One of my favorite hymns is "How Firm A Foundation", and when I saw the following remarks concerning "foundations" in the Introduction of Norm Wakefield's book Anchored in Christ: The Solid Rock in the Storms of Life, I "underlined" quite a few sentences -- these are good thoughts! I'm not sure how long I will have to post right now, but I will at least get it started . . . (maybe add to this later). However, to see where Wakefield's remarks in this Introduction are leading, I will tell you here that this book is divided into three parts -- Part I Abused Scriptures, Part 2 God Revealed in the Scriptures, and Part 3 Applying Doctrine to Life.
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"Foundations are important! We know how vital foundations are in childhood, in business, in a culture, or in a building, but do we understand the importance of a true and strong spiritual foundation? Everyone recognizes the importance of the formative years in childrearing. If the child is trained well in the early years of life, he will enjoy the blessings of such training through his entire life. On the other hand, if bad habits were established while he was young, decades may pass before he overcomes those character flaws. In the meantime, his life will be filled with frustration and trials. The early training of children, or the lack thereof, will ripple in a significant manner throughout their lives. "
" . . . If the foundational unit of society--marriage and family--is not secure, righteous, and protected, then forthcoming generations will suffer tremendous grief and pain."
"But the best picture of the importance of foundations is illustrated by the field of building construction. The foundation is the most important aspect of a structure. If you've done remodeling work on a house that was not square or level, you know the builder must work with the state of the foundation, from the floor to the roof. If it is skewed, the things built on top if it will not fit quite right. . . . "
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(After speaking about the concern for foundations in earthquakes . . . )
"For many, the violent jolts of an earthquake are analogous to what they experience spiritually on a daily basis. And the aftershocks continue to rock their structures. Some have found their faith able to withstand the shaking, but others are buried beneath the rubble of a defective faith, crying for help."
*~*~*
"There may be others who don't feel at all shaken or in danger of a spiritual, structural collapse of faith; yet their foundations are weak and vulnerable, much like a building that survives the small tremblors, but hasn't been tested by the "big one." If inspected carefully, these structures find that their foundations do not satisfy God's building codes."
*~*~*
"The old hymn, The Church's One Foundation, states a great truth. We must be anchored in Jesus and His Word. . . . "
"Can you imagine the owners of buildings that have toppled in an earthquake reconstructing new structures on the same foundations? Wisdom requires a complete destruction of the old foundation and the establishment of a new, firmer foundation. Those new buildings need to be anchored more deeply and securely."
*~*~*
"We must put our foundation to the test: what is the basis for our faith? . . . We are supposed to live in the love, peace, joy and power of Jesus Christ. When we don't, it is right to ask, "Why?" . . . "
*~*~*
"Through this book we will reexamine and reconsider foundational scriptures--scriptures introduced during childhood or one's first exposure to the gospel presentation. Sadly, many of the verses used in modern evangelism have been extracted from their context and used to accomplish an end for which the verses were not written. They have been abused and misused."
*~*~*
" . . . Wrong use and interpretation of scripture cannot anchor your soul in Jesus. . . . "
" . . . If our ideas about God are askew, we'll find ourselves in error regarding man and sin. . . "
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*~*~*
"Foundations are important! We know how vital foundations are in childhood, in business, in a culture, or in a building, but do we understand the importance of a true and strong spiritual foundation? Everyone recognizes the importance of the formative years in childrearing. If the child is trained well in the early years of life, he will enjoy the blessings of such training through his entire life. On the other hand, if bad habits were established while he was young, decades may pass before he overcomes those character flaws. In the meantime, his life will be filled with frustration and trials. The early training of children, or the lack thereof, will ripple in a significant manner throughout their lives. "
" . . . If the foundational unit of society--marriage and family--is not secure, righteous, and protected, then forthcoming generations will suffer tremendous grief and pain."
"But the best picture of the importance of foundations is illustrated by the field of building construction. The foundation is the most important aspect of a structure. If you've done remodeling work on a house that was not square or level, you know the builder must work with the state of the foundation, from the floor to the roof. If it is skewed, the things built on top if it will not fit quite right. . . . "
*~*~*
(After speaking about the concern for foundations in earthquakes . . . )
"For many, the violent jolts of an earthquake are analogous to what they experience spiritually on a daily basis. And the aftershocks continue to rock their structures. Some have found their faith able to withstand the shaking, but others are buried beneath the rubble of a defective faith, crying for help."
*~*~*
"There may be others who don't feel at all shaken or in danger of a spiritual, structural collapse of faith; yet their foundations are weak and vulnerable, much like a building that survives the small tremblors, but hasn't been tested by the "big one." If inspected carefully, these structures find that their foundations do not satisfy God's building codes."
*~*~*
"The old hymn, The Church's One Foundation, states a great truth. We must be anchored in Jesus and His Word. . . . "
"Can you imagine the owners of buildings that have toppled in an earthquake reconstructing new structures on the same foundations? Wisdom requires a complete destruction of the old foundation and the establishment of a new, firmer foundation. Those new buildings need to be anchored more deeply and securely."
*~*~*
"We must put our foundation to the test: what is the basis for our faith? . . . We are supposed to live in the love, peace, joy and power of Jesus Christ. When we don't, it is right to ask, "Why?" . . . "
*~*~*
"Through this book we will reexamine and reconsider foundational scriptures--scriptures introduced during childhood or one's first exposure to the gospel presentation. Sadly, many of the verses used in modern evangelism have been extracted from their context and used to accomplish an end for which the verses were not written. They have been abused and misused."
*~*~*
" . . . Wrong use and interpretation of scripture cannot anchor your soul in Jesus. . . . "
" . . . If our ideas about God are askew, we'll find ourselves in error regarding man and sin. . . "
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