Foundations

[GhostHawk]

Mathew 7:24

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

I have been thinking about the foundations of my faith. Why do I believe what I believe? Why do I prefer to use the words I use and not others. I have come to believe that it comes down to three foundation stones at the very base of my faith.

Warning, I was raised Methodist so I have used Methodist versions, you may prefer others.

THE APOSTLES’ CREED,

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

Dead center, this is the core, and the language I prefer. "God the father almighty" Yep, that is the big guy. "Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord" The way to the Father. I use "Lord" a lot, I am comfortable with it.


Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

To me this wraps up all of my Lords promises to me.

Thou art with me always, thy rod and staff protect and guide me. And give me a whack on the head when I need it. When you can completely trust the Lord, give yourself to him without reservations. Death is no longer to be feared. It has lost its sting. Wrapped in the full armor of God, I fear nothing. I am at peace.



Last the Lord's prayer. I know many say it by rote, not thinking of what it means or stands for. Try saying it and thinking about it.

Our father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.

When uncertain, in fear, troubled of mind or in danger remember this simple prayer.
Reach out to your Lord and he can reach out to you.


I think that in this country at this time there are many who call themselves Christian.
I do not see many who truly believe it and live it. Those who do are not hard to spot.
They are a light shining in the darkness.

The only reason I have written this is that it might help someone else.
Someone who has not yet been able to fully commit. Who gives more than lip service to the Lord. Well that and the Holy Spirit keeps nudging me, come on, spread the good word. Don't be afraid. Share the good news. Yeah yeah I know but but but.

Yeah BUT, what if they don't like me. What if they shut me out? What if they turn on me and persecute me? Chicken, yep. Sigh. Well maybe not so much as I was.

If you are troubled? There is help and peace to be found. Peace like a river running through my soul. Do you know what that feels like? It feels pretty good.

Forgive yourself, forgive those who have hurt you, and you can be forgiven your sins.
Once washed in the blood of the Lamb life looks different.

Be Ready! He could return at any hour, any day. There will be no time to prepare. You must be ready to meet your Lord all the time.

Be prepared! There is a huge discussion about rapture and when it happens. Pre trib, mid trib, post trib but pre wrath.

Way I see it God helps those best who help themselves first. Those who are ready for anything that may come. And who are willing to share. Yes, we have to share.

[Blackwater]

Ghost, it seems many of us here are older guys, and many have had experiences now that make us want and need to reflect, and see if there's any "holes" in us that need to be filled or sewn shut, and whether we have the right attitude toward it all, including our own selves. Like you, many of us have reflected, and refined our beliefs and convictions, and this always results in their being solidified and "dug in deeper" within us. It's a natural result of the aging process, at least for those who really HAVE beliefs. I also wonder about those who don't believe - the agnostics and atheists - and what they, if anything, do while we're reconsidering, reviewing and refining our beliefs. Agnosticism and atheism leave them nothing but air to grasp at, and it seems most I've seen and known just don't reflect and refine and reconsider. Their minds, at least from the ones I've seen, seem so closed that they can't or won't even consider whether they're correct or not. They just avoid the issue totally. But I've also noticed that they don't seem quite as "bragadocious" about their atheism or agnosticism when they get older. I guess that's water seeking its level? The natural and inevitable result of disbelief?

But for us believers, it's a time that's precious, or at least it is to me. We have more time, for one thing, to think about the serious things in life that really matter most, and what could matter more to an aging man, who knows his time is getting ever shorter with each day, than to think about the hereafter, and our status with respect to it? And when we see things in our past that make us sad, they're compensated and overridden, if we've done our best, by all the blessings we've known in our times.

What a grand and glorious and wonderful time it is in life, to be old, and satisfied. Maybe not completely, for we've all fallen short at times and in various ways, but satisfied that in the end, we overcame all those shortcomings, and have come to know the Lord more intimately than ever, and love and appreciate Him like we always should have. Truly, this is one of life's richest blessings. And if we can look at our offspring with pride and respect and appreciation, what could be more promising than that - to be able to know that we're leaving behind something of ourselves that can try to do even better than we did?

Truly, the Creator made this world so MUCH more wonder-filled and awesome than ANY of us, or all of us together could have EVER designed it to be. I think that's a legitimate clue as to His status and His love for us, and his mercy and grace. It's a bit like an adventurer who, after years of perilous adventure, interspersed by times of wonder, like awesome sunrises and sunsets, and vistas of immaculate grandeur in the world, finally comes in at the train station, and looks back, and thinks to himself, "Wow! What a long, interesting and fruitful trip THAT was!" How could one come to appreciate what we've been given more than a man in that position? Truly humbling, and edifying as well. How could we NOT appreciate just reaching this stage of life?