Marching Forth!

It amazes me how God works countless wonders and yet this does not always translate into faith.  God miraculously brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land after sustaining them for 40 years.  He caused water to flow from a rock and provided bread from heaven, yet they continued to lean on their own understanding, walking by sight instead of faith in Him.  This same tendency goes for me too, for none of us are immune to this short-sighted folly. Yesterday I read 1 Kings 17  which provides an illustration of how slow people are to recognise God's miraculous provision.  During a severe drought and famine God directed the prophet Elijah to go to a widow woman.  When he found her she was gathering sticks to light a fire to bake her last meal for herself and her son.  All they had was a scant amount of flour and oil and once that was gone they were without hope of survival.  Elijah asked her to bake a cake for him first ...

" So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him ." Luke 5:11 No matter how much study or effort goes into the process of preaching, there are countless ways to improve.  There are things I wish I had said which I neglected, topics or passages I wish I had handled differently, or words after saying them in retrospect I would have left unsaid.  After preaching it is a mixture of feeling blessed to learn from God and share from His Word coupled with the knowledge I didn't quite nail it.  Yesterday I taught on the first part of Luke 5 and afterwards was a bit disappointed I didn't expound this verse just a bit more.  Praise the LORD He is a Redeemer and the One who gives understanding of His Word so even man's poor attempts can be fruitful and practical. After Jesus caused Simon and his partners to haul in a miraculous catch of fish, upon reaching the shore they " forsook all and followed Him ."  This meant the...

Over lunch yesterday I shared an engaging conversation about the nature and character of God.  It struck me that no matter how abundant the evidence or plain the facts, at some point faith is required.  God is eternal and infinite in love, wisdom, grace, and goodness.  We humans are finite, locked within time, and our perspective is shockingly limited.  In reaching for better understanding of God and how He operates (who does not share our thoughts, nor are His ways like ours) we cobble together examples which are woefully inadequate using words which cannot do justice to God's reality.  At a funeral or memorial service it is impossible to convey the impact of a single life of a brief span of time:  how can we explain eternity or He who inhabits it? Because God has graciously revealed Himself through the Word and the person of Jesus Christ we can know Who we worship.  But let us not make the mistake that God is like us any more than a created thing ...

Psalm 77 by Asaph is a great example that in our distress it is good to remember who God is and all He has done.  We easily forget to relate God's awesome deeds in times past to our current situation.  Because God is faithful the provision, protection, and help in the past enables us to trust Him in the present.  Perhaps we can't predict how or when God will do His wonders, but He will. Asaph wrote in  Psalm 77:11-15 , " I will remember the works of the LORD ; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12  I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. 13  Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? 14  You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. 15  You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah "  Instead of racking his brain to figure out how he could change his circumstances for the better, Asaph meditated ...