Marching Forth!

The life, experiences, and example of Jesus are a constant source of comfort to Christians.  He was in all points tempted, yet without sin.  This demonstrates how He walked in obedience to the Father and He will always lead us according to the Father's will.  The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah being a "man of sorrows" and "acquainted with grief."  We have all experienced sorrow and grief, but never to the level of a holy God who completely knows the thoughts and hearts of men.  There is much which grieves God that escapes our notice, yet Jesus retained fullness of joy. Though He grieved Jesus did not despair, and this is a trap we can avoid by His grace. Today in prayer I was speaking with God about things which grieve me.  The Webster's 1828 dictionary defines "grieve" in these ways:  " 1 . To give pain of mind to; to afflict; to wound the feelings;  2 . To afflict; to inflict pain on; 3 . To make sorrowful; to excite regret in; 4 . ...

" And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23  For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24  saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you .'" Acts 27:22-24 During a voyage, the ship bearing Paul to Rome was caught in a severe storm in the Mediterranean sea.  When all hope had been given up of being saved, Paul addressed the men.  He shared with them a fantastic revelation spoken by an angel sent from God that every one of their lives would be preserved.  God had answered Paul's prayer and there would be no loss of life among them.  It was not uncommon for people to worship and serve many gods in a polytheistic culture - including the emperor.  People had household idols for protection, prosperity, good fortune, and countless more.  What was unique ab...

People who speak the same language can have distinct accents.  As a person born in America now living in Australia, my status as a dual-citizen nor the years I have lived here have softened my foreign accent.  I can use and understand Aussie slang in conversation, but my accent still stands out.  I have discovered a similar phenomenon to this in Christian circles, how particular words they employ reveal their beliefs and background.  There is a Christian culture which places large emphasis on the "authority" of believers as children of God.  Whilst God has equipped His children to do His will and contend for the faith, I believe it is much better to focus on the authority and sovereignty of God.  Can you imagine a little child shouting at an advancing army, "Go away!  I have authority!" because he is the son of a king?  As an enemy that's not a kid I take very seriously. I was reading A.W. Tozer and he had some excellent insights on how believ...

There are many comparisons made in the Bible to help us understand the roles God has called us to.  Each genuine Christian in the church is an important member of the Body of Christ.  The church (and Israel too) are compared to being God's bride.  At the same time we are children of God, and we should relate to Him as a trusting and obedient child would in relation to his father.  We are to be living sacrifices, ambassadors of Christ.  His is the Vine and we are the branches, and we are the sheep of in the fold of the Good Shepherd, Jesus.  All together this imagery creates a pictorial symphony, harmonising beautifully our relationship and roles before God.  It is important to maintain a biblical view, well-rounded by the many pictures provided in scripture. One aspect of the Christian life alluded to in scripture is that of warfare.  This imagery is employed in  2 Timothy 2:1-4 :  " You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that ...

Jesus spoke of a future time when He would come in glory and all people would be gathered and judged.  After commending them for feeding Him when He was hungry, giving Him a drink when He was thirsty, visiting Him when He was sick or imprisoned, housing Him whilst a stranger, and clothing Him when He was naked, He said to the wondering chosen who would enter into eternal rest in  Matthew 25:40 ,  "... Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me ."  There is an example of this in the book of Jeremiah with the Rechabites. In Jeremiah 35 God used the house of the Rechabites as an object lesson for His erring people.  The patriarch Jonadab the son of Rechab gave his sons clear commands:  they were not to drink wine, build houses, plant vineyards, sow seeds in a field, and were to only live in tents for all their generations.  Generations later the family members faithfully heeded the...

Today I was reminded of when Cain and Abel brought offerings before the LORD in  Genesis 4:3-5 :  " And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD .  4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,  5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. "  Cain was a tiller of the ground and brought an offering before the LORD, and Abel also offered of the firstborn of his flock.  Abel's offering was accepted by God, and Cain's was not. Now the explicit reason why Abel's gift was accepted and Cain's was rejected is not mentioned here.  It would be unwise to claim we know hearts only God can righteously judge.  Personally I do not believe the issue is primarily what was offered but the condition of the heart of the one who offered it.  Hebrews 11:4 says Abel gav...

Some of my favourite fairy tales as a lad were ones written by Hans Christian Andersen:  "The Ugly Duckling" and " The Emperor's New Clothes ."  I especially enjoyed the latter because of the incredible ridiculousness of the concept but how apt a depiction it was of the human heart.  The pride and vanity of the Emperor was targeted by deceptive and greedy weavers who promised to make him the most lovely apparel.  They sat before looms without yarn or linen, moving their hands without a thread to be seen.  The weavers claimed the fine fabric they wove was invisible to anyone who was unfit for their office or hopelessly stupid, and because the Emperor was obviously neither he agreed it was the finest he had ever seen.  The whole charade reached a climax when the "clothed" Emperor made a grand appearance before the townspeople who murmured with approval.  Only a child had the sense to say what all the people knew when the foolish king paraded by them nud...