Marching Forth!

At a family gathering as a kid, I witnessed an interaction between one of my uncles and his grandson.  When my uncle noticed the boy playing with his pack of cigarettes, it prompted a fairly harsh response that left the little one scurrying away crying.  I was surprised by my uncle's violent outburst, and he justified it without apology as being for the best, as the incident would serve to deter the little boy from smoking in the future.  I was not convinced his assessment was accurate even at the time, and upon reflection I am certain it was untrue.  The boy was interested and drawn to the colourful packet and lighter his grandpa always had at his side, and when his uncle sparked up another cigarette it rekindled the curiosity of the lad. My uncle's thinly veiled hypocrisy was clear to me, that he was adamant smoking was bad for his grandson when he continued to smoke himself.  I assume his motive to protect his grandson from the fangs of addiction was genuine,...

During the 40 years of being led through the wilderness, the tribes of Ruben and Gad approached Moses with a request.  They had large herds of cattle, and they saw the land on the east side of the Jordan (Jazer and Gilead) was prime land for cattle.  So they asked Moses if they could have permission to settle on the east side of the Jordan as their inheritance--even though God promised to give them land on the west side with everyone else. Moses was disturbed by their request, as it seemed they were following in their father's footsteps of rebellion against the LORD!  They assured Moses this was not the case, for they would gladly take up arms when the time came and fight with their brethren so they too could receive their promised inheritance of land in Canaan.  Once the people of Ruben and Gad pledged to help everyone else, their request to settle on the east side of the Jordan as their inheritance was granted.  In this allowance I see the grace of God, for He...

I am encouraged today by these verses found in 1 Peter 4:12-15 :  " Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;  13  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  14  If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified ."  The implication of Peter's initial statement is fiery trials can catch us off guard.  We wonder why we are being persecuted, experience trouble or have persistent struggles.  Peter reminded believers we are beloved by God and affirmed trials will most certainly come.  Trials are not allowed by God without good and redemptive purposes, however, for they are intended to test, refine and purify us to be more like Jesus....

By God's grace, Christians can learn from kings and servants alike.  We don't need to be a king or even in a position of authority to observe their lives, aim to emulate their wise decisions, and avoid their foolish ones.  Many kings who began their reigns well by faith in God did not finish their lives strong, and this ought to motivate us to succeed where they failed by increasing dependence on God.  Kings of old cannot go back and change their decisions, but we can make considerable effort to order our future steps according to God's word in His service. Jeroboam was a man described as an industrious and ambitious worker who got things done, and Solomon promoted him to a position of leadership.  It was then a prophet of God Ahijah came to Jeroboam, and he revealed by the word of the LORD God would take away 10 tribes from Solomon and give them to Jeroboam.  The prophet also explained why God would do this in  1 Kings 11:33 :  "... because they have...