Our Foundation Matters

Day 5, Motives

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)  

              My husband and I built our own house. He logged the trees, sawed them on his sawmill, and we used them to build much of our house. Before we started adding lumber, though, we had to make sure the foundation was solid. We spent hours measuring and remeasuring, making sure the corners were square and the ground was level. Rebar, little plastic rebar holders, and wire fence-like stuff had to be carefully placed in the footers and then the foundation. Once we got everything ready, we had to have the concrete pumped in and keep a close eye on it while it dried. We puled out leaves or sticks that blew in and kept the cats away. Then we had to screed and float it, then after it dried, cut it with a special saw to prevent it from cracking.

              There was so much attention placed on the foundation of our home. We had to build extra footers where supporting walls would eventually sit, which meant our measurements had to be true. We also had to lay pipes in the correct places before the concrete was poured so they would match up with toilets, sinks, and electrical entrances.  If our measurements were off, even a couple of inches, the layout of our house would be in jeopardy. The foundation work was critical.

              Our motives are the foundation for everything we do. Just like the foundation of our house, we need to pay careful attention to the whys behind our actions. Our whys dictate where we work, serve, live, and travel. They also affect relationships, friends, coworkers, and enemies. Our whys dictate how we navigate our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual selves too. If our why is off, then nothing we do from that position will be right.

              Let’s look at an example. Say that my foundation is people pleasing and everything I do comes out of a need to have approval from those around me. Going to church becomes a mask wearing event where I’m careful with my “Christianese” and comments. Work is now about my performance being noticed and I’m in a constant state of protection and comparison. Home is all about trying to keep the peace and making everyone happy, even when I’m far from being in a joyful place. And serving is done to be noticed, praised, and thanked.

              But what if I placed Jesus at the foundation and everything I did was to follow and honor him. Church is suddenly authentic, relationships are honest and deep, and there are no secret issues anymore. Work is about making sure I’m honoring Jesus even if I dishonor the general consensus. Home is about refuge and safety where confrontation occurs as needed, but so does encouragement. Serving becomes a joy instead of obligatory and deep satisfaction accompanies each activity.

              We all need to take some time to examine the motives at our foundation. Are we doing life in the best way possible?

Do the Heart Work

1.      What motive or motives are at the core of your foundation?

2.      What prep work and truth should older Christians help instill into the lives of younger Christians in respect to their motives?

3.      Is Jesus the foundation of everything you do?

Digging Deeper

Read the following verses about foundation.

1.      “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

2.       “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49 (ESV)

When our foundation is built on sand, everything we try to build simply washes away. For us that means anything built anything other than Jesus will leave us decimated. But  when our foundations is built on the rock—the Rock of Jesus—nothing can tear it down.

If You Get Spare Time 

              Think about the motives you have wrestled through over the years. What is your biggest struggle? People pleasing? Money? Obligation? Pride? Or something else? Spend some time with God in your journal or in prayer and ask him to reveal your true heart.