Marching Forth!

How easy it is to take things for granted!  Often it takes lack or denial of what we are accustomed to  before we recognise with gratefulness the gifts God has graciously supplied. About 10 years ago I went on a trip to Israel and stayed in the Mugraby hostel in Tel Aviv.  It was a clean, affordable option close to the beach.  The only downside was in chilly November our group returned to the hostel late at night.  The toilet and shower facilities were shared between several rooms on a single floor.  By the time I was ready for a shower before bed, all the hot water had been used.  Let me tell you, I was surprised the water flowed from the shower head at that temperature!  Surely it was spitting sharp icicles, not water!  Ever since that experience, I have always been so thankful for hot showers.  I have had some cold showers since, but I thank the LORD the water is not always so cold. Have you ever thanked God for your knees?...

" Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath ." Ezekiel 45:10 God's people were to be a reflection of His honest and just character.  Proverbs 11:1 says, " Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight ."  He commanded His people, "Be holy, for I am holy."  They were not to be like people who naturally showed partiality, favouritism, or nepotism, but to be honest, trustworthy, just, and conduct their business matters with integrity.  When discovered some people shrug at their own dishonest business practices and say, "That's just business."  If the God of Israel is also your God, the call to just weights and measures remains true regardless of what is socially acceptable.  In a "dog eat dog" world, we are to walk in light of the new nature God has given us through faith in Jesus and live His way. From an early age people have the knack of always seeking preferenti...

When we see negative examples in the Bible of unbelief, folly, or wickedness, it is a portrait of stunning detail of ourselves.  Let us not scoff or shake our heads disapprovingly of what we do ourselves but learn from the unerring truth of scripture.  We can say in every case, "It is I, LORD!"  We may not have taken all sins to their ultimate fulfillment, but the potential and willingness to transgress is always present in our mind and members. Last night I read Psalm 78 , a comprehensive account of God's faithfulness, power, and miraculous dealings with the children of Israel.  Asaph provided a historical overview of many things God had done to deliver, provide, guide, and establish His people.  The common issue at the core of Israel's problems was their unbelief of God.  Though God had done much in the past and given great promises for the future, the people seemed incapable of connecting God's faithfulness in the past to assurance of His future faith...

Paul and Silas had a rough day.  Though innocent, they had been falsely accused, arrested, beaten, humiliated, thrown into prison, and their feet secured in stocks.  Acts 17 tells us they were praying and singing praises to God at midnight when suddenly there was an earthquake, the chains fell off the prisoners, and the doors swung open.  The jailer woke up and panicked at the sight of the open cell doors.  He was about to kill himself when Paul called out he should do himself no harm.  No one had escaped, and the man's life would not be required at the hand of his superiors. Deeply moved the jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?"  Paul answered, "Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your whole house."  The man believed, rejoiced, and was baptised.  He washed the stripes of Paul and Silas, having been whipped terribly.  When Paul and Silas were released the following day, their miraculous, amazing story was...

Jesus knew His coming to this world would involve much suffering, yet His suffering or pain was not His focus.  Even as Paul recognised the sufferings of this world could not be compared to the glory which would be revealed in him, so Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross and despised the shame.  Jesus was never selfish or self-focused.  He did not balk at obedience to the Father because it would mean temptation, physical pain or spiritual separation.   John 12:23-24 says, " But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain ."  Jesus didn't spend the bulk of His time speaking about His future pain, but how His death would be the path to eternal glory and fruit. When Jesus spoke of His future crucifixion, He spoke of it with the ultimate end...

"Seeing is believing," some say.  This statement can be safely tucked away with many other sayings which are not always true.  Thomas believed when he saw Jesus physically standing before Him, but some have believed who never laid eyes on Christ once.  The people who personally saw Jesus perform many miracles and even saw Lazarus whom Christ raised from the dead did not believe, as it is written in John 12:37-40 :  " But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." The Jews in Christ's day could not cite...

Over the past couple months I first noticed my vision was blurred, especially over distance.  I have always been blessed with good vision, and I decided it was time to have my eyes checked professionally.  I was diagnosed with mild astigmatism and sent to a specialist because it appeared my optic nerves were swollen and performed poorly on a peripheral vision test.  After a few additional tests were done, it was discovered I have a fairly rare condition called " optic disc drusen " which is when deposits of calcium and protein collect in the optic nerve.  Typically it is considered a benign condition, but it can lead to increasing peripheral vision loss and even blindness. One site I read called it an "insidious" condition, which sounds more menacing than it is.  Most often (like in my case) optic disc drusen is discovered when ruling out more dangerous conditions.  The second definition of word "insidious" in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, " ...