The Right Foundation

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.  —1 Corinthians 3:11

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” it was not because He was trying to obtain information. Jesus could read the thoughts of people and did so on many occasions. Rather, He wanted to see if His disciples were getting it.

They told him, “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets” (Matthew 16:14).

Then He asked, “But who do you say I am?” (verse 15).

So Peter went out on a limb. He said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 16). Peter nailed it.
So Jesus told him, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hellwill not conquer it” (verse 17-18).

To clarify, Jesus was not saying He would build the church on Simon Peter. The word “Peter” comes from the Greek word that means a part of a rock or a stone. The phrase “upon this rock” contains a different word altogether, which means a massive rock.

Jesus was building the church on what Peter said. The church is built on Christ. As the apostle Paul said, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

I hope your life is built on Christ. If you have built your life on a church, that is the wrong foundation. If you have built your spiritual life on a person, that is a faulty foundation. Build your life on Christ himself.

Summary sentence: What foundation is your life built on? There is only one foundation. Jesus!

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Nothing Too Big or Small

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. —1 Peter 5:7

Sometimes in life there will be situations in which you will not have the resources or the ability to respond. There will be circumstances beyond your control. Tests will come up, and that is when you need to trust God.

When that unexpected bill arrives, and you wonder how you will ever pay it . . . when you have that crisis with your spouse, and you wonder how you will ever get through it . . . when a loved one dies unexpectedly, and you wonder how you will survive it, here is how: you are going to trust God. You must trust God. And God will come through for you.

Nothing is too big or too small for God to respond to. Sometimes we will minimize the struggles of others. They will tell us what they are dealing with and we will think, Come on. You know what I have gone through. I have suffered so much more than you. But know that thinking is not right. Their hardship may not seem significant to you, but it is significant to them. If it concerns them, it concerns God.

Each of us should come to God with our burdens and struggles. Is there something keeping you up at night? Is there something troubling you right now? Is there a need you have? Bring it to God. It is not too big, nor is it too small and insignificant. The psalmist wrote, “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1–2).

When faced with a need, no matter how large or small, we are to look to God to meet it.

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The Importance of Faith

So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

—Matthew 13:57–58

The Bible has a lot to say about the topic of faith. It speaks of weak faith, strong faith, bold faith, rich faith, abiding faith, steadfast faith, precious faith, common faith, working faith, and obedient faith. It even speaks of dead faith. So we want to make sure we are using the faith God has given us.

The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

Galatians 3:11 says, “The just shall live by faith.” It doesn’t say they will live by feeling. Nor does it say they will live by circumstances. The just will live by faith. And faith can make the difference between something happening and not happening.

God is the one who works, but He chooses to work primarily through human means. For example, God could have sovereignly caused the Red Sea to part for the Israelites without the help of Moses. But instead, He told Moses to hold up his staff in an act of faith as the people crossed over. God could have brought down fire on the altar at Mount Carmel without the prayer of Elijah, but he called Elijah to take a step of faith and to pray. Jesus could have healed every person who was alive when He walked this earth. But what we see is that it was primarily those who reached out to Him by faith who received His healing touch. The Bible even tells us that Jesus “did not do many mighty works there [in His own country] because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58).

So faith can make all the difference.

Summary Sentence: Faith is a choice—are you using the faith God has given you?

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