In March 2013, the ground underneath a family’s home on Whidbey Island, Washington, turned loose, dropping the house 200 feet down the hillside toward the shore. Another 30 houses were considered too unstable for the residents to remain.
Yet, these houses had stood for decades. The scenery was beautiful, the neighbors knew each other, and there had been no cause for alarm. How did the situation change so suddenly?
There is a type of danger that runs deep beneath the facade of church, family, and home. When our footings become saturated with the trials of life, our Christian walk and our testimony in Christ can suddenly drop away beneath our feet, leaving us with nowhere to go but down.
God’s Word tells us about this danger, and it shows us how to avoid the pitfalls of an unstable foundation in our walk with him.
First, God reveals himself to us.
John 1:1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and all things were made by him, for without him was not anything made that was made.
This truth is the start of a deep foundation, one that reaches far beneath what we can see around us. If we begin here, then our faith will be built upon bedrock that never shifts or gives way in the storms of life.
Next, God gives us instructions on how to live in him.
Hebrews 6:1-20 tells us that once we have laid our foundation on the teachings of Christ, we should mature in the Word, minister to the Saints, and be diligent in good works. Then God will make us High Priests under the Eternal High Priest, who is Christ himself.
It is not enough to repeat the sinner’s prayer, then sit back and wait for the kingdom to come our way. Our strong foundation must be reinforced with studying the Word, helping other Christians, and by good actions in general. We must drive our foundations deep. Then we will be able to stand against the storms that life will undoubtedly bring our way.
Even as Jesus encourages us, he gives us a dire warning.
Matthew 7:24-27 warns us of what happens if we fail to heed God’s counsel. The story is about the rains and the floods. One house stood firm, and another fell to be no more.
What made the difference? The foundation for the first house was built upon the rock. While storms could lash it unmercifully, they could not bring it down. The second was built upon the sand, and while the scenery might be beautiful, and the going easy, the storms came, and there was no solid footing to keep the house from collapsing in upon itself.
Finally, we are given a way to know that our foundations are secure.
The old commandment in Leviticus 19:18 told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. However, Jesus let us know that the old yardstick was no longer enough, for he loved us unto death.
In John 13:35 he tells us, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you show love one for another.”
It is impossible to show this level of love without having received Christ as our savior, for this love is the foundation of the New Covenant.
When the storms of life soak the ground underneath us, our foundation in Jesus must be deeper, so that we can endure unto everlasting life in his name.
Copyright © 2013 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: C.28.13.vp