Marching Forth!

God's word is more than a treasure we hold with our hands or read with our eyes.  It goes to work on our hearts and minds, revealing the reality of God's goodness to people who were once blind and in spiritual darkness.  It has power to cleanse our minds from error as we drink it in and works to strengthen our faith as we heed it.  It reveals plainly spiritual and practical realities that were in operation long before we were  made aware of them.  Paul said he would not have known sin except by the Law of Moses, and we Gentiles would not have known or recognised Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah without God's word. It is remarkable how God chose to inhabit human form and come to earth to seek and save sinners Himself.  It was incredible enough when He thundered and spoke from Mount Sinai; it was wonderful how He spoke to Elijah in a small, still voice.  Yet God did more than stoop to behold us in our condemned state, for He became one of us.  H...

There are things in life that do not resolve well on their own.  Without medical intervention there are a myriad of health problems which persist until they are intentionally treated.  I remember my Granddad had cataracts, which is a clouding of the lens in the eye.  It progressed to a point while driving he struggled to make out whether the light was illuminated green or red!  After submitting to a surgical procedure, he was able to see clearly.  With the advances of technology, what was once a risky operation with common poor outcomes is now safe and very effective. As cataracts are a condition which progress over time and cause blindness, so it is spiritually with pride.  If left unchecked, pride progressively leads to the destruction of people and nations--and pride does not appreciate being checked!  Even as cataracts are often a result of the ageing process, it seems success and prosperity can play a role in feeding and coddling pride.  At o...

The circumstances depicted in Genesis 13 are good for us to consider:  will we lift our eyes and take for ourselves, or will we wait on the LORD who bids us lift our eyes to receive all He has provided for us?  How good it is to realise all we need for life and godliness is in Him alone! Conflict broke out between the servants of Lot and Abram because the land where they settled was not able to support all their flocks and herds.  Abram humbly approached Lot and pleaded that he separate from him, and offered him first choice of where he desired to go.  Lot lifted his eyes and saw the Jordan plain was well-watered, and it was likened to the garden of Eden God made to flourish before the flood.   Genesis 13:11 said, " Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other ."  Lot chose what appeared to be the best choice, and they separated from one another. Genesis 13:14-15 reads, " And the LOR...

The Law of Moses is a shadow of the new covenant of the Gospel Jesus would usher in through His death and resurrection.  Like a living, breathing person differs from a human likeness enshrined in a wax museum, so Jesus Christ excels all prophets and rulers who preceded Him.  The Law prepared God's people to receive God's forgiveness and love they could not earn or ever deserve. Last night I was struck with the stark contrast between the prayer and desires of the prophet Jeremiah under the covenant of Law and Jesus who instituted the new covenant in His own blood.  Consider the prayer of the prophet in  Jeremiah 18:19-23 :  " Give heed to me, O LORD , a nd listen to the voice of those who contend with me!  20  Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You  t o speak good for them,  t o turn away Your wrath from them.  21  Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, a ...