Helaman 5: 12 -
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Having been through the mighty storm, this scripture takes on a new meaning. We can each of us relate to this symbolism - we have all felt the strength of the storm beating on us, our homes, our lives, our minds. We have all felt the incredible and very real power of the adversary. And perhaps the most scary of all is the soft tendrils of destruction that insinuate themselves into our lives, weakening our defenses, our self-esteem, our feelings of worthiness and longing for home, and our ability to think clearly. These things do not happen all at once. Just like the mountain is not destroyed at once, but slowly wears down over millenia, so too will we fail if we are built on any of these false and fallible foundations.
I am convinced that our lives need not be measured by what we have experienced, but in how we react to it. People can torture others, inflicting all kinds of horrible wounds. Indeed, persecutions may rage, calumny may defame, and the very jaws of hell may open the mouth wide after us. But ultimately, the things that happen to me are NOT me. I am me, I am the master of my destiny. I am the decider on where to build my foundation.
All things are false and unsteady. Men are quick to do iniquity, arrogant, unforgiving, cold, heartless. I think that's why the Lord says cursed are they who put their trust in the arm of the flesh. On the other hand, think of the great blessings that are attendant with reliance on the Lord. Isaiah says that though our sins be like scarlet (which is an allusion to sexual sin, of course), they will be white as snow; though they be red like crimson (which is an allusion to arrogance, power, injustice, and inequity), they will be as wool. Oh, how I long for that!
How? How do we achieve this? Isaiah provides the answer (chapter 1):
16 ¶ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
(Now maybe you'll understand why I feel so fiscally liberal...) ;-)
Again, it goes back to my own internal barometer and foundation. If I feel the security that comes through the firm foundation on which I must build, then nothing can shake me. Nothing. NOTHING. Not men or demons or death or hell. Christ is my master, my friend, my hope, and my salvation. If I abandon my selfish desires to Him I will find my REAL desires fulfilled.
And my real desire is to be with you for eternity in the grand Celestial Kingdom of our Father. Please, let's let go of those things that would remove us from this goal. Let's rely on Him more, let's be more humble, more grateful, less bitter, less complaining, more accepting, more childlike. Let's not forget who we really are and what we really, really want.
John 14: 27
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Having been through the mighty storm, this scripture takes on a new meaning. We can each of us relate to this symbolism - we have all felt the strength of the storm beating on us, our homes, our lives, our minds. We have all felt the incredible and very real power of the adversary. And perhaps the most scary of all is the soft tendrils of destruction that insinuate themselves into our lives, weakening our defenses, our self-esteem, our feelings of worthiness and longing for home, and our ability to think clearly. These things do not happen all at once. Just like the mountain is not destroyed at once, but slowly wears down over millenia, so too will we fail if we are built on any of these false and fallible foundations.
I am convinced that our lives need not be measured by what we have experienced, but in how we react to it. People can torture others, inflicting all kinds of horrible wounds. Indeed, persecutions may rage, calumny may defame, and the very jaws of hell may open the mouth wide after us. But ultimately, the things that happen to me are NOT me. I am me, I am the master of my destiny. I am the decider on where to build my foundation.
All things are false and unsteady. Men are quick to do iniquity, arrogant, unforgiving, cold, heartless. I think that's why the Lord says cursed are they who put their trust in the arm of the flesh. On the other hand, think of the great blessings that are attendant with reliance on the Lord. Isaiah says that though our sins be like scarlet (which is an allusion to sexual sin, of course), they will be white as snow; though they be red like crimson (which is an allusion to arrogance, power, injustice, and inequity), they will be as wool. Oh, how I long for that!
How? How do we achieve this? Isaiah provides the answer (chapter 1):
16 ¶ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
(Now maybe you'll understand why I feel so fiscally liberal...) ;-)
Again, it goes back to my own internal barometer and foundation. If I feel the security that comes through the firm foundation on which I must build, then nothing can shake me. Nothing. NOTHING. Not men or demons or death or hell. Christ is my master, my friend, my hope, and my salvation. If I abandon my selfish desires to Him I will find my REAL desires fulfilled.
And my real desire is to be with you for eternity in the grand Celestial Kingdom of our Father. Please, let's let go of those things that would remove us from this goal. Let's rely on Him more, let's be more humble, more grateful, less bitter, less complaining, more accepting, more childlike. Let's not forget who we really are and what we really, really want.
John 14: 27
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Comments
To think we could actually attain any of this on our own is just plain arrogant and foolish. It is to lean on the arm of flesh and to discount the role of Jesus Christ in our lives.