Crumbling Foundations

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). Good question, or are you saying, “what does that mean?” Well, I am of the opinion that our country has lost its moral compass, and that process has been going on for a long time. If I grabbed a date, I would say the last 40 years have marked a consistent moral decline in our culture and government.

Perhaps the last year has been the most blatant. Headlines reveal the Supreme Court approving same-sex marriage. This may not seem like a big deal, shouldn’t we all have equal rights? That is not exactly what they said. In approving gay marriage, the court was taking a religious stand, not civil. Marriage is a God-ordained union between a man and a woman. The Bible says this 43 times. It is not between any two people as one denomination has now said through it’s General Assembly. This is changing God’s Word, which is no small thing. If one word can be changed then all can be received or not depending on how you feel about it.  You may say, well why are there so many different translations or version of the Bible then? These are attempts by godly scholars to make Scripture more understandable for the most part. I will say that Jesus Christ said there “is ONE body” in Ephesians 4:4. I believe that He meant that we are all one in Him as believers. He knows that over a billion people cannot meet in the same place at the same time. Churches have popped up everywhere. That’s just fine; however, I don’t believe that the Lord is pleased with different interpretations of His original intent for His Word. There are certain inalterable essentials of Christian faith. Man has taken great liberty in this. Some would say that it spreads the word further. I see that and I see Sunday also being the most segregated day of the week with black and white churches, Catholic and Pentecostal, Lutheran and Presbyterian meeting. Many of these churches are worshipping the same God with the same Bible. Some are taking liberties to add their own traditions and even interpretations. Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom to change His intent.

OK, back to loving one another as He has loved us. Yes that is the main commandment after we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength as Deuteronomy 6:5 states. Love does not mean that anything goes. We, the people “of the Book” should be standing guard of God’s Word and desire for our lives. Mark 13:33 says “Be on guard.” Throughout the New Testament we are told to be alert and to “keep watch!”  The days are short in this the “end times.” We are waiting and watching for the return of the Lord for His people and for judgment.

I have recently published a two-volume book, This is The Way; Walk in It. It is a series of essays on how to walk in God’s way in this late season. It is about God’s wisdom and admonitions in a teetering world. I am accumulating more essays now that I keep in a special file called, Keep Walking. These pieces are for believers and non-believers to find encouragement to keep on going. We are in the end times and now is the time to seek the Lord. Psalm 11:1 says, "In the Lord I take refuge.”  This is how that might look:

·      Read and meditate on God’s Word

·      Give thanks in all things

·      Rejoice always

·      Pray continuously

·      Encourage one another in the Lord

·      Share God’s goodness and truth

·      Trust and obey

·      Submit to God

·      Stay under the trial until God releases you

·      Stand firm, watch, Be alert

·      Wait patiently for the Lord

·      Keep walking

·      Be on guard

·      Be fully persuaded in you mind

·      Love one another

These are a few life principles as we seek the face of God in Christ Jesus. In Matthew 7, when talking about building our house on a firm foundation, He said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). Are you building your house on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ?