Marching Forth!

There are degrees of belief, and not all belief translates to saving faith.  Jesus arrived in Cana of Galilee, the place where He previously performed his first public miracle by turning water into wine.  A nobleman came to Him and begged Jesus to come quickly and heal his dying son.  Jesus remarked as a matter of fact in  John 4:48 , " Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe ."  The man may not have come to Jesus at all unless he heard of the previous miracle Jesus had done.  It meant He believed Jesus could heal His son, not that He followed what the supernatural sign pointed to:  that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah and Son of God.  The words of Jesus would prove prophetic. John 4:50 says, " Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way ."  The man believed the word Jesus spoke to him, and his belief was evidenced...

Today I read a statement that grabbed my attention.  In describing a political speech a reporter mused, "It sounds like he is preaching to the converted."  The ironic thing is as one who preaches I can say with absolute certainty the converted need preaching as much as the unconverted, for this is a way God has designed for people to know God and grow in grace.  While a Gospel presentation may be tailored to an unbelieving audience for salvation, going on with God is important too. Paul wrote in  1 Corinthians 1:17-21 , " For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.  20  Where is the wise? whe...

Grief is a complex process, and though we may never have closure with our loved ones we can experience comfort through closeness with God.  It is faith in the goodness, grace and mercy of God where we discover rest.  Paul blessed the LORD in  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 :  " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God ."  The God of all comfort has chosen to suffer for our sakes out of love for us, and knowing Him we are sustained. I've been reading Grieving a Suicide by Albert Y. Hsu and have been blessed with his insights, especially around the grieving process and the elusive feelings of closure: " Suicides usually leave conversations unfinished, with many loose ends.  But ultimate closure is an unrealistic expectation.  We can ...

When king Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream he had, the Hebrew Daniel was summoned to give the interpretation because the Spirit of the living God was in him.  In the dream a great and fruitful tree was cut down and all the beasts and birds which ate of its fruit were scattered.  The king recounted  what he heard in  Daniel 4:15-17 , " Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, b ound with a band of iron and bronze,  i n the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,  a nd let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth.  16  Let his heart be changed from that of a man, l et him be given the heart of a beast,  a nd let seven times pass over him.  17  'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, a nd the sentence by the word of the holy ones,  i n order that the living may know  t hat the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,  g ives it to whomever He will, ...

I was reminded recently of a simple fact:  the same thing is not always equal.  Once I tried on a pair of pants that fit me well so I pull another pair of the same size off the rack.  Like many people I assumed another pair of pants of the same brand and size would fit exactly the same.  Being a rather idealistic and ignorant clothes shopper, I was shocked when they didn't!  This shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was. How many times have you ordered the "same thing" at a restaurant and found your experience to be very different?  One cut of beef was tender and another time you were a bit disappointed because the same dish did not measure up to the previous one.  It was likely a different chef preparing the food and a different steak (for which we should be very glad), so of course it was different.  Two cars of the same year, make and model can be in very different condition after a few years because of how they were handled by their owners....

When things go wrong, do you?  Life throws all sorts of things our way and none of them are without the LORD's knowledge--including our perception of them.  Our emotions can warp the impact of little inconveniences and lead to frustration that builds up without vent.  The only lasting and satisfying relief from the troubles of life is found by faith in our good God who loves us. From appearances it looks like many Christians have their lives in order:  they seem generous, patient, kind and loving.  We imagine they must not struggle with the things we do like selfishness, greed, anxiety,  lust, frustration and violent temper.  The only way our lives can be decent and in order is because of the grace and goodness of God!  The LORD is showing me a focus on all that seems to be going wrong for me is fundamentally sinful focus on myself, which I ought to be repent of. What is your response when things go wrong?  Do you tend to become angry?  ...

Our upbringing and experiences in church life can deeply impact our convictions and expectations.  Those who claim to hold fast to a biblical worldview can have very different preferences when it comes to gathering with other believers in fellowship.  Some churches place a great deal of emphasis on receiving communion, others in singing songs or the preaching of God's word.  Some people do not feel like they have been really ministered to unless they have shed a tear, spoken in tongues, been swept up emotionally in song, gone forward to the altar in repentance or prayed with a pastor.  Some congregations are expressive in worship and others more subdued in the praise of the same glorious God.  By God's grace He has provided freedom for us to draw near to Him in worship and thanksgiving with a congregation and individually. There is a very real danger for the diverse members of the Body of Christ to be divided because of our personal preferences or convictions an...