Marching Forth!

We enjoyed a blessed Bible study last night in the book of Matthew at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  In the midst of the study we came upon words of Jesus that are among His more obscure statements, yet they are instructive and reveal how God's ways are higher than the ways of man.  After responding to disciples of John the Baptist who had been imprisoned, Jesus revealed him to be the greatest prophet ever--yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  Jesus would usher in a new covenant in His own blood to redeem people from the curse of sin and impute righteousness by faith in Him never revealed to prophets of old. Jesus said in Matthew 11:12-13 , " And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  13   For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John ."  The point was well-made in the study that violence is not always bad in itself, for strength, eagerness and veheme...

I started reading through a book recently titled Christ and Human Suffering by E. Stanley Jones, and there was an interesting chapter that compared various worldviews along with Christianity on the view of suffering.  I was particularly intrigued when the views described concerning other religions converged with the outlook of some Christians I have observed.  It is possible, despite our understanding or best efforts, for genuine believers to lean towards secular, humanistic or religious approaches to suffering rather than a biblical one that walks in step with Jesus by faith in Him. For instance, Stanley wrote concerning the "Moslem" approach: " The Moslem attitude toward suffering is perhaps simpler than any other attitude.  The Moslem is impressed with the sovereignty of God.  All that happens is his will.  He has predetermined and predestined all that happens.  The good and the evil that come upon us are alike his will.  The attitude of the faithfu...

Exclusive clubs have conditions of membership and entry, and the cost can be so prohibited only the affluent can apply.  Only those deemed worthy are able to join such clubs.  Clubs for dancing and drinks are exclusive for people aged 21 and older.  There are clubs people would rather not be included in like the "27 Club," which is a list of musicians and celebrities who died at 27 years of age. As I was mowing today, I thought of a "club" I was part of for about 7 years.  I don't remember how it came about, but me and a group of guys from church wanted to meet up regularly but evenings were too busy with work and family.  So my dad, myself, and 3 or 4 others from church remedied this by meeting at a Denny's Restaurant every Tuesday morning at 4:15am.  Christmas and New Year's Day were the only days we did not meet.  Men would come and go, usually because of moving away, and when one left another would show up.  The "4:15 club" continued to mee...

At the memorial service for my dad yesterday, I was greeted by family and friends I had not seen for a long time, over two decades in some cases.  I also met people I had only seen in pictures.  It was like a family reunion of sorts, members of the Body of Christ regathered to honour the memory of Mark Grisez who was beloved and respected by many.  While the occasion was tinged with sadness, it was made overwhelmingly sweet by love and kindness of dear friends who attended. The pastor mentioned  Genesis 25:8 as evidence death of the body is not the end for people who fear God:  " Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people ."  The assembly of people at the church was an illustration of how passing away for a believer provides an entrance to God's presence in heaven and joins us to believers gone before us.  Dad's departure from his frail and failed body meant a joyous union ...

Most are familiar with the concept of dangling a carrot from a string in front of a person or animal to motivate them to walk forward.  Their hunger, coupled with the hope of satisfaction that hangs tantalisingly out of reach, will move them to action.  The problem for the one pursuing the carrot is he may never obtain it, and who knows where the efforts to gain that carrot will take them.  Their focus is so much on the carrot people can stray far from where they want to be or end up.  People do not want to end up in the gutter, but many have found themselves there. The wise will not focus on the carrot but where the pursuit of the carrot will lead them.  The businessman may be pursuing elusive riches and early retirement, but it may lead to the breakdown of his physical health, marriage and family.  A young woman might desire to be a famous actress, but the pursuit may require her to cast aside her values and chastity.  To feel accepted or part of the...

" There are those who rebel against the light; t hey do not know its ways  n or abide in its paths ." Job 24:13 During Job's discussion with his friends, he spoke of murderers, adulterers and thieves who operated under the cover of darkness.  Their sin was premeditated and meticulously planned, for they made disguises to avoid detection and scoped out properties during the day to return to plunder after dark.  These are those who " rebel against the light ," who know what they are doing (and are planning to do) is wrong, but they choose to do it anyway. God who created the sun to shine by day and the moon to shine by night has given every man the light of his own conscience, the ability to reason and make judgments and provided the light of God's word.  Even young children have a sense of morality built into them and express their displeasure over what seems unfair.  This concept of fairness is not cast off in our adulthood but further refined according to...

There are many sayings and cliches we hear that promote a message we wish could be true.  My uncle was quoted as saying something like, "If your heart can conceive it and your mind can believe it, you can achieve it."  There is evidence to support this could be true--though our desires and belief have no guarantee of fulfillment.  I wanted to bowl a perfect game and believed I could do so, but despite training and practice I never managed to achieve the milestone.  Of all the games I bowled in my adult life I only started a game with 9 strikes in a row once, and I finished with a 279.  Inspirational sayings may be nothing more than wishful thinking when results depend upon our efforts. What prompted these thoughts to percolate in my mind was due to a slip of paper in a fortune cookie I read yesterday:  " Affirm it, visualize it, believe it, and it will actualize itself ."  This statement goes far beyond wishful thinking because it is plainly ridiculou...