Windows On The Soul

We're all familiar with the standard chant of protest marches - "What do we want? .....", "When do we want it? Now!".  The peace movement in Israel is no exception, with their slogan of "Peace Now!". But it is King David in Psalm 118:25 that points us to God's priority, " Salvation Now " (Petersen's paraphrase). In His "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus tells us that all these worldly concerns are secondary to " Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness " ( Mt.6:33 ). Whether they be clothing or shelter, food or drink, health and healing, security or peace - all our needs God will meet - our striving, concern or 'worry' must first and foremost be to establish our right relationship with God. And that relationship is only found in salvation through the sacrificial love of Jesus, available by faith when we put off the old "I-centric" attitudes and in humble repentance put on "Christ-centredn...

A recent newspaper article reported that the rate of infant immunisations in Australia had fallen to around 68%. As a consequence, there have been a number of epidemics of preventable childhood diseases - measles in NSW, diphtheria and rubella in regions of Victoria. The decline in immunisation has NOT occurred among non-English speaking migrants - they understand the seriousness of these potentially fatal diseases prevalent in other parts of the world. The fall-off has occurred among 2nd and 3rd generation Australians who now take our high standards of health for granted. Another factor has been New Age thinking of people who believe that crystals and other such amulets have healing powers, and who put undue emphasis on alternative "medicine", rejecting proven techniques such as immunisation. If you still have doubts about the efficacy of vaccination, just ask your (grand)mother about the polio outbreak of the 1950's pre Sabin, or do some basic family history research i...

Among the many miracles of construction of the human body, is the wonderful structure of bones, muscles, flesh and skin. Without bones, we would be mere blobs of flesh, unable to stand or move. Without flesh and muscles, the bones would collapse into a heap. Although each individual bone is rigid, the skeleton being a jointed structure, is not rigid. It relies on pairs of muscles and sinews connecting pairs of jointed bones, with opposing muscles maintaining perfectly balanced tension. Further, the flesh and skin cover the harsh, hard bones, with the soft, flexible, cuddly exterior to the world. Paul's analogy of the body to the church, in many ways also applies to our individual spiritual "bodies". We must have a skeleton of doctrine, rigid in part, but jointed and movable, kept strong and in balance by the paradoxes of Righteousness and Mercy. Then our doctrine must be clothed with the warm, soft, tender "flesh" of love as our face to the external world. --...

Acceptable offerings - by faith Heb.11:4 Access to grace - by faith Rom.5:2 , Eph.3:12 Assurance - by faith Heb.10:22 Bold witness - by faith 1 Tim.3:13 Christ indwells - by faith Eph.3:17 Healed - by faith Acts 14:9 , Jas.5:15 Hearing - by faith Rom.10:17 Inherit God's promises - by faith Heb.6:12 Justified - by faith Rom.3:28 , 5:1 , Gal.2:16 Live - by faith Hab.2:4 , Rom.1:17 , Gal.2:20 , Heb.10:38 Made whole - by faith Mt.9:22 , Mk.5:34 , Lk.8:48 , 18:42 , 17:19 Overcome the world - by faith 1 Jhn.5:4 Patience in persecution - by faith 2 Thes.1:4 Pleasing God - by faith Heb.11:6 Prophesy - by faith Rom.12:6 Purifying hearts - by faith Acts 15:9 Receive the Spirit - by faith Gal.3:14 Righteousness - by faith Rom.3:22 , 4:5 , 9:30 , 10:6 , Phil.3:9 Sanctified - by faith Acts 26:18 Saved - by faith Lk.7:50 , Eph.2:8 , 1 Pet.1:9 Shielded from Satan - by faith Eph.6:16 , 1 Th...