“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25
Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
Foundations are vital in every area of our lives, physically, emotionally and spiritually. If a physically healthy person is in an accident, they typically can recover much more quickly than someone who was not in good health.
It is the same spiritually. When we go through trying times, as many have over the past few years, the foundation of our spiritual lives is what determines if the spiritual house we built stands or falls.
The foundation we are to build upon is Jesus Christ. He is the only sure rock. We may be tempted to build upon other good things, even spiritual things that come from the Lord, such as spiritual gifts, revival, anointed ministry and the like. As God-given and beautiful as these are, they are not foundational material. It would be like using windows as the flooring in your house. Glass is excellent as windows, but not as flooring. We build with these things, but not upon them.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Acts 20:32
The phrase “build you up” in this context means to renovate, repair or make like new. Although our houses may stand through the storms of life, there may be a need for repairs and fixing up after it is over.
A few years ago our church suffered through the untimely death of several loved members. Our hearts were grief stricken. Toward the end of that time, the roof of our church building almost collapsed on the congregation during worship on a Sunday morning. It felt like one final crushing blow to a disastrous season in the life of our church.
I went home that day wondering if we would even survive as a congregation, but we did. The church stood the test of the storm, but we needed a time of being renovated and repaired. We needed God and the word of His grace to build us up, renew our hearts and re-envision us for our spiritual inheritance and that is what He did.
There will always be a time after we have suffered in trials for healing, restoration and being made ready for a new season of kingdom expansion and building. That is what God has been doing in the last few years.
Now, God has called us to look to build upward like never before. Don’t be reluctant. Now is a time to consider your foundation because it’s vital to support the new things God will build into your lives.
Don’t let your stressful and disappointing past determine your future. Let your glorious future determine your present.
Many Blessings, BW