All of us have a certain level of confidence when things are going well. We feel secure in life, like things will always be as they are. This is almost never the case. Life is an ever-changing dynamic, and it doesn’t slow down just because we want it to. Like a river, it continues to roll with waves that can toss us back and forth if we’re not careful. The example of Jesus Christ is our life preserver. When our faith is firmly placed in God, we are anchored no matter how hard the winds blow or how high the waves may be. When we’re in God through Jesus Christ and obeying His Word, we will not be “as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind”, as James 1:6(NLT) suggests. Instead, Jesus Christ tells us in Luke 6:47-48 that we will be like a person that lays a foundation on a solid rock; when the floods rise, it’s stands firm because it is well built. This is the strong foundation God gives us through His love and Word. It’s the kind of life we should all want, because it allows us to be a blessing of God’s strength, love, and power to others and to ourselves.
3John 1:2(NLT) says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” This is God’s Will for every person. He wants us to be in good health, and He wants our souls to prosper and be well nourished with His Word. Many people have allowed the world to convince them that God doesn’t want them to have a good life. They have been taught to believe that God punishes them and causes them to have troubles continually, but this isn’t the truth. 1John 4:16-18 (NASB20) tells us, “16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
Our Heavenly Father is love, and there is no fear in the love that comes from Him and is lavished on us. Without a doubt, God deserves and requires our reverence and respect, but He doesn’t want us to walk around afraid that He might punish us. Love drives out fear, and fear is punishment, so God’s love drives out punishment. Loving God and receiving His love means that we live in the liberty He offers us through Jesus Christ! Ephesians 1:3 tells us that He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places because of our union with Christ. John 10:10 says that He’s made a more than abundant life available to us through Jesus Christ. So, the work of God in Christ has made us complete, and we can live in this completeness every day of our lives. Our Heavenly Father is a loving God, and this is His Will for us, to bless us in every way as we anchor our lives in Him.
God is our sure foundation because His Word is true, and it never fails. We can count on His to be faithful to His Word, because He delivers on His promises. Sadly, society today doesn’t honor and reverence God or His Word. They do not recognize Him in the way He deserves, and they have neglected Him. Some of this has spread to the hearts and minds of believers as well. There are many that claim to be Christian, but they don’t love God’s Word. They don’t value it in the highest esteem, as God requires, and this is evidenced by the reality that they don’t read and study it. As disciples of Christ, we cannot afford to have the wrong attitude about God’s Word. Our faith in it must be strong. If it is not strong, the enemy will try to attack the Word we know, and we’ll lack the commitment and spiritual strength to stand firm in Christ.
Many of us are complaining because we don’t find our lives satisfactory or fulfilling. Some are blaming God for not blessing them while they are not taking responsibility for not meeting God’s requirements and having faith in Him. Romans 10:17 (ESV), “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” God is our sure foundation, and His Word allows us to stand firm, hopeful, and strong in every situation. His Word makes us strong and increases our faith, but in order for this to happen, we must place ourselves in a position to hear it. We must digest it so that it impacts our minds and hearts and strengthens us with God’s nourishment.
Proverbs 16:20(NLT) teaches, “Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.” God is the only One who knows our hearts, and when He looks at them, He sees what we truly cherish and value, so we cannot fake it. We must value His Word for the treasure it is. We are filled with joy when we spend time with God and get to know Him through His Word. Romans 15:13 tells us that God is the Source of our hope, and He fills us with joy and peace overflowing when we place our trust in Him. This is again what God wants for us. He wants us to build the foundation of our lives on Him, because He is the Source of all goodness and blessings, and the blessing of His Word will enrich our lives beyond all our greatest hopes and dreams.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“God is Our Sure Foundation”, written for 4theChristianMan.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.