Are you Puffed Up or Built Up?
Do you know what foundation your faith is built upon?
In this episode, I talk about knowing and building upon a firm foundation in Jesus Christ.
In the fire department, for a promotional exam we have to study a building construction book. The book talks about the 5 different types of building construction. They range from a Heavy timber down to a light-weight frame (basic home frame). One type that I remember studying about was the membrane structure. This type of building is nothing more that a cloth type material that is inflated with positive pressure air to keep the structure up while keeping you protected from the elements and weather; but once the air is stopped, the structure deflates much like a bounce house.
Same with you faith.
What is it built on?
Is it built on the Word of God or just on the next fad or wind of doctrine that you like and makes you feel good, but doesn't truly build your faith?
In Luke 6:48-49, Jesus tell the parable of the wise man, who builds his house upon the rock, and the foolish man, who builds his house on the sand.
A high rise building must have a deep foundation to be able to hold the weight and forces that will come against the building and can be several stories large below the surface of the ground. We also need to have a deep foundation in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 talks about the wise master builder and the foundation that will last the test of time.
In the building construction book, it tells that a concrete foundation takes up to 28 days to properly cure and set. If not, then you will have cracks, air bubbles, air pockets and unlevel floors. If this isn't corrected early on then you will have bigger issues later on as the building settles.
This is where older Christians feel that they need to step in after a new convert gets up from the alter and they want to tell them what they need to change or fix in their lives before God and the Holy Spirit can work in their lives.
We see that with any building the first stone that is set in place will determine how the rest of the construction can go. This is called the cornerstone.
Acts 4:11 and Psalms 118:22 tell us the Jesus is that chief cornerstone in our lives and faith.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa started being built in 1173 A.D. and in 1178 the builder realized that the building had started leaning after only building the first 3 floors. This was due to the soft ground that consisted of clay, fine sand and shell. Over the next several hundreds of years the shifting soil has destabilized the foundation of the tower.
The builder even tried to compensate with the remaining floors to prevent it from leaning more, but to no avail. It has continued to lean even with the builder taking extra precautions to maintain the center of gravity.
So, how do you build a FIRM foundation on Jesus in you life?
Here are 4 steps to help you.
1. F- Faith (scriptures for reference: Matthew 16:17-18; Hebrews 11:1-3; Ephesians 2:8)
2. I- Inspiration (II Timothy 3:16-17)
3. R- Read God's Word (Deuteronomy 17:19; Psalms 119:11,16; Jeremiah 36:6; Mark 12:10; Ephesians 3:4)
4. M- Meditate on God's Word( Psalms 1:2, Psalms 119:15; Psalms 119:148; Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17; I Timothy 4:15-16
Songs that I remember hearing when I was young and in Children's church that we use to sing were "Kids Under Construction- maybe the paint is still wet" and "He's still working on me".
Isn't that how we feel at time that God is still working on us like a fixer upper or a refurbished home, but that is how it is once you are saved. You are no longer that old sinful person but a new creation in C
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