A Sure Foundation

Are you building a life that will stand the test of time? You're thinking about today, but God is thinking about forever. What does it look like for you to be built into the person God dreams you can be?

God has plans for you. God is a builder and we'll let Him, He'll build you into a man or woman of God. He wants us to be oaks of righteousness.

If you want to build something significant, you have to start with a plan. A house has to start with a plan and is a metaphor for what God is doing in you. He's committed to building you.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 is a very familiar passage if you have been around church. God has the plan and knows the plan. You don't have the plan because if you did, you would mess it up and you would think you didn't need God anymore. We need God more than we need the plan. His plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. So what do we do when we're not prospering and are surrounded with pain? The plan isn't that you don't have any pain. The plan is that ultimately the pain helps you and doesn't harm you. At the end of the day, you're whole and not broken. Jeremiah 29:12 continues that we will call on Him and He will listen. The goal is to get us closer to God, not to know the plan. Jeremiah 29:13-14 tells us the plan, His plan is to take all the pieces of life and use them to accomplish the purpose of your life which is Romans 8:28 which encourages us that we know all things work together for good for those whole love Him and been called according to His purpose. In all things, God works. He is a builder, He's working for the good.

What does it mean to be "called according to His purpose?" God has chosen you. God decided to invite you into His Story. Romans 8:29 says God knew you before you knew Him. He predetermined for you to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. The plan is to become like Christ in His character. God is committed to building that in you. No one can stop God's building plan.

Every great plan requires a sure foundation. Foundations are inglorious necessities to successful enduring life stories. You have to grade the foundation. Grading is essential. You can't have a secure and firm foundation without it, moving things around, and filling areas to make things level. You have to dig. You want to dig down to the bedrock to something solid. Then you pour a foundation.

Isaiah 40:3-5 is a metaphor for Jesus coming and it has all the elements of grading, digging, and pouring. The verses say to prepare the way, make the rough places smooth, so that the glory of the Lord, Jesus, will be seen by all.

God has to remove some things from your life and he has to add things to it so that you can be ready for the glory of God to be revealed. You will be light for the people around you, they can see in the window of your heart by the way you treat people. You'll look inviting to people.

It all starts with putting your faith in Jesus. What do you believe in? Everybody puts their faith in something. "Jesus faith" is when you put all your hope and trust in Him who died for you, took your penalty and place, was buried, and rose again. Colossians 2:6-7 shows how it is not just a one-time decision with no change. No, you continue to trust Jesus as Lord and build up your life in and on Him. Matthew 7:24-27 proved that building your life on Jesus doesn't mean you're free from storms, it just means you're free in the storm. The storms let us know if we have a real foundation or not.

Surrender to the process of what God is doing in your life. He doesn't want to build an addition on your house. He wants to build your whole house. That requires being surrendered. Jesus is Lord, He calls the shots. He is in charge of building you.