To One And All
Growing up in a Baptist church setting I heard them sang this hymn for years before realizing anything about what it was saying.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name
I knew it was about Jesus, but the words “sweetest frame” always puzzled me. It seemed my head was always turned toward the “sweetest frame” whenever I walked out my front door hearing First Missionary Baptist Church sing as a young man. My hope was often found in the desire for a relationship greater than all other humans relationships. I wanted more than just having Church or Religion, But to whom would I ask for help in this search? When I sang the hymn I was loudly proclaiming that I needed GOD in my life, They, the Christian Community I was raised in would have me to believe in going to Church every Sunday and giving my little money my parents gave me to put in the offering plate LOL...
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Later I began to realize another meaning to “sweetest frame.” A frame is also a structure, like the frame of a house being built. I found it fun to walk through houses as they are being framed as a young child growing up. Where will the living room, kitchen, and bathroom be? Is that a bedroom or a dining room? Guessing what room is what and imagine what this house will be when it is completed were great fun for me in those days What are the hopes for my future occupant of the house? Maybe I will be a single man who is doing well in my first job hopes this will be the house where I will begin a family? Maybe a wife a living in an apartment hope this will be the house where we will expand our family? A lot of hopes go into this frame.
In our lives what are the frames in which we hope? There are physical frames such as a house. We hope for comfort and safety. There are political frames such as our American economy or even your own. We hope for growth and stability. There are financial frames such as 401k or Roth IRA. We hope for longevity and security. There are even religious frames. We hope in our sports team or we hope in our personal view of God.
The old definition of a frame that Mote used really means “an emotional state” - what we might know as a “frame of mind.” The word is related to frame in the sense of foundation. My frame of mind toward my physical, political, financial, relational or religious status could be great. It could be terrible. I may be emotionally either high or low. In my mind, I find emotional frames much like I find physical frames in our lives.
Now I have a new appreciation of the hymn that will help me as long as I am alive. I dare not trust the “sweetest frame” but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name. All these framed up houses (physical, political, relational, etc.) are not safe to lean my hope against. My hope must lean on Jesus Christ. Jesus is my hope for comfort, safety, growth, and stability. Jesus Christ is my hope for longevity and security. Jesus is my only hope for knowing GOD my heavenly Father. My relationship with Him is the relationship greater than All other relationships because when I set my hope on Christ all my other hopes will be met. He alone is the solid rock on which I stand because He is the Creator and Redeemer of the World. All other ground is sinking sand. All Religions is drops
In Him, of poison in Pure Water. So on Christ The Solid Rock which I stand, All other grounds and Religions in nothing But sinking sand. Amen.
We Are Leading All Believers And Souls To GOD Our Blessed Savior JESUS CHRIST.
Apostle James R Winfree Sr, Online Love Fellowship Jesus Christ Nations Media Ministries.
2 Corinthians 9:7
TTL.
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