Having strong foundations are important. The foundations of a home need to be deep and strong so that when the wind blows and the earth shifts the strong foundations will keep the home firmly planted in its place.
Nothing can move a house that is firmly planted. We are also called to be like a firmly planted house with deep and strong foundations in the Lord…
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” Matthew 7:24-27 (MSG)
We are called to strengthen ourselves in the Lord so that we will not be swayed by the storms of life but I love how The Message translation makes it so practical, “but if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach”.
We study the idea of having strong foundations in the Lord all the time and talk about them a lot but they mean nothing until we actually work them into our lives.
My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 (MSG)
We have been spending a lot of time building our strong foundations, we are deeply rooted in Him, we know our way around our faith and now we just need to do what we have been taught. We need to start living it.
And I am not just talking about living it out when the storms come in our life, I am talking about living out Gods word each and every day.
We have a foundation that because of what Jesus did for us, we are forgiven and free from the power of the enemy in our lives, so we no longer need to live with feelings of shame or condemnation. But, even though we know this, shame still creeps in on us all the time.
We have a foundation that Jesus came to give us an abundant life, He hears us and He responds to all of our prayers. But, even though we know this, we still worry and become anxious over our lives that we will not have enough and that we are struggling all alone.
We have strong foundations. Now we really need to start working these into our everyday lives. Ask the Lord to help you in this area, ask Him to show you what it is you need to work on first and just begin living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Marieka Lake 