Foundations Series
This past Wednesday night at large group, Jason kicked off our “Foundations” series. As Jason humorously illustrated in his story about building a storage unit, a lot of work goes into building a structure. There is more to it than just walls, doors, and a roof. In fact, it’s the very thing you can’t see that matters the most. Perhaps you’ve already figured out what that oh-so-important thing is… the foundation. Two houses can look identical but if one has a strong foundation while the other doesn’t, when a storm comes, the house lacking the proper foundation will not handle the storm’s force well. The earthquake in Haiti a year ago is a very real example of this principle. Because many of the structures in Haiti had poor foundations, the damage wrought by the earthquake was amplified. Buildings not properly built or maintained were brought to the ground by the destructive quake.
So making the metaphor personal, we need to examine the foundations of our life (house). Let me ask you, upon what or whom is your life based and built? Do you make your decisions, large or small, based on a person or an idea? Perhaps on a dream or desire? The Bible explains that Jesus Christ is the only foundation that can support our house (life) when storms (difficult times) come… and the storms will come. Is it possible you experienced a storm just this week or maybe over Christmas break? When we base our decisions and actions on God and what He has spoken to us (through the Bible), we are promised that we will indeed make it through every difficult experience we face in life. Strong winds may beat against our house, rain and hail may pour down, but our house will continue standing because it was held secure and strong by its foundation.
The question we should be asking ourselves is, “What is my foundation? What or whom do I base my life upon?” The only answer that will guarantee security and success is the foundation of Jesus Christ. As you consider this, remember that in order to build a foundation, more is involved than just mentally acknowledging Jesus as your foundation; some hard work will be required. The Bible doesn’t leave us to wonder how to build, though. It gives us blueprints – we must hear God’s word and then do what it says (over and over for the rest of our lives). This is not always easy; in fact, not building on the foundation of Christ may initially be easier. But if something other than Jesus is your foundation, when the storm comes, your house will collapse and you’ll have to rebuild it (and rebuild it again and again with each successive storm). Why not go ahead and check and secure your foundations now? If you build well now, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits for the rest of your life.
-Kristen
>> For more on how to build your foundation on the person of Jesus Christ, come check out our Foundations series Wednesday nights at 7:30 in Hamilton 100.