Lay the foundation before you build the walls

Last week, I came one step closer to the end of my construction woes. I had to revisit all of the difficulties and errors that I encountered with the original construction company. So, when I came across this passage this morning, it really hit home. ..

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.” Matthew 7: 24 (The Message)

Several times, the comment was made that it would have been easier and less expensive to tear down my entire house and start from scratch than to complete the addition. Partly because there were so many errors made in the new construction, and partly because we were simply adding a new addition to an old house.

Many times we add on to our Christian life. We add a Bible study or add quiet time in the morning. We add these great things without altering an already damaged and old lifestyle. That’s not what God wants from us. He’s not an ‘addition’ – He’s a foundation. As your ride through your neighborhood looking at houses, you can tell which has an ‘addition’ and what was part of the original structure. Similarly, others can tell when we have a Christian ‘addition’ rather than the entire ‘structure’ because our actions might not be equally representative of Christ in every aspect of our life.

So, how do we get to the foundation?

Picture in your mind your life as if it were a ‘blueprint’. You have the ‘job room’ and the ‘church room’. You might have a ‘kids room’ or a ‘family room’. You have all of these parts of your life that make up who you are. You aren’t just a ‘mother’ or ‘father’ or ‘employee’ or ‘boss’. All of these ‘rooms’ come together to make up your whole life. If one of them is on a weaker foundation than the others, the entire structure becomes unstable.

So, let’s start with a ‘room’ – let’s say the ‘job room’. Ask yourself … Do I have God in this room of my life? Do I treat my coworkers and customers in a Godly way? Do I complete tasks to the best of my ability the way Jesus would? How can I make God a priority in this part of my life? Build this room on the foundation of God.

Let’s look at the ‘church room’. Ask yourself … Am I attending church to become closer to God or has it become something to check off on my to-do list? Am I involved in ministries that I am passionate about and pleasing to God? How can I let others know that God is a priority in my life rather than having a ‘church addition’? Build this room on the foundation of God.

Once you’ve rebuilt your life with God as the foundation, He can flow through all aspects of your life. You are no longer meeting God in the addition of your life – but truly making Him the foundation of your life. That is a very good thing!