“Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in Your truth; knit my heart to You that I may fear Your Name. (Psalm 86:11)
The “Name” is so important; Matthew 1:20-21 says, “But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’” And, Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
If you knit or crochet, you know that in order to make anything — from a simple scarf to intricately cabled socks — you need to create a foundation. You have to cast onto your knitting needles or make a chain with your crochet hook. While knitting and crochet can seem a bit magical to the uninitiated, the craft isn’t quite as “something from nothing” as it seems, and the same is true of our faith.
In order for us to follow Christ, we need someone to teach us our foundation, to talk about the way we should go. The Church, people of God, is built on the foundation of the Apostles’ and Prophets (Ephesians 2:19-20). This is the generational work of discipleship; we are to be disciples and make disciples. Like row upon row of stitches knit into a garment, we are joined to each other, relying on our common foundation of faith that links our hearts to God’s.
There is only One Church, which we profess faith in with the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, described in Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope at your calling — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” We always strive to work together as we can to bring the gospel to the whole world.
Ponderings: Who is helping build your foundation of faith? Send a note of thanksgiving or a prayer of praise for their encouraging work in you.
Prayer
Lord, You have blessed me with Your salvation, and given me abilities to work in Your kingdom. Give me the opportunity to pass these amazing gifts to people I meet, so they too can come to know Your love and mercy.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
