Marching Forth!

" And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death ." Revelation 12:11 In the sermon this morning, this verse from Revelation 12 stood out to me.   Revelation 12:10 said what happened after Satan was cast down from heaven:  " Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down ."  The redeemed inhabitants of heaven praised the LORD and rejoiced in God's salvation, strength and kingdom was revealed by permanently excommunicating the accuser of the brethren.  Due to Christ's blood shed on Calvary for sinners, the power of Satan, sin and death is overcome by faith in Jesus. Those in heaven also overcame Satan " by the word of their testimony. "  The Greek word translated ...

" One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind ." Romans 14:5 By God's grace He has given Christians liberty to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, to serve and walk in love towards all inside and outside the church.  Though Christians are all united in Christ as one body, every person is unique and has their own perspective, convictions and corresponding actions.  My introduction to Christian liberty came when my friend's mum asserted I was listening to the "devil's music" because I enjoyed listening to a cassette of a metal band purchased from a local Christian bookstore.  After presenting the lyrics to defend myself and band from such slander, she resolutely held her position:  "It's the devil's music.  It has an evil beat."  In that moment I was faced with a temptation other people usher into our lives with different opinions and convictions:  to love her...

" O God, You are my God;  e arly will I seek You;  m y soul thirsts for You;  m y flesh longs for You  i n a dry and thirsty land  w here there is no water ." Psalm 63:1 David made it a daily practice to seek the LORD early and often.  He had the perspective that seeking and  communing with God was necessary for his life, even as those who exert themselves need to drink more water to stay hydrated.  In a dry and thirsty land where there was no water, God proved Himself able and powerful to reveal Himself to David--the God who gives living water for our souls. It is important to realise seeking God for David was his rule of life and not just an exception in dire times of need.  We do well to examine ourselves and see what our established rules of life are, especially concerning seeking the LORD.  Considering this in light of diet and exercise is a good illustration to see why we can languish physically and apply it to our spiritual walk...

In the book of Revelation , chapter 11 begins with John being given a reed and told to measure the temple, the altar and those who worship there.  This prompted me to look at other times in the Bible where God's house was measured, notably in Ezekiel 40-43 .  In the 25th year of Israel's captivity, Ezekiel saw a vision of the new temple that would be constructed in Jerusalem.  This would have been a thrilling revelation to Ezekiel and God's devout people who knew the temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.  Ezekiel saw a man with a line of flax and a reed who carefully measured the temple and rooms in great detail.  Because this temple far exceeds the size and scope of the second temple--including the extensive renovations later done by Herod--many see this as the pattern of the Millennial temple which has yet to be built. Ezekiel 40:4 says,  “ And the man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and f...

I remember feeling a bit indignant in my youth when someone claimed a phrase quoted in Benjamin Franklin's 1757  Almanac was in the Bible:  " God helps those who help themselves ."  While there is likely debate about where the maxim originated, there is no question theologically speaking it is heretical.  The sentiment denies the grace of God and suggests not only can we earn God's favour or help, but that we can indeed help ourselves!  Paul said that in his flesh dwelt no good thing, and he said this as a man filled with the Holy Spirit.  Indeed, only one born again and illuminated by the Holy Spirit could know and willingly acknowledge such a thing. I was reminded of this quote by a similar comment quote from a politician in the news today.  In urging prospective voters to consider voting for her, it was reported she said:  " In just nine days, we have the power to decide the fate of our nation for generations to come. And on this day, then on...

My evening Bible reading has been from the NIV, a translation I am not as familiar with as the KJV or NKJV.  I have found it more similar to those other versions than different, and sometimes there are renderings that put a fresh spin on verses I can finish by memory.  An example that illustrates this well is found in  Isaiah 29:13 :  " The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. "  This translation makes it abundantly clear how distant, impersonal and rule-oriented the worship of God had become.  God desired a relationship with the Hebrews made possible through faith in Him shown by obedience to His Law, yet it was reduced to what people did or didn't do.  Such "worship" falls woefully short of God's design. People thought they were worshipping God through their offerings, sacrifices, tithes, songs and observ...

A passage in scripture mentioned last night during Bible study was in my morning Bible reading today, the time when David's mighty men brought him water from the well in Bethlehem.  It seems they overheard David's longing for a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem and three of his mighty men decided to take action.   1 Chronicles 11:18-19 says, " So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD .  19  And he said, "Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men ." After "breaking through" the camp of the Philistines, it is highly unlikely these men we...