Marching Forth!

How blessed Christians are to be God's adopted, beloved children!  Young children might be small, weak, and vulnerable and learn to rely upon their parents for understanding and help.  A child who is loved can be secure and carefree knowing their parents are near.  The simplicity of a child's trust and reliance upon their parents is a lesson to all followers of Jesus Christ we should never grow out of. Paul provides an example of this when a voyage which began with a gentle breeze turned stormy and deadly.  When all hope seemed to be lost, Paul stood up and addressed the crew and fellow prisoners with words of encouragement.  He said in  Acts 27:22-25 , " 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 grante...

In a meeting this week I was asked to describe the way God spoke to me when it came to deciding to move to Australia before I was aware of any open door.  I suppose I can describe it as similar to a symphony:  a crowd of musicians playing a variety of instruments led by one Conductor.  God is unlimited in the means and manner He speaks to us, confirming His leading by the Bible, other people, what some people might call "coincidence," and the witness of our own conscience, motives, and thoughts.  God is intimately acquainted with all people and knows the way to communicate in a way we can receive.  When we seek the LORD He is faithful to speak. I remember the day very well God's call to go to Australia was crystalised in my mind.  Even the date was significant and unforgettable, commemorated in the title of this blog:  March 4th, 2009.  From early in our relationship my wife always said "March 4th" was her favourite date because it was also an ...

It is important to understand how the coming of Jesus was intended to impact the views of people previously under the Law of Moses.  As believers who hold to the divine inspiration and relevance of all the Bible, it is vital to our understanding that the New Testament holds precedence over the Old.  This is not to say the Old Testament is of lesser value or is in any way outdated.  It is all the infallible Word of God and the context, with the help of the Holy Spirit to compare scripture with scripture, guides us into rightly dividing the word of truth with practical application. Just this morning I was reading what David wrote in  Psalm 139:19-22 :  " Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. 20  For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21  Do I not hate them, O LORD , who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22  I hate them with p...

I don't think we can imagine a world where the almighty, living God is not good .  If God was not good, there could be nothing resembling good in the world.  It is only because God is good there are admirable and praiseworthy characteristics in people.  Love, joy, peace, and kindness are a reality to be desired because in God we find all these things. Today I checked out a new sandy spot to metal detect and I saw a sign which was amusing and confronting at the same time.  The beautiful natural landscape was in stark contrast to the reminder that everything is not right in the world. The sign read in all caps:  "BEWARE:  DO NOT TEMPT THIEVES, DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN VIEW, LOCK YOUR CAR."  The only reason why these signs were placed throughout the car part was because people do not keep God's 8th commandment which says, " Thou shalt not steal ."  The signs warns and urges law-abiding citizens are to take precautions against thieves because...

God has many lessons to teach us outside of church, practical sermons we can put to personal use.  Yesterday I was gifted one such lesson.  Our church building is located in an industrial park which has unit numbers painted on each space in the carpark in addition to a sign on the kerb.  I removed the signs to prep the concrete to install new signs and placed them on top of the kerb in the meantime due to rain.  When I arrived at church yesterday the signs had been thrown into the planter.  There are almost always people who utilise our parking spaces since we do not keep regular business hours.  Seeing those signs in the planters made me shake my head and smile, imagining people could then justify parking in our spots.  This is a picture of hypocrisy that seeks to justify self. I was suddenly reminded of an event which unfolded over 15 years ago when I worked in the shipyard at NASSCO.  One of my work mates came into the shack before work abso...

" If You, LORD , should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4  But there is forgiveness with You, t hat You may be feared ." Psalm 130:3-4 Last night I tossed and turned after going to bed.  Summer heat coupled with sinus congestion made initial attempts to sleep fruitless.  So I decided to meditate on noble and praiseworthy aspects of God's character in gratitude.  Paul's exhortation in  Philippians 4:8 is fitting for night and day:  " Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things ."  Who is more true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, or praiseworthy than God?  He is the ultimate personification of all these qualities and infinitely more. Isn't it amazing a holy and just God of absolut...

Positive though change may be, there is in everyone natural resistance to personal change we don't want.  Maybe we cannot see the benefit or need to change; changing requires too much sacrifice or does not fit our ideal.  Receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour brings about a dynamic, transformational change of the heart and mind of Christians that is continual and relentless as we grow in grace.  As long as we remain in these bodies of flesh there will be conflict Paul described between our flesh and the new man created after Jesus Christ.  Our call is not to focus primarily on the need of others to change but to hear the echo of Christ's words to Peter who wondered about John's responsibility:  "What is that to you?  You follow Me." Even as the flesh resists the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, so those who reject Christ as Saviour rebuff the efforts of God's people to affect godly transformation.  An example of this tendency is seen in  Acts...