Marching Forth!

" Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD , t he fruit of the womb is a reward ." Psalm 127:3 Rewarding means to give in return, and this occurs according to the generosity of the one offering the reward.  I have seen posters offering monetary rewards to anyone who finds a lost pet and notifies the owner.  A reward in such circumstances is compensation given to the deserving, even as wages might be given to an employee.  But there is a notable difference with God's rewards, for they are given all of God's grace to the underserving out of His goodness.  We might think on the basis of the forgoing verse that those with many children have received a greater reward from God based on their merit, yet it is by God's merit, wisdom and goodness every living soul enters this world. While I was reading the book of Numbers , I was blessed to read the section at the end of Numbers 18 .  To those under the Law of Moses, God commanded people bring a tithe of the best ...

Unbelief is a killer of rest and peace.  When harboured in our hearts, it prevents our healing and restoration to fellowship with God and other believers.  The writer of Hebrews explained it was due to unbelief the children of Israel would not and could not enter the land God promised to give them, and their dead carcasses in the wilderness are a warning to all who follow them in unbelief.  God was grieved by their unbelief, and they weren't pleased with the prospects of 40 years in the wilderness when they were on the cusp of entering in and receiving their inheritance ( Hebrews 3:17-19 ). After 10 spies gave a bad report of the land of Canaan, the people felt hopeless and wept--though God remained good, faithful and sovereign.  God would defeat the people of Canaan as surely as He delivered them from slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand, but the reports of giants put the people in fear.  Unbelief in God and His promise prevented the people from trusting Him....

The last time I read through the Bible from the beginning, I noticed something I hadn't considered before.  With the exception of the first command--for Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden--prohibitive commands were established by God after the offence took place.  God did not plant the idea of sin in the heart and mind of mankind:  committing sin was man's own doing. For instance, Cain was the first man guilty of murder when he struck Abel and killed him.  This was not a transgression of any law as Abel's murder occurred somewhere around 1,500 years before Noah's flood, after which God issued a prohibition and punishment for murdering people in  Genesis 9:6 :  " Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man ."  There have always been negative consequences for sin (for the soul that sins will surely die), but God graciously spelled this out so people could recognis...

Years ago, I had workmate who expended a lot of thought over what he would do if he ever won the lottery.  He was confused when I did not share his bizarre obsession and giddy preoccupation.  Many times he launched into a detailed explanation of the importance of receiving winnings in a lump sum and investing the money in various ways.  This guy had a serious plan for a vast sum of money (if he ever won big, of course), but I was never convinced buying the lotto religiously was the best investment plan. In the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son, the younger of two brothers demanded his father give him his inheritance in a lump sum.  The father graciously did so, but despite the windfall the son was soon broke, destitute and homeless.  My friend imagined the lottery would simplify his life, and the prodigal son may have thought his life would be improved.  As I consider it, the idea of quick wealth in a lump sum is attractive.  Some view the Gospel ...