Foundations Matter
A few years ago, when our home was under construction, I became fascinated with the building process. I would drive by the site almost every day to see what had changed or what had been added. My concern wasn’t the speed of the build but the process itself. I love to watch things being put together. I am the kid that woke up early to watch PBS building shows on Saturday mornings when my sister wanted to watch cartoons. It’s how I am wired. Anyway, one of the elements of the build that was so fascinating to me was the foundation. The first thing the builder did was to dig the footings. Next, block masons came in and laid the block necessary for your home. This was followed by backfilling, plumbing and finally the pouring of the concrete foundation. Each step in the process was important. The rest of the build and integrity of the home depended on how well that foundation was built. The fact is that foundations really do matter. They are essential to building a family’s home. Even more importantly, they are critical to the building of a marriage, a life, a society and even a church. Currently, our world is experiencing the results of some bad foundations. The headlines that have bombarded our newspapers and social media feeds lately make this abundantly clear. From scandals within the church to the tragic loss of life at our nation’s schools, it is clear what happens when we build something on the wrong foundation. Jesus addressed this subject in His famous sermon from Matthew’s gospel. He taught the following in Matthew 7:24-27… 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Jesus words here reveal the importance of a foundation. He began by sharing the two foundations that are set before all of us. We can build our lives on the sinking sand of this world, or we can build our lives on the rock of Christ Jesus. Then He reveals why foundations matter. Foundations matter because storms come. Jesus taught His disciples that no matter what they build their lives upon they will face storms. However, the difference comes in how well the house stands the storm. Until the storm came, the houses He mentioned probably looked quite the same. The storm revealed the foundational issues. In our society and even in our individual lives’ storms have the same effect. They reveal what is beneath the surface. Due to a report release from the Executive Committee of the SBC, Southern Baptists are finding out there are some foundational issues in our denomination. The headlines that have hit about children being murdered in places where they should be safe and educated reveal even more foundational issues in our culture. When we individually face trials and suffering, the foundational issues in our own lives become very clear as well. As we together think about the things that are happening in our world and our own lives, I want to encourage us to think about our foundations. What sort of foundation are we building our lives upon? Are we building upon Christ or the pursuits of this world? What sort of foundation are we building our church upon? Are we building upon the Kingdom of Christ or our own agendas? What are we doing to build our society upon Christ? Are we voting and acting to fulfill our vision of society or God’s? I know we all have a lot on our minds as we think about things both personally and globally. However, I want to encourage us all to take the time to ask, “What am I building upon?” Remember, foundations really do matter. They matter because storms are coming, and some are already here.