One Month in "Foundations: Gaining Clarity in an Age of Confusion"
This month has been jam-packed with content from our Foundations Series. We’ve answered some huge questions such as:
• Where did we come from?
• What is our purpose on Earth?
• How do we live out our purpose?
What I’ve appreciated from Pastor Shannon and this sermon series is how the Word of God takes the secular and redeems or organizes it back into its rightful place: into the hands of our Creator God. We have a need for redemption and organization in our lives! It reminds me of how winning teams or experts in their field constantly build upon their foundations before taking on more sophistication or responsibility in their craft.
“Our authority was not entrusted to us to be squandered on selfishness but utilized to honor His image to take care of His things. ”
This has been our journey in Genesis over the last couple of months:
Developing a Proper Orientation Toward God (Aug. 2)
The Image of God and our Identity (Aug. 28)
The Image Expressed: Reflecting God in our Relationships (Sept. 4)
The Image Expressed: Reflecting God in Righteousness (Sept. 11)
The Image Expressed: Reflecting on God in Rule (Sept. 18)
Rhythms of Rest in an Always On Society (Sept. 25)
Depending on the Lord God (Oct. 2)
So far we’ve studied God, our identity, relationships, righteousness, rule, rest and dependence upon the Lord. We’ve covered a lot since we began this series!
Of all the sermons that we’ve explored in September the ones that stood out most to me was on September 18th, The Image Expressed: Reflecting God in Rule” and 10/2 “Depending on the Lord God.” The reason these sermons impacted my life is that they I feel they speak to my own God-Given responsibility. They remind me of how I need to properly choose God in my day and allow Him to change the desires of my heart.
Despite all the other voices in the world that demand our attention, we need to go to God first. The world is crying out to us as Christians and leaders in society to take up the job of organizing the chaos in our lives.
In order for us to change the world as Christians, we need to allow God to mold us to be more like Christ. This requires a willingness on our part to allow God to do the painful work of breaking down our own sinful foundations and inclinations until they look more like His.
The more willing I am to conform to Christ’s Image, the more joy I feel and the better equipped I am to do good in this world. This starts internally within us, then spreads externally with our families, friends and local circles. We should be more disciplined and aware of the cracks in our foundations with where we spend our time, what we consume, and what we’re attracted to in life. We’re naturally drawn to run away from God. This is doubly dangerous because it misapplies the awesome authority He’s given us to bless our world.
We have a duty, purpose and a Godly reputation to uphold, yet the accountability and responsibility is completely within our own hands to act. We’ve allowed the sneaky little snake to kick us out of the Garden rather than kick the evil one out of what God has ordained as perfect and good! This seems simple, but it is NOT EASY! We need to constantly depend on God and be on the lookout for those things that take our focus off Him.
It’s all about building upon our foundation as a Christ follower: turning from those things that aren’t good for us and don’t honor Christ, to dependence upon God; especially, in our times of weakness!
-written by Jake Richardson
Jake is a new intern here at Redeemer. He currently serves God and country while attending seminary at Dallas Theological. He lives in Fate with his wife Leanne, two children, pug and cat. He enjoys lots of caffeine, learning interesting things and people. You can contact Jake HERE!