Marching Forth!

In the Bible we see tragic examples of people being sold.  Rather than kill their brother Joseph, Judah suggested he and his brothers sell him to Ishmaelite traders who were heading to Egypt.  Esther said she and her people were "sold" to be killed by Haman's wicked decree.  God exposed the moral decay among His people in J oel 3:3 :  " They have cast lots for My people, h ave given a boy as payment for a harlot,  a nd sold a girl for wine, that they may drink ."  During Paul's missionary journey to Philippi we read of a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination who brought much financial gain to her masters, having evidently been bought or acquired previously by them. There are times recorded in scripture when God delivered His own people into the hands of their enemies in response to their rejection of Him and departure from Him.  Judges 2:14 tells us, " And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the han...

A refrain in a rock song goes, " Time is on my side, yes it is ."  The background of the story in the tune is the singer felt no time-pressure about his girlfriend leaving him, because it was only a matter of time before she would be back and knocking at his door.  He was confident the constant, relentless march of time would result in his relational struggles and separation being resolved.  I cannot say I share Mick Jagger's view on this, for time never feels like it is on my side.  The ticking away of every seconds is a force we must yield to, like it or not.  Things we dread edge ever closer, and favourite seasons pass us by.  The passage of time is an unescapable, unavoidable reality of life as the earth rotates around the sun according to God's design. It is because God created the heavens and earth governed by time we must say, " All good times come to an end ."  No matter how wonderful the current or future season is, we know they cannot last pe...

Today whilst waiting to check out at Woolworths, my eyes fell upon a statement on a magazine cover I found bemusing:  "Be Bold and Evolve."  Even for those who ascribe to the concept of Darwinian evolution of the species, this is quite a wild statement.  How by thinking or an act of the will can a creature or human being fundamentally change who or what they are?  Even the most extreme body modifications people undergo are incapable of changing them from who they are on the inside:  such actions are overt, intentional actions that ring true to themselves as they are.  Changing names and identifying as gender fluid is not the evolution of a species but people embracing the unique powers as humans and the freedom of our will given by God to do what we want--however unconventional it may be. Classic Darwinian evolution hinges on "survival of the fittest" as an explanation behind the origin of species, something the Bible's account of creation firmly contradict...

Last night in Bible study we read a couple of Psalms that spoke of going up to Jerusalem to appear before the LORD, to sacrifice and worship with rejoicing.  The sons of Korah reflected on the wonderful times they had with others who praised the God of Israel and rejoiced in His goodness.  A brother at the study pointed out the progression seen in  Psalm 43:3-4 :  " Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me;  l et them bring me to Your holy hill  a nd to Your tabernacle.  4 Then I will go to the altar of God, t o God my exceeding joy;  a nd on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God ."  For Jews appearing before the LORD a trip to Jerusalem was far more than a social gathering because going to Jerusalem, the tabernacle, and altar led to the presence of God Himself:  " to God, my exceeding joy ." In days long ago it was not uncommon for me to hear people call a church building "the house of God."  While this senti...