Tag: foundations

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Chapter 5: Beyond Me … and You

Even when I feel insignificant, or am tempted to feel that way; when I feel powerless, I am comforted because I am part of something much greater than myself. I can with confidence know I have meaning, there is meaning to my life, my existence on this earth. From that flows joy. I am free to delight in God’s good world, even when things are not altogether right in that world.

The roots of my life, the foundation of my life, are set deeply in the Word of God and the God of the Word. Going back to my roots gives me perspective in the midst of pain and struggle and the fear of the unknown, for the unknown is only unknown to me, not to God. I can rest in his goodness even when I cannot see my way ahead. And I know, based on his eternal Word, that he is working everything together for my good and his glory. His purposes are being worked out through my life even in the midst of all this mess. I do not have to know how that can possibly be. I need only know it is so because of the character of God; he can be trusted. My faith is in him, not in my ability to have all the answers myself.

The war has been won; we must press on faithfully, however, through the remaining skirmishes. Being part of this Something Bigger than ourselves should give us not only perspective and a new focus, but motivation to move ahead in confidence in the God who is the final Victor. I know I want to be on the right side at the culmination of it all.

The above is a snippet from Chapter 5. Though I will not be going into these portions in my blog, in this chapter of Brokenness to Beauty I will discuss topics dealing with the significance of our lives, meaning in life and take us to the book of Job, the quintessential treatise on man’s relationship to God. These are rich fields to be mined. I hope you will investigate them with me as I share these insights in the published book form of chapter 5 of Brokenness to Beauty.

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Chapter 2: Importance of the Bible–Foundations

I remember when I was a child my dad and my uncles sometimes got together and built a shed or garage, or poured concrete for foundation footers or a driveway. To me this was fascinating work. All the tools of the men’s world came out and man tasks commenced: measuring to fine detail, hammering, sawing, drilling; loud man talk and sweat and hard labor, these men working together. The result would be a fine finished product. There’d be smiles and jokes and backslaps, knowing they’d done a good job.

Watching my dad and uncles and overhearing their talk, I learned a building needs a foundation to be strong and last a long time. I heard about foundations being laid so a structure could be built securely on top of it.

Learning about foundations for buildings helped me grasp the truth of having a good foundation for my life. This is a different kind of foundation but extremely important. I understood better what was meant when Jesus talked about a house built on a rock, its foundation:

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them,

may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew

and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall,

for it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

Hearing and putting into practice the words of Jesus guarantees a good foundation and a strong life. Notice it is not just the hearing the Word but the doing of what is heard that makes a strong life.

I had the great benefit of learning about God when I was a child growing up, being taught the scriptures and observing the lives of those around me. From the Bible I learned that Jesus died on the cross bearing on Himself the sin of all of us, rose from the tomb and ascended to God the Father’s right hand for the forgiveness of our sins. Then He sent His Spirit to live in those who trust in Him, giving us the ability to live a new life in His power. Having put my faith in Him as a child, even when I was alone in my hospital room as a young teenager I never felt alone because I knew He was with me.

Foundations were laid in my life, strong foundations rooted in the Bible, upon which I have been building my life, seeking to put Jesus’s words into practice, and though I haven’t done it perfectly I am still pursuing that way of life as a learner of Jesus.  And to this point, my life has stood the tests of many storms … proving God’s Word is true.