✝️ Building Altars: Marking God’s Faithfulness

`Good morning, my brothers! I don’t know about you, but as I get a bit older, my memory isn’t quite as sharp as it used to be. I don’t go anywhere without my old-school daily planner so I can write down key points from my day that I don’t want to forget. I’ve done this for years as well in my walk with Jesus. I call the practice “building altars”. Want to build them with me? Dig in below. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (5-min read):

🫡 DISCIPLINE Forget an in-law’s birthday? Awkward. Forget your anniversary? Awful. Forget God’s faithfulness? Fatal. So how can we keep ourselves from forgetting? We look to our Old Testament heroes for a proven solution.
📰  NEWS Can stepping and jumping keep us from falling? That, plus tips to improve your sleep and social health.
🎁 OFFER This week’s sponsor, 1440 News, is a free service that delivers the day’s headlines to keep you informed without driving you insane.

DISCIPLINE
Building Altars: Marking God’s Faithfulness

Throughout my house stand reminders of legacy and faithfulness. The family coat of arms hangs in my office. A grandfather clock from 1810, crafted when Madison was president, marks time as it has for four generations of Knecht men. Its steady presence in the foyer connects me to my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather - men who shaped our family’s path.

These aren’t mere decorations. Each item tells a story of providence and perseverance. Photos of parents, children, and grandchildren. Documents and mementos preserved from past generations. Even a few carefully chosen items from high school and my college days at Wake Forest (any Demon Deacons out there?). Each one marks a chapter in a larger story.

I’m not given to excessive sentimentality. But there’s profound value in surrounding ourselves with physical reminders of God’s faithfulness across generations. When challenges arise, these tangible markers remind me of His provision through every season.

I recognize that not everyone shares my experience of an encouraging family legacy. Your past may hold pain rather than comfort. But as believers in Christ, we share in something far greater - an eternal legacy and hope as sons of the Most High God. The Apostle Paul reminds us:

As men adopted into God's family, we inherit a legacy of faithfulness that stretches back before time began. We stand in a line of spiritual warriors and servants who marked God's mighty works with physical reminders - altars that would testify to future generations of His power and provision.

The Challenge of Remembrance

The immediate pressures of providing, protecting, and leading can overshadow the reality of who fights alongside us. We forget that the God who delivered David, sustained Moses, and raised Christ stands ready to strengthen us today.

Consider David, the warrior-king. After defeating Goliath, he didn’t simply celebrate and move on. Scripture tells us he took the giant's sword and kept it as a permanent reminder of God's deliverance. That weapon, displayed in his tent, stood as a physical testament to a spiritual truth: the Lord empowers His people to overcome impossible odds and gives us victory.

Throughout Scripture, men of faith built “altars of remembrance” such as David did at sites of divine intervention:

• Noah constructed an altar after the flood, marking God’s redemption and new beginning

• Abraham built altars where God revealed His promises, creating landmarks of covenant faith

• Moses raised an altar after victory over the Amalekites, commemorating God's power in battle

• Joshua commanded twelve stones be placed after crossing the Jordan, ensuring future generations would know of God’s mighty hand

The Altars We Build

The need to mark God's faithfulness in our lives and in our generation is just as important now as it was in David’s time, in Moses's time, in Abraham’s time or in any time. We build our “altars” today to remind of Who God is, His promises, His work in our lives.

These “altars” aren’t necessarily physical structures but could be pictures, journal writing, or anything that you and I can come back to remind us of Who our God is and His work in our lives.

Here are practical steps to build lasting “altars” of His work in our lives:

1. Record God's Character

• Document specific attributes of God revealed in Scripture

• Note how these attributes have been demonstrated in your life

• Write down the names of God which appear in Scripture

• Keep these readily accessible for times of doubt or challenge

2. Chronicle His Promises

• Create a dedicated space (journal, digital document, voice notes) for recording biblical promises

• Add personal testimonies of how God has fulfilled these promises in your experience

• Review and reflect on these regularly, especially in challenging seasons

3. Mark Milestones in Your Life

• Identify specific moments of God’s intervention or provision

• Consider creating physical markers (photos, objects, written accounts) to commemorate these times

• Share these stories with your family and friends, building a legacy of faith

4. Establish Regular Remembrance

• Set aside specific times to reflect on God’s faithfulness, praising and thanking Him

• Create traditions that help your family recognize and remember God’s work

• Use these moments to build faith in the next generation

Growth Work This Week

1. Build an altar. Choose one method above and implement it this week. Start small but start now.

2. Select one specific promise from Scripture that speaks to your current situation. Write it where you'll see it daily.

3. Identify one “altar moment” from your past year - a specific time when God showed His faithfulness. Document it in detail and share it with someone close to you.

4. Worship Through Remembrance Consider these powerful songs that focus on God's faithfulness:

   • Hulvey and Forest Frank “Altar”

     1. Listen on Apple Music

     2. Listen on Spotify

   • Elevation Worship “O Come to the Altar”

     1. Listen on Apple Music

     2. Listen on Spotify

Remember: Every altar in Scripture marked a moment when God proved faithful. We share in the same mortal frailty as those who went before us - the tendency to forget God’s provision in times of plenty and His power in times of need. Knowing this weakness, we mark the landscape of our lives with altars of remembrance, not just for ourselves but for those who follow in our footsteps.

Build your altars. Mark His faithfulness. Lead from a place of remembered grace.

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