Luke 6: 48-49 “If you work (MY) words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.” (The Message)
The definition of the word foundation is: “A body or ground on which other parts rest or are overlaid, typically below the surface”. When a contractor starts to build a house they must first survey the land to find out what they are working with, then they will set a foundation in place. The more unstable the soil is, the deeper they dig to anchor the foundation. If this step is overlooked it will most likely result in huge cracks, shifting or complete destruction. Some of the issues with a weak foundation can be repaired, but it will be costly and time consuming. In most cases a weak foundation causes damage that cannot be reversed.
While the foundation of a home is obviously instrumental in how successful that home withstands the test of time, you have probably never been over to dinner at a friend’s house and complemented them on their impeccable foundation or driven by a house and thought “If I could only have their foundation my house would be rock solid”. Foundations get overlooked, stepped on and seriously under-appreciated. This same fact rings true in the lives of our marriages and families.
The culture of America today is to build first and worry about the foundation later. We have marriages built on infatuation and families started before marriage. We stand in the rubble scratching our heads and wondering WHY? It’s simple…the foundation must be established before the structure can withstand!
In looking to our model for marriage in the Garden of Eden, Adam had a perfect relationship with God. Nowhere does the Word state that Eve perfected Adam’s relationship with His creator. Eve was a gift to Adam to help him on Earth but before he received this gift, he was in right relationship with his eternal foundation. In order to build a strong marriage and strong family we must take the time to individually assess our personal relationship with God. The amazing thing about God (Our Master Builder) is that unlike human contractors, HE is able to reestablish a foundation underneath all our mess and prevent potential disaster from causing us to crumble; all we have to do is ask.
Prayer Points:
· THANK God for being our eternal foundation
· PRAISE God for each member of your family (call them out by name)
· ASK God to restore your foundation so that your family can withstand hardships
· DECLARE that everything you do today will be grounded in Christ
Pastor Don Gibson
No comments:
Post a Comment