Building 101

Here are a few truths to guide us as we build our lives:

1.    “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein – Psalm 24:1-2 

Everything is the Lord’s. We must consult with the Lord before building anything. He owns all the property and building resources. Having our way with His stuff is stealing. 

2.    “So this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” -  Isaiah 28:16

Praise God for providing a sure foundation! There is a secure foundation that can be built upon with confidence. Rejecting this foundation leads to destruction.

3.    “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have, Jesus Christ” – 1 Cor 3:10

There is NO other foundation to build upon. Jesus is the precious cornerstone. All other ground is sinking sand.

4.    “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1

The Lord is building a house on Jesus Christ, the foundation that He has laid. We are unable to build a lasting house, for God or for ourselves, in our own strength.

5.    “He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” – Hebrews 12:26-27

Our God is a consuming fire. Everything we have built will be tested by Him. 

Paul reminds us,

            “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” – 1 Cor 3:10-14

What are we building now that will remain?

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

Are You Awake?

Living life among hubris-laden humanity is a tedious thing. Not at all like the rivers of living water or kingdom-authorized living promised to us by Jesus Himself.

We know that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, yet it appears that pride and its cousin, unbelief, are typically invisible chains felt but not discerned. The longer I wrestle with this and feel its effects on those around me, the more my soul cries out: how long can this go on? Must we continue to endure the half-light of gospel words, shallowly understood and lived with conviction equal to toast soaked in a bowl of warm milk?

Recently, I have heard the heart cry of the Father to our church expressed as "wake up," and I think it signals not the gentle nudge of "wake up my little darling" but the shout of, stir yourself, arm yourself, get fully awake, alert, and oriented to the situation at hand. It is the invitation to join the great battle with principalities and powers afoot at our door and throw off the desire to keep warm and unaware of adventures that await the humble in heart.

I have heard a call to wake up, which I must do. How about you? What have you heard from our beloved, and what is your answer to Him? I'm willing to bet my life that there are mountains to still be taken, promised lands to be owned wholly, adventures in God to be had, kingdoms to be subdued, and great victories to be won. And I would rather have a victor's crown to cast at the feet of Jesus than a well-worn pillow with no stains of intercessory tears on it.

Each of us has the power to become fully alive in Christ. The cry has gone out from His throne room, the invitation given to fix our eyes on Him. If you stir yourself from slumber, go into a private prayer place throughout the day, seek out others who are awakening, and find ways to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Shake off the things that put you into pride or unbelief. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and in due time, He will lift you up.

— George Davis

For further thought:

Asleep in the Light lyrics written by Keith Green

Do you see, do you see all the people sinking down?
Don't you care, don't you care are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb not to care if they come?
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done

Bless me Lord, bless me Lord You know it's all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts no one even sheds one tear
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds and He cares for your needs
And you just lay back and keep soaking it in

Oh, can't you see it's such a sin? 'Cause He brings people to you door
And you turn them away as you smile and say
God bless you, be at peace and all heaven just weeps
'Cause Jesus came to you door you've left Him out in the street

Open up, open up and give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries so how can you delay?
God's calling and you're the one but like Jonah you run
He's told you to speak but you keep holding it in

Can't you see it's such a sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can't fight
'Cause it's asleep in the light
How can you be so dead, when you've been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave and you, you can't even get out of bed
Jesus rose from the dead, come on, get out of your bed

How can you be so numb not to care if they come
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done
Don't close your eyes, don't pretend the job's done

Come away, come away, come away with Me my love
Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love
Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love
Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love

Praise: for Victory, for Intimacy, for Eternity

Psalm 22:3 (ESV) “ yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel”

Sovereigns are enthroned. Sovereigns are not powerless over territory given to their charge. In fact, our Sovereign, the King of Glory has all power over heaven and earth — power to save, deliver, rescue, heal, change, remove, and put in place — and scripture says He is enthroned on the praises of His people! Our praise invites God to be where we are. God is everywhere. God’s omnipresence is one of His attributes that brings us such comfort; it’s true. When we praise God, however, we welcome God to be who God is where we are — to be Rescuer, to be Peace, to be Savior, Deliverer; to be Healer, to be Revealer, to be Restorer and Redeemer, to be King — to call the shots, to manifest His holiness and glory. I am not forgetting to acknowledge that the presence of God can be intimidating, overwhelming, even scary to experience, because God is holy and glorious. The weight of that isn’t bearable for mere mortals like us, and yet we were made for God, made for intimate relationship with God. Crazy tension for us to hold.  

Sometimes the presence of God can also be intimidating because of what is exposed. Unholiness is obvious in the presence of the Holy. Isaiah experienced this. Did Isaiah run or try to escape God’s presence? Nope. His unholy condition could not eclipse God’s glory. In response to being aware of his own uncleanness and the uncleanness of his people, Isaiah confessed it out loud and was offered cleansing (Isaiah 6:1-7). I wonder how many of us (and how often) we tend to ignore the power we wield in praise because within ourselves we are afraid of what may be exposed in God’s presence? Or how many of us have forgotten how to praise because pain and hardship have stolen our focus and energy? 

I pray that the Lord continues to reveal Himself to us, that our concept of Him expands to reflect the truth: our God is greater than the pain that distracts us from Him and more gracious than the shame that keeps us from boldly going before Him. We cannot afford long and frequent periods of life devoid of our actively engaging in praise to God. We forgo His presence. We cannot thrive this way. I think this is why Psalms 22, and so many others like it, bless my soul. David is not happy, yet he remembers and places God in the proper place, on the Throne, even as he endured hardship. Praise is beneficial at all times and prepares us for our ultimate end as believers in and followers of Christ:

“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.” “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭1, 4-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—Anyah E. R. White

A Masterpiece

So you suffer from a medical condition. Maybe your spouse left you. Can’t hold a job because of your temper. Couldn’t finish your education and it feels you’re not intelligent enough. At your age, you should be a homeowner but you’re still not. Your child got so off course you doubt you were a good parent. The list goes on. Your thoughts tell you that you don’t really measure up. You feel there is so much at which you have failed. The list of sins and failures in your life outnumbers the positive things you can say about yourself. You feel like you’re just an average individual, and sometimes you even doubt that!

God created you. If you don’t believe that, you might as well stop reading now. When you understand that God created you, a very interesting way of thinking unlocks the wisdom that comes with knowing God created a masterpiece. You see? God made many magnificent, awe inspiring creations. He created water, light, the skies, land, the seas, the sun and the moon, vegetation, animals, birds…the scripture tells how each time God created these things He thought they were “good.” And they were; they are. But it is not until He creates mankind that the book of Genesis mentions God thought it was “very good.” We were created in His image and likeness. The book of Ephesians tells how we are God’s own handiwork. One version actually calls us “masterpieces.”

So what if you’re still struggling with the addiction, the sickness? Does it mean you’re any less because you are divorced? The way you’ve lost opportunities due to your poor personal character does not define you. Just because you’re not at the financial level in which you should be, you're not a failure. The  fact that your child chose the wrong course doesn’t make you a failed parent. That mentality will keep you from reaching your full potential in life. When God made you, He chose excellence. He knew each and every mistake you would make along the way, yet He still considered you a masterpiece. Remember the psalmist mentions how we were knitted together in our mother’s womb. There is nothing average or less than about you. You are a masterpiece. So it doesn’t feel or look like that right now? Think about this:

When you look at the Mona Lisa or the sculpture of David, you see greatness. These are works that are valued in the millions of dollars because of who created them. But if you were to find a replica of Davinci’s painting or Michaelangelo’s sculpture, they would not be worth nearly as much, if anything. The painting would just be a canvas with colors on it and the sculpture just a statue of a naked man. But knowing who made these separates them from what is common and assigns great value to them. I bet that when these two artists began creating these worldly masterpieces it took time for them to become what they ultimately did. At some point, the Mona Lisa painting looked average, unfinished. David’s statue probably looked like a shapeless piece of metamorphic rock. But their creator had a vision of what they would look like. The same is true with OUR creator, God. What if you began to see yourself in that light? You were wonderfully and fearfully created by the maker of the universe, the God who spoke worlds into existence. With His mere words, light was created. The next time you doubt that, just remember that there are approximately 2.4 billion believing christians in the world who believe that. They can’t all be mistaken. It is true! God created you in His image to do the good things He planned for you, period. It’s no accident you are here.

But it is up to you to receive this. Only you can stop the negative thinking and begin living like the masterpiece you are. If it feels like you don’t measure up, that’s because you are still a work-in-progress. 2nd Samuel reminds us that God is our refuge. He makes our way clear and perfect. So regardless of how things look right now, remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. He created you with a purpose and He will see it through. Make no mistake that He (God) who began a good work in you (even as early as in your mother’s womb) will carry it on until completion. 

God bless,

R. Bermudez

Una Obra Maestra

Entonces sufres de una condición médica; Quizás tu cónyuge te dejó; No puedes conservar un trabajo debido a tu temperamento; No pudiste terminar tu educación y sientes que no eres lo suficientemente inteligente; A tu edad deberías ser propietario de una vivienda pero todavía no lo eres; Ese hijo se desvió tanto que usted duda de haber sido un buen padre; La lista continúa. Tus pensamientos te dicen que realmente no estás a la altura. Sientes que hay muchas cosas en las que has fallado. La lista de pecados y fracasos en tu vida supera en número las cosas positivas que puedes decir sobre ti mismo. ¡Te sientes como si fueras un individuo promedio y a veces incluso lo dudas!

Dios te creó. Si no lo crees, es mejor que dejes de leer ahora. Cuando comprendes que Dios te creó, una forma muy interesante de pensar desbloquea la sabiduría que viene al saber que Dios creó una obra maestra. ¿Verás? Dios hizo muchas creaciones magníficas e inspiradoras. Creó el agua, la luz, los cielos, la tierra, los mares, el sol y la luna, la vegetación, los animales, las aves… Las Escrituras cuentan cómo cada vez que Dios creó estas cosas, pensó que eran “buenas”. Y lo fueron; lo son. Pero no es hasta que crea a la humanidad cuando el libro del Génesis menciona que Dios pensó que era: “muy bueno." Fuimos creados a Su imagen y semejanza. El libro de Efesios cuenta cómo somos obra de Dios. De hecho, una versión nos llama "obras maestras".

¿Y qué pasa si todavía estás luchando contra la adicción? ¿la enfermedad? ¿Significa que eres menos porque estás divorciado? La forma en que has perdido oportunidades debido a tu pobre carácter personal no te define. Sólo porque no estás en el nivel financiero en que deberías estar, no eres un fracaso. El hecho de que ese hijo haya elegido el camino equivocado no lo convierte en un padre fracasado. Esa mentalidad le impedirá alcanzar su máximo potencial en la vida. Cuando Dios te creó, eligió la excelencia. Él conocía todos y cada uno de los errores que cometerías en el camino, pero aun así te consideraba una obra maestra. Recuerde que el salmista menciona cómo fuimos tejidos en el vientre de nuestra madre. No hay nada promedio o menos que en ti. Eres una obra maestra. ¿Entonces no se siente ni se ve así en este momento? Piensa sobre esto:

Cuando miras una pintura de la Mona Lisa o la escultura de David vez grandeza. Son obras valoradas en millones de dólares debido a quién las creó. Pero si encontraras una réplica de la pintura de Davinci o de la escultura de Miguel Ángel, no valdrían tanto, en todo caso. La pintura sería simplemente un lienzo con colores y la escultura sería simplemente una estatua de un hombre desnudo. Pero saber quién los creó los separa de lo común y les asigna un gran valor. Apuesto a que cuando estos dos artistas comenzaron a crear estas obras maestras mundanas, les tomó tiempo convertirse en lo que finalmente hicieron. En algún momento, la pintura de Mona Lisa parecía normal, sin terminar. La estatua de David probablemente parecía un trozo informe de roca metamórfica. Pero su creador tuvo una visión de cómo serían. Lo mismo ocurre con NUESTRO creador, Dios. ¿Qué pasaría si comenzaras a verte a ti mismo bajo esa luz? Fuiste creado maravillosa y terriblemente por el creador del universo. El Dios que habló para que los mundos existieran. Con sus simples palabras,  creó la luz. La próxima vez que dudes de eso, recuerda que hay aproximadamente 2.4 billones de cristianos creyentes en el mundo que creen eso. No todos pueden estar equivocados. ¡Es verdad! Dios te creó a su imagen para hacer las cosas buenas que planeó para ti, punto. No es casualidad que estés aquí.

Pero depende de ti recibir esto. Sólo tú puedes detener el pensamiento negativo y comenzar a vivir como la obra maestra que eres. Si sientes que no estás a la altura, es porque todavía eres un trabajo en progreso. 2da Samuel nos recuerda que Dios es nuestro refugio. Él hace nuestro camino claro y perfecto. Entonces, independientemente de cómo se vean las cosas ahora, recuerda que Dios no comete errores. Él te creó con un propósito y lo cumplirá. No te equivoques, aquel (Dios) que comenzó una buena obra en ti (incluso desde el vientre de tu madre) la continuará hasta completarla.

Dios los bendiga,

R. Bermudez