Marching Forth!

Today I read a great illustration of knowing and embracing our duty as followers of Jesus in Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders: " A young man who was beginning his work with the coast guard was early called to take part in a desperate assignment.  A great storm had arisen and a ship was signaling its distress.  As the men began to move the big boat to the rescue, the young man , frightened at the fierceness of the gale, cried out to the captain, "We will never get back!"   Above the storm the captain replied, "We don't have to come back, but we do have to go out."  In most decisions the difficult part is not in knowing what we ought to do; it is in being willing to pay the price involved ." (Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership . Marshall Pickering, 1986. page 54) If the Coast Guard only answered distress calls in good weather, they would not be fulfilling the purpose they are especially trained and outfitted for.  Soldiers, firemen, policeme...

God told the Hebrews in  Deuteronomy 20:10-12 before they entered the land of promise:  " When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it.  11  And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you.  12  Now if the city will not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it ."  Though there were cities and nations God commanded the Israelites to destroy as His chosen instrument of judgment, there was opportunity for those who lived in the land God promised the Hebrews to continue living and enjoy prosperity.  The Hebrews were to approach a city with an offer of peace, not a threat of war.  If the people in the city were willing to accept the terms of being servants to Israel and paying tribute, they would enjoy the benefits of living in a land blessed by God....

" It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak ." Romans 14:21 After Paul gave a detailed theological explanation of the Gospel, he showed how the Gospel guides us in the use of our liberty in Christ.  One point of contention in the early church concerning the foods people ate, for Jews followed the Law of Moses whilst Gentiles ate many foods the Jews viewed as unclean.  Some born-again Gentiles also had strong convictions over whether it was fitting to eat meat that was offered to idols:  one person's conscience was clear because their food was sanctified by the word of God and prayer, while another felt conviction it was a not-so-subtle return to their old life of idolatry.  Paul urged believers to be aware of the convictions of others, and out of love to avoid doing what made other brethren stumble, offended or weak. Paul wrote in  1 Timothy 4:4-5 of the freedom believers are gr...

At the Anzac Day dawn service this morning in Riverstone, thousands gathered to remember those who answered the call to go to war, knowing well it could cost them their lives.  Today marks the 109th year since thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on Gallipoli during World War 1, and we gathered to commemorate those who have served or are currently serving as members of our defence force.  We remember, lest we forget.  The sound of bagpipes, drums and bugle, the laying of wreaths, singing of hymns and anthems, the murmur of uttering prayers, the recitation of the Ode, and a military flyover made up a solemn service to honour the living as well as the dead. At a Anzac Day dawn service it is customary to see people dressed casually like they just climbed out of bed (which very well may be true), wearing suits or donning their military uniform.  It is not uncommon to see some wearing a sprig of rosemary, a traditional sign of remembrance in Australia....

During our recent church camp, one of our speakers concluded his talk with an illustration about running a cross country race.  He was amazed to see the lead runner, who finished before any other runner emerged onto the track, vomiting from pushing himself to the limit.  He wondered why anyone would put themselves yourself through that pain when no one was even threatening for the lead.  Then it struck him:  unlike others whose race strategy is based on beating the other racers, that man was focused on running his best race.  It was a race against the clock and against himself. I have seen clips of runners who, rather than exerting themselves to their physical maximum, believed they were coasting to victory.  They were confident in victory as they jogged towards the finish line, smiling with arms raised over their heads in glorious triumph.  While they were drinking in the cheers of the spectators, victory slipped from their grasp when another runner s...

Even though the Bible records warnings and tragic events from history, because of God the tenor of Scripture is encouraging rather than discouraging.  There is more than a silver lining for Christians but the guarantee of a glorious future with God with comfort, help and strength presently through His presence.  Faith in the living God opens a new world of abundant life to every person who submits and humbles themselves before Him.  While our eyes scan for promising signs to put our faith in, Jesus is the one we must look to because God's goodness and promises are always assured. God is able to bring hope out of hopelessness, and the life of Samson provides a good illustration of this.  After the Holy Spirit departed from Samson for his sin and unfaithfulness to God that led to his head being shaved by Delilah, God remained gracious to him.  Samson was not forgotten or cast away by God.  Though Samson was arrested, blinded, bound and enslaved by the Philist...

" Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit ." Romans 15:13 The God of Israel is the God of patience, comfort and hope.  All who are born again by faith in Jesus are ushered into all joy and peace in believing, to the end we would abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This hope is an expectation, strong confidence God will make good on His promises to us.  As partakers of the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus, the Spirit produces good spiritual fruit in and through our lives. When we speak of joy, peace and hope, often our experience of them is filtered by how we are feeling rather than by what Jesus has accomplished and promised.  While it is true joy, peace and confidence are connected with our feelings, it would be a mistake to make our feelings the measure of what Jesus has created us to be.  Happiness depends on what happens, yet Jesus promises fullness of joy t...