don’t build your house on the sandy land

Remember that song? When we were kids we would sing it:

“Don’t build your house on the sandy land
Don’t build it too near the shore
Oh it might be kind of nice
But you’ll have to do it twice
And you’ll have to build your house once more
You better build your house upon the rock
And put a sure foundation on the solid spot
And though the storms may come and go
Peace of God you’ll know.”

How is it then; that I can remember something as a child and know it in my heart but forget so quickly when the world comes at me 100mph?

This foundation, my Rock, is my Redeemer. Some of the verses I quote to myself to fight against Satan’s attacks are ‘The Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is He.’ Deut 32:4. 'I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.' Psalm 119:11. 'Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.' Psalm 37:4. 'See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.' Colossians 2:8. It is vital as a Christian to be grounded in Truth and be prepared against these attacks, because they WILL come! The Word is our sword! What can a warrior do without his sword in battle!? He becomes helpless and must rely on his own strength in hand to hand combat. How far would one get with no weapon in a battle, much less a war?

I need to turn to the Word, no matter how much I think I know about God, or how long I’ve been a Christian or if I think I know all the answers. I grew up in the church and can recite verses and know all the “Sunday school” answers. However, every time I open the Bible, I discover something new. Every time I read through the pages, God is speaking to me through His Word. ‘Indeed, the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’ Hebrews 4:12

I am guilty of neglecting my devotional time in the morning, thinking about the massive list of obligations I have for the day and forgetting to put Jesus first, to think of Him and keep Him as my focus throughout the day. I am not perfect. None of us is, there was one Perfect Man in all of the world and that was Christ. I need others to build me up and remind me where my strength comes from. It doesn’t come from man. It comes from God. That may manifest itself in a variety of ways including a friend’s comfort or words of wisdom. However, it is when we take our focus off God that we can become confused or things can become convoluted. ‘Do not deceive yourself. If you think you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness, and again the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ So let none boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all belong to yours, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.’ 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

I find it quite interesting that I keep coming to the same conclusion: that I need to dig into the Word daily and how quickly I forget. I need to keep my priorities straight. Jesus first means learning more about Him and listening for His Word… AND reading His Word because that’s one of the ways He communicates with us.

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Press on toward the goal and keep your eyes on Him. Throw off everything that hinders you! All your other obligations and thoughts and see what God has to say, He will take care of us today, tomorrow and the day after that.

- Run for life

we must all think for ourselves

I remember sitting in school learning about "groupthink" and watching the Challenger space shuttle explode and people stand by and watch as atrocious events unfolded. People fall into "groupthink" which is a second potential negative consequence of group cohesion. According to the Wikipedia definition, it is a type of thought within a deeply cohesive in-group whose members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus without critically testing, analyzing and evaluating ideas. Irving Janis concluded that it was the reason concluded the American Foreign policy committees failed to anticipate Pearl Harbor did so.

When we took our bike safety class, our instructor, Matt reminded us that we must “all think for ourselves” and used the movie “The Life of Brian” as an example, when Brian was mistaken for Jesus and he threw open the window and all the people were waiting for him to teach them something… and he said, “you must all think for yourselves” and they all chanted back in unison “we must all think for ourselves.” When riding, it is important to watch the road yourself and think for yourself because you are the one in control of it. If one person in your group rides across a busy intersection, all the members of the group must stop and assess the situation prior to crossing. It could be disastrous if everyone just blindly followed the leader.

With that being said, I think that I must think for myself in all aspects of my life. I was brought up in an Asian family (obviously) and if you didn’t know, Asian families are typically community families. The good of the family name and the good of the family should be thought of first rather than what is best for the individual. Despite my “American-ness” of seeming more independent, I believe that this mindset has carried over in other parts of my life. It’s not a bad thing, to think of other people before you think of yourself. In fact, it’s what I learned in Sunday school and through church events: in order to have joy you must live with “J.O.Y.” This means putting Jesus first, then others and finally yourself. My favorite book of the Bible is Philippians 2, the verse I constantly remember is ‘Make my joy complete, do nothing out of selfish ambitious or vain conceit and regard others as better than yourself’ – Philippians 2:4.

What is best for a group isn’t always what’s best for me. Sometimes I have to think for myself and put my own well being first. This sounds wrong to me, but I am slowly learning that this is actually more beneficial to others because when I take care of myself and do what’s best for myself, I can better help those around me and be a brighter light for Christ. I feel like this is something I should have learned from various speakers at Westminster Woods telling me that as I “pour and pour out” my love to others, I need to go back to the Word and be refilled by God (which I do). It’s harder to put into practice than it sounds for me, but I think that God has given me the courage to do so.

Press onward and trust in Him. He is my Rock. He is my Guide. He is my Creator. I feel free. A great weight has been lifted off me. I feel like dancing.

- - - run for life