A New Foundation
Matthew 7:24-25 (NLT) - “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”
Colossians 2:7 (NLT) - Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Everyone has a foundation on which their life is built.
Some build their life on a foundation of money and power, only to find themselves poor and powerless. Some trust in government systems and philosophies, only to find them flawed and empty. Some put their faith in significant relationships besides that of Jesus. Some have invested their affections in idols of this world unnamed to painfully discover that they are nothing but clay and dust. To build your life on any One other than Jesus is to stand on a base that is flimsy and ever-shifting; it will crumble in an instant.
A new life in Jesus means a new foundation. Upon your profession of faith, you receive all that is needed for the formation of this new base. It is an underpinning of truth, love, grace, and power that is unshakeable; now, you will build your life with beliefs and decisions that are informed by Jesus’ ways and wisdom from the Bible. With Jesus as your “rock” you will have solid footing for navigating life. The "house" you build will be stable and survive every calamity that may come. You will live with confidence. You will have security and assurance, knowing Jesus is a reliable cornerstone on which to construct your life. You will discover an inner strength from His Spirit to face any trial or trouble that comes your way. There is nothing that this Jesus- laid, “load-bearing” foundation of your life can’t carry.
A new life in Jesus means new roots. Everyone has roots in something, somewhere and now you have roots in Jesus. You are “planted” in Him. Let your life take hold in Him and go deep. He will nourish you with the essentials for living; He will be your source for truth. Nurture and protect these roots through prayer and the doing of the Word. Firmly rooted in Him, Jesus will grow you in strength and fruitfulness. The "fruit" you bear will be varieties of love and thankfulness. You will live with faithfulness, perseverance and undaunted endurance that you did not think possible. Because of the strong roots you have in Jesus, you will flourish and produce all kinds of good things in life.
With Jesus, having a new foundation for life means two things: not only will you be building a visible, tangible infrastructure for your life on earth, but you will be storing up an unseen treasure in heaven at the same time. Your new foundation, built on and rooted in the one and only Jesus, will allow you the wonder and privilege of living fully in both this world and the next.
More: Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Ephesians 3:17