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"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3).
The
summer after I finished high school I worked at a large pre-stressed
concrete plant in Kansas. They made huge prefabricated concrete
components for bridges and parking lots. For a couple of weeks I had
the most brutal physical job of my entire life; working a jackhammer.
Most of you know what a jackhammer is but I wonder how many of you have ever run one as a job? Even a ten minute stint should give you an idea of how hard the work is! I am thankful that after a couple of weeks I was assigned to the quality control team and comparatively speaking I stopped working!
I
suppose if many of us were to think of a single notable dam in America
it would be the Hoover Dam in Nevada. I enjoyed watching a television program
that described how it was built and the various engineering challenges
that were overcome in its construction. I am sure if I went to the base
of the dam with a jackhammer and began chipping away I would quickly be
arrested. Due to the massive size of the dam my individual chipping
would have little effect, but persistently chipping away at the
foundation of that great dam over time it would eventually have an
impact leading to critical stress failure.
I look at the state of America (and this message certainly applies to the godly remnant living in other countries as well). The foundations are rapidly being destroyed. Each day it seems that a chunk falls from the base of our early father's foundation. I consider the loud distinct sound of a jackhammer as I observe current events.
"The foundations are being destroyed…" The incessant chipping away at the foundation of our Judeo Christian heritage should be obvious to all who have any degree of spiritual and moral discernment. Merely consider the lies, violence, and perversions that abound. Yet it seems that for many people all that matters is the economy and their own personal godless pleasures. The observations of the historian Edward Gibbons comes to mind, whose summary of conditions at the fall of the Roman Empire seem so similar to conditions today.
Here in America a vile but growing minority is diligently seeking to abolish any evidence of Christian faith from the public square. A group called "Freedom From Religion Foundation" is seeking to ban chaplains (actually the group would better be named "Freedom from Christianity.") These and many other groups are relentless in their attempts to destroy the foundations.
"What can the righteous do?" That is the throbbing question for believers of every generation. Most of you reading this daily message have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and live under His authority. We are part of the righteous remnant that God has sustained through all ages. This remnant can be seen early in Genesis, when shortly after the Fall, "men began to call on the Name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26) and all through the Bible, through church history and right up to the present.
What a great joy to be among those standing up for God in our own day! What can we do as we see the foundations being destroyed? If our primary stock and focus are in the foundation of this temporal life we will surely despair. Paul's words come to mind, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Corinthians 15:19).
But, if like Abraham, "we are looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10) we will stand firm as the godly have done through all the ages.
Psalm 11 gives at least three contemplative answers to the question, "What can the righteous do?"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, help us to be ever watchful and always prayerful as we see the foundations of our Christian faith attacked. Through the power of Your Spirit we want to take a firm position against the enemy and be strong in our faith. We stand with our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world who are going through the same kind of struggles, or worse, and especially pray for those who are paying a great price for their uncompromising stand. You assure us that after we suffer for a little while, You will restore, support, strengthen and sustain us as we remain firm on Your foundation. Amen.
Note: Tomorrow's message will be a follow-up to this one, again using the analogy of the jackhammer.
Many of the great hymns have more verses than we are accustomed to singing in the typical hymnbook where four, or at most, five verses are typically provided. I found a fuller version of "How Firm a Foundation" and listed a few less familiar verses for you to contemplate:
"How Firm A Foundation" Video Piano instrumental
More Doris High squirrel feeder photos.
Wednesday,
April 29, 2009
Squirrel enjoying lunch
(Photo by Doris High)
Squirrel enjoying lunch
(Photo by Doris High)
"When The Foundations Are Being
Destroyed"
"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3).
The
summer after I finished high school I worked at a large pre-stressed
concrete plant in Kansas. They made huge prefabricated concrete
components for bridges and parking lots. For a couple of weeks I had
the most brutal physical job of my entire life; working a jackhammer.Most of you know what a jackhammer is but I wonder how many of you have ever run one as a job? Even a ten minute stint should give you an idea of how hard the work is! I am thankful that after a couple of weeks I was assigned to the quality control team and comparatively speaking I stopped working!
I
suppose if many of us were to think of a single notable dam in America
it would be the Hoover Dam in Nevada. I enjoyed watching a television program
that described how it was built and the various engineering challenges
that were overcome in its construction. I am sure if I went to the base
of the dam with a jackhammer and began chipping away I would quickly be
arrested. Due to the massive size of the dam my individual chipping
would have little effect, but persistently chipping away at the
foundation of that great dam over time it would eventually have an
impact leading to critical stress failure.I look at the state of America (and this message certainly applies to the godly remnant living in other countries as well). The foundations are rapidly being destroyed. Each day it seems that a chunk falls from the base of our early father's foundation. I consider the loud distinct sound of a jackhammer as I observe current events.
"The foundations are being destroyed…" The incessant chipping away at the foundation of our Judeo Christian heritage should be obvious to all who have any degree of spiritual and moral discernment. Merely consider the lies, violence, and perversions that abound. Yet it seems that for many people all that matters is the economy and their own personal godless pleasures. The observations of the historian Edward Gibbons comes to mind, whose summary of conditions at the fall of the Roman Empire seem so similar to conditions today.
Here in America a vile but growing minority is diligently seeking to abolish any evidence of Christian faith from the public square. A group called "Freedom From Religion Foundation" is seeking to ban chaplains (actually the group would better be named "Freedom from Christianity.") These and many other groups are relentless in their attempts to destroy the foundations.
"What can the righteous do?" That is the throbbing question for believers of every generation. Most of you reading this daily message have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and live under His authority. We are part of the righteous remnant that God has sustained through all ages. This remnant can be seen early in Genesis, when shortly after the Fall, "men began to call on the Name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26) and all through the Bible, through church history and right up to the present.
What a great joy to be among those standing up for God in our own day! What can we do as we see the foundations being destroyed? If our primary stock and focus are in the foundation of this temporal life we will surely despair. Paul's words come to mind, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Corinthians 15:19).
But, if like Abraham, "we are looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10) we will stand firm as the godly have done through all the ages.
Psalm 11 gives at least three contemplative answers to the question, "What can the righteous do?"
- We must recognize that the Lord alone is our Refuge (Psalm 11:1).
- We must realize that God is in His holy temple observing the sons of men (Psalm 11:4).
- We must recall the glorious truth of His character "for the LORD is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face" (Psalm 11:7).
- Finally, we must remember that no person, law, legislation, or imposed ideology can remove what God has revealed to our hearts and concealed within our spirits.
How
firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, help us to be ever watchful and always prayerful as we see the foundations of our Christian faith attacked. Through the power of Your Spirit we want to take a firm position against the enemy and be strong in our faith. We stand with our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world who are going through the same kind of struggles, or worse, and especially pray for those who are paying a great price for their uncompromising stand. You assure us that after we suffer for a little while, You will restore, support, strengthen and sustain us as we remain firm on Your foundation. Amen.
Note: Tomorrow's message will be a follow-up to this one, again using the analogy of the jackhammer.
Many of the great hymns have more verses than we are accustomed to singing in the typical hymnbook where four, or at most, five verses are typically provided. I found a fuller version of "How Firm a Foundation" and listed a few less familiar verses for you to contemplate:
1.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
2. In every condition, -- in sickness, in health,
In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, --
The Lord, the Almighty, thy strength e'er shall be.
3. "Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
4. "When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
5. "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
6. "E'en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary (snowy) hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
7. "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never, forsake!"
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
2. In every condition, -- in sickness, in health,
In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, --
The Lord, the Almighty, thy strength e'er shall be.
3. "Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
4. "When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
5. "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
6. "E'en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary (snowy) hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
7. "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never, forsake!"
Today's
Suggested Music
and
Supplemental Resources
Click
on the link to open and play.
In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.
In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.
"How Firm A Foundation" Video Piano instrumental
More Doris High squirrel feeder photos.
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne.
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Scripture
references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version.
© 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation,
New King James
Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the
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James Version.
Personal
Mission Statement:
"I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ
I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord.
My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and
to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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