Marching Forth!

" Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  7  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus ." Philippians 4:6-7 When a great host of Assyrians encamped outside Jerusalem, the people and king Hezekiah were filled with fear.  The Assyrian war machine had torn through nations and people with ease and finally arrived at the gates of Jerusalem intent on destroying the will of the people to fight, swallow up the nation and absorb them in captivity.  After Hezekiah heard the report of what the Rabshakeh has said, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went to the house of the LORD.  He also sent messengers to the prophet Isaiah in  Isaiah 37:4 who said to him, " It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God...

" Thus says the LORD : "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,  l et not the mighty man glory in his might,  n or let the rich man glory in his riches;  24  but let him who glories glory in this, t hat he understands and knows Me,  t hat I am the LORD , exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD ." Jeremiah 9:23-24 Man has a thing for self-promotion and seeking his own glory.  Whether it is an obvious boast, a humblebrag, belittling others or showing off for attention, it seems we cannot help ourselves.  We can be proud about how much we have or proud of how difficult things have been.  Our pride can manifest itself in rejoicing in accomplishment through perseverance or quitting and still being successful.  Man's tendency to glory is often by comparison to other people, and the command of God through the prophet is to make God the One in Whom we glory. Everything we hav...

How easily people can be fooled!  I saw a clip recently of a celebrity chef who asked a couple of young and unknown chefs to make a few dishes.  The famous chef brought out the dishes as if he cooked them himself, and the restaurant owners were full of praise for the beautifully presented and prepared food.  After they heaped lavish praise on the celebrity chef, who obviously was the real deal because they had sampled his fares themselves, he revealed he was not responsible for the delectable food they enjoyed:  it was their own staff they imagined to be the weak link in their establishment.  The employers hid their embarrassment very well, having been made to eat humble pie in public. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.  God is intimately acquainted with what we cannot see or know, for the motives of others are hidden from our eyes.  On several occasions circumstances have laid this bare for me, for I too have been mi...

During our lives there is much that can throw us for a loop.  In addition to our own feelings and circumstances we can receive news that grieves our hearts.  This is my personal experience as I hear and see reports of the United States are as divided as ever.  It looks like the greatest threat to the prosperity and peace of the U.S. are the citizens of the States themselves.  Some people say election results are not trustworthy, and other say decisions of the Supreme Court are illegitimate.  People rejoice over increased gun control to reduce violence while others feel their rights are being infringed.  Lately people have celebrated abortion is no longer a federal mandate to save the lives of unborn whilst the other side believes their constitutional rights are being stripped away.  The strife, discord, threats and hatred of one another is palpable, and any outlook for peaceable, humble unity is grim. For a believer it is not healthy or beneficial to b...

One aspect I love about God is He is good and does not change.  It does not matter what country we reside in or what politicians or government hold power, whether we see legislation changing for good or ill, for He rules as LORD over all.  The irony is God's people at times are as likely to forget or revolt against Him as unbelievers who continue in unbelief.  This was true in the days of Isaiah in Israel, and the same tendency to look to something other than God for help stubbornly persists in our times. A pitfall that has stumbled many is a focus on what God could or should do for us rather than seeking His face and waiting on Him.  It is possible we can idolise our relationship with God received by grace rather than rejoicing in and celebrating God Himself.  We can look to eternity in heaven with glorified bodies for comfort that is found in the presence of God alone today; we can cling to promises rather than resting and trusting in He Who has promised....

When king Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, he knew it was inadequate to house the almighty God who is eternal and dwells on high in unapproachable glory.  Through the Law of Moses God made a way for men to be sanctified as priests and for acceptable worship, offerings and sacrifice.  God's desire was to dwell among His people, yet their sinful condition made fellowship and communion impossible.  God in His mercy provided atonement and cleansing of sin as His people looked to Him in faith and obedience. God said through the prophet in  Isaiah 66:1-2 , " Thus says the LORD : "Heaven is My throne,  a nd earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?  2 For all those things My hand has made, a nd all those things exist," says the LORD . "But on this one will I look:  o n him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,  a nd who trembles at My word ."  The invisible, glorious God sh...

" I gave My back to those who struck Me, a nd My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting ." Isaiah 50:6 Everyone has experienced feelings of shame when we felt exposed or humiliated for our failure or due to the mockery of others.  It is natural when feeling shame to try to hide from it and work to cover our faults.  Some feel ashamed of what they have said or done; others are ashamed of aspects of their appearance.  A person can feel shame about what they are personally responsible for or shame on behalf of seeing others mistreated. For reasons known by the LORD during the past day or two I have been reminded of past events of my life when I said and did things I look upon with great shame.  There are things embarrassing to speak about, and there are things shameful to think about even though the events occurred years ago.  Most of the things I find deeply regrettable I seemed to be carefree about and justif...