Foundation: December 19, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012.

FOUNDATION

DEFINITION:

The basis or groundwork of anything; the base on which a structure rests; an underlying principle; a basis on which something is built.

SCRIPTURE:

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for unto now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still worldly. I Corinthians 3:1-3

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 3: 10-11.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The foundation of our faith as believers is Jesus Christ. We must continue to build our faith using high quality materials that meet God’s standards. In the above verses from I Corinthians, Paul is writing to the church he founded in Corinth. Paul says he laid the foundation but they, the people in the church, had not been building their faith properly. The new believers in the church were being undermined by the immorality that prevailed in Corinth.

After Paul left, the believers had grown indifferent to immorality. They found it hard to separate themselves from their old pagan ways. Sexual immorality had become a serious problem in the church and the church had fallen into divisiveness and disorder.

Paul addresses them as babes in Christ because they had not matured in their faith and were still worldly. Paul had carefully laid the right foundation but the believers were not using the right building blocks of sound doctrine that Paul had taught them.

Many sincere professing Christians are spiritually starving, or spiritually ill, because they never have thought seriously about the quality of their Bible study. The study of the Bible is the key building block to build the believer’s faith. 

If our physical diet is not in proper balance or if our digestive system is not functioning properly then our bodies will decline in health. Similarly, if we do not or cannot take full advantage of the spiritual food offered us in the Bible, we will become spiritually disabled.

Someone who is starving spiritually and not growing in their Christian way of life must regularly eat nourishing spiritual food, which is the Word of God. All those who accept Jesus as their Savior have the one and only foundation for their faith. As Paul tells us in verse 11 above, there is no other foundation.

As you study God’s Word we recommend these important basics for your spiritual growth:

First, we must know what the Bible says about itself. Psalm 19:7 says that the law of the Lord is perfect. The Bible declares itself to be the Word of God.

Secondly, we must know what God intended the Bible to do for us. The Bible says in Genesis 1:1 --- “In the beginning God” --- and the Bible is the only book from God but also the only book about God. The Bible is given to us from God as our guidebook for living.

Thirdly, the Bible stands above all human opinions. In John 10:4-5 we read about Jesus being our true Shepherd. Jesus cares for us and protects us like the shepherd cares for his sheep. The shepherd will bring out his own sheep and he goes before them to lead them to pasture and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. We must let the Word of God shape our opinions and then we will follow our Lord because we will know His voice.

We should know that the Bible deals in facts. In Colossians 2:8 we read to beware lest anyone cheat you through “philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men or according to the basic principles of the world and not according to the laws of Christ.” We need to have common sense, a serious respect for all the facts of the Bible, a proper interpretation of the Bible and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as He leads us. 

We need, as true believers, to build our faith on the sure and solid foundation of God’s Word. We need to learn instructive methods of Bible study and know how to use Bible helps and commentaries.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 16:3.

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ who is the one and only foundation in life. Help me to learn to not only just read the Bible but help me to learn to study and apply what I learn to my every day walk and talk.