- Mar 9, 2021
- 63
- 45
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Baptist
- Marital Status
- Married
Matthew 7:24, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock”
Isaiah 28:16, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed”
__________
Sometime ago while visiting the town in West Virginia where I grew up as a boy, I wanted to take a look at the house where I lived and the old neighborhood to see if it had changed any over the past 35 years. The house that I lived in was still there; however, the woods where I played had become a four lane Interstate highway. Many of the houses and buildings were no longer there and some were still standing just as straight as they had some 35 years ago. They were still standing because of a solid foundation that was constructed with good materials.
Having a solid foundation is essential in building anything that is meant to last. If the foundation isn’t solid, the superstructure that it is built upon, regardless of its sturdy appearance, will over time crumble and eventually come down. The apostle Paul used the metaphor of a building to warn us that we who have made Jesus Christ the foundation of our faith can still build a poor superstructure. We do this when we use materials like “wood, hay, straw,” which can’t stand the fire test. These combustibles represent wrong doctrines, careless behavior; every thought and deed that is false, impure, or worthless. If we build with these qualities, our lives will accomplish little of eternal value.
The Bible speaks of our lives as buildings (2 Corinthians. 5:1) and describes for us the kind of foundation upon which our life must be built. Thus, our life will be different if we use gold, silver, and precious stones! These valuable elements stand for materials of a lasting quality. Our life is a process of building, and for it to weather the storms, it must be built on a solid foundation. My beloved, Jesus Christ is that solid foundation (I Corinthians 3:11).
I read some time ago that a wealthy man employed his brother-in-law to build him a house. He explained that he and his family intended to travel to Europe for the summer. While there, he wanted this dream house built. The brother in-law agreed and set to work. As the building progressed, he decided to cut corners here and there by using inferior materials wherever he could cover them up.
After all, the rich man would never know the difference. In time the summer ended and the house was completed. The wealthy man returned home. Immediately he was taken out to the building site to look over the new house. After examining it carefully and admiring its elegance at some length, he said to the builder: “I’ll tell you, it’s lovely. In fact, you have done such a marvelous job that I’m just going to give it to you.” You can imagine the dejected feeling of the brother-in-law when he knew that inferior workmanship as well as inferior materials had gone into the house.
__________
Closing thoughts:
Foundations are paramount in regards to solid growth. You wouldn’t try to build a skyscraper without first preparing the foundation and making sure you were on solid ground? And if the quality of the building is poorly constructed, the devastation is the greatest. We all know that weak buildings don’t survive very well during an earthquake, and so it is in our spiritual life. Many people do well when their life is going well; however, when the storms of difficulty crash upon them they begin to fall apart.
Why? Because their life is built upon a weak foundation of their own human abilities. As long as their problems aren’t greater than their own ability to cope with them, all is well, on the surface, but when the problems grow larger than their own inner strength, they crumble. Thus, without a solid foundation they cannot cope with the seismic shocks of life. So, how is your foundation and what materials are you building it with?
(1) Are you building it with wood, hay, and straw?
(2) Or, are you building it with gold, silver, and precious stones?
__________
My friend, once you have trusted Jesus as Savior, you have the right foundation. But then you must build the superstructure of your life with the right materials!
Isaiah 28:16, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed”
__________
Sometime ago while visiting the town in West Virginia where I grew up as a boy, I wanted to take a look at the house where I lived and the old neighborhood to see if it had changed any over the past 35 years. The house that I lived in was still there; however, the woods where I played had become a four lane Interstate highway. Many of the houses and buildings were no longer there and some were still standing just as straight as they had some 35 years ago. They were still standing because of a solid foundation that was constructed with good materials.
Having a solid foundation is essential in building anything that is meant to last. If the foundation isn’t solid, the superstructure that it is built upon, regardless of its sturdy appearance, will over time crumble and eventually come down. The apostle Paul used the metaphor of a building to warn us that we who have made Jesus Christ the foundation of our faith can still build a poor superstructure. We do this when we use materials like “wood, hay, straw,” which can’t stand the fire test. These combustibles represent wrong doctrines, careless behavior; every thought and deed that is false, impure, or worthless. If we build with these qualities, our lives will accomplish little of eternal value.
The Bible speaks of our lives as buildings (2 Corinthians. 5:1) and describes for us the kind of foundation upon which our life must be built. Thus, our life will be different if we use gold, silver, and precious stones! These valuable elements stand for materials of a lasting quality. Our life is a process of building, and for it to weather the storms, it must be built on a solid foundation. My beloved, Jesus Christ is that solid foundation (I Corinthians 3:11).
I read some time ago that a wealthy man employed his brother-in-law to build him a house. He explained that he and his family intended to travel to Europe for the summer. While there, he wanted this dream house built. The brother in-law agreed and set to work. As the building progressed, he decided to cut corners here and there by using inferior materials wherever he could cover them up.
After all, the rich man would never know the difference. In time the summer ended and the house was completed. The wealthy man returned home. Immediately he was taken out to the building site to look over the new house. After examining it carefully and admiring its elegance at some length, he said to the builder: “I’ll tell you, it’s lovely. In fact, you have done such a marvelous job that I’m just going to give it to you.” You can imagine the dejected feeling of the brother-in-law when he knew that inferior workmanship as well as inferior materials had gone into the house.
__________
Closing thoughts:
Foundations are paramount in regards to solid growth. You wouldn’t try to build a skyscraper without first preparing the foundation and making sure you were on solid ground? And if the quality of the building is poorly constructed, the devastation is the greatest. We all know that weak buildings don’t survive very well during an earthquake, and so it is in our spiritual life. Many people do well when their life is going well; however, when the storms of difficulty crash upon them they begin to fall apart.
Why? Because their life is built upon a weak foundation of their own human abilities. As long as their problems aren’t greater than their own ability to cope with them, all is well, on the surface, but when the problems grow larger than their own inner strength, they crumble. Thus, without a solid foundation they cannot cope with the seismic shocks of life. So, how is your foundation and what materials are you building it with?
(1) Are you building it with wood, hay, and straw?
(2) Or, are you building it with gold, silver, and precious stones?
__________
My friend, once you have trusted Jesus as Savior, you have the right foundation. But then you must build the superstructure of your life with the right materials!
