"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2Corinthians 4:16-18
Luke 6:46-49
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” I love driving down a secluded country road or hiking a hidden trail; discovering the unexpected pond or meadow or cabin is my definition of adventure. Very often I stumble on what remains of a homestead or a farmhouse from another century. The wood is gone; the structure itself is long since forgotten. Except, there is the foundation, a mass of stone or concrete refusing to decay. In every generation the foundation marks a building project beginning well; it is a foundation that allows the builder to move forward with confidence. The foundation remains generations later, as a witness to everyone that stumbles upon it. The psalmist asks the question, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Well established foundations cannot easily be destroyed. The question makes me consider the foundations people build their lives upon. Not all material is a solid platform for building. Yet, all material that I build upon will be challenged. The weight of my life, over time, will test the integrity of my foundation. What will be revealed when the veneer crumbles and the foundation is revealed? Am I building my life on things that cannot stand? Bank accounts and investments easily crumble, even for the righteous. Health vaporizes either now or later. Social order and provision are a fading mirage. How many,… so many lives are built on these disintegrating materials. Is my life built on these or some other decaying base? Will the foundations I build upon support this framework …my life? One author uses the “Foundational Question.” He claims this question will cut to the essence of every conversation and situation. The “Foundational Question”: WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT? This is the question Jesus is posing to His disciples, to you and to me. What do you really want? Do you really want to follow me? Jesus did not speak in secretive, hidden or esoteric words. “Love one another.” “As you have done it unto the least of these you have unto me.” “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” The Master lays a shovel at our feet and dares us to dig down deep to the bedrock. The Jesus way is the way of the builder, giving meticulous attention to the foundation. “Jesus said” is the only material worthy of my faith. This is what I really want; I want to know the Jesus Christ of the New Testament; I want to build my life on the things He actually taught. I don’t want His words after they’ve gone through the filter of man-made ideologies and philosophies. I want to build my life on the only foundation that will stand – Jesus Christ!
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AuthorTim Young is a follower of Jesus Christ. He is married to Sue and is the father of 4 children and 11 grandchildren. Beyond his faith and family Tim is passionate about hiking, backpacking and fitness. He lives in Southwest Missouri in the Ozarks. Archives
January 2020
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