In the area of the country where I have lived for many years, there are frequent advertisements for foundation repair. Much of the soil in this area is clay, and it tends to crack and shift over time. This produces structural damage to the buildings themselves. Sometimes this damage is minor, and sometimes it is severe, but no structure can be more solid and substantial than the foundation upon which it is built.
When the foundation of a building shifts, portions of the building also shift. Sometimes this is revealed by hairline cracks in the walls or ceiling. Other times, if the shift is greater, the floors may noticeably slope, and doors may be difficult to open and close. The problems caused by a flawed foundation are many, and can be quite serious.
This does not only hold true for homes and other buildings. It holds true for our lives! What is the foundation upon which your life is built? Is it solid? Can it be counted upon never to crack? We have known and loved many whose lives have shifted dramatically—and in some cases have even collapsed. How can you ensure that such a thing never happens to you?
Jesus of Nazareth grew up learning the building trade from His stepfather, Joseph. He was very familiar with how to build a strong, substantial structure. From time to time during His ministry, Jesus used analogies from the building trade in His parables. One familiar example is found in Matthew 7:24–27, where He described two men building homes on very different foundations. One built upon sand, while the other built upon a rock. At first, both houses looked fine. But when a severe storm came, one house withstood it, while the other collapsed. Christ used this parable to teach us that a life built upon a solid foundation is based upon obedience to His teachings. Obedience to God is the only way to withstand life’s storms.
The Bible makes clear that Jesus Christ is to be our foundation. He is the Rock upon which the Church itself is built (cf. Matthew 16:18). This means that the true Church will practice and teach what Christ Himself practiced and taught. Moreover, He should be the personal foundation upon which we each build our life. But what exactly does this mean, and how can we put this into practice?
Writing to the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul emphasized that he preached “Christ crucified,” which seemed foolishness to the Greeks and was a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:22–23). The Jews were looking for a miraculous sign from heaven, while the Greeks wanted everything to be logical and to make sense. The Jews stumbled at the thought of a Messiah who suffered and died, because they were expecting a Messiah who would produce “shock and awe” among the Gentiles. To the Greeks, a suffering Savior simply did not make sense. They did not see the logic of it. They all had their own expectations, and God’s divine plan did not meet their preconceived ideas.
Paul’s message had an emphasis very different than what these groups were anticipating. He explained that he had “determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The entire focus of Paul’s message was Jesus Christ—not simply the person of Christ, but also the example and the message of Christ! Paul told the Corinthians: “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9–11).
The Apostle Paul stressed that Jesus Christ must be the foundation upon which everything else is built. Is He the foundation of your life? How can you be sure? If He is not, then whatever you build will ultimately crack and crumble because there can be no other sure foundation. Remember, Jesus Himself explained that to build upon the Rock meant not only to listen to what He taught, but also to put it into practice in our lives (Matthew 7:24). What, then, does a life built upon Jesus Christ look like? How can we have one?
A Surrendered Life
First and foremost, a life built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ will be a surrendered life. No life built upon self-will can truly be a spiritual success. Jesus emphasized to His listeners: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).
Perhaps the hardest task for any of us is to give up our self-will. Humanly, we all want our own way! Fear often stands in the way of our relying on God instead of self, because we are not exactly sure what God has in mind. As a result, we seek to protect the self from what we perceive to be hurt or loss.
Jesus compared many of the religious leaders of His day to little children playing in the marketplace. They were quite frustrated, first with John the Baptist and later with Jesus Himself, because neither would dance to their tune (cf. Matthew 11:16–19). Though John was the first direct prophet of God to come on the scene in four centuries, and Jesus was the Messiah Himself, neither conformed to the religious leaders’ expectations. As a result, most religious leaders rejected God’s true servants. The religious leaders of Christ’s day were not utterly surrendered to God’s will; they wanted things done their own way.
Perhaps the most powerful story illustrating surrender is the account of Jesus Christ praying to the Father just before His arrest and subsequent crucifixion. The horror of what lay directly in front of Him seemed overwhelming, as He and the disciples arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane soon after finishing their Passover meal. Christ went to a secluded spot a little way beyond the disciples, and poured out His heart in agonizing prayer to the Father. Praying with such intensity that He even sweated blood, Jesus cried out to the Father to “let this cup pass from Me” if there were any other way to accomplish God’s plan. “Nevertheless,” He declared, “not My will but your will be done” (cf. Matthew 26:36–39, KJV). Jesus Christ completely surrendered all vestiges of self-will, and sought God’s will unconditionally. A life that is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ can only be a surrendered life!
A Consecrated Life
To “consecrate” means to separate for divine service. Consecration was a concept often employed in the Old Testament to describe something that belonged to God or was dedicated to Him. Offerings, tithes and even the tribe of Levi were described as “consecrated,” or dedicated to God and to His use. When Israel first entered the Promised Land, the entire city of Jericho—representing the firstfruits of Israel’s conquest—was dedicated to God. This was a very serious matter. When Achan secretly took some gold and some articles of clothing, it brought God’s curse upon the entire nation, because Achan was taking for his personal use what God had claimed for Himself.
Jesus Christ regarded His life as totally dedicated to God. John 4 tells of Jesus and His disciples traveling from Judea to Galilee, and stopping in Samaria on their way. While the disciples went on into town to buy food, Jesus waited by the well. By the time the disciples had returned, a crowd had begun to gather around Jesus, who was explaining God’s plan and purpose. Anxious to start their meal, the disciples urged Jesus to eat. “I have food to eat that you know nothing about,” Jesus told them. Puzzled as to where he had obtained this food, the disciples began to discuss the matter among themselves. Realizing that they had missed His meaning, Jesus explained further: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
For the disciples, life generally revolved around physical matters. Jesus Christ, however, lived His life to please the Father, and to complete the spiritual work He had been given to do. His life was totally dedicated to God and His service. Therefore, a life built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ must be a consecrated life.
What does that mean specifically for us? Christ certainly carried out the normal responsibilities of daily life. He pursued an education as a young person (Luke 2:52), worked as a builder before the beginning of His ministry (Mark 6:3) and found time to attend social occasions (John 2:1–2). Yet for all of that, from a very early age He was deeply conscious of the need to be about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). Jesus Christ put first His fulfillment of God’s purpose for Him.
A Life of Humility
Pride is a common human failing. As a young man, Benjamin Franklin began a project with the aim of achieving moral perfection. He had a very straightforward plan: he made a list of virtues that he wanted to imbue into his character, then proceeded to work on them one at a time! He planned that after he had made a habit out of one, he would proceed to the next, until he had finally achieved his whole list. Franklin had more trouble with some virtues than with others, and eventually realized the impossibility of his task. The virtue that he found most challenging was humility. Finally, he declared in frustration: “I am afraid that if I ever became truly humble, then I would be proud of it.”
Clearly, humility is not something that comes naturally. Yet on the other hand, the Bible plainly declares: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). If there was ever anyone who was entitled to feel pride, it was certainly Jesus of Nazareth. Yet Jesus declared in Matthew 11:29: “I am meek and lowly in heart” (KJV). Why was that? It was because Jesus was completely focused on the Father rather than on Himself. He readily admitted that of Himself He could do nothing, and that it was the Father who did the works (John 5:30; 14:10). Real humility flows from seeing ourselves in comparison to God and His greatness. Pride comes from a self-absorbed approach to life, and often includes illusions of self-sufficiency. A life built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ will be a life of humility.
A Life of Service
Jesus Christ often talked about the Kingdom of God. His disciples understood that He was talking about a literal kingdom, and that they would someday inherit positions of rulership in that Kingdom. However, their concept of what it meant to be a ruler was greatly colored by the example of the government leaders they saw in the Roman Empire of their day. From time to time, they had arguments about which disciple would be the greatest in that coming Kingdom. Jesus wanted them to understand that true greatness was not based upon having others serve them, but rather upon each of them living a life of service to others. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant,” Jesus explained (Matthew 23:11).
On the night of their final Passover together, Jesus shocked His disciples. After they were seated at the table for their meal, He arose from dinner, laid aside His outer coat, took a towel and a pan of water and began to wash the disciples’ feet. This was a task of lowly service, usually reserved for the lowest-ranking servant in the household. As He finished, and prepared to return to the table, Jesus asked His disciples: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:12–15). Jesus Christ taught that a life well lived ought to be a life of serving others. This is the very opposite of the self-centered life that represents the natural, carnal approach. If we build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, we will not live a life of selfish indulgence, but rather a life of service to others.
A Life of Love
Self-indulgence and pride flow from the fact that most people are in love with themselves. It comes naturally to be concerned with ourselves. In fact, even when people do things for others, it is possible for them to have a variety of motives. Even acts of self-sacrifice can sometimes be motivated by a desire to exalt the self. Notice what the Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 13:1–3: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I… understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith… And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” Doing the “loving” thing without true love profits us “nothing!”
Why is love so important? God is building a family, and healthy families have healthy relationships. Every healthy family has its relationships based upon love. Our relationships with one another, and with God Himself, must be based upon true love. This was the underlying foundation of everything that Jesus Christ did. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Not only was love the basis of why Christ did what He did, it was also to be the defining characteristic of His true followers: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.… By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). A life built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ will be a life based upon love for God and love for others.
An Obedient Life
One of the fundamental characteristics of real love toward God is obedience to His commandments. As the Apostle John explained in 1 John 5:2–3: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” Simply put, if obedience is not based upon love, it will not last! The Pharisees prided themselves upon their obedience to God’s law, but their obedience quickly collapsed when they felt personally threatened by Christ’s ministry (cf. John 11:47–48). They became accomplices to bribing false witnesses, and even contrived to bring about the death of someone who was totally innocent. These acts involved direct disobedience to the Ten Commandments, but that did not stand in their way. Their obedience could not be maintained under stress.
Jesus Christ lived a life of total obedience to the Father. He kept His Father’s commandments (John 15:10), and instructed His disciples to follow His example. Contrary to the teachings of mainstream Christianity, Christ made plain that He did not come to do away with the law, but rather to fill its meaning up to the full (Matthew 5:17). Acknowledging Jesus Christ as our Lord involves living a life of obedience (Matthew 7:21). To build our lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ means that we will practice obedience to God’s commandments as a way of life.
A Life of Faith
Not only is love necessary for healthy family relationships, but so also is trust. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). If we do not trust God completely, we will not obey Him unconditionally and in every circumstance. We will sometimes take life into our own hands, and seek to solve things our own way. By contrast, the family of God will be able to dwell together in peace and harmony for eternity, because everyone in the family will trust the Father. Members of His family will believe His word, and be prepared to follow whatever He instructs.
Real faith flows from a deep personal relationship with God—from truly knowing Him. Jesus Christ came to reveal the Father, and to make Him knowable. He completely trusted the Father in all circumstances, and said that the disciples could as well (John 16:26–27). Right after the transfiguration on the mount, an event took place that gave Jesus Christ an opportunity to teach His disciples more about faith. Shortly after He had arrived from the mountain, a man came to Him with a child deeply in need of healing. This man had already gone to the disciples, who had been unable to help. The man begged Jesus to help, if He could, and to have compassion. “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief’” (Mark 9:23–24). Christ healed the child. Later, the disciples came to Jesus and asked why they had been unable to work such a miracle themselves. Christ explained to them that prayer and fasting was the key to such miracle-working faith (vv. 28–29).
Jesus walked and talked with the Father all the time. Because He continually nurtured that relationship, it was always fresh and intimate. Flowing from that relationship came a faith and confidence that never wavered or doubted. To the extent that you and I pursue the same kind of relationship, we can have the same kind of faith. If we build our lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, then faith will be a vital part of that foundation.
Other than the foundation of Jesus Christ, there is no other foundation upon which we can build that will never shift or crack. He is the only sure foundation of our lives. We need to make sure that we are building on Him in every way.