Marching Forth!

Today I preached at Calvary Chapel Sydney on 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 .  I have been richly blessed in preparing and considering the truths of that passage.  God gave me deeper understanding of His grace, mercy, and comfort through His Word.  It dawned on me how God blesses us whether we recognise it or not.  We can have confidence Paul demonstrated, that even in our trials He will certainly accomplish His redemptive work. When I think of "good works," I think of sacrificing, serving, or obeying God in some area of my life.  I think of things I choose to do because Christ's love has compelled me.  Yet I am learning sometimes a good work can be our response to situations over which we have little or no control.  It is a good work to endure hard times, trusting God has a plan and purpose He will accomplish despite my ignorance.  When Jesus endured the cross He did a good work.  Jesus did not do this for His own benefit, but His sacrifice accomplis...

The scriptures speak of the necessity of watchfulness in the life of a believer.  Jesus bid His followers to watch for His coming.  We are told many times to be watchful in our prayers, knowing what the will of the LORD is.  Those who are born again have been made spiritually alive, and we ought to remain alert and watchful, not spiritually drowsy and dull.  Good watchmen do more than watch:  they are called to effectively communicate with others.  A watchman on the wall guarding the city is not useful if he does not sound the alarm to warn inhabitants of enemies before their arrival.  A shepherd is careful to observe and know the state of his flocks, and Christians are to watch out for the good of others compelled by the love of Jesus. Watching is good, but the way we watch and communicate is important too.  It seems there are some watchmen whose concerns are so great they feel their knowledge of facts exclude them from following the order laid...

I read a news story I found most illuminating.  Fox News reported a woman in New Hampshire received more than she expected when she visited Burger King.  After driving through to pick up the food she ordered, she realised she had mistakenly been given money intended for a bank deposit.  The article read, "...the couple briefly considered keeping the money, which they certainly could have used. But he says he and his wife are Jehovah's Witnesses, and that "Jehovah sees everything ."  I found this mildly amusing and tragic at the same time. It is true "Jehovah sees everything," but it appears the fear of retribution or punishment for stealing was more a deterrent than loving to do what is righteous and pleases God.  It is sad many people who "fear" God in a worldly sense know nothing of His love, grace, and forgiveness.  God saw this couple briefly considered keeping the money, and the fact they even needed to have a discussion over the dishone...

Some people love the journey, and others are focused more on the destination.  I'm more a destination guy.  The knowledge I will ultimately arrive at my intended destination makes even a long journey tolerable.  As I was cycling for exercise today up and down hills, it occurred to me my goal was not a particular destination on the map, but for the purpose of attaining goals of personal fitness.  I was able to enjoy the journey, knowing I was working towards my goals whether I ever arrive there or not. We make goals and plans, and often they are desires of our hearts given us by God.  We can be so focused on the destination - like setting foot in a mission field - that we face discouragement when the lack of financial support seems to hold us back.  Some people have in their hearts to plant a church, but for some their goal is never realised.  But such efforts are never wasted.  What the Christian must understand is God is faithful to redeem that...

Last night I watched an interesting foreign film called "Castaway on the Moon," a Korean twist on the movie "Castaway" starring Tom Hanks.  The basic plot is after a failed suicide attempt, a floundering businessman ends up on a island in the middle of a metropolitan area.  Unable to swim or successfully call for help, he begins to embrace his simple lifestyle of foraging for food and supplies.  No longer wanting off the island, he wrote "Hello" on a sandy beach.  Unknown to him, his message caught the eye of a solitary woman who lived in the city.  After watching and photographing the "alien" man for a while, the woman decided to contact this man with a simple message in a bottle:  "Hello."  Over the next months they would trade messages back and forth, writing on the beach or sending messages in a bottle. The discovery of someone who cared enough to write personal messages in a bottle for him to find caused the man to grow increasin...

" But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering ?" Genesis 22:7 The offering itself is an intrinsic part of sacrifice and worship of God.  Isaac knew from experience an altar, fire, and wood was missing the most important part:  the offering.  God is seeking people of faith like Abraham and Isaac, men who worship Him in spirit and in truth.  Hebrews 13:15 says, " Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name ."  God is the one who supplies the fire within our hearts to offer a sacrifice of praise which is acceptable in His sight. Churches all over the world supply the fire and wood in times of corporate worship.  The songs are prayerfully selected and practised so all can with one voice praise God in unity.  The mus...

First impressions are important, but they are not everything.  Speaking for myself, faithfulness in a friend over the long haul is more desirable over a good first impression.  I cannot count the amount of times my first impression of someone or of a thing was completely incorrect.  We take care to make a good impression upon people.  Have you ever thought of the impression we make on God?  Jesus astonished multitudes which remain to this day, yet scripture reveals He marveled on two occasions:  over the lack of faith of people ( Mark 6:6 ), and over the great faith of a centurion ( Matthew 9:10 & Luke 7:9 ).  Our faith or lack thereof makes an impression on God. God can be impressed.  For example, Cornelius was a devout Gentile who placed his trust in God, was generous with his money in helping others, and prayed always.  Acts 10:3-4 reads, " About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and sayi...