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7 Fundamentals of Christian Living

At one time or another we have all read a self-help article or book.  Some watch famous talk-show hosts to get their self-help advice while others turn to internet sources for their bits of wisdom.  We read about the latest findings in nutrition and how a certain diet can help us.  We read and enjoy books like “The Purpose Driven Life” and “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.”  We find 5 step programs for success and 10 step plans for early retirement.  We have a multitude of self-help books that give us step-by-step instructions for everything from taking good pictures to building a sailboat and living the good life. 

The difficult part about selecting Self-help books and Self-help advisors is that we don’t know which ones we can trust and which ones we can’t.  Pretenders like TV doctors and meddling talk-show hosts think they are self-help experts but in truth they fold too much bad moral advice into their talks on health and wealth.  It is almost as if the father of all lies personally wrote their scripts. 

The Original Self-Help Book

So where can we turn for tried and true Self-help advice that works every time?  Well, first we should recognize that today’s self-help books, articles and talk shows are cheap imitations of the original.  Do you want a healthy diet?  Read Ezekiel 4:9 about the ingredients in Ezekiel bread.  Do you want a satisfying life without fear?  Then read Hebrews 13:6. Are you being bullied at school or work?  Read how Jesus handled the bullying he received.  Yes, you heard me.  By today’s standards Jesus was bullied almost daily by Pharisees, Sadducees and even the Sanhedrin – the ruling body of Israel.  Reading that Jesus did not roll up into a helpless knot but looked them straight in the eye while proclaiming the truth can be enlightening and very motivating! 

Yes!  The Bible is the original self-help book.  It is chock full of good advice on various topics that concern us today.  That’s right!  Today!  The greatest self-help book of all time, the Bible, is more important and meaningful today than ever before.  Where do we start if we want to apply the good advice found in the Bible to our lives?  We start with the fundamentals and grow from there.  

The Fundamentals

So, let’s get to it – here are the 7 fundamental building blocks of Christianity straight from the Bible – the original and best self-help book.

1.    Imperfect Creatures

Our very best effort cannot buy us a ticket to heaven.  We are completely incapable of saving ourselves.  On our own, we have no hope of ever earning our redemption.  Paul said it perfectly in Acts 17:24-25 with, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” What can a created human being possibly do to impress the Creator of the universe?

In addition to that, we have all, at one time or another been disappointed by people we care for.  And, we have disappointed those who care for us, too.  Where does that come from?  Even our best efforts often fall short. It is simple.  We are imperfect creatures living in a Fallen World – we are fundamentally flawed – 1st Corinthians 15:50 – Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

In other words, everyone has a few warts to hide.  Everyone.  If you want to see the full indictment against the world and humanity, then read the first three chapters of Romans – it is a real eye-opener.

2.    But God still loves us – Grace

In spite of our flaws, God loves us and sent his Son to take the punishment for our sins and failures – John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  There is no greater principle than God’s loving grace.  Without it we are lost forever.  And what is that grace?  It is God’s unswerving love.  It is God’s willingness to make a way for us to be pardoned.  Grace is God’s unmerited favor given to us when we need it most – now!

3.    We must want change and then act – Repentance

An alcoholic will never be sober unless they first want to be sober.  That simple starting point is brutally honest and glaringly obvious.  The same applies to each and every one of our own personal failures. – God teaches us that repentance – the desire and full intention to turn away from wrong-doing in our lives – is essential to redemption – Acts 17:30 – And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all people everywhere to repent. 

Why do we need Repentance?In simple terms, if we put a hat and a coat on a skunk it will still smell like a skunk. 

Something fundamental must change to get rid of the bad smell.  Similarly, if we do not actively want and participate in the changes that God is willing to give us: renewing of our mind; a new outlook on life; a peaceful nature, then we are just going through the motions.  Unless we repent, we will continue to be skunks who get dressed up every Sunday and go through the motions. 

Repentance is a conscious change in our direction that we implicitly and explicitly agree to with God. 

So why doesn’t God just forgive everyone and be done with it?  He gave us free will.  Paul clearly points this out during his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens when he said, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us…”  (Acts 17:26-27).  We must seek God, choose God and then act on that choice.  That, my friends, is free will.  So, repentance becomes our free will first step toward a renewed mind, heart and soul.

4.    It doesn’t work unless we believe in what we are doing – Faith

Repentance cannot come without Faith.  Neither can redemption.  Simply going through the motions and checking all the boxes isn’t even close to enough.  Faith is the simple and sincere acceptance that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to offer himself as payment for our sins.  John 3:18 puts it in straight-forward terms when it says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  And we also read in 1 John 5:5 where it says Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. That certainly rules out those pot-bellied Buddha idols, Krishna, Mary and a thousand other idols with no souls and minds of their own.  So, faith in “just anything” doesn’t do it.  It must be faith in the one and only Jesus Christ.   John 14:6 cannot be clearer when it says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

5.    Say it out loud and then live it. Profession of our Faith.

Publicly professing Christ springs from the joy of faith in him.  And public confession of Jesus Christ is an essential element of salvation – Luke 12:8 – “Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God…  And we are not just referring to the verbal confession we made five minutes before our baptism.  Confessing (same as Professing) Christ is referring to both words and a lifestyle, a modus operandi, a way of living and a way of showing the world that Christ lives in our hearts.  Does that mean we stop everyone we meet and tell them about the love of God?  For some people it certainly does.  For the rest of us it is best articulated in 1 Peter 3:15 where it says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”  No, we aren’t all expected to be street-corner preachers but every one of us are expected to be ready to answer questions about the hope that lives in us.  People will ask us about it and we will have two choices – we can be like the young and immature Peter and deny Jesus or we can be like the mature and seasoned Peter and be ready to give an answer for the hope that comes from Jesus Christ.  And don’t be afraid.  If you don’t know the exact words to say then just say, “Come to church with me and find out for yourself!”  Countless people have found Jesus Christ simply because someone invited them to Church.

6.    Follow his example and obey his command – be Baptized

We who believe in Jesus Christ desire to be obedient to him, so we follow him in Believer’s Baptism.  Now let’s be clear, Baptism is not optional.  Yes, that bothers plenty of people.  So, let’s see why it is not optional. It was commanded by no less than Jesus Christ and it marks our new birth into a new life.  In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said,“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  In Acts 2:38 when they asked Peter at Pentecost what they should do, he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Baptism symbolically shows us and everyone else that we have died to the world and have been raised to Jesus Christ – alive for eternity. 

And there is more.  Much more.  Scripture tells us that something very important happens at Baptism.  Paul says in Titus 3:5-6, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  So, we should be clear about this.  Baptism is called the “Washing of Regeneration” in scripture.  It is VERY important. 

Yes, people will immediately start quarreling and ask if Great Aunt Edna or someone like her was saved because she repented and asked for forgiveness from God on her deathbed and was not Baptized.  Yes, of course she is – if her prayers were genuine.  God knows the intentions of the heart far better than we. 

However, and this is very important, those who can be Baptized but aren’t Baptized even after Christ commanded it (Matthew 28:19), Peter preached it at Pentecost (Acts 2:38) and Paul called it the Washing of Regeneration (Titus 3:5-6) – well, it doesn’t take a genius to realize they are still in trouble. 

James 4:17 makes it very clear where the responsibility for being Baptized lies when it says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good[1], and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” The English Standard Version of the Bible translates this verse as, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”  If you know that Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize converts, Peter preached it and Paul called it the “washing of regeneration” and you still choose to NOT be baptized then something is seriously amiss in your salvation.  In other words, don’t skip this step.  It is not optional.

And last of all – Snatching someone off the street and forcibly baptizing them has no effect at all on that person’s status with God. Baptism must be a conscious act of obedience to God, not to man. Similarly, infant Baptism, though a beautiful ritual, means absolutely nothing in a spiritual sense. That child must reach her or his own age of accountability and then consciously choose repentance and faith followed by Baptism.

7.    Remembering Christ’s Sacrifice – Communion

Believers in Jesus Christ will always want to remember the sacrifice he made for us through faithful participation in Communion.  The Communion service doesn’t save us, but it tells the world that we are saved! Jesus clearly said in Luke 22:19, “…Do this in remembrance of me.”  He did not say, “only if you think of it and if you feel like it and if it is the 5th Sunday of the month.”  Communion is the commemoration of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross for anyone who will accept him by and through faith.  Sadly, it is often neglected by the Church at large but let’s be clear, it is a basic commandment from Jesus Christ – Luke 22:19-20 – And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.  Why do we take the broken bread and fruit of the vine?  So that we never forget the sacrifice our Lord, Jesus Christ, made on our behalf.  And this part of our service can be traced directly back in an unbroken line to the very moment when Jesus Christ broke the bread and told ALL of his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.”  Communion is not a casual observance.  We must approach it reverently with a humble spirit and examine our lives in a sincere manner because Communion reminds us that Jesus Christ gave all he had, including his life, to purchase our souls.

Basics of Christianity

These 7 Fundamentals form the core beliefs of Christianity.  We are imperfect creatures born into a Fallen World.  We rely entirely upon God’s Grace.  We must act and Repent of our sins.  We must place our Faith in Jesus Christ alone.  We must Confess Jesus before the world.  We must immediately and willingly be Baptized as our very first act of obedience.  We remember and memorialize our Lord’s sacrifice through participation in Communion.  

And these 7 Fundamental elements came from the first and greatest self-help book ever written – the Bible.  Once this foundation is laid, everything else the Bible teaches will stand firmly upon it.

Additional Notes on the Basics

Fallen World – 2 Peter 1:4, 1 Corinthians 15:50, Romans 5:13-15

Grace – 1 Thessalonians 2:16-17, Romans 3:23-24

Repentance – Mark 1:14-15, Acts 17:30, Acts 3:18-19

Faith – 1 John 5:3-4, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:23-25

Confession of Faith – Luke 12:8, Romans 10:8-10,

Baptism – Romans 6:3, Acts 10:48, Galatians 3:27, Acts 2:37-38

Communion – Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

[1] Good – Greek word is καλὸν (Kalon) which means – attractively good; good that inspires (motivates) others to embrace what is lovely. (Strong’s Greek Concordance)

Who is it that overcomes?

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 (ESV)


Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)


Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:5 (ESV)


Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-38 (ESV)

A Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Isn’t it interesting that Peter writes of a new birth into a Living Hope! 

To understand the significance of this phrase, Living Hope – and where it comes from – let’s think about the source of the phrase.  The source is the Holy Spirit working through the Apostle Peter.

Peter was an educated fisherman.  By educated we mean that he could read, write, add and subtract.  He was not what we would call a college graduate today.  He had the same basic education that all Hebrew children received so we can think of him as a High School graduate.   He caught fish, weighed them, counted them, sold them and then reinvested his profit in boats and equipment.  In other words, he was a businessman.  Peter was not a scribe and he was not a Pharisee or Sadducee.  He didn’t have time for polite company because he worked for a living and he worked hard.  Today we would describe him as “rough around the edges.”

Peter is the very essence of what, today, we would call a blue-collar worker – he was smart, he was hard working and he had a no-nonsense attitude.  

Peter jumped to defend Jesus the night he was arrested and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.  He was direct speaking, quick tempered and also quick to see the error of his way and repent. 

He was not always known as Peter.  His original name was Simon bar-Jonah.  Jesus gave him the name, Peter (The Rock) and told him that he would build his Church on that rock and the gates of hell would not prevail against it![1]

Who is Peter?

But what about his personality, his life experiences?  We all know that our life experiences mold us and make us so what experiences did Peter have that made him who he was?  Let’s review some of Peter’s life and see what made him tick.

We know he was married.  We can guess that he liked his mother-in-law because she lived with him (Matthew 8:14-15).  We know that he didn’t like liars and cheats (Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:1-10).  We know that he was quick to defend his friends (John 18:10).

It was Peter who was rescued from prison by an angel and when the Sanhedrin found the cell doors still locked and the guards standing outside but no prisoners inside, they were completely mystified.  While they were scratching their heads in puzzlement someone came in and told them that Peter and the disciples were preaching in the Temple.  Instead of hiding, Peter was boldly preaching and teaching the Gospel.  He did not run away, he did not cower, he did not quake from fear – he followed God’s instructions and stood in the Temple square preaching and teaching the good news about Jesus Christ.  And when they were brought before the Sanhedrin again it was Peter who looked them straight in the eye and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”[2]

Peter – Honest to the core!

In spite of Peter’s impetuousness, in spite of his willingness to jump into the middle of a fight, in spite of his all too human flaws.  (Which one of us does not have any flaws?)  In spite of all that, there is one quality Peter had that we could all use more of – he was honest to his core. He spoke his mind and heart with sometimes brutally direct honesty.  He was painfully direct when he spoke to Ananias and Saphira![3]  If ministers spoke to straying parishioners like that today they would be out of a job in under 15 minutes!  And Peter also spoke directly and bluntly to thousands of people during his sermon on the Day of Pentecost.  He looked straight at the assembled crowd, summed up the prophecies and history of Jesus Christ and then boldly told them they had murdered the Messiah.  He didn’t hold back.  His words were like a direct punch to the jaw of the surrounding crowd. And the crowd was stunned!  They asked what they must do.[4]  Peter’s directness and honesty probably did insult or embarrass people occasionally but his directness also – while being guided by the Holy Spirit – lead to the immediate salvation of 3,000 people on the Day of Pentecost.  And there can be little doubt that some of those very people had been standing in Pilate’s courtyard that infamous night screaming “Crucify Him!” as Pilate lifted his arm to point toward Jesus and say, “Behold, the man.”[5]

The Living Hope

If there is one witness to it all, one disciple, one apostle whom we can trust to be brutally honest and tell us exactly what he saw with his own eyes it is Peter.  And it was Peter who said “he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”  And that is the true meaning of a Living Hope!  Jesus Christ is alive!

Here we see this brutally honest man assuring us that we have a Living Hope because he saw and spoke to the resurrected Jesus Christ!  

The hope of humanity cannot be found in a movie star, a news anchor, a Prime Minister, a congressman, a congresswoman, a member of parlaiment or in the ravings of a mentally ill “philosopher” and his equally unsettled heirs.[6]   The hope of humanity is found in the words of a plainspoken fishermen who shared a meal with a resurrected and living Jesus Christ.[7]   

Jesus Christ is alive!

[1] Matthew 16:13-18

[2] Acts 5:17-29

[3] Acts 5:1-10

[4] Acts 2:36-38

[5] John 19:1-15 – Ecce Homo!  This phrase was usurped by Nietzsche who used it as the title of his autobiography.  This is curiously reminiscent of Carl Jung’s description of a Messiah Complex.

[6] Frederick Nietzsche suffered from manic-depressive illness with periodic bouts of outright psychosis.  Curiously, some still feel drawn to the ravings of this madman who persuaded himself that he could kill God with his words.  One point in his favor was his acknowledgement that without God there would be no coherent sense of objective truth.  But he failed to apprehend or acknowledge humanity’s inability to fill such a hypothetical moral vacuum.

[7] Luke 24:36-43

M. Andrews

Longinus

John 19:28-37

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Ever hear of a man named Longinus?  He is like King Arthur – he is based very loosely on a few short historical references and the legends around him continue to grow.  But unlike King Arthur, there is no doubt that Longinus was a real person – he is referred to several times in the Bible. 

The Bible doesn’t name him but by 300 AD or so the Centurion who stood watch with his soldiers at Jesus’ crucifixion had come to be called Longinus.  That name appears to be the Latinized form of the Greek word Lonche which means Lance or Spear.  But truth be told, very little is actually known about him other than a few short references from the Bible.  But plenty of legends have sprung up about him.

One legend says that Longinus is a tragic old man who still walks the earth because the blood and water from the spear-wound on Jesus side made him immortal – but not eternally young.  Another story from around 400 A.D. says that God imprisoned him in a cave to be eaten alive by a bear and then to be resurrected each night to endure it all again the next day and every day afterwards until the end of the ages.  

Probably the most reasonable story is that Longinus became a Christian after his experience at the Cross.  This one I can almost believe. In fact, many people do believe this one because today the Catholic Church reveres Longinus as a Saint.

Let’s look at the facts.  Let’s forget about Saints, indulgences, bear caves and eternally old men.  Let’s just state what we do know about this centurion and the situation he found himself in that day.

Longinus is not his name but since his real name was never mentioned in the Bible, Longinus will do for now.

Longinus stood watch at the cross while Jesus hung there.  Longinus saw Jesus die after saying “It is finished.”  Longinus said “Surely this man was innocent” as reported in Luke and he also said “Surely this was the Son of God” as reported in Matthew and Mark.   Some people are bothered by the slight differences in these accounts.  Truthfully, if you have ever had to interview witnesses to a crime or an event then you already know what happened – no two witnesses are ever standing in exactly the same spot and details always vary among them.  More often than not, it is the sum of those accounts that represents the full story – in other words, Longinus made both statements and different people heard each one separately.  

And now let’s get to the key element of this account – the spear wound in Jesus’ side – Did Longinus spear Jesus on the Cross?  None of the 4 Gospels in the Bible say for certain who it was – just a soldier. However, there is a 5th account of this event in the Bible and it tells very clearly who speared Jesus? 

According to the account of the crucifixion found in Isaiah Chapter 53, we speared Jesus on the Cross.  “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:5 

Ultimately we are the cause of the death of Jesus Christ.

The Romans were the vehicle by which Jesus was crucified.  And the Sanhedrin with their utterly corrupt and power hungry leaders became the catalyst that opened the door to God’s wrath against our sins and our transgressions.  But ultimately it may as well have been each one of us standing in Pilate’s courtyard screaming “Crucify him!”  It may as well have been us driving the nails into his hands and feet. It may as well have been us who pushed the thorny crown down onto his head.  In that regard, we are all guilty.

The 53rd chapter of Isaiah was written about 800 years before the birth of Christ and it is remarkably precise in every detail.  Jesus himself acknowledged that it referred to him when he quoted a verse from it in Luke 22:37. And here’s the thing about Isaiah 53:  It is perfectly clear on the matter of who is to blame – we are. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.”  But even in that indictment from the highest authority there is still hope.  Even though we have been found guilty by the highest court in the universe, we still have hope.

1 Peter 2:24 in the NIV says “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.“

Peter is paraphrasing and quoting part of the passage from Isaiah that we just read.  And Peter reveals that there is hope when he said, “…so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”  What Peter is telling each and every Christians is that once upon a time we sat on death row waiting for the executioner to make his rounds but through Jesus Christ we have been pardoned.  “By his wounds we have been healed.”

So, who is Longinus?  If we put aside every myth and every legend about him then it becomes painfully apparent that in our own way each of us is Longinus.  Each and every one of us played our part in driving the spear into Jesus’ heart.  

Many in the Catholic Church believe that Longinus saw Jesus alive again and became a Christian.  I, too, want to believe that. But, no one knows for certain that he did or did not. So, rather than have a pointless debate that will settle nothing let me leave you with a much more important and meaningful question: Has the part of you that helped drive the spear into Jesus Christ’s heart seen him alive again through eyes of faith and become a Christian?  

Moments in Time

There are moments in time that change the course of a life or even the course of history. Those moments are the sum of countless decisions made by countless people that intersect perfectly and in such a way that when we look back on them we clearly see the hand of God. God sometimes works through nature, decisions, circumstance and what, at times, appears to us to be purely random events. And when he works, the results are undeniably miraculous.

Eochaid Dallan Forgaill was born in 530 a.d. In Old Ireland. This was a time of great turmoil for both Ireland and Europe. Viking thieves and pirates regularly pillaged outlying villages and murdered any who stood in their way. Those who couldn’t escape or weren’t murdered were captured and sold as slaves to any who would buy them. It was a time of great hardship and terror for everyone including Christians. Forgaill spoke a Celtic dialect but applied himself and became a Latin scholar. Upon his conversion to Christianity he decided to become a monk and serve God for the rest of his life. Dallan, his middle name, was more of a nickname. In the Celtic dialect he spoke his name means “the little blind man.” He acquired this nickname when he lost his eyesight somewhere around 550 A.D. Being blind is never easy but during those times it was almost a death sentence. Life was unforgiving for those who could see and even more difficult for those who could not.

Yet, despite the great difficulties he faced, he turned his attention toward God and became well known among his peers as a poet and a scholar. One of his poems, titled Rop tú mo baile became one of the most popular old Irish poems of the time. Mary E. Byrne translated it to English in 1905 and Eleanor Hull converted it to verse form in 1912. In 1919 it was added to the Irish Church Hymnal as a song and has been with us in one form or another for almost 1500 years. The little blind man lived in a terrifying and desperate age and he wrote these words:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Here was someone who had every reason to despair but because of his faith he created a poem that is still quoted and sang almost 1500 years later. Sadly, he was murdered by Viking pirates when they raided his village. But the words of his Faith live on. His entire life was little more than a candle-flicker in time but the moment that was his brings joy to our hearts to this very day!

Finding God’s Will for Christians

So how do I determine God’s will – his goals – for my life? Do I draw lots or consult a prophet? How do you determine God’s will for your life? What is my goal, what is your goal? Fortunately, it isn’t that difficult to learn God’s will for each of us. In fact, we turn to the Holy Spirit. And no, I’m not talking about listening for a voice in the back of our minds or waiting for a feeling in the back of our hearts although that might happen from time to time. I’m talking about listening to what the Holy Spirit has already said.

Read more here: https://keepingwatch.life/discovering-gods-will-for-christians/

The Way, The Journey

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Greek word, ὁδός – odos, can be translated as journey, highway, road, path or trail.  The Way implies so many things:  A road or highway has a specific direction, a definite destination and a definite starting point.  Jesus’ use of that term opens the door to a depth of meaning that simply cannot be conveyed by any other word.

Jesus is The Way and The Journey.