The Foundation Is Important :: By Nathele Graham
I’ve never built a house, but I do have a good idea of what’s involved. The process of building begins with a proper foundation. If the ground is uneven, that can cause problems. The foundation of the house is what determines the sturdiness of the entire building. If you cut corners on the foundation, it won’t be long until you begin to see cracks in the walls and weakness in the floor. Then, when a storm comes, chances are good that the building will fall.
Life has that same principle. A person can seem to have everything to build a happy life, but if the foundation upon which their life is built is worldly, the foundation is weak and will collapse. Jesus gave us a firm foundation that will last eternally, but it seems that even Christians tend to ignore His words. The Sermon on the Mount is a good place to start building. The lessons taught in that sermon will help to make the foundation solid and firm. He began that sermon by describing how our attitude should be.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:3-12).
These are the Beatitudes. What a lovely world we would live in if everyone followed these attitudes of meekness and holiness.
The sermon goes on to encourage us to be firm in our faith. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets but didn’t come to destroy them. That means we need to be sure we understand the entire Old Testament to know what Jesus fulfilled. Today, we are not under Jewish Law, but the way of life that Jesus lived and described in the Sermon on the Mount is very relevant to life today. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the commandments are very important.
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).
We all need to be aware of what is being taught from the pulpit and stop the false idea that if a preacher or a pope says something, it must be right. Embracing worldly ideas is not the way to honor God.
A pastor where I once lived was a very personable man with a family. One day, he decided to divorce his wife because he and the church secretary were having an affair, and he decided he loved his secretary more than he loved his wife. Of course, the secretary had a husband and children, so two families were destroyed. What was he teaching from the pulpit? What example of a Christian life was he showing to the whole town? Certainly, he didn’t stand firm on God’s word. Sadly, many preachers are embracing sin and even inviting homosexual cross-dressers to teach in front of the congregation. The Holy Spirit is not allowed into those congregations, and Jesus is mocked.
Jesus says that we need to control our thoughts and be sure we represent Him well. The Ten Commandments are a good start to building a firm foundation, but we need to be sure we keep building.
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosover shall kill shall be in danger of judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22).
Have you ever been angry with someone? I have. I can justify my anger, but Jesus tells us that we need to control our angry thoughts. He didn’t stop with anger but went on to talk about committing adultery. It isn’t just an action but a thought.
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
God does not take sin lightly, and we need to try to be more like Him. Grace is a wonderful blessing to those of us who are born-again believers in Christ, but that grace isn’t a license to live sinfully.
Jesus goes on to give more attitudes we need to nurture, such as speaking honestly and directly, not taking revenge upon people who have done you wrong, not divorcing over trivial matters, and loving our enemies. These are all tough words to live up to, but when we determine to follow Christ, we need to live accordingly.
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
I know I fall far short of the perfection of God. I am so thankful for Jesus shedding His blood on the cross as the final sacrifice for sin.
It’s so easy to be led astray and get tangled up in this sinful world. You may start your day in prayer and reading Scripture. This is a very good habit. Then you turn on the television and get upset by watching the morning news. Then you get into your car to drive to work. Do you turn on Christian music to listen to as you head out on your commute, or do you listen to heavy metal music, rap, or any number of other songs that promote drugs, violence, and sexual promiscuity? If you do, the prayer and Bible reading will have been set aside, and you’ve stepped into a worldly attitude. The anger inside you gets triggered the first time someone cuts you off in traffic, and by the time you get to the office, the attitudes that Jesus taught have been replaced by the attitudes of the ruler of this world.
Satan will jump at any chance to draw you away from being meek or being a peacemaker. Gossip in the workplace replaces prayer and supplication for others. Jesus taught us how to pray. He said not to just repeat a prayer over and over but start by acknowledging God. Don’t just keep praying for blessings on yourself, more money, and more possessions. Remember, God is holy, and He is to be worshipped.
“After this manner therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9).
Notice, there’s no praise or veneration of Mary or any saint. Only God.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
When God sets up His kingdom on earth, He will require obedience to His will, so you should start practicing His will now.
“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
We should trust God to provide for our daily needs. Just like the Israelites gathered manna to fill their needs daily, so we should pray for our daily needs for food, shelter, and clothing.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
It’s oh so easy to accept God’s forgiveness for the wrongs we do to Him but hard to forgive the people who wrong us.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13).
God won’t lead us into temptation, neither should we follow our own lusts into temptation. The foundation upon which we need to build our life is God and His truth. Keep your thoughts on eternal life in Heaven.
We must all be careful to turn our attention away from the things that distract us from our walk with Christ.
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23).
Jesus is the Light of the World, but Satan is darkness. What light do you let into your thoughts? Most entertainment promotes the things of darkness, so when you switch on the television or radio, be sure you’re not letting Satan’s darkness into your mind. Even the commercials work on your mind. They are designed to encourage you to buy things you don’t really need. Fancy clothes, a shiny new car, unhealthy food. God provides for our needs, and it is His kingdom we need to seek after.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
As we seek after things of God, we are building our life on a firm and solid foundation.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).
Life will always have storms. Our health is very fragile, but if the foundation of your life is firmly set on God’s truth, the storm of a health crisis won’t overwhelm you. Financial problems can also be hard to deal with. If you are seeking the kingdom of God, then you can relax and let Him carry you through the storm. The storms you face in life are quite often a result of choices you’ve made. Do you spend your money on frivolous wants rather than being a good steward and buying things you need? Do you help support your church or other ministries, or do you buy things on a whim that you regret later? God provides for our needs and is a firm foundation.
Jesus is our Rock.
“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:26-27).
Be sure your choices in life are based on Scripture. God honors a one-man/one-woman marriage, so don’t listen to the whisperings of Satan; don’t cheat on your spouse, and don’t embrace “one-night stands” or same-sex relationships. If you do, when the storms come and you’ve built your life on the wiles of the devil, your house will fall. You will have built on the sand instead of on the Rock.
The people listening to Jesus speak were very blessed by His words, and we can be blessed, too, if we take His words seriously.
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29).
Jesus does have authority. He created this world and all that’s in it. The Creator knows His creation better than anybody. We need to trust Him and be sure that we choose the firm foundation built on the Rock of Jesus Christ rather than following satanic lies and building on the sand. The foundation is important.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
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