Marching Forth!

Yesterday I read an article about a couple of male orcas named "Port" and "Starboard" that live off the cost of South Africa and are serial shark killers.  Over a short period of time, locals discovered large female sharks washed up on the shore with their livers and sometimes the heart expertly removed.  It is believed these killer whales single out their target shark, ram it suddenly from underneath, and this causes tonic immobility.  While the shark remains in this defenseless, catatonic state, the orcas are able to easily access and eat the parts of the shark they prize without much effort before seeking their next victim. Similar to orcas which are the apex predator in the ocean, lions hold this title on land in Africa.  Lions are opportunistic hunters that stalk their prey, targeting the young or sickly.  They are not as picky as the infamous orcas Port and Starboard tend to be and will also feed on carrion or steal a kill from hyenas or dogs.  While ...

God who created us and provides for all our needs is able to bring encouragement when we need it too.  There may be some people whose constitution resembles iron, impervious to pretty much everything other than rust.  I have grown in my appreciation of the encouragement God brings that unexpectedly reveals how much I needed it.  The best encouragement comes from God, and He is able to use countless means and ways to apply it to our hearts and minds.  Even when our hearts are wearied by troubles, the LORD knows how to minister to and through us. I took encouragement today from the benediction at the end of the book of Hebrews.   Hebrews 13:20-21 reads, " Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  21  make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be gl...

It is easy to read the Bible and imagine believers in scripture were a heartier stock than the modern-day believer, that we share little in common with them because they were vastly more faithful or fruitful.  Christians like Paul were used by the LORD to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, faced fierce persecution from all sides, and he remained steadfast in faith.  We can also look at missionaries, worship leaders, pastors and teachers who seem unfazed by life's problems.  Our fellow Christians who have suffered many major things beyond our experience seem to fare better than we do with our struggles over minor things. The problem is, this isn't true.  It may be true we do wilt easily under the pressure others have discovered strength in God to overcome through faith, but know human frailty since the fall into sin has been constant.  Even Paul was transparent about struggles most people can identify with, and we might assume such troubles were beneath him. ...

Commonly quoted verses of the Bible sometimes stop short of important information and personal application, and I was reminded of this during a recent Bible study.  The speaker described how predators seek out easy prey that are isolated from the protection of the herd, ones that are young, old or injured.  He likened the one isolated from the pack as the Christian who is too self-conscious or embarrassed to confess their sin, isolated by their own pride.  Such a one may gather with believers on a Sunday or lead a Bible study and have many friends, yet they can foolishly go it alone in their struggle in sin.  "The devil is in the grey areas," he said. I took the liberty of looking up the verse that describes Satan as a lion prowling about looking for prey in  1 Peter 5:8 :  " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour ."  This is the passage many Christians are familiar with....

Conflict is a part of life and especially in our closest relationships.  Instead of seeing conflict as a bad thing to avoid at all costs. Myron Rush wrote this:  " One of the key ingredients to maintaining a cooperative relationship is the attitude that conflict is healthy and not something to be avoided.  Conflict creates an opportunity for us to know each other better and to serve each other more ." (Rush, Myron, and Stanley C. Baldwin. Richer Relationships : Leader's Guide. Victor Books, 1983. page 121)  One of the reasons why we might want to avoid facing conflict head on is to avoid offending people we love and care about.  However, if we truly do love others and care for their needs, dealing with conflict directly in a loving manner demonstrates that fact.  My avoidance of conflict can be self-centered rather than loving others at all. Jesus did not shy away from conflict when He spoke the truth in love.  He did not pander to His listeners by tel...

Christians and unbelievers can both cite scriptures to affirm they speak the truth or to accuse someone else of doing wrong.  One of the most classic cases of this involves a Christian calling something sin or expressing disgust, and the immediate reaction by someone else is that "Christians aren't supposed to judge."  Some may even quote Jesus partially in the hackneyed manner, "Judge not."  The irony is the one who calls out those who judge as doing wrong have committed the exact error they accuse the other of. For those who are born again and have a working knowledge of Bible doctrine, it is abundantly clear God Himself has given people the capacity and responsibility to make judgments all the time--for good or ill.  Education, knowledge and the ability to reason are pointless without judgment.  Judging or deciding something is not wrong in itself, but why and the way we communicate this can be problematic and even sinful.  Those who delight in pointing ...

Today I made a disgusting discovery while putting potatoes away.  As I pulled out the basket where we keep them in a cupboard out of sunlight, the foul smell of decay hit my nostrils at the same time I saw a potato which had begun to rot.  I quickly carried the basket outside and deposited the potato in the bin.  Then I set about cleaning the cupboard and basket of any residue. I found the damp spot inside the basket was quite small but moisture had seeped in a much larger area underneath.  I scrubbed the area with detergent, rinsed it thoroughly with water, then left the basket in the sun to dry.  It was surprising how the basket in a dry condition was strong and robust, yet moisture introduced by a spoiled potato in a matter of days caused areas of the basket to dissolve.  Had the bacteria-filled fluid remained longer, the whole basket might have been ruined. Though the situation involved an inedible potato, ironically it provided food for thought.  ...