Marching Forth!

Knowing God as revealed in the Bible gives us confident expectation of good even when troubles abound.  With the many voices and influences in the world, God's people ought to determine His word will carry greater weight with us than all other feelings, opinions and views.  It is never easy to trust God and follow Him, as we are prone to lean on our own understanding or rely on help or guidance from others, but it is simple enough even a child can do it faithfully. G.K. Chesterton famously remarked in an essay, " The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried ." (Chesterton, G. K. What’s Wrong with the World . Ignatius Press, 1994. pg. 37)  Indeed, even those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ find personal sanctification and God's refinement difficult.  When our eyes are focused on how far we have come pride can set in, and should we fix our gaze on how far we still have to go we are easily overwh...

It dawned on me today that due to the advent of the internet and social media, opinions have never been less or more influential at the same time.  People's views are broadcasted so frequently and cheaply they don't matter much, and people are hungry and thirsty for likes to build personal platforms.  Going viral has led to instant fame, and public outcry can lead to dismissal akin to social banishment.  Despite the facade of social media friendship many still feel desperately lonely, their lives hanging by the thread of superficial connections. In contrast to the shifting sands of public interest and sentiment, God's word remains sure and absolute, rooted in God's wisdom that encompasses all that matters.  In the Bible, God does not give us His opinions but unchanging judgments concerning what is true.  He has given mankind freedom to choose what we will believe, who we will follow and what voices we will listen to.  I have observed the voices we listen to...

" Cast your burden on the LORD , a nd He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved ." Psalm 55:22 When David wrote Psalm 55 , he was clearly burdened by many things, including a host of enemies, the oppression of the wicked, and betrayal by a friend.  Unable to fly away from his troubling situation or dread, he sought the LORD he knew would hear and answer him.  Toward the end of the song he turned his attention to the reader and urged all to cast their burdens on the LORD who would sustain those made righteous through faith in Him. To sustain means "to hold."  When people are burdened in a literal sense, it means we are carrying something.  I picture someone encumbered with bags after coming home from the shops or a person carrying a load of firewood on outstretched arms.  When doing work, we like to make our effort and time worthwhile.  Rather than making several trips, we might load an extra bag or log to finish the job more e...

When we observe people of God making head-scratching decisions that are inconsistent with what they know to be true or right, know we are looking at a mirror image of ourselves.  Sure, our failings may not mirror the exact circumstances people experienced in the historical narrative, but we share the same weaknesses, are prone to spiritual dullness and have our own blind spots.  We wonder, how can people who saw the miracles God did to deliver them from slavery in Egypt murmur against Him in unbelief shortly thereafter?  Isn't it true that after coming to faith in Christ we too have complained of far less trying circumstances--despite our knowledge of what God has done and promised? This inconsistency in people who fear God can be easily found throughout Scripture.  Peter spoke courageously in front of Jesus and the other disciples and even lashed out with a sword when Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Yet he wilted under the scrutiny of ser...

Jonathan was a man who feared God and believed God was in control of situations that were out of his control.  When people say, "God is in control," it is likely the details of their circumstances are different than others or could mean different things.  The overarching point Christians likely agree on is what the Bible plainly declares:  God rules over all, is good, and He can redeem all things together for our good.  We can find rest and comfort in knowing God is totally aware of our situation and that He is able to do everything necessary to accomplish His good purposes through it. It is good for us to acknowledge God is all-knowing, all-powerful and a present help in time of trouble whose desire is to save rather than destroy.  This is not true, however, concerning people who may have authority over us.  After David become acutely aware of King Saul's intention to murder him, he confided in Jonathan who was a good friend and son of the king.  Jona...

Confidence in the goodness of God and His sovereignty is a key factor in us experiencing the rest and abundant life graciously offered by Jesus Christ.  Paul expressed great confidence all Christians ought to have in  Romans 8:28 :  " And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose ."  Because God is almighty, a Redeemer and faithful, we are assured on the basis of His glorious deity His good purposes can be furthered in what we can only see as bad circumstances in this life. Since God has revealed Himself to us in truth, having provided His Word and the Holy Spirit, we know one of His purposes is our sanctification:  for us to be set apart for Him and submit to being made more like Him continually in thought, word and deed.  Another purpose God has in saving us and adopting us into His family by the Gospel is to make us spiritually fruitful.  We have been created for the ...

" And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart ." Galatians 6:9 In preparing to preach on this passage, it occurred to me how the concept of sowing and reaping has been hijacked by some to convey a distorted, unbiblical teaching:  we can get what we want if we do our part.  I have heard some preachers urge their hearers to make a vow or donate money motivated by paying off bills and becoming more wealthy and prosperous.  Such seem to forget that what is reaped is different than the seed.  Money given to a church or ministry is no guarantee of money multiplying, but when it is done by obedience to God will result in bearing the spiritual fruit God intends--something priceless that money cannot buy. The passage found in Hosea 10:12 shows what we sow differs from what is reaped:  " Sow for yourselves righteousness; r eap in mercy;  b reak up your fallow ground,  f or it is time to seek the LORD ,...