Someone loves the snow during our Oklahoma winters!

Saturday, May 3, 2025

The Foundations of Faith

I went to bed last night with and air of excitement and expectation for the warm sunny day that had been forecast, not only for Saturday but for the entire weekend and through Monday as well!  You see… It is spring here in Oklahoma and while that means warmer weather and the dormant lawns and countryside turning green, the changes in the temperatures also signal the season of severe thunderstorms and tornados!

And much to my personal displeasure… we’ve had a lot of those in the past few weeks.  In fact, this month of April produced the record for the highest amount of rainfall ever recorded!  So… you can easily see why I was so enthusiastic about this weekend’s change of pace forecast!

But low and behold, when I woke up before seven this morning, I found myself fighting a bombardment of concerns for the multitude of things that need to be completed before I can put the house on the market and follow through with the plan to move to Tennessee… and alas… all that enthusiasm for a fantastic weekend seemed to blow away in a puff of smoke! 

So… I dragged myself out of bed and out of nowhere… began to speak aloud and interestingly enough… say to myself,

“Jim, Be anxious for nothing and don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. But be saturated in prayer and the Word throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, and then God’s wonderful peace that transcends all human understanding, will guard your thoughts and emotions and make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.”*

Well, that should have been enough to flip my lid and get me going in the right direction… but it didn’t!  It took me the time to brew up and pour into my insolated cup some Folger’s Hazelnut flavored coffee… how does that jingle go

“The best part of waking up is Folger’s in your cup”,

sit at my desk in the study, turn in my Bible to where I had left off yesterday and read,

“Thank God that He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, then, brothers and sisters, don't let anyone (or anything) move you off the foundation of your faith. Always excel in the work you do for the Lord. (for) You know that the hard work you do for the Lord is not pointless.” (I Corinthians 15:57-58 – TPT)

The truth of not letting anyone nor anything move us off our foundation of faith, brought back immediate memories of the various individuals who seemed to thrive in their attempts to shake our faith with their negative opinions of Piper’s and my needs when she got sick… BUT… It wasn’t their words that I was reminded of this morning… it was God’s and His faithfulness to His Word toward us… all along the pathways of that journey.

And THAT’S what gave me the victory and return me back to the place of excitement and expectation that I went to sleep with last night!

But you know?  It didn’t end there… As I mulled over all those thoughts in my heart and mind, I suddenly remembered something that Piper and I used to discuss a lot, as well as share with others, throughout the 48 years of our relationship, from high school on… that we always felt and held to the conviction that

“The Christian life… (and we’d make it very personal by adding) ‘Our Christian Life’ is supposed to be an EXCITING and ADVENTEROUS personal relationship and walk of faith with Jesus Christ… But it is NOT for the WEAK or WORRY hearted!”

Well, the recollection of our long-standing belief and personal approach to our faith made me smile this morning and feel any overwhelming sense of despair float right out my study window!  Then when I looked back at my open Bible, my eyes carried up a couple of verses from Philippians 4:6-7 to verse 4… and I literally burst out with a hearty laugh… so much so that the dog jumped off the couch behind me with a look, as if to say “Hey I was sleeping here!”

Philippians 4:4 seemed to confirm everything I had just learned and caused me to lift my arms in praise to the Lord as I read aloud…

“Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let joy overflow, for you are united with the Anointed One!(TPT) 

So, yea… I felt like the Lord was reminding me and re-connecting me to Piper’s and my personal conviction of the way we lived our faith.  As I walked out of my study this morning, I definitely felt the old swag and pull of the excitement and adventure of my faith.  The cheerfulness and joy that keeps me strong, confident and balanced on the foundation of my faith had re-centered me and is there to keep me strong and on point for all the good things that the good Lord has in store for me!

What about you today?  Are you feeling strong, confident and balanced on the firm foundation of your personal faith?  What are you going to do when you feel the burdens and cares of your life shaking your faith?  If you haven’t yet… you might want to memorize Paul’s encouraging and life strengthening words found in Philippians 4:4-9** from your favorite Bible translation… It’s a quick and proven way to re-center your life on the foundation of your faith!

Have a great weekend.  I hope that your weather forecast is as nice as our is today… and as you’re out enjoying God’s creation… Keep EXPECTING to EXPECT God’s BEST for your life!

 

*Personalized version of Philippians 4:6-7 from the God’s Word © and The Passion translations. 

**Remember that Paul wrote these words while awaiting an uncertain future in prison…

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