Category Archives: Christian Life

FOUNDATION STONES – 10

Christian Life, ,

SUBMIT TO THE LORD

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
[5] “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Wise Solomon! If only he had heeded his own words!

This stone, together with the fear of the Lord, should form a foundation strong and solid enough to built an entire edifice that can withstand the worst of storms in life. After all, submitting the Lord instead of putting our faith in our own faulty ideas is the way to go. Every other way, outside of submission to God’s ways and wisdom, will inevitably land us in disaster.

Look at this “stone”! What does it contain? Trust (confidence in God i.e., the fear of the Lord), heart (everything that we are), our own understanding (our own foolishness), submit (exchange self-will for God’s will), path (the way that leads to our eternal destiny).

What could be simpler than these few words that form the foundation of a life lived with the right attitude, under the right guide, on the right way, to the right destination. If the Bible had nothing else to say, we would still have enough wisdom to get us to where we want to go.

What the Bible does have to say, which takes up the rest of Scripture, is both the history of humanity’s departure from God’s way, and God’s solution that reveals His true nature, His love that underpins His mercy and grace. He intervened, at His own expense, to rescue us from self-destruction and set us back onto the path of submission, obedience, and eternal life.

The trouble is, for many of us, that we try our own understanding first, fall into the deep hole of consequences with no way out, and then only, dragging with us a load of trouble, we turn to the Lord to rescue us.

When we submit to the Lord, we give up the power struggle between His will and ours, adopt His will as good and perfect, and give Him the right and freedom to choose our way for us. That’s the way to go for a destiny that will take us to the Father. We will spend our entire lives, if we don’t heed these words, learning and unlearning the folly of independence and the wisdom of doing things God’s way!

FOUNDATION STONES – 9

Christian Life,

HONOUR THE LORD

Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV
[9] “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; [10] then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Here is a principle that is equally as fundamental as the ones we have already set into the foundation of our lives.

However, we may not realise how important this is to us as it is to God because we don’t always recognise the power of the one we serve.

You see, what we do with our money is THE basic test of our attitude towards God and to our material possessions. If money drives the world and the love of money is the root of all evil, then we have a serious decision to make regarding our attitude to and our use of our money.

Jesus put His finger on the real, heart issue…not, you will love whom you serve but, you will serve whom you love!

Matthew 6:24 NIV
[24] “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Can you see the subtle difference?

Jesus pointed out that it is impossible to serve two masters who have opposing values. God is a good Father who meets all our needs as we obey and trust Him. Mammon uses money as the tool to drive our motives and actions through greed. God or Mammon, the choice we make depends on the one we love because of whose values are more important to us.

The answer to our decision depends on to whom we give our allegiance. If we love God, money and possessions will be our servants. If we love money, money will be our master and we will be the slaves of money.

When we love God, it will be our delight to honour Him with our wealth because, after all He is the source of our resources.

Thinking that is directed by His Word will lead us to living that is according to His Word. Together with our obedience to His instructions come the benefits and blessing of His promises.

Jesus reiterated the same principle in His instruction to His disciples about living in God’s kingdom.

When we love God and trust Him implicitly because He knows our needs before we ask Him…

Matthew 6:31-33 NLT
[31] “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ [32] These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. [33] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

…we will live carefree in the care of God.

All the burden of having to strive to gain wealth, or wheel and deal at the expense of others, is lifted from us. We can gladly share our bounty with those in need because we shift the responsibility of our care from our shoulders to God’s.

God’s economic system, like many of His ways, is opposite to the world’s system. In the world, we work for gain or profit. We invest for interest at a limited percentage. We lend our money to make it grow.

How different in God’s way of doing things! We sow to reap. We share to multiply. We give to create the current that comes back to us. Let’s examine a few of the ways in which God blesses and multiplies our resources when we are generous.

Psalms 33:18-19 NLT
[18] “But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. [19] He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.”

Psalms 37:21 NLT
[21] “The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.”…

Psalms 37:25-26 NLT
[25] “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. [26] The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.”

The Apostle Paul gives us the clearest picture of how to use our money as a servant.

Giving is an act of love to God.

2 Corinthians 8:8 NLT
[8]”I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.”

God desires equality, not taking from us through taxes but encouraging us to give from our bounty and receive when we have need.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 NLT
[13] “Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. [14] Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. [15] As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”

Giving is planting seed. Your harvest depends on the amount of seed you plant.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT
[6] Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. [7] You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

Planting for a harvest meets your needs and provides for the needs of others.

2 Corinthians 9:8-9 NLT
[8] “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. [9] As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

God is the source of our seed. He has two purposes in mind.

2 Corinthians 9:10 NLT
[10] “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

The way we use our money to help others has spiritual benefits.

2 Corinthians 9:12-14 NLT
[12]”So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. [13] As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. [14] And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.”

So, God’s economic policy, the way of giving and receiving, creates a current that gives everyone an opportunity to share in God’s bounty. This way of doing money frees us from greed. It is a vivid reminder of God’s gift of salvation. He gave us His Son. We share His gift with others and the harvest of precious souls for Jesus grows and grows.

2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT
[15] “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

When we build this stone into the foundation of our lives, we have the assurance that God will always provide for us, no matter what happens in the economy of our country.

FOUNDATION STONES – 8

Christian Life, ,

TRUST IN THE LORD

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
[5] “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Solomon was reported to be the wisest man who ever lived. Wisdom was God’s coronation gift to him at his request. The two books in the Bible attributed to him are packed with wise statements and wise counsel. We would do well to heed what he wrote and build on the foundation stones of wisdom he left for us.

However, there is one attribute of Solomon that overrides all his wisdom which we should never follow…his disregard for his own counsel. Ironic, isn’t it, that Solomon was guilty of transgressing the three prohibitions God gave to the kings of Israel. They were forbidden to amass wives, wealth, and horses. Solomon’s great kingdom was split in two because he failed to heed his own God-given wisdom.

How important, then, that we heed Solomn’s words but do not follow his example!

Another solid rock to build on is the counsel to put God in the centre of all our decisions and actions. Adam fell from fellowship with God and dragged the entire human race with him for transgressing this basic truth. He thought he was choosng independence but he inadvertently fell for Satan’s lie. He didn’t gain independence…he changed allegiance. To his loss, and the loss of humanity, he fell into the clutches of the worst of slave-drivers, God’s arch enemy, the devil.

We are privileged, as redeemed children of God if we have submitted ourselves to Jesus as Lord, to have God’s Spirit in us. Jesus promised that He, the Spirit, will guide and empower us to live under God’s direction, free from the clutches of Satan who wants to drag us down with him into eternal punishment.

However, God leaves that decision to us, whether we will trust Him and do His will or continue to drive ourselves into punishment and loss if we choose self-will over His will.

Our decisions will depend on what’s in our heart and what influences our understanding. We have already laid one foundation stone…to guard our hearts. Now we must also allow truth to guide our understanding.

We must choose the boundaries around our hearts that keep in the good values that guide our lives. We must also protect our minds from allowing into them the bad influences that will lure us away from the values and practices that keep us on track towards our destination.

Trusting the Lord with all our heart is essential to a life under Jesus’s authority. A divided heart will disqualify us from receiving God’s guidance and protection. He will not respond to a heart that flip-flops from trust to doubt, from faith to fear when the going gets tough.

James 1:5-8 NLT
[5] “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. [6] But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. [7] Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

So, we do well to follow John’s counsel…

1 John 2:15-17 NIV
[15]”Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. [16] For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. [17] The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

…and to pray David’s prayer which as relevant to us as it was to him.

Psalms 86:11 NIV
[11]”Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

As we examine the truths upon which we build our lives, our foundation stones, the counsel of God’s Word is beginning to form a solid platform for a godly life! Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom! To fear the Lord, we need an undivided heart. Reliance on God with an undivided heart will open us to God’s guidance and counsel. To reach our destination, we need a straight path. God will make our paths straight when we rely on Him, seek His counsel, and do what He tells us!

God’s Word comes together and makes sense!

FOUNDATION STONES – 7

Christian Life, ,

FOLLOW THE SHEPHERD

Psalms 23:1 NLT
[1] “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”

Now here’s a great stone to help build our foundation.

The Hebrew word, “Chaser”, in
Strong’s concordance, (h2637)
“- Definition: to lack, need, be lacking, decrease.

  • Origin: A primitive root; to lack; by implication, to fail, want, lessen.
  • Usage: be abated, bereave, decrease, (cause to) fail, (have) lack, make lower, want.”

There’s a connotation in this word that is not conveyed in most translations – the idea of being in want, not in a material sense but in who I am.

The Good Shepherd’s role is not only to care and provide for the sheep, but also to help His sheep to be who they really are. They belong to Him. They are His sheep. They are special to Him. He knows them. He watches over them with tender care because He loves them.

Any “sheep” who is treated in this way will be reassured that the Shepherd will never do anything or allow anything that will diminish His sheep in any way. Such loving care must give the sheep the confidence that he is loved and treasured for who he is. It does not matter how the world treats him because he has confidence in the Shepherd’s unfailing love .

How we need this reassurance, this confidence in the unchanging attitude of our Shepherd towards us in a world that is increasingly hostile towards righteousness and truth. In the security of our Shepherd’s love, we can face anything that comes against us without fear. Our Shepherd is beside us with His rod and staff to guide us through the dark valley of hatred and rejection to the table land of His provision, favour, and blessing.

We need to build this stone securely into the foundation of the way we think and act. Its presence under our feet, the reassurance it provides for us, will be a buffer against what people may say or do to diminish us. Like Jesus, we will learn not to retaliate but to entrust ourselves to Him who judges justly.

FOUNDATION STONES – 6

Christian Life, ,

ENJOY GOD’S PEACE

Psalms 119:165 NIV
[165] “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

Peace is another absolute necessity for our foundation, without which life would be intolerable in an uncertain world. How can anyone exist, let alone thrive when everything we hope in is crumbling around us? There is nothing that can provide security for us…money and wealth can be here today and gone tomorrow; people closest to us can be unfaithful and betray us; our government is fickle and failing, working only to secure itself and its power over the people. What do we have left to cling to that will be a safe haven?

Even God’s Word strikes a sombre note.

Isaiah 48:22 NIV
[22] “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

Peace! What is peace?

I found an unusual definition of peace on Pinterest.

“Peace is a furious serenity that refuses to submit to chaos.”

Wow! That says a lot!

The only way to refuse to submit to chaos is to choose to entrust oneself to someone or something that can never fail to keep one safe and secure in the midst of chaos.

Who or what is that “someone” or “something” that can provide indestructible peace?

Let’s unpick this question bit by bit by finding out what the Bible says about peace.

First, who is the source of peace?

Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV
[20] “Now may THE GOD OF PEACE, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, [21] equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

That’s clear, isn’t it? God is the source of peace because peace is who He is!

To confirm…

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV
[23] “May God himself, THE GOD OF PEACE, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”

There is only one source of peace, God Himself. He is the one who is not only peace but can also give His peace to those who believe in Him.

Jesus promised…

John 14:27 NIV
[27]”Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Real peace, then, comes from God through Jesus, who is the only source of true peace.

Second, why and how can we experience God’s peace?

Why? The Bible tells us that we have peace with God because He has settled the sin problem…

Romans 5:1 NIV
[1]”Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

How? We have the peace of God when we give Him all our anxieties…

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
[6] “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Once we have experienced this amazing peace that nothing in the world can give us or take from us, what can we do to maintain this peace? Our arch enemy, the devil, will do everything in His power to disturb our peace by firing his lies at us. Fear, accusation, mistrust are all part of his arsenal.

Our defence is simple.

Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV
[3] “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. [4] Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”

God Himself will maintain His peace in us when we trust in Him, when we refuse to submit to chaos because we are convinced that He is in charge.

Then our verse,

Psalms 119:165 NLT
[165]”Those who LOVE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS have great peace and do not stumble.”

Through the reassurance of God’s Word that puts all our topsy-turvey circumstances into perspective, we keep His peace in us intact. Our minds must be fortified by what the Lord Himself says about us and our circumstances, and we must trust Him and what He says rather than what seems to be.

Then, come what may, we can never be shaken from our firm foundation, the solid rock of peace, the guardrail against falling into the chaos that is happening around us.