Marching Forth!

" Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life ."   Proverbs 13:12 Waiting is a facet of life few people enjoy.  The western culture of today is under-girded with the idea that quicker is better.   We don't feel like waiting and we don't believe we should have to.  Yet in the Christian life we find that God is not in a hurry.  I would like to take short-cuts concerning my sanctification, but God is pleased with what appears to us to be the long, often very long way.  Waiting provides opportunity to trust.  How many times in scripture do we see God reveal something divinely to His people and then wait years to bring it to fulfillment? Moses believed while he lived in Pharaoh's house that God would use him to deliver the Israelites from slavery.  It was not until he fled Egypt and tended his father-in-law's flocks for 40 years that God gave him directives from the burning bush.  Even after he obeyed...

Have you ever watched the show "Deal or No Deal?"  At the beginning of the show, a contestant picks a case without knowing the contents.  Hidden within the case is an undisclosed amount of money.  To play the game, other cases must one by one be opened.  The "bank" will make offers to buy the case the person has chosen.  If revealed cases contain large amounts of money, the offer will be very small.  Conversely, if the large amounts remain the offers from the bank become more and more lucrative.  The whole game hinges on the fact the contestant does not know the amount contained within his case.  If he knew that little bit of information it would completely dictate his every decision.  There would be no stress or hard decisions to make.  If you knew your case contained $200,000, you would never entertain an offer for less.  It would be relaxing to play the game because you know how it will end! There is no shortage of people in th...

Do you ever sit back in awe of the things God has done in your life?  I remember going to a youth camp and pastor Chuck Smith led us all in a song that I learned over the course of the days we spent there:  " Hasn't the LORD been good to us?  Hasn't the LORD been good?  He's done all the things that He said He would.  Hasn't the LORD been good?  So love God, hate sin, reckon the old man dead.  Love God, hate sin, and by His Spirit be led ."  I want to testify that God is good and has been so good towards me.  He has been true to His Word and has never left or forsaken me.  As I think back through the long road we have traveled together, I am absolutely amazed and struck with how awesome God is. God has done things in my life that I never imagined.  Even ten years ago I would never have imagined God would have called me to be a pastor, took me out of my trade, brought me into the ministry, led me and my family to sell our home, and...

I came across a great post from a friend of mine, Paul Zastoupil.  We've known each other since high school and I have been blessed by his friendship and faithful service unto the LORD.  I thought, why not post this to my blog so other people can read it too?  If you would like to read more of Paul's work, check out his blog !  Enjoy! Who Is Qualified to Rule? By Paul Zastoupil It has been almost 7 years since my first post on politics.  My views have not changed much.  It is still generally the same shape, maybe a slightly different shade.  Time does that.  I have heard my father on more than one occasion lament that he had never voted for anyone, only against someone else.  There is always disappointment in his voice when he says it. I have not written it in a post here before, but I believe that a requirement for someone to hold high office is that they do not want to do it.  If they want the office, it is an indication...

I had the opportunity to go on Abel's class trip to Bathurst, the site of the first gold-rush in New South Wales, Australia.  We visited Hill End, the place where Holtermann's Nugget was found.  That huge slab of gold mixed with slate weighed about 235 kilograms!  It was a busy few days and a great blessing.  We also toured through the Jenolan caves .  It was a great introduction to some of the history and sights I have yet to see during my time in Australia.  To share that experience with my son and his classmates, teachers, and fellow volunteers was a wonderful privilege. During the trip we had two opportunities to pan for gold, something I once did on a similar trip with Zed.  One of the times we panned each camper received a pan full of sand which had been "salted" with a small amount of gold.  The other opportunity was in a riverbed without any planted gold.  Needless to say, the gold salted in the pans was far easier to find than the ...

" Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints ."   Revelation 5:8 God's love is so remarkable!  He extends His love and grace to all people, despite our flaws and weaknesses.  When we were disloyal, untrustworthy, wretched, lost, hateful, and His enemies, God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus to die upon the cross and rise again.  We can see therefore that God's value for mankind is not dependent upon our performance or perceived "goodness."  He values us because He is good, gracious, kind, merciful, and loving.  God prizes men to such an extent that He chose to purchase us with the blood of His only Son.  When we repent and are born again through the Holy Spirit, He adopts us as sons.  Because God values us, He values our prayers as well.  Every child of God through f...

Late last night I returned from a trip to Melbourne.  I was invited by pastor Andrew Russell to preach at Calvary Chapel Melbourne and had the opportunity to share at both morning and evening services.  It was a tremendous blessing to meet faithful followers of Jesus Christ and I enjoyed many profitable conversations.  Oh how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  There is brotherhood through fellowship in Jesus Christ that is sweeter and closer than mere blood relations.  Although we may be separated for seasons, we know we will one day dwell together in the presence of God forever! As I prepared for the messages , I sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit to include some illustrations I have never used before or even considered.  I am thankful that those particular illustrations were among the most thought-provoking and profitable.  It is encouraging to know that when God leads us to say something it will be used for His ...

After preparing messages for the weekend, I was absolutely overcome by the goodness and grace of God.  The more I study the Word of God, the more I realise how living and powerful it is.  Like the widow's supply of oil and meal in 1 Kings 17 , it is an inexhaustible source of life-saving goodness.  God's Word is so vivid and exciting.  Unlike novels which are quickly consumed and forgotten, the words of scripture have a mind-transforming, life-rejuvenating effect.  One would think that after 670 posts to this blog I would have little new to write about, but I feel like there is more fresh material available than ever.  That's a wonderful thing about God:  He makes all things new.  The Word itself is unalterable, but He gives us fresh manna and perspective through it.  Even the most well-traveled passages never lose their rich lustre. The great irony is that when I consider what to post or how to preach from a text I feel I have nothing to o...

" Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them ." Genesis 50:19-21 Joseph is one of many awesome biblical examples of one who chose to place his faith in God.  No one could say he had it easy.  The preferential treatment he received from his father ostracised him from his ten older brothers.   Their envy gave birth to fierce hatred.  When Joseph went to check on his brothers at his father's command, they stripped him of his coat and sold him into a life of slavery.  After catching the eye of his master's wife, Joseph ran from her sexual advances.  He was then thrown into prison for attempted rape and assault!  Life for Joseph was rough.  ...

I went to a prayer meeting this morning at church and it was most profitable.  The more I pray, the more I realise that prayer might be one of the things I have often misunderstood about the Christian walk.  As I read prayers recorded in scripture, I recognise there can be a great divide between what I read and how I actually pray.  This goads me to break out of the prayer culture which promotes the eloquence of speaking over the simple elegance of listening, heart and mind tuned to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.  It is far easier to pray according to the suggestions of man than the promptings of our heavenly Father.  It should not be pity for others that drives us to pray, but a fervent desire for God to be glorified and praised. Measure your prayers against Paul's prayer recorded in Colossians 1:9-12 :  " For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of ...

I had an epiphany last night when I read the account of Jesus eating the Lord's Supper with his disciples in Matthew 26:26 :  " And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body ."  I immediately hearkened back to the similarity when Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish.  Matthew 14:19 reads, " Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes ."  In both instances, Jesus took the bread, blessed, broke, and gave it to the disciples.  The main difference was when they were feeding the people the disciples were instructed to distribute it to others.  The leftovers were more than enough to satisfy even the greatest hunger among them:  12 baskets full.  In the upper room, however,...

I love it when reading scripture casts new light on old truths.  I was raised in a Calvary Chapel in the '80's, a time when the rapture of the church and the coming of Jesus Christ was often discussed.  As I child I would hears adults say things like, "God knows everyone that will be saved.  When the gospel is shared with the last person and they make a decision for Christ, it will swing into motion the end time events we read about in scripture.  Won't that be amazing?"  It was an interesting thought, but one I didn't ponder much.  This viewpoint may encourage some people to spread the gospel.  Throughout my life, however, this has never been my personal impetus for sharing Christ with those who are lost. The fact is, Jesus will someday return to set up His kingdom on earth.  I believe we are living in the last days, and the catching up of the church is not far off.  But the other day I read something in Revelation that floored me, a twist...

I am convinced that we often assume we are walking in faith when we haven't even taken a genuine step.  It is so easy for us to walk by sight, trusting our eyes or even our gut over relying wholly upon God for direction and preservation.  Putting on a parachute requires no faith:  it is the jump from the deadly height that is the first step of faith in a parachute.  To me faith in God looks and feels at times more like leaping out of a plane without a parachute with only His hands to catch us.  We step out in faith when He is our only recourse, strength, and salvation. The scriptures reveal times where people came to a place when they had no choice but to trust God.  If we have not been uncomfortable to do what God says, then we must wonder if we have ever walked in faith!  The flesh despises the path of faith, but there is nothing better for the soul.  Jacob was forced to walk by faith.  He was a man who trusted in God and taught his chil...

The cliche goes, " The bigger they are, the harder they fall ."  It is not a question of whether people fall:  sooner or later everyone falls.  The more well-known a person is, the bigger the media splash will be.  When Jesus came to earth as Immanuel - God made flesh - He came to a fallen world.  He came to a world cursed by sin and death.  Eight days after His birth to Joseph and the virgin Mary, they brought Him to the temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised and to give a sacrifice according to the law.  A just and devout man named Simeon was led by the Holy Spirit to be in the temple at that time.  After taking Jesus in His arms and praising God, Luke 2:34-35 says " Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed...

When I think of someone in charge on a jobsite, I don't think of the men wearing the tools.  What comes to mind is a man wearing a suit and tie, glossy hardhat on his head without a single scratch or sticker, and carrying a tablet.  The boss of the bosses is not paid to swing a hammer, sweat in the sun, or personally install the product:  his role is to make sure the job is manned, coordinated, and completed.  He has assistants who aid him with everything including making copies, proofreading, orders, mailing, cleaning and even picking up lunch.  His time is always at a premium, and it is a waste of valuable company time for him to do menial duties. God's picture of leadership is quite different from what we see modeled in the world.  Jesus explained this to His disciples in Mark 9:35 :  " And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all ."  The greatest in God's ki...

A mate and I woke early and headed out for some fishing off a pier at Como, a picturesque spot.  Boats were docked to the left, and a large swimming area with the perimeter secured with a shark net was to the right.  A public pool, park, clean toilets, and a cafe were all close by.  As we spent the morning fishing, many people brought their dogs to the swimming area and let them splash around.  On my way to the toilet I found this sign on the pier most amusing. It does not take a genius to see that the sign had been tampered with!  Obviously the sign was provided with the intent to prohibit dogs using the swimming area.  Someone who disagreed with the council decision to prohibit dogs spent much time and energy carefully scratching out the red line which once stretched over the dog pictured.  What was intended to keep dogs out of the area could now be used as an encouragement!  The absence of the red line eases the conscience of those who bri...

" They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes ." Revelation 7:16-17 It's hard to imagine living without hunger or thirst.  Because our bodies need food and water for survival, we have been created to desire what we need.  After the fall of Adam and sin passed to all men, our desires have been tainted by sin.  Instead of drinking for the health of the body we have descended into drunkenness, and our appetites have led us to gluttony and all manner of excess.  Even though it is not a sin to eat or drink, after we are glorified in heaven we will no longer hunger or thirst.  We will be able to eat and drink but it will be voluntarily, not out of necessity. When God created man, He created man without sin.  Yet in His wisdom, God saw f...

We've been experiencing record-breaking heat in Sydney of late.  Last Friday the Sydney CBD went over 45 degrees Celsius!  The hot breeze fueled over 100 fires throughout New South Wales that burned simultaneously.  We are seeing temperatures hotter than ever recorded in Australia.  After one of our hot days, during my nightly reading I came to this passage in Revelation 7:16 which ministered to me on multiple levels:  " They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat... "  The Bible tells us that after the final judgment the heavens and earth will pass away.  God will create a new heavens and new earth with no need for the sun.  Revelation 21:23 says of the heavenly New Jerusalem, " The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light ."  Jesus is and will forever be the light of the world. On earth, it is understood that...

I started reading Spiritual Depression by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones today, a collection of his sermons preached on causes and cures of depression from a biblical perspective.  He has a lot of good insight on a tricky topic.  One thing I read today that I found especially relevant and wise is this:  " You must be made miserable before you can know true Christian joy.  Indeed the real trouble with the miserable Christian is that he has never been truly made miserable because of conviction of sin.  He has by-passed the essential preliminary to joy, he has been assuming something that he has no right to assume ." (Spiritual Depression, Lloyd-Jones, pg. 28)  So true. It is safe to say that everyone in their lives will face degrees of misery over seasons of their lives.  Some might be due to a troubling event or a physical illness.  This misery can range from an itchy sunburn to the death of a loved one, a breakup or even losing a valued possession....

Days after returning from Cambodia, I am now in my second full day of being the guest speaker at Camp Kedron, a holiday camp for primary students years 3 to 6 with a strong Christian emphasis.  Today the kids and leaders have gone on an excursion to a local beach, and it is the perfect opportunity to catch up with email and prepare future messages.  It has already been a huge blessing and a lot of fun.  The leaders and directors put in so much effort with amazing activities and seek to make every kid feel included. One of my favourite times has been the discussion groups after main sessions.  During those times each cabin groups meets together and everyone is invited to talk about the session, God, or about life in general.  I sneak in like a "fly-on-the-wall" to take in the discussion and contribute if appropriate.  There have been many excellent, honest questions among the smattering of chaff.  God has placed an incredible, almost insatiable desire...

Below are excerpts from a journal entry I wrote the evening after touring the notorious S21 in Phnom Penh, a school the Khmer Rouge turned into a facility of torture and imprisonment. Cambodia:  a nation which still lies under the shadow of brutal, systematic torture and murder of her own children.  As I saw hundreds of faces photographed during their imprisonment in S21, one cannot help but be haunted by their vacant, expressionless, almost soulless faces.  The only thing is, their souls were still there.  Their eyes had beheld tortures no created being should see or imagine.  They were unfeeling eyes, detached.  Their ears had heard the screams of the tortured and the dying.  The mind had ample time to play, making every waking moment an exercise in psychological torture and oppression.  When it was inevitably your turn - when it was happening to you - it made even less sense.  Tears were punishable by more pain. What of the ki...

" And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them ." Hebrews 11:15-16 Abraham was a man God called out of his own country as he walked by faith, not by sight.  He had no problems with giving Lot first choice of the land.  While Lot lifted and fixed his eyes upon the lush greenery towards Sodom, Abraham only looked to God for security, provision, and life.  Abraham did not continually remind himself of the country God brought him out of.  Should he have done so, the writer of Hebrews tells us he would have had opportunity to return.  But Abraham desired more than land:  he longed for the presence of God in a heavenly country, As I was growing up, one of the songs I remember often sung at baptisms goes, "I have decided to foll...

Yesterday I returned to Sydney after a mission trip to Cambodia.  It was an incredible blessing and an unforgettable experience.  In many ways I am still decompressing as I sort through the trip in my mind as I look through the pictures I took.  God provided bountifully and protected the entire team.  Though I am a foreigner in Australia, I do not always feel like one.  In Cambodia, I almost always felt like a foreigner!  From the moment pastor Hung drove our team from the airport, it was like being in another world.  The variety of sights and smells are more than I could possibly do justice through recounting.  I have returned from Cambodia not only rich in experiences, but also with new friendships with members of our team, translators, and missionaries who live in Cambodia. People are people wherever you go.  But the biggest difference I noticed from countries I have lived in and Cambodia is how much effort is required for survival....