The Foundation

Those Foundation Issues

There are several companies here in the Nashville area that specialize in correcting and repairing “foundation issues” on your home. I hear their advertisements on talk radio where they warn about cracks in your walls, concrete that has settled, windows and doors that won’t open right, etc.

They advise that “it is cheaper to fix it than it is to replace it.” Every time I hear one of the commercials, I think of several things the Bible tells us about “our foundations.”

The Foundation, a Question and Its Answers

The question is raised, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3). In its context, it seems to suggest that even the good, godly people are in trouble if the foundations of a society are abolished.

In several others passages (Luke 11:50; Heb. 4:3; 9:26; Rev. 13:8; 17:8) “the foundation of the world” is noted. In their contexts these references are looking back to the distant past “before,” “since” and “from” the foundations of the world were put in place at Creation.

Then we have that great passage which tells us,

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,

I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.

But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”—I Cor. 3:10, 11.

Among the teachings here we must acknowledge that getting the foundation of your life, the proper foundation, namely the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, is of utmost importance.

Finally, we should not forget the great assurance the Lord gives concerning Himself, His truth and His promises to us. Though men may fail us and fall into ‘error’ (II Tim. 2:18), “nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure” (vs. 19).

The Directive to Us Is Quite Clear

Yes, we have very clear instructions from the Lord. Our society may be crashing all about us, but the Lord will not fail us. We can be absolutely secure in all His promised words.

Every man has a choice about his foundations. Remember Jesus gave us the story about a man who built “his house upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24, 25) and a second man who built “his house upon the sand” (vss. 26, 27).

I sometimes refer to the two men as Rocky and Sandy. Jesus said Rocky was “a wise man” because of the foundation that he chose for his house. He said that Sandy was “a foolish man” because he made a poor choice for the foundation of his house.

With both of them, the bad weather came. “The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew.” Rocky did well, but Sandy was homeless after the storm blew through.

Is there even a question as to the direction you and I should take? If we give any thought at all to the matter, I believe the right course will be easy to find.

Nothing More Important Than How You Build

If you were building a skyscraper, your architect, your structural engineer and your contractor (not to mention all the bureaucratic inspectors) would demand that you pay attention to the foundations of such a monumental building.

But since most of us will never build a skyscraper, what if we build a house, a barn, a garage or even a tool shed? We would be sure on every such project that we had the proper foundation in place.

So let’s latch onto the wisdom of God and build like our friend Rocky did. Let’s be wise.

Specifically,

1. Let’s be sure we are saved (Acts 4:12; 16:30, 31; Eph. 2:8, 9).

2. Let’s “put off” the old life (Col. 3:5, 8, 9).

3. Let’s “put on” the “new man” (vss. 12–17).

4. Let’s “grow up…in all things” (Eph. 4:12–16).

5. Let’s ‘redeem the time’ (5:14–20).

6. Let’s give ourselves to “this ministry” (II Cor. 4:1–7).

7. Let’s keep “watch” for the Lord’s coming (Matt. 24:36, 42; 25:13).

With Our Foundations Set in Place

1. Let’s go to Sunday school Sunday morning (Heb. 10:25).

2. Let’s be in the Sunday morning, Sunday evening and midweek services (I Cor. 16:1, 2).

3. Let’s tithe (Matt. 23:23).

4. Let’s pray strong prayers (Heb. 4:16).

5. Let’s be faithful (I Cor. 4:2).

6. Let’s be a witness to others (Acts 1:8).

7. Let’s stand tall and true (Eph. 6:10–20).

Dear Friends,

I pray for wisdom and for strength for myself and for each person who reads my etchings here on this matter of foundations.

In these days when the history and heritage of our nation

are under vicious attack from both outside our country

and from inside our borders,

the urgency we face is increasing every single day.

If we see cracks in the foundation of our society (that includes our churches, the schools, the networks, the government, the sports venues, etc.), we need all hands on deck to deal with them.

We can’t pretend the crisis is some extremist conspiracy that is without merit. We must get the truth of the matter and deal with it.