BUILDING ON A FIRM FOUNDATION

“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are… God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 3:9-11 NIV)

When a building is designed, a foundation to match the structure is also designed. A grass hut needs no foundation, a modest house a basic foundation, and a large complex a deep and wide foundation.

In the case of our lives, God has already prepared the foundation that we are to build on. Our foundation in Jesus Christ is deep and wide. We must build our lives accordingly. No grass huts on this massive foundation. Our lives must be vast complexes that both reach up to God and out to our neighbors. 

We are co-workers in God's grand design, His hands and heart on earth. Just as an architect plans a building, our actions and decisions shape the spiritual structures within us and around us. Paul reminds us that Jesus Christ is the only true foundation upon which we should build our lives. Each moment, each decision is a brick in the edifice of our faith. Let us build with care, ensuring our efforts are anchored in Christ's teachings and love.

May God guide our hands and hearts as we contribute to building His kingdom. May we build our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, striving to reflect His grace and His wisdom in all we do and say.

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry 

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BUILDING ON THE ROCK

“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  (Matthew 27:24 ESV)

There are lots of competing ideas about what the good life entails. It might involve wealth, power, and sex, or, on the other hand, simplicity, family, and fidelity. The good life, from a Christian perspective, is one lived in harmony with God’s will. Jesus shows us which values lead us into keeping with God’s will, and which do not. If we trust in His teachings to guide our lives, we will learn that a life lived in keeping with God’s will is truly good. Jesus teaches this point using a parable about building a house on a rock or on sand (see Matthew 7:24-27).

Entrusting our lives to Jesus is like building upon a rock. Jesus’ teachings provide a sure foundation for our lives. He teaches us to deal compassionately with both friends and enemies. He teaches us to give of ourselves. He teaches us to be humble and, above all, to seek God in every aspect of our lives. Imagine a life well lived in this way. What a life of peace it would be! Imagine a world living in keeping with these teachings. What a different and wonderful world it would be! 

-- David Watson, in an article entitled “When Jesus Is Lord” from the book “A Firm Foundation” 

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THE CRITICAL DIFFERENCE

At the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told a quick story about two housebuilders. The one famously built his house on a foundation of rock, and the other infamously built his house on a foundation of sand. Terrible storms hit both houses. The former survived the assault, while the latter fell.

Two builders represented two different kinds of people. And the critical difference between them, according to Jesus, was in how they responded. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, “ while, on the other hand, “everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” (Matthew 7:24-27) The two people heard the same words, you see. The monumental difference in what became of them lay in how they responded to those words…

Graciously, the Lord initiates with us, and it is our calling to respond appropriately to what He is saying and doing. The question is what that response looks like for you and me today. 

-- David Kalas in “Reunion: A Bible Study for Churches Getting Back Together”

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THE PLACE GOD LIVES

“You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”  (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

If you are in Christ, then you are a part of that building. You have been fitted together with me and with the rest of the church. We are a building, and not just a building, but a temple.

You know what a temple is? It is a place where you go to meet God. It is a place where God abides.

We are the place God lives and moves in the world. He doesn’t want us to confine Him to one place like this church building and just worship and serve Him here. He wants us to keep Him on the move in the community, serving and meeting needs.

The gospel breaks down walls, unites people, and builds up a house where God dwells. 

-- Judith Hand in a sermon entitled “You Are God's House, God's Building”

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