Our True Foundation (Psalm 11 Devotional)
“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; His eyes examine them.” - Psalm 11:3-4
Jesus said that a house built on sand will fall but a house built on rock will stand.
There are many things that are foundational in our lives. Issues of faith and the church, relational and personal issues. But all foundations, if not built on THE ROCK can destroy the house built upon them. Even if those things are good things.
Take issues of faith for example. There are many important foundational issues in our faith. Truths like the virgin birth, the trinity, the divinity of Christ, the inerrancy of the scriptures, that Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, that He will come again to judge the living and the dead are all cornerstones of our faith.
Or look at our churches. They have important foundations also. We may be missional, or seeker driven. We can embrace our church traditions. Maybe we put discipleship or evangelism at the forefront of our efforts. We can be focused on social issues-giving hope to the hopeless, fighting to restore justice to the marginalized, helping the poor, reconciling races in recognition that God has created us all and loves us equally.
We have foundations in our personal lives - core values that define our purpose and guide our actions. Being a loving, devoted wife or husband, being good parents or children, being faithful to our church, small groups, personal devotions, serving, or giving.
But all of these ‘foundations’, though vitally important, are not THE true foundation. The true foundation is Christ alone. He alone is the trustworthy foundation we can build upon. All of the secondary ‘foundations’ we listed must be defined in relationship to Him. If He is not our core foundation, then any of these things can easily move from being an important byproduct of our love for Christ into an idol that is the driver of our affections. They can move from being good things to ultimate things. And when that happens, the good things get perverted and become very bad indeed!
Think about the earlier lists. All these things are important-even vital-but what happens if they become the foundation in place of Christ? Take issues in our faith or church. What happens when theology, mission or social action become to us the foundation?
Take theology, the study of God. It is obviously of core importance. But how many Christians hate their brothers because of differences in theology? Look online at Christians disagreeing about baptism, communion, end times, predestination or any other issue. Though Christ says they’ll know we are Christians by our love, these discussions can often become belligerent and ugly. Or we can make idols of evangelism - how many churches become like nightclubs or country clubs in order to ‘win the lost’? We can make idols of church traditions (style of music, the way we dress, the liturgy, how we celebrate the sacraments), social agendas (abortion, the poor, race issues, the environment) or spiritual experiences (tongues or powerful worship experiences). When any of these become our primary foundation, they will spawn pride, judgement, accusation and even hatred.
Or look at our personal lives. We can make good personal things into idols if we try to make them foundations - family, church, friendships, even our disciplines. Have you ever seen the doting parents who love their kids so much they spoil them? Their children are taught that they are the center of the universe and are dismayed and frustrated when others assure them that they are not. Or the boyfriend who suffocates his girlfriend with his love to the point she must leave him. Christ said hate your father, mother, children. What He meant is put them second, behind Him. When we make earthly relationships, the ultimate thing we can be sure of is it will destroy that relationship.
There can only be one true foundation in our lives. We must build upon Christ and Christ alone. Anything else that functions as our foundation will become an idol and will ultimately fail us, no matter how good it is.
On Christ the solid rock I stand - all other ground is sinking sand. Sand may be beautiful. Sand may be comfortable. But if sand is our foundation, the things built upon it will fail.
Questions for Thought:
What are some of the good things from the list that seem foundational?
What will happen to that thing if it becomes the ultimate foundation?
What happens when Christ is the foundation and those good things are built upon Him?
