Our strong foundation

Do you know what the single most important part of a house is? Some might say the roof is the most important part as it seals the structure from rain water that can intrude into the supporting framework causing dry-rot. Others will point out the value of using copper water pipes instead of iron or plastic pipe which can rust or deteriorate in the sun. Some believe using better house wrap along with thicker insulation in the attic, under the floor and in the walls helps to keep the inside temperature steady. To many women the most important part of a house is found in the cosmetic appearance of cabinets, countertops and lighting. However, to the men and women who design and build houses the single most important element of a building is its foundation. 

Any structural engineer or building designer will tell you that the integrity of a building rests solely on its foundation.  The foundation is what the building is anchored and bolted to. Making the decision to build on the wrong foundation is a recipe for disaster. Every year we watch as heavy winds, rain and flood waters rip incorrectly attached houses off their foundations depositing the debris along the storm path.

Today engineers calculate and design the right foundation before building commences. During the first step contractors excavate trenches, install steel rebar and pour concrete into them. The concrete covers and encases the strong steel skeleton forming a solid footing that is keyed into the earth. If the wrong concrete or steel is used in the wrong proportions then when the storms come the building will not be able to withstand nature’s forces and disaster results.

Jesus Christ is our foundation and everything we build here, that edifies God’s eternal kingdom, will remain standing on the solid rock footing which is Jesus Christ.

“For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.  According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.  If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1Corinthians 3:9-17.

As Christians or followers of Jesus Christ we are to be imitators of Him. We are to obey our Master and live our lives in a way that pleases Him. In the passage above our salvation is assured as we abide in or stay fastened to our foundation which is Jesus Christ! If we remain attached, bolted and connected to the Lord through prayer, reading the bible and fellowship with other believers then we will be ready when the storms of life come raining down upon us.

We can’t lay another foundation which is built on our works, our goodness or our intellect, no we must stay fastened to the only foundation that God has provided in his only Son. God offers salvation to the whole world that they might choose to become part of His building.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 

Just as our homes’ foundation is constructed by encasing steel rebar and anchor bolts inside of concrete, our own bodies become filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer and He is a seal upon them; a guarantee of an inheritance to eternal glory with God. 

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.”