Marching Forth!

" But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; l et them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;  l et those also who love Your name  b e joyful in You.  12  For You, O LORD , will bless the righteous; w ith favour You will surround him as with a shield ." Psalm 5:11-12 All who put their trust in the LORD have great cause to rejoice forever.  I like how David's focus is not on the elimination of enemies and potential threats, but he urged believers to shout for joy because God was like a shield that surrounded and protected His people from all harm. It makes sense in a battle for a warrior to hold fast to sword and shield, but once the battle is over the sword could safely be placed in a scabbard and the shield set down.  David's delight in God as a shield is important because he viewed Him as necessary for life and every blessing.  God is greater than all our enemies in the physical and spiritual realms put together!  All atta...

" Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah  3 But You, O LORD , are a shield for me, m y glory and the One who lifts up my head ." Psalm 3:2-3 How good it is to know we as followers of Jesus have help and enduring hope in God, the LORD who is a shield for us, our glory and the One who lifts up our heads.  David was not assured this hope because he was made king over Israel, for the same God was with him as a young shepherd and when he faced Goliath.  It was not his skill with sling and stone but God who granted him and all Israel the victory.  It is amazing people can think we are beyond help or hope (and sadly even we can be deceived to think such of others at times), yet when God lifts our head to behold Jesus, the One who was lifted up for our redemption now seated in glory, we are strengthened in the LORD to joyfully endure. The phrase "lifted up the head" and variations of it are found many times throughout scripture.  ...

" These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so ." Acts 17:11 Luke wrote concerning the Jews in the synagogues of Berea who responded to the teaching of Paul and Silas by investigating the validity of their doctrine by searching the Scriptures.  Their response was much more noble, open-minded and receptive to the truth than those in Thessalonica.  When Christians exhort one another to "be a Berean," it is typically the daily reading and study of God's word that is emphasised.  I would like to draw attention to what prompted their search of the scriptures, that " they received the word with all readiness ." The first thing this suggests to me is they were open and hungry to hear the truth about God.  They were willing to consider things they had never heard or considered before without being suspicious or judgmental....

The word of God is living and powerful to instruct people concerning God and His ways.  The Bible is able to pierce us to reveal our motives, exposes our thoughts, rebukes sinful attitudes and teaches us what is acceptable to God.  In reading and studying the Bible a single word can speaks volumes to our hearts, and a verse understood in context and rightly applied is of more value than gold.  It is by faith in God we are given understanding, not the other way around.  If we try to understand the divine truths of the Bible without first submitting to God by trust in Him, we will remain ignorant of many things. This remains true of Christians who have followed Jesus as disciples for some time and have knowledge of doctrine and familiarity with scripture.  Knowledge does not mean we are walking by faith in God and in the light of His love, grace and goodness.  A good fruit tree can be beset by beetles, have branches broken by a storm, be stricken with fungus ...

David erred in numbering the people of Israel and they were visited with three days of severe pestilence that left thousands dead.   2 Samuel 24:16 reads, " And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite ."  God was gracious to spare His people when the angel stood by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  This is interesting because this means he was a non-Jew, an inhabitant of the city of Jerusalem previously called "Jebus" before David conquered it.  It seems mercy was extended to inhabitants to a city who taunted David it could be defended by the blind and lame, for Araunah the Jebusite lived within Jerusalem who even had a threshing floor of his own. When God directed king David to erect an altar on the thre...

When reading and interpreting verses of the Bible, it is important to consider the immediate context.  Many erroneous doctrines and practices have resulted when verses are made to stand alone that are supported by preceding and following verses.  This would be like demolishing the walls on a two-storey building without consideration of how it would eventually reduce a habitable dwelling to rubble--with unsuspecting people inside! On the subject of offences in the church, in Matthew 18 Jesus taught how believers were to go to the party who trespassed against them (for instance, by deceit and theft) and seek reconciliation.  If the offender was unwilling to humble himself to admit fault, another believer was to go along to confirm the truth as a witness.  Should the offender still stubbornly justify himself, their sinful case was to be told to the believers in the church.  If the person refused to submit to the judgment of the church, then the guilty party was to...

In the American classic movie It's a Wonderful Life , George Bailey was one who gave up on his dreams of travel to help others in his small town of Bedford Falls.  He and his newlywed wife sacrificed money saved for a honeymoon trip to keep the family-run business afloat.  When dealt a cruel financial blow through the incompetence of a relative who worked for the business, George was overwhelmed with the debt, a house full of energetic kids, had too much to drink and crashed his car.  After being harshly told he was worth more dead than alive, George began to believe the lie.  He despaired of his life as he looked down into the icy water running under the bridge.  All thoughts of ending his life were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a splash and a cry for help which caused George to spring into action to help a drowning man--who turned out to be his guardian angel in a human disguise. Clarence (the angel) gave George Bailey his wish of never being born....