Christ: The Foundation
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. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
As Christians we want to grow; we want to grow stronger and more knowledgeable. We learn and teach; we receive and share. It is a good thing to build one another up. There are many things that we can work on in an attempt to grow. We might work on our courage, our ability to speak out, our ability to sing to the Lord, and/or our reading habits for the bible, among other things.
Whatever way we are trying to grow in, we need to ensure that we remain atop the proper foundation. Our foundation needs to be firm and solid or else the work we do and the building we have accomplished will amount to nothing. Without a good foundation we will crumble and fall.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:24-27
Of course, that solid foundation - that rock - is Jesus Christ! That is the only foundation that we can build on and remain steadfast. Only by remaining in Christ and keeping Him as our foundation can we endure through the trials and tests.
All the works and building, the word and deeds, that we do must be in Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17).
-- John Thrower Jr.