The Sure Foundation

 Ayla and Rob have a home. Rob's former boss and roommate will be moving out of the house he owns sometime this fall and he has offered the Sarasota home to Ayla and Rob to rent as their first home together. It's a load off for both of them, since they knew they would need to find a home together sometime within the next 87 days. Turns out this home that Rob has been living in since he moved to Sarasota is just 8 minutes from the beach and 15 minutes from where they both work. It's in a nice neighborhood, has plenty of room for them, two bedrooms, a good-sized yard, storage facility and precious patio. It will be a wonderful first home for this couple. Daddy and I are excited that they will soon be able to put their own stamp on the home, figure out exactly what pieces of furniture they need and start making this house a home.

Just last Sunday I was teaching my Sunday School folks about God's call in Genesis 12:1 to Abraham (then Abram) to “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you." Later standing next to an oak tree in Shechem, the Lord tells Abram to look around, because all that he saw would belong to his descendents forever. What is significant about this location, is that hundreds of years later, Moses' successor, Joshua, who led the Israelities into that Promised Land, asks them to make a very important decision in that very same place. He says to them, "Choose this day whom you will serve ... as for me and my house we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). In this place where God told Abram he was home, Joshua asks the Hebrews to solidify what the foundation of that home was. 

No matter what Rob and Ayla's home is built of, what colors are painted inside, what furniture fills the room or decorations are on the wall, none of that will compare to what foundation it's built on. If the foundation is remotely shaky, the whole structure is at risk.

It's the same with our spiritual lives.Our foundation is Jesus. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says, "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." Jesus tells us He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" in John 14:6 and that "No one comes to the Father except by Me." He wants us all to know that the door to the Almighty goes through Him. He is one that makes it possible. If we have Christ as the cornerstone of our lives (Ephesians 20) we are set to come face to face with our Creator. We build on that by our actions and love, building a temple to our God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within.

My sweet ones, you will have a home, but we pray your home's true foundation will be in Christ. That each room will be blessed unto Him. That what happens in that home will be to His glory. That in it you be will loving towards one another and that guests will feel warmly welcomed. Psalm 119:54 says, "Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home." Praying that God's Word will always be a sweet song in your home. Choose this day whom you will serve.

Discussion: What makes a house a home to you? How can you make sure Christ is the foundation of your life? Will people be able to tell by looking at you and looking at your home, that you belong to the Lord?

Prayer: Father God, we pray that every home that Rob and Ayla and Anton and Kayla occupy that it will stand a s a sanctuary of worship to you. That Your presence will be felt, Your grace displayed and love shown. In Jesus, Amen.

Choose This Day

Standing on the Word of God and defending it is not easy. Ask any of the apostles. They defended their faith regularly, and just about every one was persecuted and even killed for it. But that should show their dedication to what they believed in. When given the choice to live and denounce what they believed, or suffer consequences by standing on the firm foundation of Christ, they chose the latter. They knew without a shadow of doubt in Whom they placed their trust. Christ said in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." Telling the lost about the saving grace of Christ was that important to them.

Knowing that history and having Christ Himself say in John 15:18, "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you." the idea of devoting oneself to proclaiming Him requires a thick skin ... or better yet, the "Whole Armor of God" as described in Ephesians 6:13-17.

In Joshua 24:15, he asks the Israelites, "Choose this day Whom you will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." That service is not lip service. It is building the Kingdom, caring for God's children, proclaiming the Word and growing spiritually. It requires action, not just declaration. And we promise you, unfortunately there will be persecution because of your choice. Not perhaps to the extent of the apostles, but persecution nonetheless. Christ said in Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."  Much of that chapter speaks to the persecution Christians will have as sheep among wolves.

Doing this together will give you an advantage, as you support and uplift one another in the challenges life and culture throw at you. But this we guarantee: when you put Christ first in your life, you will be blessed beyond measure.

Our friend Mindy shared this testimony with us Sunday: She was employed in a company as a bookkeeper which gave her much flexibility to care for her two children who both had medical issues that required many doctors visits. At one point the boss she loved needed to take care of personal issues for a year abroad, signing a contract with a man to take over his business for a year. This new boss asked Mindy what her priorities were. She told him "God, then my husband, my children and work." He told her until she could make the job her number one priority, she didn't have a job there. After packing all her things and leaving the office, she cried and prayed to the Lord about how she would care for her family without a job. The next day she received a call from a business owner who asked if she would fix their bookkeeping problems. She agreed to, telling him to drop off his files. He brought by three years worth of work which she could do in her home - giving her the flexibility she needed. After that, others came to ask her to do the same work, and a new business was born. Praise the Lord in Heaven ... how He blessed her for standing up for Him.

The last three verses of the hymn Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus by George Duffield Jr. say this:

Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey:
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose. 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone,
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own;
Put on the gospel armor, and watching unto prayer,
Where calls the voice of duty, be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus! the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory shall reign eternally.

When we married, the wife of the pastor who officiated for us gave us a needlepoint wall hanging with the Joshua 24:15 verse on it. It hung on our wall till it was lost in a move. Today we have it engraved on a tiny flat wooden house. We live by it. Choose Who you will serve and do so wholeheartedly. You will be blessed immeasurably for it.

Discussion: Do you think you could defend your faith under persecution? What are some things you do to serve the Lord actively?

Prayer: Lord, we ask that you give us courage for those times when we proclaim Your Word to those who disagree with it. We pray our words are guided by your Holy Spirit. And we pray for a hedge of protection around us as we stand in the gap. We love you, Father. Amen.