Marching Forth!

One thing I was always fascinated and impressed with as a kid was my dad's signature.  It was a scrawl of barely recognisable letters he could reproduce again and again without fail, his own mark.  Surely no forger would attempt that signature!  I enjoyed flipping through a book that contained carbon copies of cheques where page after page of the signature was written.  Occasionally I asked him to sign a blank piece of paper just to see him write it again in person.  Inspired by his signature I tried to develop a signature of my own, yet none could possibly eclipse the immaculate style and flourish of his pen. Something I have grown to treasure even more than my dad's writing is God's word the Bible, spoken by God and penned for us so we might know Him and walk in His ways.  I felt quite proud to know the illegible words my dad's signature represented, but it is humbling to know God has chosen to speak forth His wisdom so it might be heard and heeded....

" Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  29  Jesus answered and said to them, " This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent ." John 6:28-29 Belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah is not only the start of a relationship with God but the only way we grow as we exercise faith in submission to Him.  When the Jews asked Jesus about doing the works of God, likely thought about what they needed to do.  Jesus pointed to the work He desired to do inside them, that they would believe Jesus was the Christ and follow Him obediently.  It is much easier to attempt work for God rather than allow Him to work and continue working unhindered in us. Jesus said in  Matthew 11:28-30 , " Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29   Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30   For My yoke...

God who created all things is able to do everything, and this includes using a common household appliance to reveal unbelief in a heart and mind.  Allow me to explain. :) A couple weeks back our condensing dryer stopped working.  I have a systematic approach to such events:  I dig up the manual, look up the error code and see if there is anything I can do about it.  In this case our Electrolux dryer flashed the letters "EHO" which meant there was an electrical fault in the circuit board.  Since the machine is under warranty for another 6 months it was not a repair I was willing to tackle.  And besides, I have never bothered to invest in a soldering gun.  The manual was hardly informative, and from what I gleaned online the only way to reset the machine was to turn it off for a few minutes and turn it on again.  It was the same problem over and over. When my wife handed me the extended warranty paperwork for the machine, it was evident to me she wa...

The Bible contains a vast wealth of revelation and information and it is intended for us regular people to be received by faith, comprehended and obeyed.  While the tenets of the Christian faith can be  easily understood by a child, the most learned scholars can never plumb the depths fully.  Biblical doctrine is complex, but it doesn't need to be complicated.  This is where we can muddy the waters despite our best efforts and confuse rather than clarify.  Water baptism is one topic many people do not understand. Occasionally there are people who express an interest to be baptised, and I find it important to ask them why.  Among those of the Christian faith there is diversity in practice and teaching concerning the significance of baptism for believers.  There are also many traditions and assumptions people have that are not always based on scripture.  While there is nothing wrong in itself with tradition, the Bible (that teaches us about baptism ...

God created human beings with limitations.  We can only carry or juggle a limited amount of items, and our bodies can only grow so tall.  The dimensions of our bodies are different yet all measurable by height, weight and volume.  There is only so much information we can retain in our minds from a conversation or movie.  Whatever can be stretched can also be broken or ruptured, and even the most fit professional athletes and labourers are no exception. I have learned when I am easily provoked by a small thing it can be due to carrying a heavy mental load.  Unresolved conflict within me, awareness of troubles others are experiencing, bad news or unexpected obstacles--really any and every little thing--can give rise to overwhelming feelings that stir aggression, frustration and depression.  Peter exhorted believers to be submissive to God and one another, being clothed with humility because " God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble ."  He sa...

I was impacted by a passage of scripture yesterday by its profound insight and relevance today.  Because God's word is true it is always relevant, but some assume the Bible must be outdated since it is ancient.  There have been many advances in technology, medicine and industry, and the evidence of scripture declares mankind to be the same:  prone to enslavement by lusts of the eyes, lusts of the flesh and the pride of life. God utilised an object lesson with the children of Israel of two harlot sisters named Oholah and Oholibah (Samaria and Jerusalem).  The people of Samaria and the northern kingdom committed spiritual adultery through idolatry, and the people of Jerusalem followed suit.  In following her sister's lead, Oholibah was corrupted even further in her lust.  Jerusalem should have been faithful to the LORD God who was "married" to her and dwelt with her, but she was unrestrained in her desires.  This sort of thing plays out every day in our ...

Since moving to Australia years ago I have kept an eye on local baseball and football teams I supported from a young age.  The San Diego Padres have advanced in the playoffs through formidable opposition, some comparing their improbable victories to David over Goliath.  It is a common analogy employed when a big underdog beats a heavily-favoured opponent in sports, but it isn't a biblically accurate one.   David was not an underdog:  he had no business being on the same battlefield.  The Padres and the teams they faced are all professional teams with players who honed their skills over a lifetime--and are paid handsomely for it.  Goliath was the giant champion of Gath and David was a teenage shepherd.  From a human vantage point, a true David and Goliath would be the Superbowl champion football team in a game of gridiron facing a team comprised of cheerleaders without any opportunity to prepare.  One combatant had state-of-the-art weaponry an...