Beatings, Pain, Death… – Why is Today Called “Good” Friday??

April 3, 2015April 5, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

GOOD FRIDAY – The Crucifixion of Jesus.

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.                                                                                                  Isaiah 53:2-5
—————————————————-

Why is today known as “Good” Friday?

Although Jesus died a terrible, excruciating death, on Good Friday, this day is remembered as “Good” because it was through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that ALL PEOPLE, (not some, not just “special” people, not just rich people, not just poor people, not just law-abiding people, etc.), ALL PEOPLE, have the opportunity to restore their relationship with God.

And when the time comes for our earthly lives to be over, we will not simply be reduced to nothing, nor will we be alone. No, we will live forever with God in heaven. When God promises He will, wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever. – Revelation 21:4

See my tab, The Cornerstone…,http://wp.me/P5nZpi-bJ, if you’d like to know how you can have a personal relationship with God, the creator of everything.

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Heal My Illnesses Lord…

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015buildafoundation 1 Comment

Lately, there seems to be more and more people who have been diagnosed with cancer. More and more people who are battling various strains of the flu, cold viruses, and a variety of other diseases. More and more people generally feeling “not quite right”.

The breakdown of the physical body was never God’s intention. When Adam and Eve lived in Eden, all was perfect. They were physically strong and healthy. It was not until they gave into the serpent’s, Satan’s, temptation – choosing to eat the fruit God commanded them not to, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” – that life, as they knew it, began to crumble.

…their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. – Genesis 3:7
…they hid from the Lord God – Genesis 3:8
women would feel the pain of their pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. – Genesis 3:16
men would now be working in pain all their lives, to get food and survive – sweating from dawn to dusk – Genesis 3:17
Then, the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden… – Genesis 3:23

Thankfully God, because of His love for us, put into motion a means by which we can be saved. And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. – Genesis 3:21 This verse foreshadows Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for all humanity, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life – John 3:16

< If you would like to know how you can have a personal/intimate relationship with God, our creator, the creator of everything, take a look at my tab in the menu – The Cornerstone… http://wp.me/P5nZpi-bJ >

THERE IS HOPE – for there will be a time when God will be among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. And He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. – Revelation 21:3-4

Until that time comes, God has given us many verses in the Bible. When we pray back the Word of God, we are praying according to His Will. And God promises, …that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. – 1 John 5:14

< For more on praying and seeking God’s will, see my post, I Pray, Does God Hear Me, Does God Answer Me?? – (Part 1 of 3) – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-hK >

Below are some verses to get you started. Pray one, or all of these, throughout your day and experience for yourself hope, healing, encouragement, and comfort.

May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace. – Numbers 6:24-26

**For more encouraging boards see my tab – The Mortar… – http://wp.me/P5nZpi-7R**

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No One is Good?? Not Even One Person??

February 3, 2015March 18, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

ALL people are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “NO ONE is good — not even one. NO ONE has real understanding; NO ONE is seeking God. All have turned away from God; ALL have gone wrong.“

For NO ONE can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight — NOT by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.

We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we ALL can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For ALL have sinned; ALL fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us NOT guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for OUR sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.

God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal

IS NOT based on our good deeds. IT IS BASED ON OUR FAITH.

So we are made right with God through faith AND NOT by obeying the law.

There is only one God, and there is only one way of being accepted by him. He makes people right with himself ONLY BY FAITH, whether they are Jews or Gentiles (any one other than a Jew)

Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. – Romans 3:9-31

Take a look at the other tabs in the menu for encouragement and inspiration as you continue to build a foundation!!
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Can I Find Hope, Healing, Restoration??? – ZEPHANIAH – 3h – [16]

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014buildafoundation Leave a comment

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction and confusion, out of the muddy clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure. – Psalm 40:2

As we begin to wrap up the Book of Zephaniah, let’s look at a common pattern seen throughout the Bible, as well as, our own lives.

People follow their own way, believing they are able to navigate life on their own, without God, His principles and guidance.
Life becomes messy. In relationships, at work, at school, in finances, families, morals and values are compromised, addictive behaviors surface, and destruction/unhealthy choices dominate. We’re LOST!! We’re not sure where to turn, or even what we’re hoping to find. All we know for sure is that something is missing from our lives. But WHAT is it?
People hear about God. In the Bible it was through prophets, and through miracles. In present day, people hear about God through preachers on the radio or TV, through various churches offering an array of worship experiences from quite/reflective to foot stomping/interactive, and everything in between. Miracles may sadly go unnoticed. Thought of as “coincidence”, rather than “providence”.
People choose to make a change in their lives. To repent, acknowledging that the path they have been on is not leading them where they hoped to go. Instead of continuing on their current path, they choose to do a 180 and follow God’s way.
People experience restoration and healing. – It is like the restoration of this painting – The beauty we see in the restoration (right side of the image) was not added or changed, but was cleaned up (refreshed and restored) after years of neglect, sin (an analogy), hurt and pain experienced (an analogy) – (image on the left side).

NOTE: Complete restoration and healing doesn’t often happen in an instant, a week, a month or even a year. But, by making a choice today to say, YES, I want restoration and healing in my life, in my relationships, at my job, with my classmates, teachers, etc. the process can begin. And you will be able to see God’s image restored everyday, while the distorted, marred image that was once so painful to look upon, begins to disappear.

God Pulls Us Close :) – ZEPHANIAH – 3g – [15]

December 12, 2014December 14, 2014buildafoundation Leave a comment

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is – Ephesians 3:17

With all the love God is showering over His people, verses 15-17 ,http://wp.me/p5nZpi-4G, you might think that God has forgotten all those that have caused you pain, rejected you, hated you, etc. You might think that God is going to let them off the hook. Let by gones be by gones. Not so!!! Remember, although God is a god of mercy, He is also a god of justice. And those that have chosen to reject God, have chosen to go their own way, and have caused hurt, God promises in verse 19 that He

19)) WILL DEAL SEVERELY WITH ALL WHO HAVE OPPRESSED YOU. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed.

20)) On that day I will gather you together

    and bring you home again.

I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,

    among all the nations of the earth,

as I (will) restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
These verses, and many others found in the Bible, are there to be an encouragement and reminder of God’s immense love for His followers. That He is giving each one a GREAT BIG BEAR HUG, 
pulling us close to Him, protecting and comforting us, and NO ONE can snatch (us) away – John 10:28

Warning!!! – The Stove is HOT!!!! – PROVERBS – Chapter 1g – 1:29-33 [10 of out 10]

May 6, 2014January 2, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

LORD Almighty, blessed are those who trust in you. – Psalm 84:12

29)) Because they hated knowledge
    and did not choose to fear the Lord,
30)) and they would have none of my counsel
    and despised all my reproof,
31))  THEREFORE, they shall eat the fruit of their way,
    and have their fill of their own devices.
32)) For the simple are killed by their turning away,
    and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33)) BUT whoever listens to me will dwell secure
    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

We learned from verse 25, http://wp.me/p5nZpi-5E, that – People turn away from all my advice. They wouldn’t accept my warning. And here again in verse 30 we read, they despised all my counsel.
All people are in search of a road that leads to “happiness”. Yet, in verses 29-33, we read that people often end up making choices that take them on a curvy path. Their path ends up being curvy because the choose their own way vs. the Creator’s counsel and guidance – v.30.

The result of following our own way: They’ll GET their own way, for better or worse. Sadly, as verse 32 says, the simple are killed by turning away, by doing their own thing. Instead of heeding the warnings, like the stove is hot – don’t touch it, they proceed to touch, and… Again, it’s not that the person in this illustration was not warned, he was, yet he chose his own way. In this case, and often in our everyday choices, the result was/can be painful.