Marching Forth!

I came across this statement about integrity in a book I'm reading titled The Kingdom of the Occult by Walter Martin, Jill martin Rische, and Kurt Van Gorden.  The final chapter is called, "Evangelism:  Reaching the hearts of People."  It is an excellent conclusion to an informative book.  We live in a day where all kinds of things are peddled for profit and gain.  A couple things which should never be for sale are the Gospel or a man's integrity.  After emphasising the need to speak when the situation presents itself instead of backing down because the Gospel truth might not be received, Dr. Martin writes this: Do not change your thoughts to meet anyone else's thoughts or you will lose your integrity.  What price will you pay for that integrity?  You have a right to your own thoughts and the expression of them.  Never change what you said under pressure or you will lose you , and that is the only thing you have.  Your words are you, u...

This morning I was treated to a series of object lessons on the theme of sin.  As I spent a couple hours mowing, weeding, and trimming, the LORD continued to impress the danger sin poses to our lives.  A characteristic of sin is how seductive it is.  With a tantalizing appearance it beckons, but there is always an incredibly high cost:  separation from God.  For those who refuse to repent and trust in Christ for salvation, this separation will be eternal. In the corner of our back yard grows a stunted, sad lemon tree.  The sparse, bumpy fruit and wrinkled leaves reveal a sick condition.  But today the tree flourished with colour!  Round, flat insects of vibrant red, orange, green, and yellow clustered on the end of each branch.  These were not bugs I was familiar with, coming from San Diego!  A quick online search revealed these insects as destructive pests called "stinkbugs."  My eyes widened as I read how they leech the sap from...

We live in a day which encourages the exploration and practice of cultural traditions.  Native Americans continue the traditions of their ancestors through dance, songs, native dress, and rituals.  Indigenous cultures at one time were under the threat of extinction through systematic eradication or amalgamation with other beliefs.  Because of the diversity of cultures and traditions, some have sought to embrace the beliefs and practices of their forefathers.  People find identity, security, and a source of pride as they revel in their ethnic and cultural background. While the embracing of cultural traditions can provide many positive aspects, it is not without great danger.  A danger exists when people assume that anything which is ancient or traditional is good.  From a biblical perspective, this pursuit and propagation of pagan culture is nothing short of disastrous.  The same thing can be said of religion.  If your faith rests in appeasing th...

The world is packed with substitutes for Jesus Christ, but every one of them is useless.  Jesus forgives, frees, and gives life through repentance and faith.  All false saviours and gods lead to disillusion, enslavement, and death.  Satan works tirelessly to deceive people to think they are fine without God and can save themselves.  Or he will convince them that God does not even exist:  there is no heaven, no hell, no right or wrong, no purpose or meaning to this life, no absolute truth, no free will. How many people have poured out their lives in pursuits of obtaining fame, wealth, and the accolades of men only to remain empty and devoid of life!  People are caught in addictions, gangs, the occult, and destructive cycles of violence out of fear, depression, and hopelessness.  Satan is a master at showing the alluring side of sin.  Commercials for beer commonly employ humour and most of them show fit, attractive, young people having fun partyin...

I am amazed at the way God changes people, most of all when that person is me!  God has a way of transforming everything about my life:  my thoughts, reactions, desires, and pursuits.  During my late teens, I experienced what I can only describe as a very dry time spiritually.  I had such callouses on my conscience.  Or perhaps my conscience had not been made tender by the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Things that never used to bother me certainly disgust me now. Case in point:  I used to be a huge James Bond fan.  In the mid 90's when the films made a resurgence, I collected nearly all of them.  I had over 20 VHS tapes of Bond films starring Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and even George Lazenby!  When James Bond seduced a girl, it was something to laugh about.  Instead of "Boys will be boys!" it was "James will be James!"  The gadgets, cheesy and over-the-top special effects, weird villains, and ...

God's love displays itself through sacrifice of self.  Men and women greatly used of God are receivers and givers of this love.  Moses was a man God called to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.  When they transgressed Moses said in Exodus 32:32 , " Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written ."  If it would ensure the forgiveness of the people, Moses would take all the blame along with separation and damnation.  Paul was a man called and sent to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.  His heart was so burdened concerning the Jew's rejection of Jesus Christ that he said in  Romans 9:3 :  " For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh... "  That is a heart of compassion and love, a love that only springs from Jesus Christ. It is hard enough for me to imagine physically dying for someon...

Here is an untitled poem attributed to Archbishop Alexander, as quoted by G. Campbell Morgan in the Westminster Pulpit, Volume 2, pages 175-176: ‘If I have eaten my morsel alone,’ The patriarch spoke in scorn; What would he think of the Church, were he shown Heathendom, huge, forlorn, Godless, Christless, with soul unfed, While the Church’s ailment is fulness of bread, Eating her morsel alone? ‘I am debtor alike to the Jew and the Greek,’ The mighty Apostle cried, Traversing continents, souls to seek, For love of the Crucified. Centuries, centuries since have sped, Millions are famishing, we have bread, But we eat our morsel alone. Ever of them who have larger dower, Shall Heaven require the more. Ours is influence, knowledge, power, Ocean from shore to shore; And East and West in our ears have said, ‘Give us, give us your Living Bread,’ Yet we eat our morsel alone. ‘Freely ye have received, so give,’ He bade, Who has given us all; How shall the soul in us lon...