Marching Forth!

This morning as I walked home from the bus stop, I thought back on God's faithfulness.  He was guiding, protecting, and providing for me even during times I was far from him.  The thought that I could possibly be who and where I was then to where I am now is absolutely incredible.  It is not that I have attained or am bragging in any sense, but rather am amazed and overcome by the way God moves and works. While in high school, I applied and was accepted to attend Baylor University.  For whatever reason, I didn't even care to go.  When I look back I have no reasonable explanation why I didn't.  But what I do know is if I had gone to Baylor I would have not met my future wife Laura in Spanish class.  She was also for a season planning to go to UNLV, but she had a change of heart as well.  A year and a half after meeting we were married.  We have remained married almost 17 years and have been blessed with two sons.  I am very, very thankf...

" The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart-- these, O God, You will not despise ."   Psalm 51:17 If we desire to be usable in the hands of God, we must first be broken by God.  This is a marvelous thing, how God breaks a man to heal him.  Like a horse must be broken before he can do the work of His owner, so God must break us to make us usable.  When things are shattered into tiny pieces the only thing we can do is to toss them out as rubbish and look for a replacement.  What is impossible with man is possible with God.  He can turn us rotten sinners into new creations by the transforming power of the Gospel. When we are born, we are born broken - but not in this sacrificial sense the scripture speaks of.  Every descendant of Adam is born spiritually dead, bound with pride, and blinded by sin.  We face every manner of disappointment in life.  We can be hurt, betrayed, ignored, offended, or forgotten by t...

This morning I read Deuteronomy 7:25-26 during my devotional time:  " You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. 26 Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing ."  Verse 26 grabbed my attention.  Living in Australia, it is very easy to bring abominations into our houses unwittingly.  With uncut movies and internet, abominations can be digitally ushered right into our homes.  When we do this, scripture warns we will be doomed to destruction.  These are hard words intended to impact hearts hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. As a Christian man, I would never think to invite a woman to disrobe in my living room and perform sex acts.  I would not invit...

It is inspiring how God uses the past circumstances of our lives to use us profitably for the future.  Only He is able to redeem the wreckage of our lives and make it new and beautiful.  Unlike some Christians who have a radical conversion out of drugs, alcohol, and sex, my background is one of a self-righteous Pharisee.  My sinful condition was not on display through crime or gang violence, but through pride as I was brought up in the church.  People talk about "at risk" youth, but there is hardly a precipice more risky than self-righteous pride and arrogance - in a collared shirt, combed hair, and a Bible in hand in Sunday School. One of the greatest risks in church is we know much of God but never actually hear from Him.  Hearing God speak is not and expected part of many people's daily walk with Jesus Christ.  It should be!  How can we know we are following Christ if we are too distant to hear His voice?  Knowledge of the Bible does not mean...

This morning I read in Deuteronomy 2:7 , " For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing ."  The passage resonated in me, reminding me of my own calling and slow unfolding of God's plan for our family to immigrate and serve Him in Australia. From a human perspective, God's seems to employ painstakingly slow, inefficient means to accomplish His purposes.  In farming, the cultivation and preparation of the soul takes much longer than the actual planting.  The breaking up of sun-scorched clods and amending the soil is far greater work than the scattering of seed!  When the call to Australia came to me, my whole outlook was affected with excitement and expectation.  I did not know when, how, or where God would establish us.  I did not know the shape of the ministry He intended me to do.  All I knew was...

Unity in Christ is critically important.  Sometimes conformity or uniformity can pass for "unity" because we look at externals and cannot see the heart.  A smile can hide great offense, and outward compliance can mask deep wounds.  I have been enjoying a book written by Francis Frangipane called, House United:  How Christ-Centered Unity Can End Church Division .  I have appreciated his many insights, but none more than the portion I read yesterday concerning unity in the early church: One may argue, "If we had their power, we would be united as well."  Let me emphasize:  they were of one mind before Pentecost (see Acts 1:14).  If there had not been unity among the disciples prior to Pentecost, there would not have been an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  The outpouring did not create unity; unity made the way for the outpouring.  The order was first, then came the power of the Spirit .  Frangipane , Kindle highlight Lo...

" He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered ." Proverbs 28:26 In this "politically correct" world in which we live, a verse of scripture like this is a cold bucket of water to a drowsy soul.  Long has Satan whispered the diabolical lie:  "Follow your heart."  The devil knows in man's natural condition, the heart is a wicked and deceitful guide which only leads to destruction.  It is only through the mirror of God's Law that we can perceive the ever-expanding stark outlines of how rotten we truly are.  There is none good in this world, no not one. Man is deluded to think he is wise apart from God.  The claims of scripture are absolute, unwavering divine truth:  " He who trusts in his own heart is a fool ."  This opposes the satanic propaganda of the world's wisdom.  Man prides himself in his skepticism, his denial of God's wisdom exposing his nakedness like the Emperor's new clo...