Category Archives: Christian Life

FOUNDATION STONES – 20

Christian Life,

KEEP THE PRIZE IN VIEW

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV
[7] “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

As much as the foundation stones in Scripture that we can lay for our lives are seemingly endless, how can we conclude this series with a final stone to provide a solid platform for life? From among the many stones, I have chosen Paul’s words as his life drew to an end.

Paul had experienced much and endured much throughout his earthly journey. He had begun by learning that he could never build a solid foundation for his life on his own self-effort.

Philippians 3:4, 6-8 NIV
[4] “… If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:…
[6]… as for righteousness based on the law, faultless….”

Paul had risen above his peers in his pursuit of righteousness but, to his dismay and frustration, all his efforts were fruitless. He discovered that he could never subdue his old nature. Despite all his efforts to obey the law perfectly, one sin stood out above all others, his pride! He took great pride in his own achievements despite their being the evidence of his arrogant self-will and independence from God.

Eventually, his puny efforts to overcome the flesh crumbled under the weight of a guilty conscience. He had to face the truth. He discovered that only one person could pull him out of the hole he had dug for himself. His very pride in his self-righteousness was his undoing. God’s mercy and God’s grace alone could rescue him from self-destruction. He was forced to surrender his will to the very God he had chosen to defy.

[7] “… But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…”

Finally, and thankfully, he dumped his self-effort together with his pride in himself into the garbage bin and clung to the gift of Jesus’ righteousness as his lifeline. This transaction through the Spirit, Christ’s righteousness for Paul’s, made the difference, for him, between life and death.

For Paul, this righteousness that gave him access to a full and complete salvation, was a prize so valuable that he fought to the death to keep it safe and intact. The reality of Jesus, in all His detail and meaning, was the source of his understanding and experience of grace. As the Spirit enlightened him, so he unpacked the significance of Jesus bit by bit in his own life and in his communication with the churches he had founded across the known world.

The message of Jesus was a treasure to be preserved unchanged, unadulterated, and intact, to be believed and to be passed on to the next generation. It cost blood, tears, and perseverence to remain true to his calling.

So, Paul’s testimony was, with the prize of Christ’s righteousness always in view and at work in him to crown his life, he allowed nothing to hinder his pursuit of his goal.

Philippians 3:9 NIV
[9] “…and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

Paul knew that the righteousness of Jesus, lived out in his daily experience, was a lifelong pursuit. No matter how many times he failed, he would get up and persevere.

Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
[12]”Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

The prize that awaited Paul and all who follow his example, was perfect likeness to Jesus. However, he had learned that he was not alone in his struggle to overcome the drag of sin in him. Like all his brothers and sisters in Christ, in every situation he faced, good or bad, God was painstakingly pealing off layer after layer of self-confidence, self-effort, self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, and…yes, the self-will that had refused to submit to the absolute authority of Jesus in his life.

Paul had to learn to embrace his weakness as his greatest asset if he wanted to gain the prize of Christ-likeness. Grace alone would enable him to win the prize.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
[9] “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Do you get it, my dear readers?

Alongside the stone that reminds us of our sinfulness is the stone of Christ’s righteousness, freely given, that covers our failure to please God, gives us access to the Father and all His wonderful benefits, and fits us for our unique role in God’s forever family.

How do we know we are on track? Only those who can anticipate Jesus’ return with great joy are ready to receive Him with confidence and without fear.

2 Timothy 4:8 NLT
[8] “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

Frailty, falls, and failure aside, we have every confidence in the promises of God that He forgives, restores, and works in us for our good when we strive for the goal of Christ-likeness, and keep it in view against all odds. The older one grows, the nearer to the final chapter of life, the more one sees with the eye of faith the celestial city up ahead. The coming of Jesus to reward His faithful saints is like a lighthouse that guides us away from danger and towards our heavenly haven.

We have examined many “stones” of truth that, together, form a solid platform on which to stand as we face the struggles and hardships we encounter as we build the solid structure of life. If we are to endure to the end, each stone must reassure us that we are creating an enduring “temple” in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Let us build in faith, for we are in partnership with the one who is recreating us in His image for His glory.

FOUNDATION STONES – 19

Christian Life,

Romans 7:18 NIV
[18] “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”

Now this is an unusual stone to build into our foundation! Unusual, but very necessary. Without this stone firmly in place, we are all in grave danger of floating above reality in the mistaken notion that we are both essentially good and self-sufficient, at least in some parts of life.

People in the world, and even some of God’s own children, think that they are good. Yes, we sometimes go astray but that isn’t the norm. Wrong! With that perspective, we deny the nature of our union with Jesus and our need of Him. He said that we can do NOTHING without Him…and that includes the change in our nature from corrupted to godly, by His blood.

Paul, the Pharisee, had to learn the hard way that his inner being was rotten with sin, every thought and deed that came from his inborn independence from God. Try as he did, he had no power to be “good”. The struggle was beyond even his strongest will power and best intentions. He had to conclude that he was sinful to the core.

Both Isaiah and Jeremiah, reflecting on their nation’s failure to live within the boundaries of God’s covenant, came to the same conclusion.

Isaiah 64:6 NIV
[6] “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
[9] “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Paul, too, came to the same conclusion about the human race. Quoting Scripture after Scripture, he diagnosed the disease that infects all people, both Jews and Gentiles…

Romans 3:9-18 NIV
[9] What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. [10] As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; [11] there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” [13] “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” [14] “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” [15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
[16] ruin and misery mark their ways,
[17] and the way of peace they do not know.” [18] “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

With no fear of God to set boundaries around their lives, people without Jesus live in a hell of their own making, “a boundary-less place”, according to ancient Hebrew thought.

Not even the Jews’ association with God through His covenant could make them any different from the rest of the world.

Romans 3:22-23 NIV
[22] “… There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Apart from the mercy and grace of God, no one will every escape His wrath and judgment.

With this stone under our feet, the constant reminder that we are helpless and nothing without Jesus, but are only complete in Him, we can face life with confidence. We have the assurance that it is Christ in us who guarantees not only our perseverance to the end, but also our victory over the old nature that constantly threatens to drag us into destruction.

Dear friends, let’s stand on this truth. It will surely help us to keep our feet on the ground and our faith in our Source. Without Him, we are nothing, we have nothing, and are in need of everything.

The constant awareness of our old, corrupted nature should drive us to the Lord for His grace to overcome. Like Paul, we rejoice in the reminder that it is our weakness that qualifies us for His abundant grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV
[9] “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

FOUNDATION STONES – 18

Christian Life, ,

FAITH AND HOPE

Hebrews 11:6 NLT
[6] “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

We already have many stones in place to form a firm foundation for godly lives. However, our foundation lacks one that could be called the cement that holds all the other stones in place.

Each stone must be built into our foundation with a lavish amount of faith. Faith, trust, confidence in God that He will do what He promised, is our only assurance that our foundation will support our lives when the storms hit us.

What ia faith? Is faith an abstract concept or a strong reality? Faith is as unseen but as real as the air we breathe. Without oxygen we will die. Without faith, we have no connection to the God who gives us life.

Let’s look at faith like this. You set out to bake a cake or create a garment exactly like the picture of the finished product. You gather your materials and follow the recipe or pattern, step by step, keeping in mind your goal to replicate what you see in the picture. You pause periodically to asses your progress and to ensure that you are doing each step correctly. You are eventually rewarded, after faithfully copying the recipe or pattern, with a result that perfectly matches the original.

This is a simple illustration of the connection between faith and hope. Hope is the end result. Faith is the way to get there.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT
[1] “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

Our hope is the picture of the finished product. Faith is our confidence in the instructions that will take us, step by step, to what we want to accomplish and the process by which we achieve our goal. God’s Word is the recipe or pattern we are to follow to complete what we set out to do.

God has given us the picture of the end product…sons and daughters recreated in the likeness of His blueprint, Jesus, living together as God’s perfect family in fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:29 NIV
[29] “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

God has also told us what He will do and what we must do to fulfill our hope. We must learn to submit to Him and obey His instructions by being led by His Spirit.

Romans 8:14 NIV
[14]”For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

God works, in everything that happens to us in life, good and bad, to teach us to submit to and obey Him as the sons of a loving Father.

Romans 8:28 NIV
[28] “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Philippians 2:12-13 NIV
[12] “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

God has His” tools” to train us to obey…

His Word,

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
[16]”All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

His Spirit,

John 16:13 NIV
[13] “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

And, surprisingly, our hardships,

Hebrews 12:5-7, 9-10 NLT
[5] “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. [6] For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” [7] As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?…
[9] Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? [10] For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”

Holiness is God’s requirement if we are to spend eternity with Him.

Hebrews 12:14 NIV
[14] “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

As in every detail of our lives in Christ, we are in partnership with God. He has made us holy through the blood of Jesus. Now we are to work our that holiness by dying to the sin nature and its evil deeds.

2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
[1] “Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”

Faith in Jesus is the way both to salvation and to a holy life.

Galatians 2:20 NIV
[20] “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

FOUNDATION STONES – 17

Christian Life, ,

THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT
[18] “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. [19] May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

The love of Christ…what is it?

Today, we will look at Jesus’ love from another perspective. We usually understand this love of Jesus as His love for us that kept Him faithful to His mission. He saved us from sin because He loved us so much!

I think the Bible adds a dimension to this love that we, perhaps, have not considered. What the Bible says about the love of Christ doesn’t downplay His love for us. Rather, it shows the reason for His perseverance through the worst of human suffering to accomplish what He came to earth to do.

Biblical writers insist that it was not His love for us that brought Him from heaven and took Him to the cross. It was His love for the Father that bound Him to the Father’s will and kept Him on course from birth, through His life and death, to His resurrection and glory, to save us.

Yes, Jesus loved us. The Apostle Paul assures us of His love.

Galatians 2:20 NLT
[20] “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who LOVED ME and gave himself for me.”

Jesus is God, and God is love. However, in His humanity, Jesus was subject to the Father. As a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. His reverent submission to the Father qualified Him to be the perfect sacrifice and Saviour of sinners. His love for us was His love for the Father expressed in His obedience to the Father’s will.

Throughout His public ministry, and especially in His conflict with the religious leaders, Jesus testified to His love for and obedience to the Father.

The Father sent Jesus to do the His will.

John 6:38 NLT
[38] “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.”

Jesus loved, obeyed, and pleased the Father in every detail of His life. His love for the Father coloured everything He was and did…

John 4:34 NLT
[34] “Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”

Loving His Father fuelled His every thought and action.

John 5:30 NLT
[30] “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”

Jesus had a mission to accomplish, planned in eternity before creation. Nothing would deter Him from His purpose to do what the Father sent Him to do.

John 6:38 NLT
[38] “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.”

With utmost confidence and transparency, Jesus testified to His obedience to the Father.

John 8:29 NLT
[29] “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”

Why was Jesus so meticulous about His obedience to the Father?

John 14:30-31 NLT
[30] “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, [31] but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I LOVE THE FATHER. Come, let’s be going.”

Obedience and love are two sides of the same coin.

John 15:10 NLT
[10]” When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

No amount of tempting or persuasion could drag Jesus away from His avowed purpose to protect His unity with the Father by trusting Him and doing His will. Whatever His circumstances, however much He fell foul of the religious leaders, was misunderstood, maligned, insulted, accused, and rejected, Jesus trusted the Father’s love for Him and loved Him in return.

Matthew 4:3-4 NLT
[3]” During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” [4] But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Even to His last drop of blood, Jesus remained steadfast in His determination to do God’s will.

Matthew 26:39 NLT
[39] He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Every word Jesus spoke, every decision He made, every test He passed speaks of His love for the Father. Such love could never fail. It was cemented by the Father’s love for His Son.

This is the love, infallible and indestructible, that Jesus calls us to trust as the foundation of our obedience to Him. Just as Jesus loved the Father, so He loves His children.

John 17:23 NLT
[23] “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

Through His obedience to the Father, powered by His love, even to death, Jesus opened the circle of the Trinity to everyone who would receive and participate in His love. This love is so strong that it triumphs over every test and trouble, and that not even hell itself can overcome.

Romans 8:38-39 NLT
[38] “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

On this love, God’s Word calls us to build our lives. Whatever may come our way, whatever disaster may reduce our lives to rubble, God’s love, seen most clearly in the love of Jesus for the Father, will always hold us steady until we reach our eternal destination.

FOUNDATION STONES – 16

Christian Life,

BE JOYFUL, PRAYERFUL, AND THANKFUL

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
[16] “Always be joyful. [17] Never stop praying. [18] Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Three stones in our foundation that should be cemented together to provide stability and strength.

These stones are all about attitude.

What is attitude?

Meta AI defines attitude as…

“… A person’s feelings, disposition, or mindset towards a particular situation, person, or thing. It encompasses their emotions, beliefs, and behaviors, influencing how they perceive and interact with the world around them.”

Attitudes can be positive, anticipating good outcomes… negative, pessimisticly expecting unpleasant situations…fixed, refusing to change for the better… or flexible, willing to view life from a different perspective.

Attitude is like the weather. When our circumstances are sunny and calm, we launch into our activities with a positive attitude…no wind or rain to curb our plans…no cloudy sky to cast a gloom over our outlook for the day. Stormy circumstances can easily change our mood to restlessness or insecurity.

Unlike the weather, we can choose the outlook, mood, and attitude that will influence our thoughts and actives for each day and each situation. Think of it this way. If we get out of bed already anticipating trouble for whatever reason, our mood will be sombre and our expectations coloured with thoughts of conflict, hurt, or whatever the circumstance might threaten to be.

What if, instead, we choose to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful despite any situation we may face. I listen to fellow believers speaking of “stress” when they see problems on the horizon that may never happen. Did Jesus offer His followers rest, only to be frustrated by the expected or unexpected situations we face each day?

First, be joyful. Joy is not dependent on our circumstances. Rather, our joy leans on our connection to a faithful, unchanging Father who is always with us, always in charge of our lives, and always working for our good in all our everyday circumstances. Paul counsels us to “rejoice IN THE LORD?” Joy is the solid, immovable stone under our feet based on our relationship with our heavenly Father. Tying our joy to anyone or anything else will eventually lead to anything other than joy.

Second, be prayerful. Jesus said, “Remain in me.” When our attitude is to stay connected to Jesus in all circumstances, we choose to let Him carry our burdens and straighten our path. Through constant communication, i.e., prayer, we choose to stay in touch with headquarters and get our directions from Him, not from the world around us or the mood within.

Third, be thankful. A thankful heart is a trusting heart. Why should our mood be sombre and our outlook gloomy when we have a Father who loves us unconditionally, knows us perfectly, and lives in us powerfully by His Spirit?

Paul asked a rhetorical question and answered it with a resounding and irrefutable declaration…

Romans 8:35, 37-39 NLT
[35] “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?…
[37] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. [38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Whatever catastrophes are on our horizon or lie in our pathway, we stand immovable and unshakable on God’s reliability and faithfulness. We can afford to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful, no…it is imperative that we are always joyful, prayerful, and thankful in all circumstances because there is no other way to overcome IN the situations that threaten to overwhelm and destroy us.

These attitudes are not automatic and they don’t come easy. We cultivate them by trial and error. We practise by choosing to be joyful in the Lord, prayerful, and thankful to the Lord in all circumstances because He is the buffer between us and everyday life’s ups and downs.

When you build these stones into your foundation, you will always be…

1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
[58] “… strong and immovable… working enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”