Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Has there ever been a time when you felt your life crashing down? Maybe you lost someone you loved, faced financial ruin, or dealt with deep hurt. I have faced quite a few storms in my own life, where my world felt like it was ending due to several hardships. Although I could have felt hopeless, there was one thing that was always left after I lost everything else – my faith in Jesus Christ.
When times are good, it is easy to slip into the habit of building our lives on earthly treasures such as wealth, our jobs, and success. However, our foundation is revealed when we face the storms in this world. Unfortunately, life brings on many challenges that we cannot prepare for. If we build our lives on Jesus Christ and trust him as our steady rock, we can weather what life throws at us and come out stronger on the other side.
Matthew 7:24-25
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 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.”
We must honestly ask ourselves where we are building our foundation. Is it built on the things of this world – our desires, what we think we need – or on Jesus? If we build on the unreliable things of this world, we have a very unsteady foundation. The trials of life can easily shake us, and we are left feeling empty and without hope. However, when we build our lives on Jesus, our problems cannot rattle our ground. Even if our world comes crashing down around us, we still have our Savior right beside us, carrying us through the wind and rain.
As we face hardships, we must remember that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the solid rock on which we have built our foundation. If we are deeply rooted in him, we cannot be shaken even by the scariest situations. God is always in control, and as long as we’ve got Jesus by our side, we can withstand anything.
Questions:
What have you built your life foundation on?
When was there a storm in your life where you had to fully rely on Jesus alone?
Next Steps:
Prayerfully meditate on what foundation you have built your life on. Ask God to remind you to continually build your foundation on him every day.
Get baptized to publicly declare your faith in Jesus Christ, showing the world that you have built your foundation on him.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thanks for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to save me from all of my sins. Help me to remember that when the storms of life hit, Jesus is the only true foundation on which I can build my life. Help me to recognize the things of this world that disguise themselves as a firm foundation, and instead, develop my relationship with Jesus, relying on him as my firm foundation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Ephesians 3:16-17
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
This post was written by Isabelle Billnitzer, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.