OUR FIRM FOUNDATION

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

2 Timothy 2:19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever felt unsettled and unbalanced in your life?

Maybe you’re feeling it as you read this and if not, you can probably relate to a time when you did go through a time of uncertainty and insecurity. It’s not a place anyone likes to be as it throws off our sense of steadiness.

As a man who has fathered two daughters well into adulthood and now has grandchildren in their early to late teens, I have learned that children function best when they have stability. If you’re a parent yourself, I might hear a hearty “Amen!” shouted out about that because it’s true. Kids crave routine and thrive when one exists. Disrupt that routine and you will usually find angst emerge from a child.

Now, here’s something else I have learned, both personally and by observing others, after living a while here on earth.

Adults are just larger versions of children when it comes to stability and routine.

Am I right?

Over the past couple months, I have been on two trips, one to visit my oldest sister and her husband in England and the other to visit my mother, daughters, grandkids, sister, and uncle in western Pennsylvania. In both instances, it was fun getting away to share time with those I love but it was a disruption in my normal routine. Anyone who travels knows what I am talking about.

You’re on the road from place to place. You’re living out of a suitcase in a hotel, eating out, and sleeping in a bed that is not your own. You have a schedule that ever seems to shift and change as plans that were set become altered.

No wonder, someone said a long time ago, “There’s no place like home.” For it’s there that we return to our comfort zone, our place of stability. Home becomes our earthly foundation point where we feel at peace and at ease.

Why all this discussion about stability and life?

Because it leads us into the scripture verse for today, one that reminds us of the greatest foundation we have in life if we simply commit ourselves to always stand upon it. Look again at these words here:

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19  

The Ephesian church was in a state of flux and so we find the Apostle Paul writing two letters to its pastor, his good friend and Gospel ministry partner, Timothy. This flux involved the work of some who had fallen away from the faith to spread false teaching within the congregation, godless chatter that Paul exhorted Timothy to avoid and expel from the church (2 Timothy 2:16-18). This “meaningless talk” which promoted “controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work” (1 Timothy 1:3-4, 6) endangered the very stability of the Christian church and its believers.

And so in today’s verse, we find Paul reminding Timothy and the Ephesians, as well as us living this thing called life today, that there is a solid foundation we have to always stand upon, a firm foundation that cannot be moved by life’s trials and tribulations. All we need to do is stand upon the Rock, our God who is ever with us and for us, a God who possesses the power to thwart anything that would seek to oppose our stability found in Him.

Indeed, God knows His people, those who are His, and He will fight for His children when troubles come. As the psalmist writes, He is our refuge and strength, a very present help who leads us out of unsettling fear and onto His firm foundation where we can stand strong in Him (Psalm 46:1-3).

He also is our solid foundation when it comes to living in righteousness. There is no wickedness found in His presence so when we stand firm with our God, we can stand firm against the sin that would seek to disrupt our stability in life and lead us to destruction.

Do you feel like your life is off balance today?

I encourage you to receive this word of God today and turn to Him in faith, stepping back onto His firm foundation. For there’s no more secure place we can be than standing with Him.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.