"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock." Luke 6:47-48
The foundation takes work and effort to lay correctly. So it is with a spiritual foundation. It doesn't just "happen" - we must come to Christ, hear His sayings, and do them.
Thanks for sharing, Amanda! Our family was just talking about Christ as our foundation the other night. :)
ReplyDelete"But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord."
~ 2 Kings 22:18-19
The tenderness of Josiah's heart moved God to show Judah mercy as long as Josiah lived. God's word defines for us the works of a tender heart in this passage and in the following chapter where Josiah's actions against his father's idols are given in great detail. This young king's zealousness for his God was manifested in his great sensitivity to the Lord and great hatred of sin. Do our own hearts hold such a godly tenderness that it drives us to cast down all of Satan's "high places" and defile every alter where men bow before another god?
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
~ 2 Corinthians 10:5
~ Kenzi
"These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him." John 12:16
ReplyDeleteThis verse reminds me of the quote "Hindsight is 20/20". :-) And yet it's true. So many times, we don't understand what's going on in our lives, and want to question God about it, but we need to remind ourselves of Proverbs 3:5 and Romans 8:28. Eventually, all will become clear, and the Lord's purpose will be revealed.
@ Kenzi,
ReplyDeleteAmen! Josiah is one of the kings that continually inspires me! I had never quite thought of it how you brought it out, though. Thanks for sharing!
~Amanda
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Colossians 4:6
@ Janell,
ReplyDeleteI have seen that true SO many times! Like "Bow the Knee" points out, "When you don't understand, the way God moves His hand / in the presence of the King / Bow the knee." :)
~Amanda
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," Ephesians 4:1