The Foundation of the Christian Life

An important part of any building, whether residential or commercial is the foundation. The foundation is the support of the building or structure. The purpose of the foundation is to connect the structure to the ground. In doing so the foundation transfers or takes on the weight of the structure and thereby giving strength and structural integrity to the building. The higher the building the deeper and stronger is the foundation.

The Christian life is not an easy life. It was never promised to be and it isn't. An integral part of our Christian experience is suffering, trials, temptations, hardships, and even persecution.

The Christian is called to deny self, pick up a cross, and to follow Jesus which includes sharing in his sufferings and humiliation. Both history and individual experience teaches this and even reinforces it.The Christian experience is not a "party, joy-ride, and nor is it to be pain free."

How does one build on this knowledge and awareness? How does a believer remain steadfast, obedient, self-sacrificing, die to self, deny self, suffer, and remain faithful? What is the ultimate motivation or actually, what is the foundation that the believer builds on to live, serve, and obey God?

The foundation that must be built upon and fully trusted is God's love for the believer. I know that that we have been given the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and God's all sufficient grace - and all those things are necessary. We should thank God for being so wise as to give them to believers. We must use these resources regularly as we walk through this world as pilgrims and sojourners.

But, we must be convinced to our very core that God truly and really loves us as he has said over and over in his word. We must be fully convinced that we could never know or enjoy any true happiness and success in this present life unless God had first made his love known to us. God first loved us. When? Before he created the world and laid its foundations, God had an intimate and loving relationship with those whom he had chosen for salvation.

As believers we must be encouraged by the knowledge that God sought us, that God reconciled us, and that God is at the ready to teach us how much he really does love us. As believers we must be granted God's grace to grow in the knowledge and experience of his love in order to be faithful, fruitful, and functional in this life and pilgrimage.

Are you fully convinced that God really loves you? Your response is to love him back and to build on that realization in order to run a good race and to finish well.