Bless the <\/i>Lord<\/i>, O my soul,<\/i> and forget none of His benefits\u2026<\/i> \u00a0Psalm 103:2<\/p>\n
In all your ways acknowledge Him,<\/i> and He will make your paths straight.<\/i> Proverbs 3:6<\/p>\n
When I taught younger grades, I encouraged my students to frequently quiz themselves on their math facts. That way, they would be able to recall sums and differences, products and quotients at the speed of thought\u2014not at the speed of tapping fingers or after finding a calculator. And with practice, even the more math-phobic ones among them could hold their own.<\/p>\n
Youngsters need to review their math facts repeatedly until those answers are as retrievable as their birthday or the name of their favorite pet. In my opinion, such \u201cdrill and kill\u201d preparations don\u2019t create <\/i>math-phobia (especially if conducted in a positive environment where stickers or Jolly Ranchers are involved); such practice actually frees <\/i>students from one more reason to be math-phobic\u2014I can\u2019t remember anything; I\u2019m just stupid in math!<\/i><\/p>\n
Jesus spoke of the man who heard the Word and acted upon it, likening him to a wise builder who chose to construct his house on solid rock. He emphasized building on bedrock before<\/i> the storms arose; and despite the time and effort needed to do so, the alternative\u2014an express-house built on the sand\u2014just wouldn\u2019t be able to withstand the tempest.<\/p>\n
Jesus placed great importance upon hearing His word and acting upon it in a consistent, life-building way. If you have accepted the challenge from Jesus to live with determined, intentional hearing<\/i> and acting<\/i>\u2014like that child who regularly repeats her math facts\u2014then when the rains fall, the floods come, and the winds blow and slam against your life, you will be able to withstand it all. You will pass the test.<\/p>\n
One way to help yourself be consistent with building on the Rock of your salvation is to forget none of His benefits. <\/i>Remind yourself again and again of the wonderful benefits of your connection with the Lord. Psalm 103 lists them. He:<\/p>\n Like that child learning her multiplication tables, it wouldn’t hurt to build this six-point list into your spiritual memory so that it instantly comes to mind the second you need it.<\/p>\n Another way to consistently build upon the solid foundation of Jesus is to remind yourself frequently of the wonderful things He has done in your life. When I feel attacked and defeated, I will often use my prayer time to review aloud before God all of the sweet, miraculous, remarkable, and kind things He has done for me personally. I’ve learned that as long as my eyes are on my problems and how bad I feel, I won’t ever truly<\/em> see God as my help in times of trouble, and therefore, it’s impossible to go before Him in faith. But when I start reminding Him of what He has done for me in the past, it isn’t long before joy and praise, confidence and faith arise within me, abolishing despair and defeat. And now I’m in faith, and although I still have no clue how He’ll get me out of this one, I know He will!<\/p>\n A third way to build on that sturdy foundation of the Lord is to acknowledge Him<\/i> i<\/em>n all your ways. <\/i>How do you do this? When I was a young believer, I practiced talking to Him about whatever I was doing; I\u00a0 even asked His opinion once about whether I should get Coke or Dr Pepper on a road trip (I was pretty sure He suggested DP).\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n As silly as my soda inquiry sounds, an important aspect of building on the Rock of your salvation is to keep the lines of communication open. And that means acknowledging Him in all<\/em> of your ways.<\/p>\n I also remember realizing after I had forgotten for several weeks to keep a running conversation going with the Lord, that I was shocked at the difference in the way life felt when I consistently talked to God versus when I didn’t. My conclusion in those early days? Life felt better when I kept up a conversation with God. And you know something? Nearly forty years later, it still does!<\/p>\n Let’s review. Three ways to build on the Rock and to keep your connection with Jesus tight are:<\/p>\n May you find great joy and security as you build your life on the Rock!<\/p>\n Dorothy<\/p>\n This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.The Lord\u2019s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.<\/em> Lamentations 3:21-23 <\/p>\n\n
\n