all other ground is sinking sand

Insecurity. There are not many words that project negative feelings more than this one. We all battle it to some degree and the ways we battle it can be quite interesting. Some battle it by trying to attain money, others, with people and relationships. All of this attaining is in an attempt to fill that haunting void in the soul that "just doesn't sit right." There is a strong correlation between insecurity and identity. Some like the identity of being an athlete. I had this for a while in high school. My brother and I were wrestlers and so I lifted weights and wore clothes that gave me that identity. Later on, I became heavily involved with music and acting. The "artist" identity then took form and I did the appropriate things in order to portray that person. It wasn't that what I was doing did not have merit, it's that who I was was found in what I did. For others they might find it in a job or a business or even family. Many find their worth in parenting children. But soon, the children are gone and moved away and they are stuck with an empty soul. So, this raises the big question. What makes a person truly secure? Where does a person find his or her true identity? In my last post I referred to Ravi Zacharias talking about foundations. The word foundation is a strong word. It exemplifies strength, stability and security. When my wife and I went lookng for houses to buy the biggest question that loved ones asked us was "How is the foundation?" You see, mostly everything else can be fixed or replaced, but if the foundation is bad, the rest will be too. A building cannot stand the test of time without a good foundation. There is security in a good foundation. Scripture talks about Jesus being the cornerstone of a great foundation. He tells a parable about a wise man who built his house upon the rock. When the storms came, the house stood firm. In my life, God has tenderly stripped away the loose, unstable foundations. It hasn't been an easy pain-free journey and it's not necessarily over. When I was 17, my father was killed in a fire accident. Yesterday was the anniversary of his death. Now, as a parent of 4 kids, it is so important for me to keep building on a foundation that will not die, will not go off to school, will not be overlooked because of some new, young employee. My idenitity can only be found in Christ. There is no other rock. So what is my identity? I am God's son whom He made for a purpose to do what He wants me to do. I am a join-heir with Jesus, Himself. After that I am a husband and a father. After that, it's not all that important what I am.

My hope is built on nothing less
then Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand
all other ground is sinking sand
all other ground is sinking sand.

Good, good, good, good foundations..

1. "You see, postmodernism plays word games with us. Postmodernism tells us there’s no such thing as truth; no such thing as meaning; no such thing as certainty. I remember lecturing at Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in this country. I was minutes away from beginning my lecture, and my host was driving me past a new building called the Wexner Center for the Performing Arts. He said, “This is America’s first postmodern building.” I was startled for a moment and I said, “What is a postmodern building?” He said, “Well, the architect said that he designed this building with no design in mind. When the architect was asked, ‘Why?’ he said, ‘If life itself is capricious, why should our buildings have any design and any meaning?’ So he has pillars that have no purpose. He has stairways that go nowhere. He has a senseless building built and somebody has paid for it.” I said, “So his argument was that if life has no purpose and design, why should the building have any design?” He said, “That is correct.” I said, “Did he do the same with the foundation?” All of a sudden there was silence. You see, you and I can fool with the infrastructure as much as we would like, but we dare not fool with the foundation because it will call our bluff in a hurry. "

The following is from Ravi Zacharias as he addressed the United Nations in 2002 at a prayer breakfast. If you want to read the rest go to www.rzim.com an click on resources. It's good stuff.