Established
in Security
Over the
last few years I have claimed a verse of scripture for the year, to inspire and
motivate me in my personal life. These
nuggets of scripture have come from my personal study of the scripture and
through mediation and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. I do not and have not taken these verses
lightly, most often sharing them with the church family at Rockford, in hopes
of God using these verses in our lives, independently and corporately.
My verse for this year comes
from the last phrase of verse 2 of Psalm 40: “[He] set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.” (HCSB) As this
verse flooded my soul during the last days of 2012, God spoke in an amazing way
to my life, challenging me to make sure the foundation of my life was correct
and would hold through the storms of life yet to come.
We all agree that the
foundation of a house or building is the most important part. The rooms may be the right size, the common
areas may be immaculate, and the design is breathe taking; but if the
foundation is not appropriate, the structure of the house is in danger. A crack or flaw in the foundation, at any
point, endangers the house or building and the occupants who reside within.
In ancient days, the craftsman
would search through the quarry for a stone which would be laid as the
cornerstone. In our time, this is
nothing more than a nice plague made of bronze with a few names of important
people who made the building possible or the date and name of the
building. We refer to this as the
cornerstone. Not so in the ancient days…
Once the craftsman found the
right stone, he would chisel and prefect that stone, making sure that the
angles were right, correct and smooth.
When he was satisfied, he set the stone as the cornerstone, the stone
from which all others would be like and ordered. From this cornerstone he and his workers
would set the remaining stones for the foundation, measuring from this first
stone every time they placed a new stone in the trench or on the ground.
When I look at the America in
which we live today, I am fearful that we have veered from the path for which
we were intended. We have allowed more
than enough stones to be laid in the foundation which are causing more problems
in the house called America than some care to admit. For the sake of this article I will not
attempt to name all of these problem stones, but I will remind you of a few.
America was established on the
Judeo-Christian beliefs which our forefathers brought to this new world, one
which would be “One Nation Under God.”
The Bible and prayer were more cherished than anything else; a covenant
relationship with God and with each other was of primary importance in the life
of the Pilgrims; the first course of action was the establishment of a church
house when a community was settled and God was feared. This is not so in the America in which we
live today. Too often we are challenged
with the belief that God is not the only God, that Christianity is a fairy tale
and that people are not responsible for each other. How important it is that we set our feet on
the solid ground and make our steps secure.
America today is vastly
different from the America that was intended in years past. While the founding fathers looked after the
interest of others, many of those who run our government and oversee the vast
nation we cherish, are more interested in themselves than others. It is a generation of “me, mine and myself;”
too many have a problematic sickness called “’I’ Disease.” Self-centeredness has taken the forefront
causing the foundation to be unsure, for God is not the cornerstone on which
the foundation is being established.
In America the word for sin is
being replaced by many other phrases and humanistic thought, so that there is
no feeling of guilt or shame. What was
once a curse and scourge on society is now an acceptable way of life. It is common, accepted and applauded. It is no longer hidden or whispered about; it
is shouted in the streets and paraded around for all to see. Oh friend, this is a terrible assault on the
foundations of our faith.
Our country today looks more
like the countries which we have fought and sought freedom for than some care
to admit. While we have stood as the
country for which to model life and liberty; we now are laughed at and
scorned. Many have in past years even
said we are no longer a Christian Nation; but they are wrong. We are a nation which was established on
Christian principles and there is a remnant of people who still hold to those
principles, but the foundation is under attack and some are looking for its
collapse. We, who are called by His name
must not let that happen!
For these reasons that we see America
floundering, we who proclaim ourselves as believers must step up to the
plate. We must exercise our faith,
practice our freedom, pray and praise the name of the Lord! We must allow our feet to be firmly planted
on the rock, and that Rock is Jesus Christ!
All other ground is sinking sand!
Through this life verse for
this year, I am calling the church and Christians to re-establish themselves in
the foundation of faith. In uncertain
and troubled times the hope for success and relief is found in the Word of God,
in fellowship with other believers, and in the concerted prayer of the saints.
Let us all join together in
Coosa County and make this year a year of change for the glory of God.
Until next time…
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