Foundations Of Our Faith

Someone once said that those refusing to revisit history are doomed to repeat it. With that I believe it is important as both Christians and Americans to review our history from time to time. The foundations of both have several common themes that can be seen throughout the Holy Bible and U.S. Constitution. Both reference a shared God, a list of inalienable rights (given by our Creator) which can never be taken by another person unless we allow them to. These inalienable rights are the foundation to who we are as U.S. citizens and children of the one true King. For without a good foundation, the structure will crumble.

So what are some of these foundations shared as American Christians? The first is faith over fear. Look in the Book of Daniel (3:16-25), I am sure that all three of those men were terrified when they defied the king. The thought of being thrown into a large bonfire is not something for the meek of heart! These faithful men stood firm in the face of overwhelming fear. And just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God will stand with us as we face our own fires.

A second shared foundation is willingness to give the ultimate sacrifice. The willingness to die for your convictions, a death to self, the last full measure so many have given including Jesus who hung on a cross for you and me. How important is His death to our beliefs? Without it, we would be practicing a dead religion.

And finally, the foundation of service above self. This world does everything it possibly can to convince us that the earth revolves around our existence; that we deserve to have everything and our wants and needs matter most. The creation of The United State of America was founded on service above self. The thought of a free and independent country was more important than any one individual. As Christians we echo the same foundation by saying, "Not my will but your will be done".

I encourage you to revisit our shared history. Are we limiting God's will by placing our own demands or boundaries on it? For when we do, our foundations may surely crumble...

Pastor Aaron