Marching Forth!

I was impacted by an interaction recorded in the book Same Kind of Different As Me  to illustrate friendship.  A man named Denver made the observation how some fishermen practice "catch and release."  They are into fishing for sport.  After catching, weighing, or taking a photo, the fish is released.  Denver had no interest in catching a fish only to release it.  Catching a whopper brought the town together to celebrate the catch and share a delicious meal.  The point driven home to me is friendship is for keeps.  If you genuinely love someone, you won't let them go.  You will always hold a friend close in your heart even if time or distance separates. Matt Redman wrote a song titled "You Never Let Go" which enforces how God treats us all like "keepers" though we have never measured up.  As sinners we have fallen dreadfully short of His righteous standards, yet out of His love for us God embraces and adopts us as His own through the G...

Jesus came to save sinners.  Once we are freed from the power and penalty of sin, the Holy Spirit provides all we need to know and do God's will.  Living in these bodies of flesh makes it a real challenge to walk uprightly.  I am a sinner and need a Saviour, and if I have truly repented I ought not consciously sin any more.  Paul asked rhetorical questions which have obvious answers in  Romans 6:1-2 :  " What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it ?" When we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, we are made new.  Our bodies stay the same, but our eternal souls have been raised to new life.  We ought to make a clean break between who we were and who we are by God's grace because we now know God and find our identity in Him.   1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, " Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of G...

I like the occasion in scripture when Elisha provided for a widow in a miraculous (and memorable!) way.  She was unable to pay off a loan and the creditor demanded her two sons as bondslaves.  In desperation she contacted Elisha the prophet.  He said, "What do you have in the house?"  The poor woman said, "Nothing, except a pot of oil." 2 Kings 4:3-4  says, " Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbours--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones ."  This is a strange directive, isn't it?  How could one pot of oil fill so many?  The woman wisely did not question the man of God but obeyed.  It says in verse 5 , " So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out ."  And pour it out she did....

Diligence is a good virtue to cultivate.  It is easy with the busyness of life to procrastinate or neglect important duties.  We start tasks with good intentions but for some reason completing them can elude us for weeks, months, and years.  We are exhorted in whatever we do in Colossians 3:23 to do it heartily as unto the LORD.  God requires stewards to be faithful, and in His strength we can do all He asks of us. Jesus said in  Luke 16:10 , " He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much ."  Because we are limited by time, ability, and resources, we prioritise tasks.  The completion of tasks large or small requires commitment with focused labour to that end.  It helps when we prioritise unfinished tasks (in most cases) before we embark on new ones.  Progressing and completing even a small task moves us in a positive direction. Whenever I have a new book to ...

All people naturally have sinful tendencies and habits.  Even after we are spiritually born again life goes on in the confines of our body of flesh.  There are plenty of things we realise are sinful and displeasing to God, but there are other things which fly under our moral radar.  We are not even aware of how often we sin until God opens our eyes to see! One thing I want to cull from my life is the tendency to complain.  Complaints may be exceedingly common and seemingly innocent, but the basis of complaining is a focus on self, a lack of acknowledgement of God's power and sovereignty, and vocal displeasure for all to hear.  It is one thing to pour out our complaints before God, but it is another thing to complain to others about our circumstances God has allowed.  Complaining is often a parade of selfishness. Just last night I read of an occasion after God delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt in  Numbers 11:1-3 : " Now wh...

" Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD , You preserve man and beast . " Psalm 36:6 It is insightful to meditate upon and consider similes in the Bible.  In this instance, the righteousness of God is compared to the "great mountains."  Mountains in the physical realm can open our understanding of the spiritual nature of God's righteousness.  Though righteousness and mountains are not the same thing, this verse teaches us there are similarities between them.  To better grasp the reality of God's righteousness, how could we describe great mountains? Mountains are immovable and endure.  Mountains are established, solid, and trying to shift them is out of the question.  While the earth is subject to erosion over time, the mountain remains.  Tunnels have been cut through them, roads have been carved into them and even diverted around them.  God's righteousness is established like a mountain a...

There are times when we recognise a personal need to change, but this knowledge does not provide the ability to change.  On the strength of our resolve anyone can adapt their behaviour to various degrees, yet on the inside we remain the same people we always were.  This is one thing God can and will do in the lives of Christians:  He changes us from the inside. Because we have been painting the bathroom, bottles of shampoo are not in their usual place.  The other day when I picked on up a bottle, I rapped my head on the fixed soap holder in the shower.  I instinctively said, "Ouch!" but I instantly discerned something was different inside me.  Years ago when I would hit my head or injured myself there would often be a flash of temper, an inner rage that surged energy into my limbs and widened my eyes.  During my life I have typically been able to "control" my temper, but it was a conscious act of the will.  When I hit my head and did not feel...

" O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections ." 2 Corinthians 6:11-12 The apostle Paul had been instrumental in preaching the Gospel and instructing the church in Corinth.  He chose to support his own pastoral ministry by making tents so no one could accuse him of using the Gospel to enrich himself financially.  At times the choice to support himself backfired in one sense, for some viewed this tradesman as being without proper credentials to teach.  But Paul had authority from God and spoke the truth in love, even when it stung.  There were some in the Corinthian church who aligned themselves with other teachers to oppose Paul and claimed his attempts to deal with sin and promote unity was an overreach.  Like a teenage son or daughter eager to throw off the authority of parents they feel are too controlling, they resented Paul's involvement. Paul r...

At the dawn of a new year, many people seize the opportunity to make resolutions.  Whether or not they tend to stick is beside the point!  It is not just a new year which can motivate a person to promise or pledge to do things differently.  For some it may be ill-fitting pants which lead to more regular exercise.  It could be a close call behind the wheel which prompts someone to stop drink-driving.  A decision to change doesn't always end with the desired change, but few positive changes in life occur without acknowledging we need to change.  The human will is incredibly strong, but it doesn't mean we always do what we say we will. A couple things I love about God is He is good and He does not change.  When He says He will do something, He will.  It may not look like anything is happening, and it may seem like an eternity before progress is made.  God will always be true to His Word, and when we meet His conditions we can place our comp...