Marching Forth!

It's easy in life to be overwhelmed with circumstances beyond our control.  The trials and seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be legion, and the most enthusiastic people can waver and faint from the onslaught.  There are temptations within and pressure from without; physical weakness and illness can sap our resolve.  There are always suggestions to doubt and temptations to quit.  And when you aren't sleeping well and perpetually exhausted it just adds another level to the difficulty. You might not be able to relate to this, but based on Psalm 77 I believe Asaph knew this very well.  He was a man who cried out to God in his trouble and was heard.  There were times when sleep eluded him, and in the darkness fears and doubts crept in.  He had intimate and historical knowledge of God's goodness and mercy towards His people, but these aspects of God's character were difficult to reconcile with the present troubles Asaph experienced.  He knew Go...

" Will You not revive us again, t hat Your people may rejoice in You ?" Psalm 85:6 The psalmist penned this rhetorical question he believed God would answer in the affirmative.  During a time of prayer last night the Holy Spirit brought this verse to remembrance and shed light on the subject of revival.  God is the source of all life, and He has promised to provide eternal life to all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.  Having been born again by the Gospel, we are spiritually made alive by the Holy Spirit within us.  One fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy, and therefore rejoicing ought to mark our lives and personalities as children of God. During my Christian pilgrimage I have enjoyed fellowship with people of various backgrounds and different doctrinal points of emphasis.  Some are especially enamoured with the subject of "revival" and a fervent desire to see or experience a revival of religion.  Some read solid books like W...

" The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, b ut the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. " Proverbs 10:32 The meaning of words can shift over time, but thankfully God's Word will endure forever.  In today's vernacular the word "acceptable" can by synonymous with passable, even just sliding by.  The Hebrew word translated into English is defined by the Strong's concordance as: " delight, (be) acceptable, delight, desire, favour, (good) pleasure ."  By this definition, "acceptable" words are in agreement with the righteous, Almighty God.  A heart made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ will be revealed with righteous speech. The same word is used by Solomon in  Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 :  " The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth. 11  The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd ....

I've been on hiatus from regularly playing golf this year, and a couple weeks ago I began getting "back in the swing."  It's always a bit of a slog to work through the lack of rhythm, physical fatigue, and bad habits which accompany a extended layoff.  I started golfing in my youth because it was fun, and I have reached an age where it is also an effective exercise.  Walking the course is a great way to stay active and challenge yourself at the same time - which is even more challenging when constantly duffing, hooking, and slicing everywhere! Just recently I was talking to friends about how Gammy (my Grandma - but don't ever call her that!) over the age of 65 had a hole-in-one.  Over the years I have had a couple of pitches roll in and a few approaches bounce off the stick, but I never really came close to an ace.  Someone in the conversation added how a woman had three holes-in-one in a single round!  When standing in the tee box addressing the ball I ...

Growing up it was common for us to do chores on a Saturday.  In addition to household duties like laundry, washing up after dinner, sweeping the floor, mowing the lawn, vacuuming carpet, or cleaning bathrooms, sometimes we would have different tasks like washing the cars, trimming ivy off the fence, or removing fly screens from the windows, scrubbing, and spraying them down.  I was always impressed by my mum's ability to clean a window.  I would use the same Windex, paper towels, and press until it squeaked like she did, but it seemed I had to do it over and over until it looked half as good as her first go. As the sun streamed through the sliding glass doors into the dining room yesterday, it was obvious the glass needed a good clean.  I pulled out the trusty Windex and proceeded to clean each door two times each side - because I knew full well that even with rotating the towel I couldn't remove the dust and film with a single pass.  After wiping the windows...

It is remarkable how quickly knowledge of God can evaporate over a generation.  For instance,  during the days of Joshua the children of Israel served the LORD.  Judges 2:10 explains the general condition of the people despite what great things God had done after the death of Joshua and that generation:  " When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel . "  Stones of remembrance had been set up, the Law had been recorded and passed down, sacrifices offered, feasts kept, and tithes and offerings brought to the tabernacle, yet the new generation did not know the LORD.  This shows knowing about God is not the same as knowing Him. Obedience to God because of love and appreciation of Him can quickly degenerate to empty tradition.  In Australia we are seeing a great rise in people who, instead of identifying as Christian, claim they ...

" Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. .." Hebrews 12:14 I have been meditating on this verse lately, and the wisdom and simplicity of it is marvellous.  The writer of Hebrews exhorts the pursuit of peace with all people, yet never at the expense of holiness.  There is a peace the world holds as an ideal not hardly realised, a coexistence which requires accommodation and compromise.  Genuine peace can never be obtained without resolved conflict, but the world's way of peace is to avoid conflict at all costs.  This pseudo-peace is far removed from the peace Jesus Christ offers those who trust in Him.  Jesus said in  John 14:27 , " Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid ."  The peace Jesus gives is not contingent on external circumstances but is secured in the hearts of all who look to Jesus C...