Foundation

​Meditation
Luke 6:47,48-- I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep  and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built.

No doubt you have heard the parable of the wise and foolish builders.  I remember as a child singing the song “The wise man built his house upon the rock . . .” Most messages I have heard on this parable focus on the comparison between the two builders and the obvious need to build our foundation on Jesus the Rock. But what is often missed in the passage above is the first sentence.  To build a successful foundation one must apply three critical steps. 

First, we must come to Jesus.   Watchman Nee in his book, Spiritual Authority, wrote: "The acts of God issue from His throne, and His throne is established on His authority . . . Authority is a tremendous thing in the universe—nothing overshadows it. It is therefore imperative for us who desire to serve God to know the authority of God."

We disobey God’s authority if we don’t come to His Son.   Left to our own devices our sinful nature takes over and we immediately head to trouble.   Some of you are trying to live life on your terms, by your own strength.  It won’t work—the moment you leave or ignore Jesus you replace rock with sand and you should not be surprised when every wind of adversity and rain of testing blows you down and dampens your joy.  Jesus showed us what we should do by His own example.   In John 12:50, He said, “I know that His command is eternal life.  So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”  Jesus came to the Father; we are to come to Him.

Second, we must hear His words.  Jesus’ expectation is our disposition to value what He says.  Any good builder will tell us that if we want to put together a sound structure we must follow a blueprint.  God’s Word is our blueprint for building our lives in Him.  We know that He has the perfect plan the question is do we take it for granted and haphazardly pay attention or do we take it for granite and build a holy monument?   

Finally, we put God’s word into practice.  “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). Hearing is not the same thing as doing. Scripture finds meaning when we hear, read, study, memorize and reflect so as to apply its wisdom and nourishment. Jesus said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!” (Luke 11:28).  “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). When the floods come and torrents strike, you should be gratefully unshakeable . . . something to think about . . . in reveration.   
 
Inspiration
When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus?—Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest
What the world calls virtue, without Christ, is a name and a dream. The foundation of all human excellence must be laid deep in the blood of the Redeemer’s cross and in the power of his resurrection.—Frederick William Robertson(1816–1853)
Jesus is the foundation of my whole life. He is my strength.  If you have Jesus in your life, you know it, you feel it.  He’s the solid rock you can stand on every day. There’s no problem you can’t face if you have the love of Jesus to strengthen you.—Johnny Cash
The first foundation of righteousness undoubtedly is the worship of God.--Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 2 Chapter 8
Most people do not deliberately seek to build on a false or inferior foundation; instead, they just don’t think about their life’s purpose. Many people are headed for destruction, not out of stubbornness but out of thoughtlessness. Part of our responsibility as believers is to help others stop and think about where their lives are headed and to point out the consequences of ignoring Christ’s message.--The Handbook of Bible Application
 
©2005 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)