HOW FIRM IS YOUR FOUNDATION?
Some years ago, a good friend of mine bought a new house in the Dallas area. He and his wife were so excited! The house looked great... the price was right... nothing could be better! Within nine months, however, their excitement turned to grief because the house had major foundation problems. As everyone knows, when the firm foundation of your house starts to shift and fail, every other part of the house begins to suffer as a result... and the homeowner is left holding the bag.
As important as it is have a firm foundation for your home, it is even more important to a have a firm foundation for your life, a foundation that can stand the storms. What exactly does that foundation look like?
TWO THINGS YOU MUST HAVE
I believe with all my heart that there are two foundational truths that you and I must have embedded in the core of our being in order for us to stand, no matter the storm. These two key truths are simple and yet so profound. They are found in 2 Chronicles 7:3:
"And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying, 'Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.'"
1. You must know and believe that GOD IS GOOD. No matter what happens in your life, no matter what tragedy strikes, God is still good. If you don't believe that, when the disaster of cancer... or job loss... or the death of a loved one... or betrayal and divorce strikes, you will get bitter at God and silently declare, "God is not good and not worthy to be trusted." Nothing could be further from the truth.
Remember, life is not always good, but God is. Do not equate the circumstances of this life with God. This life is marred and tainted by sin. Bad things do happen to good people. Terrible tragedy does touch down like a tornado even on those who love and fear God. That is just a fact of life. When the bad things come, don't believe the devil's lie that God is not good. "Truly He is good", regardless of the devastating circumstances.
2. You must know and believe that GOD LOVES YOU. It is very easy to look at the bad circumstances of your life and make the determination that God must not love you. Job's wife lost all ten of her children, her wealth and her husband's health... all within a week. As she looked at the circumstances she determined God did not love her or Job anymore, and she counseled Job to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9).
Now before you throw her under the bus for her lack of faith, put yourself in her shoes. She experienced pain and loss to a greater degree than any of us have ever experienced. You and I often question God's love for us over things far less devastating than Mrs. Job faced.
The truth remains the same, regardless of the circumstances: GOD DOES LOVE YOU. The cross of Jesus Christ proves it. God freely gave His only begotten Son to be whipped, beaten, spit upon and nailed to a tree not for friends, but for enemies. You and I were enemies of God because of our sin and independence, yet God still gave His sinless, innocent Son for us... and Jesus willing gave His life for us. Charles Wesley wrote, "Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" Anytime the devil tells you God doesn't love you... and you are tempted to believe it, take a mental trip to a bloody hill called Calvary and see His love for yourself.
A NEW FOCUS
Will you focus on your foundation today? Will you praise God for His goodness and for His love? Will you look at everything in your life through the rock-solid, never changing foundational perspective that says, "COME WHAT MAY, MY GOD IS GOOD!... AND MY GOD LOVES ME!!... AND MY GOD WILL ONE DAY WORK ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD AND HIS GLORY!
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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