mouth and swallow Korah, Dathan and Abiram and all who joined with them against Moses.  When God descended on Sinai the earth shook and a thick cloud covered the mount.  The miracle referenced here was when God, on at least two occasions, caused water to flow from the rock in the wilderness ( Exodus 17 & Numbers 20 ).  God provided water from the rock for His people to be refreshed, sustained and He would be sanctified in the eyes of the people. This miraculous flow of water was a foreshadowing of how God, by a new covenant entered into by faith in Jesus, would cause the Living Water of the Holy Spirit to flow through those who are born again by t...

" Your word I have hidden in my heart, t hat I might not sin against You !" Psalm 119:11 God's word lights our path to walk uprightly.  Jesus said if the light in a man's heart is darkness, how great is that darkness.  This illustrates the importance, not only to know God's word and practice it, but as much as we can to remember it accurately.  Reading God's word for ourselves is incredibly important to illuminate our hearts and minds, for God is faithful to open our eyes to truth we previously missed. This reminder came to me recently as I read the familiar passage in  Romans 3:23 that says, "... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ."  As I read it with my own eyes I realised my tendency to say it, "...for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  This tense change from "fall" to "fallen" has a whole new meaning to it.  It is true we have all sinned and thus fallen short of God's...

When I read through lyrics printed on the insert in cassettes or CDs years ago, I also read the tribute of thanks written by the band or individual members.  I was always pleased when I saw God or Jesus being thanked because it suggested these were Christian artists I supported and listened to.  Looking back, it was more of a legalistic tick box than anything.  Even if God or biblical truth was completely absent from the lyrics, at least they acknowledged God and thus could be justified as believers.  Hmmm. This realisation came to me when I recently unwrapped a CD purchased online of a Christian artist I enjoy thoroughly.  For whatever reason I turned to the thanks section and was surprised not to see a mention of God anywhere.  But then I considered how every single song on the album was from a godly perspective, even at times directly quoting the words of Jesus.  Wasn't it better to include God and His truth in every song rather than a cliche "thank...

I was blessed recently to baptise fellow believers in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ.  I was encouraged and pleased, not only by the joy of seeing Christians enthusiastic to identify with Christ, but with the response of an observer:  "Well, that was easy."  How true it is that we can complicate what God made easy and create lengthy processes, ceremonies or rituals that become more than a chore than a delightful duty as God intended. In contrast to modern churches that have embraced scheduled meetings and events, the scripture is filled with seemingly impromptu moments orchestrated by the Holy Spirit as members of the body of Christ spread the Good News.  Many are recorded in the book of Acts , like when the Holy Spirit led Philip into the desert where he met an Ethiopian eunuch who had departed Jerusalem with a scroll of Isaiah.  Acts 8:35-38 says, " Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.  36 ...