Marching Forth!

Knowing God as revealed in the Bible gives us confident expectation of good even when troubles abound.  With the many voices and influences in the world, God's people ought to determine His word will carry greater weight with us than all other feelings, opinions and views.  It is never easy to trust God and follow Him, as we are prone to lean on our own understanding or rely on help or guidance from others, but it is simple enough even a child can do it faithfully. G.K. Chesterton famously remarked in an essay, " The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried ." (Chesterton, G. K. What’s Wrong with the World . Ignatius Press, 1994. pg. 37)  Indeed, even those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ find personal sanctification and God's refinement difficult.  When our eyes are focused on how far we have come pride can set in, and should we fix our gaze on how far we still have to go we are easily overwh...

It dawned on me today that due to the advent of the internet and social media, opinions have never been less or more influential at the same time.  People's views are broadcasted so frequently and cheaply they don't matter much, and people are hungry and thirsty for likes to build personal platforms.  Going viral has led to instant fame, and public outcry can lead to dismissal akin to social banishment.  Despite the facade of social media friendship many still feel desperately lonely, their lives hanging by the thread of superficial connections. In contrast to the shifting sands of public interest and sentiment, God's word remains sure and absolute, rooted in God's wisdom that encompasses all that matters.  In the Bible, God does not give us His opinions but unchanging judgments concerning what is true.  He has given mankind freedom to choose what we will believe, who we will follow and what voices we will listen to.  I have observed the voices we listen to...

" Cast your burden on the LORD , a nd He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved ." Psalm 55:22 When David wrote Psalm 55 , he was clearly burdened by many things, including a host of enemies, the oppression of the wicked, and betrayal by a friend.  Unable to fly away from his troubling situation or dread, he sought the LORD he knew would hear and answer him.  Toward the end of the song he turned his attention to the reader and urged all to cast their burdens on the LORD who would sustain those made righteous through faith in Him. To sustain means "to hold."  When people are burdened in a literal sense, it means we are carrying something.  I picture someone encumbered with bags after coming home from the shops or a person carrying a load of firewood on outstretched arms.  When doing work, we like to make our effort and time worthwhile.  Rather than making several trips, we might load an extra bag or log to finish the job more e...

When we observe people of God making head-scratching decisions that are inconsistent with what they know to be true or right, know we are looking at a mirror image of ourselves.  Sure, our failings may not mirror the exact circumstances people experienced in the historical narrative, but we share the same weaknesses, are prone to spiritual dullness and have our own blind spots.  We wonder, how can people who saw the miracles God did to deliver them from slavery in Egypt murmur against Him in unbelief shortly thereafter?  Isn't it true that after coming to faith in Christ we too have complained of far less trying circumstances--despite our knowledge of what God has done and promised? This inconsistency in people who fear God can be easily found throughout Scripture.  Peter spoke courageously in front of Jesus and the other disciples and even lashed out with a sword when Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Yet he wilted under the scrutiny of ser...