A nearly finished 13-story apartment building in Shanghai toppled over like a lone domino pushed by an invisible hand. An engineer on site said, “When we arrived on the scene, we were very shook up. In my 46 years of work, I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing.” When they investigated, the engineers discovered that excavators had undermined the building when they dug out dirt for an underground parking garage. Even the sturdiest of buildings needs a foundation in order to stand. So it is with us. We may build an impressive ministry for God, but we never grow so tall that we can afford to neglect our foundation. Indeed, the tallest buildings require the deepest foundations. With that said, our foundations are:
• Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11)—It’s good to serve in church, care for the poor, and follow current doctrinal discussions. But religious duties, social work, and theological knowledge are no substitute for knowing and loving Jesus.
• The Word of God (Ephesians 2:20)—It’s good to read Christian books, attend Christian concerts, and download sermons from our favorite preachers, but none of these should replace our diligent study of God’s Word.
• Obedience—Jesus said that a wise man builds his house upon a rock when he “listens to My teaching and follows it” (Matthew 7:24). It’s good to know the Word of God, but if we ignore His will and do what we want, we’re foolishly building our lives on sand. The higher we grow, the deeper we must go. The wider we branch out, trying new ministries and attempting great things for God, the more important our foundation becomes. Don’t coast on your reputation or past success. Your life will crash if you ever stop loving Jesus and obeying His Word.
More:
• Isaiah 28:16
• Luke 6:46-49
• 2 Timothy 2:19
Next:
Do you know and love Jesus more today than yesterday? Can you point to one example where you obeyed Him even when you didn’t want to? In what ways do you still need to submit your will to His?
R R Kelkar on June 24, 2010 at 2:24 am
There have been many great leaders and social reformers who have followed and led their followers on the path of Christ’s teachings but have fallen short of accepting Christ as their saviour. On the other hand, there are people who openly profess to be Christians but they do not appear to go by Christ’s teachings in their behaviour. Accepting Christ as a personal saviour and living by his teachings in public life together make the solid foundation of Christian living. But it is a tough job to lay such a foundation!
mysavinggrace on June 24, 2010 at 3:42 am
I was at church camp the other day and the speaker mentioned that a substantial percentage of Christians, though proficient in the Word, did not actually have a personal encounter with God. I am perhaps the other way around.. I admit that I do not know the Word very well (am still learning everyday) but I have experienced God, I have learnt to love Him and hear His voice (am still learning). But I honestly would not change a thing because I have been privileged enough to experienced the love of the True and Living God and will NEVER look somewhere else for refuge, wisdom and strength ever again. 🙂
*sings* I have decided to follow Jesus.. no turning back, no turning back!
jeinme10 on June 24, 2010 at 8:13 am
Good morning to all .
I greet u in the name of Jesus Christ! Thanks mike for this post “foundations”. This is my first comment although I’ve been following odj for a while. This post really touched me because I do feel that I have been coasting on my pass successes in the ministry. I have truly experienced the love of God in my life and I am pretty knowledgeable in the Word but I feel complacent, as if I’ve fallen into a valley, and my foundation is not growing or getting deeper . Pray for me and the ministry of God to be renewed the more in me.
fieldlily on June 24, 2010 at 9:57 am
Well said!
I battle with this struggle daily. I have a personal relationship with Jesus but I am constantly reminded that I need to seek Him daily, in prayer and in His Word, to confess sins and seek wisdom and strength to avoid sin and have courage to share His gospel. This year, from different sources, I have been encouraged to put on the whole armor of God. It has been encouraging to me to be more diligent, in my study of the Word, so that I am prepared in my outreach to others.
Thanks again for reminding me to have a strong foundation.
tony rodriguez on June 24, 2010 at 11:46 am
Beautiful informative post.
r. panahon on June 24, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Way back then we have this song in Sunday school which say’s “trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy with Jesus but to trust and obey”
It’s really true, only by trusting that our God is all knowing, all powerful, His sovereignty……… and diligently obeying His word we will be truly happy in this life.
mike wittmer on June 24, 2010 at 9:03 pm
jeinme10 and fieldlily:
Thank you for sharing your struggle. I wrote this because it’s my struggle also. I don’t think we ever outgrow our need to remember that we rely on Jesus and his Word. Because we’re sinners, we will always struggle with giving ourselves entirely to God. Thank God for forgiveness and patience and second chances for each time we fall.
hello on June 24, 2010 at 11:44 pm
hi, i would like to ask what it measn by personal encounter with God?in what occasion will be considered as encounter?does it means an experience of God?because I’m a bit confuse now. THanks and wish everyone will grow in Christ.
mike wittmer on June 26, 2010 at 10:49 am
hello:
By personal encounter we don’t mean that you can have a cup of coffee with Jesus, but that by his Spirit he speaks to us in his Word. We don’t read the Bible merely to learn facts about Jesus, but Jesus actually speaks to us there.
R R Kelkar on June 27, 2010 at 3:52 am
Well, Mike, why not? What about Revelation 3:20 ?
mike wittmer on June 28, 2010 at 7:40 am
R. R.:
I think that Rev. 3:20 is metaphorical. Jesus doesn’t physically knock on our heart’s door and enter if we let him in. Rev. 3:20 is true, just not in a physical way.