Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)
Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,The watchman stays awake in vain.
The American rock group Starship may never know how close yet far from the truth they were when they sang out that "We built this city on rock and roll," because we disciples of Christ know that any house that is built on the sands of anything other than the "solid rock" of Christ will not stand!!
So let us take care to live out Colossians 3:16-17 as we honor Christ's call to go and make disciples, building up our citizens for the Holy City - the developed Garden of Eden - described in Revelation 21 - that we wait to one day inhabit!!
Today, I was moved by the words penned by Thomas Wilcox (1621-1687), one of our fore-running, elder adopted brothers in Christ, who is now a voice amongst the growing cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1-3) who is quoted as saying:
“A word of advice to my own heart and yours. You are a religious person and partake of all the ordinances. You do well: they are glorious privileges: but if you have not the blood of Christ at the root of your religion, it will wither, and prove but painted pageantry to go to hell in.
If you retain guilt and self-righteousness under it, those vipers will eat out all the vitals of it at length. Try and examine with greatest strictness every day, what ground your religion and hope of glory is built upon, whether it was laid by the hand of Christ. If not, it will never be able to endure the storm that must come against it; Satan will throw it all down, and great willthe fall thereof (Matt 7:27).
You that glory in being a Christian, you shall be winnowed. Every vein of your profession will be tried to purpose. It is terrible to have it all come tumbling down, and to find nothing but itself to stand upon.
You who pride yourself on being a Christian, see to your waxen wings, which now will melt with the heat of temptation. What a misery is it to trade much, and be bankrupt at length, and have no stock, no foundation laid for eternity in your soul!
You who pride yourself on the gifts you have, look to see there is not a worm at the root that will spoil all your fine gourd, and make it die about you in a day of scorching. Look over your soul daily, and ask: Where is the blood of Christ to be seen upon my soul? What righteousness is it that I stand upon to be saved? Have I got away from all my self-righteousness? Many eminent religious people have come at length to cry out, in the sight of the ruin of all their duties, “Undone, undone, to all eternity!”
Now that I have your attention, please know, that this same man who spoke these strong fire-breathed words, describes to us, our Savior, Jesus, with an equally heartfelt, powerful yet soothing elegance, second to none:
"If you have ever seen Christ truly, you have seen pure grace, pure righteousness in Him in every way infinite, far exceeding all sin and misery. If you have seen Christ, you can trample upon all the righteousness of men and angels, so as to bring you into acceptance with God. If you have seen Christ, you would not do a duty without Him for ten thousand worlds (1 Corinthians 2:2). If ever you saw Christ, you saw him as a Rock, higher than self-righteousness, Satan, and sin (Psalm 61:2), and this rock follows you (1 Corinthians 10:4); and there will be continual dropping of honey and grace out of that Rock to satisfy you (Psalm 81:16). Examine if ever you have beheld Christ as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Be sure you have come to Christ, that you stand upon the Rock of Ages, and have answered His call to your soul, and have closed with Him for justification.”
Have any one of us truly met this Jesus that the bible describes? Isn’t this the Jesus we want to know? For He’s the foundation that has been laid (1 Corinthians 3:11) and the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6-8) of the spiritual house into which we like living stones are being built. (1 Peter 2:4-5)
May we be gratefully encouraged by The wonderful works of the Almighty Breath of Heaven and worshipfully marvel as Paul did upon considering Him (Romans 11:33-36) as we echo J.R. Miller's (1840-1912) sentiment as we answer His call upon our lives as the church, in this day and age, tasked to bring the good news to everyone we encounter:
“The new year on which we are about to enter is unopened and we know not what shall befall us; but if we follow Christ we need have no fear. So let us leave the old year with gratitude to God for its mercies, and with penitence for its failures and sins, and let us enter the new year with earnest resolve in Christ's name to make it the holiest and most beautiful year we have ever lived.”
For more:
- by Thomas Wilcox: “Honey Out of the Rock”
- Mez McConnell on Vimeo
Enjoy!!
CORAM DEO
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