14 Hear, O my people, all of you;
open your ears, and listen to me!
Should I not plead with you for your children,
should I not weep bitterly for those in the ranks of Israel?
My heart is struck down within me;
my hope was fragmented in my great anguish.
15 Will I let myself be moved away from these, my children?
Let my soul not hate these, my other children?
This is to me like the shah, like one who lets a bow loose,
like the arrows on his own children’s faces.
If my head were not like an ivory tower,
and my face not a shield,
Micah 7:14-16 (NET)
What are you building your life upon?
It seems that every year more and more “ancient” Christian traditions come under fire. Some have been exposed as historically fabrications or plainly not what they claimed to be. Other traditions which were once considered believable now seem ridiculous, stupid, unbelievable, or just simply wrong. And then there are traditions that were believed in but turned out to actually harm people.
I don’t think that any of us want to construct our lives on something that is historically incorrect, harmful to ourselves or others, or foolish. So I believe it is important for us Christians today to make sure that we do not base our lives on things that were popular in earlier times but are no longer legitimate sources of belief or tradition. We should not only know what we believe, but why we believe it, and why it is acceptable to believe. But are all Christian traditions coming under fire just because someone wants to start something new? Is it just new ideas versus old ideas? Or might there be something even deeper going on here?
This article will look at the real reason why we should question, examine, and even disavow Christian traditions that we hold dear. By examining what the prophet Micah says about where we build our lives, we will see that if we are doing all of this work to find a replacement or reformation of Christianity, maybe we can take a step back and take a deep look into whether we actually believe what we say we do. The prophet Micah serves as a guide for us as he describes a time when all seemed to be lost. He writes about a time when society, the church, and even God’s own people had become corrupt. If we look at the story of God’s people and how they transformed after Christ’s resurrection, we can learn some powerful lessons about what happens when we are too focused on the way things were done rather than the way it needs to be done.
The prophet Micah wrote during an ancient time when Israel had turned away from God because their kings had strayed from God’s truth. Because of this, Israel was punished through oppression by Assyria (for a summary of this time period, read How To Avoid The Trap Of Legalism And Inflexibility). Amidst Israel’s despair, Micah 6:3-7 shows us what God expects: humility and repentance. He asks Israel, “Will I let myself be moved away from these, my children? Let my soul not hate these, my other children?” While Israel had once tried to build up their city with chariots and horses, they had to realize that they needed God to rebuild them. In times like those, we need to understand where our true strength lies – in the Lord.
We shouldn’t be so stubborn in our ways of belief. Our stubbornness is causing us to miss the point. God will always be there for us, no matter how far away from him we get. As Christians, we are never lost. No matter what happens, you may feel separated from God, but you will never truly be abandoned by him. It takes time to reach out to him, but it is possible! Despite the end times nearing, we still have hope. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Regardless of how bad it may seem right now, there is still something better in store for each of us Christians in the near future.
As Christians, we should evaluate whether our lives are built on a strong foundation of God or on a weak foundation. The answer may determine your eternal fate in Heaven or Hell. Building our entire lives around a foundation of trust in God is the only way to truly experience peace. Without God, everything else will fall apart because it cannot sustain itself without Him. God is like the cornerstone on which all other stones are laid. However, without Him, we risk everything that makes life worth living – faith, hope, love, joy etc. The whole world could collapse within seconds if it weren’t for God holding it all together. One day, when you are faced with judgment day, it will be revealed that everything that supported your life was built on a house of cards. The only solid foundation that you have is Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must build all of our llives on the foundation of God because it is the only thing that will last forever. The book of Ecclesiastes teaches that all things in this world are fleeting. But your relationship with God will outlast you. That alone should serve as motivation enough to strengthen your faith and build it upon a proper foundation for your life – one that has Jesus as its center point and foundation.