Marching Forth!

" Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel ." Exodus 17:6 As I read this passage I was struck by the reality of God's presence, that He would stand before Moses on the rock in Horeb.  His presence had led them out of Egypt in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, yet the thirsty people wondered if God had brought them out of Egypt to slay them.  They were so incensed against Moses he imagined they wanted to stone him to death.  Moses came before the LORD and prayed about what to do. When Moses obeyed God's command and struck the rock upon which God stood, water flowed abundantly from the rock.  All the people, their flocks and herds were supplied with water from God who was their Rock.  Like many of the miracles God did that are recorded in the Old and New Testament, it served multiple purpo...

Today I read a troubling article of vulnerable people being deceived by a scam artist posing as a fortune teller in Sydney.  Two of the people interviewed were told they had an evil spirit on them and their children and would die unless they paid money for extensive prayer.  They ended up being conned out of tens of thousands of dollars out of fear for the well-being of their children and family.  Fear is a pervasive, consuming force in the lives of countless people today overcome only by faith in Christ. One might think the opposite of fear is courage or bravery, but Jesus revealed it is faith in God.  People might be viewed as courageous because of what they have done or do, yet fear could be mixed with what prompted them to do what they did.  After the disciples panicked in fear during a storm on the Sea of Galilee  Mark 4:40 reads, " But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith ?"  Faith in Jesus was the antido...

The Sunday sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney concluded with  Psalm 103:1-5 :  " Bless the LORD , O my soul;  a nd all that is within me, bless His holy name!  2 Bless the LORD , O my soul, a nd forget not all His benefits:  3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,  4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,  5  Who satisfies your mouth with good things, s o that your youth is renewed like the eagle's ."  God was faithful to His promise to be with His people, keep them and provide for all their needs.  To this glorious expression of praise believers can say amen, for He is worthy of our praise and adoration. Through what Jesus has accomplished for those who trust in Him, we are most blessed and ought to bless His holy name.  In the Gospels we read of Jesus forgiving sins, healing the diseased, and paying the price of eternal redemption through His blo...

" And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD , offer it of your own free will ." Leviticus 22:29 Under the Law of Moses when people wanted to give thanks to God, it meant more than mere words.  People sacrificed a clean animal of thanksgiving to the LORD, a peace offering they and others were partakers of.  It was a sacrifice freely offered, not with an expectation to receive, but out of thanksgiving for all God had already said, had given and performed.  A sacrifice of thanksgiving could be costly monetarily but it was a joy to give to God in light of God's generosity and goodness to supply the gift and all else in the first place. Freedom in giving thanks to God springs from faith in God and His worthiness.  It is fitting a day such as Thanksgiving in the United States has been established in a nation under God.  It is even more appropriate every day be filled with thanksgiving to God for every person redeemed by grace through faith, given et...

After the LORD led David and his men to recover their families and goods from an Amalekite raiding party, David established a statue in Israel that the spoil would be split evenly between those who fought on the field of battle and those who remained behind with the stuff.  Those who went were not to be rewarded more than those who served by staying.  Both played vital roles to the same victorious end, whether they pursued the enemy or protected their position. God told Abraham to leave his family and country and go to the land God would show him.  He demonstrated faith in God through his obedience to God's command.  It can also be a demonstration of faith to stay and settle when you would rather be elsewhere.  The Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon and God told them it would be for 70 years.  The temptation was to hope the time would be shortened so they could return to the land of their inheritance in Israel, to resist putting down roots in Babylon...

When I was in year 2 at a private school we learned to write in cursive and the multiplication table up to 12.  The following year I began attending a local public school where students in year 3 were taught these for the first time!  I remember the teacher being skeptical when I told her I already learned to write in cursive and she had me come up to the board to demonstrate my skill or experience public humiliation.  I ended up being her "assistant" for that portion of the class in the following months. The style of schooling I was exposed to in both a private and public setting was to learn the basics and then move onto something new.  Students are taught to add and subtract, then multiply and divide, and then incorporate what they have already learned into problems with fractions and decimals.  There comes a time when you have taken your last formal maths course and graduate from school, likely pleased that season of life is now complete.  This concept ...

I've been reading a compilation of A.W. Tozer's sermons titled Going Higher With God in Prayer.   One thing I appreciate about Tozer is he places the stronger emphasis on Jesus Christ and what is true rather than a critique of what the church can get wrong.  He observed on page 78, “ We have gotten into this soft humanism in our time when we weep over rebels and imagine this is the divine order .”  Humanism is indeed a snare, for this godless worldview places undue focus on man and what he can do to benefit himself and others rather than God who rules over all. The God of the Bible is revealed to be infinitely good, merciful, just, sovereign and eternal.  When we place our faith in this God who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance--and sent His only begotten Son to redeem lost sinners--we gladly submit to His rule.  There are many who proudly act as judge over the almighty God and find fault with Him, making excuses for th...