‘Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.’ (vv111–112) Psalm 119:105–112
The earliest mention of Farnham is in a 688 charter when Cædwalla, King of Wessex, gave land to two or three monks for a monastery. This became a ‘mother’ church for the area and recent work has revealed a small church under St Andrew’s parish church.
Today, as I look from the house over to the ruins of the first Cistercian monastery, I’m reminded of the deposit of faith-filled prayer and practice upon which our mission of living every day with Jesus and helping others is built.
St Benedict, in his Rule of 516; described monastic life as a school of learning for life. We continue that heritage today with our commitment to encourage people both to discover God for the first time and to deepen their Christian understanding and service.
Everything we have is built on the deposit of faith invested by those who have gone before us. It stands as testimony to our faithful God and a stimulus for each of us to continue to ‘run the race’ in realizing our Christian call (Heb. 12:1).
Scripture is God’s story of His faithfulness, as well as His guide to living the God-life today. It’s why we encourage everyone to read Scripture daily. For just as our physical bodies need food, so our spirit needs to feed on God’s Word. Learning to live God’s way is our primary purpose in life.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Eccl. 9:11–18; Isa. 40:18–31; 1 Cor. 9:19–27; 2 Tim. 4:1–8.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Read the stories of women and men of faith who have gone before us and discover how you might invest your life in serving God.
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, thank You that Your love endures forever. Help me to leave a deposit of faith for future generations. Amen.’
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