My columns generally focus on geo-political topics impacting Israel and the Middle East as viewed from an American Christian perspective; one who has spent a considerable amount of time living in, as well as visiting, Israel. This article will be a bit different in that the content does not directly discuss political or social issues or conditions of the day but rather does address the underlying foundational composition upon which we all make decisions which then do have direct implications for the political and social climates of our communities, our countries and, indeed, every aspect of every life throughout the civilized world. I am talking about our core values; the springboard from which we, as individuals as well as corporate entities, form our ideas, make decisions and create policies which impact the world in which we live. For Jew and Christian alike, the Holy Scriptures are more than just texts written by religious people and given to us for memorization and rote recollection and recitation at the appropriate gathering or occasion. The Holy Scriptures are God's love letter to all of mankind; to all who will take the time to study His Word and allow the Words given from His heart to blend with our heart thus creating inside us new creatures who do not seek after the things of the flesh but rather after the things of the Spirit. In the paragraph above I've referred to the Holy Scriptures as God's love letter to mankind but it is much more than that. God has given us the rule book for life in which we can find answers to every situation we will ever encounter as we pass through this world. In reading my Bible and through my association with both Jews and Christians I have come to understand that,just as the Word of God says, we know God only in part as His ways are so much higher than our ways and his thoughts so much higher than our thoughts. Nevertheless, we have a duty and an obligation to be fully obedient to that which we do know until God decides we are ready to be taken off the milk of the Word replacing it with morsels of the meat of His Word (I use the word "morsels" as we should always be in a state of learning and through our studies gaining a deeper understanding realizing that we will not have full knowledge until that glorious day when we reach heaven). Herein lies several challenges. God does not replace the milk of His Word with the meat of His word at the same time for everyone. Again, Christians and Jews alike, are individually all at different levels of understanding which is why the Apostle Paul in the New Testament admonishes Christians to "prefer our brothers" meaning to place the sensitivities of others above our own making sure we do not offend but rather that we always strive to uplift and encourage others. To know what others consider offensive we must first come to know others and herein lies another major challenge; how do we take the first step? I say it begins with having a pure heart void of any hidden motives or agendas - personal or otherwise. At the same time God is calling Christians around the world to step out in support of Israel and the Jewish people, He is also calling out certain Jews instilling in them a willingness to accept the olive branch being offered by many Christians who, for all of history, have been anything but kind and loving toward our Jewish brothers and sisters; the very people God Himself calls Othe apple of His eye'- the true branch into which we Christians have been graciously grafted. The Bible talks about the need to have pure hearts and clean hands.' This is the first step we must take as we build relationships between Christians and Jews. There is much we can learn from one another thus making us both richer in knowledge and understanding. Once we have our hearts and our attitudes truly in line with God's Will, we must then go about cleaning house. By this I mean getting back to basics placing our trust wholly and completely on the Word of God and not on the doctrines of man. The Bible talks about having two choices for locations upon which to build our houses - sand or rock. If we build our foundations upon sand, when the storms come, our foundations will not withstand. The sand, which changes as the wind blows, represents the doctrines and ideas of man. The solid rock represents the pure Word of God upon which we should build our houses in order to withstand life's storms, trials and tribulations. That which we claim we believe must be that which we consistently strive to do. Our faith in God must be the very fabric with which our lives are tightly woven. What we do in public must match that which we do in private. In other words, what we do when we know people are watching must be the same as what we do when we believe no one is watching. Behaviors which we believe we are performing in private are the true measure and essence of our character. It is not enough to say we know G-d. Even Satan and his demons know G-d. Our relationship with the Almighty must be personal and familial. After all the Bible talks about us being part of the family of G-d and further tells us that it is our responsibility to work and live in this world as ambassadors for the Most High. Our belief must be genuine and it must be reflected consistently in our words and in our deeds. Earl Cox, International Christian Broadcaster, known as 'the voice of Israel to the world.' He is also the founder of Israel Always Previous entries: a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/Page/IndexParMult&cid=1153292050574" target="_blank">Surviving a Kassam bomb blast a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236269355288&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull" target="_blank">Formula for disaster a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304699810&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull" target="_blank">UN bias against Israel Good News? Who's kidding who? Time is of the essence Who Would be the Best Next President of the United States? Why All The Optimism? Experience or Orator? Israel once again blamed for "Grim Conditions" in Gaza Understanding the Islamic mindset What if there were no Israel? The Land is shared in death, why not in life as well? Some Christians Still Hate Israel Palestinians. The Next Generation Who Founded Israel the U.N. or God? Didn't they used to hang traitors? Who would be the best US President for Israel? How will God handle the present-day Persian Haman? Faith or Consequences Is oil more important than Israel? Fighting Fair - What the Media Doesn't Tell You Israel rejects US report on Iran Has God abandoned Israel? Did someone say 'peace'? No Palestinian State Alternate reality Relations between Israel's Jews and Christians improving Do the Palestinians deserve their own state

Israel Always: Back to Basics

A common name for an uncommon subject.