Marching Forth!

I was reminded of the film Silence  today, specifically how the persecution of Jesuit priests by the Japanese for the sake of the Gospel proved ineffective to stop their ministry.  The antagonists found their brutal tortures only seemed to goad the priests to further sacrifice to spread the Good News of Christianity.  In the film, the Japanese changed their approach and discovered they made inroads to hinder the ministry by making the congregants suffer.  This created a conflict within the priests who felt personally responsible for causing the pain, suffering and death of the local people.  Had those missionaries considered the teaching of scripture, it perhaps would have changed their outlook to realise believers are appointed by God to suffer and were never at the mercy of their enemies. Hearing this, some may see this appointment to suffering as a blight upon God's goodness and righteous character.  But how can one say this when Jesus went through suffe...

I have found gardening challenging in Sydney.  It feels like something is always against you, whether it be nutrient poor soil or clay, variety of turf or weeds, birds or extreme heat.  Grubs and insects also pose a problem that can go unnoticed until damage is done to roots or leaves.  The most recurring problem I have in our area is scale insects that attach themselves like barnacles to the top and underside of leaves as well as digging into the branches.  I don't know how long scale insects were on our lime tree until I noticed them by looking closely, and only then did I begin to realise the extent of the infestation and the damage they were doing. From what I have read, the scale insects draw nutrients from the tree and then excrete honeydew which attracts ants and causes sooty black mould.  The mould doesn't directly harm the tree, but when it builds up on the leaves it can inhibit photosynthesis and cause leaves to drop off.  Quiet and sedentary, sca...

When a person sees a need and puts a plan together to accomplish something good, it doesn't guarantee good results--even for kings.  King Joash noticed the temple was becoming dilapidated and in need of repair, so he commanded dedicated gifts and census tax brought by the people were to be received by the priests for the purpose of repairing the temple.  It seems years passed before it was evident the priests continued to receive money but no work had been done on the building.  The priests had plenty of responsibilities already, and I suspect not all of them were skilled builders who were able to address the disrepair.  After the king confronted the priests for their inaction on the repairs, they agreed not to receive any more money or be the ones responsible for fixing the temple. A new plan was put into motion in  2 Kings 12:9-12 :  " Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one c...

Today at Calvary Chapel Sydney one topic of discussed in the sermon was how God appointed Christians to affliction and also to endure with joy.  To believers who faced persecution and suffered for the sake of Christ, Paul said in  1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 , " And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,  13  so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints .  God had constructive and redemptive benefits for the appointment with affliction the Thessalonians and all Christians, to the end God would establish our hearts blameless in holiness.  We might not prefer or enjoy the process, but we cannot fault God or His results. When I think of dentist appointments, they are more of a "should" or "have to" rather than I "want to."  The only time I would welcome or gladly anticipate a dentist appointment is...

Under the Law of Moses, a minimum of eyewitnesses were required to sentence a guilty murderer to death.  This shows the weight God puts upon the words people spoke in testifying of a person's guilt or innocence.  The Law contained safeguards against false testimony in  Deuteronomy 19:16-19 :  " If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,  17  then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD , before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.  18  And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,  19  then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you ."  The result of carrying out justice against false witnesses was powerful motivation to only speak the truth. In conversation, when someone tells me the outcome of a rugby mat...

Whether riding a bike or driving a car, there are countless course corrections required as to navigate along the correct route.  Slowing for speed humps, avoiding debris, and changing lanes require minute adjustments to navigate roads safely.  Paved roads are often marked with bright and reflective paint so lanes are clearly delineated.  There can also be reflectors glued to the road that make an audible noise and physical sensation to notify a driver they are exiting their lane and entering another one.  On long stretches of highway it is not uncommon to have grooves cut into the bitumen that make a loud sound (kind of like a TIE fighter in Star Wars) to warn drifting drivers they are heading off the road. One thing I considered recently was how God established more boundaries that delineated crossing into sin as time went on.  Adam and Eve only had one prohibition, and that was not to eat of the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden.  After the flood Go...

After some meetings I have attended I later thought to myself, "Now that was a waste of time."  A prayer meeting has never been one of those meetings.  Even when it was a struggle to arrive at the meeting on time or there were other pressing matters, meeting to pray with others or alone before the LORD is always a productive and encouraging blessing.  The Bible teaches us when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us--and God never disappoints ( James 4:8 ).  We are easily disappointed and frustrated, but faith in God exercised by prayer brings sure expectation of good now and in the future. I was edified to read a couple chapters in Spiritual Leadership yesterday, and here is a highlight of what was included on the subject of prayer: " One of the most frequently quoted of Hudson Taylor's statements is his expression of conviction that "it is possible  to move men, through God, by prayer alone."  In the course of his missionary career he demonstrated ...