"According to God's grace that was given to me, as a skilled master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, because no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid - that is, Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).
Most of my friends know that I have a background in interior design so just one of the ways that I de-stress is by watching HGTV. I love to see how they rebuild bathrooms - they rip the whole room apart and go back to the foundation. They are always careful to get to the root of the problem and not just patch a leak.
All that HGTV may be paying off this week since our master bedroom shower has to be redone. That leak that we have been patching for years has finally gotten to the point that it requires major attention. Nothing like spending the weekend with contractors, removing carpeting, and looking at ways to fix the shower, tile, carpeting, etc. (Who was it that thought placing the shower next to the master closet was a good idea anyway?) It will all be fine...even if I have to live with concrete floors and one shower until after the Thanksgiving crew is gone. : )
The point of all this is that the foundation is critical. In our lives, it is Jesus Christ. It is the basics of discipleship that get us in trouble. As I work with women, I am continually amazed that what gets them confused is not the issues of culture, but the issues of continuing to focus on and live out the basics. The culture has thrown us all for a loop; however, the only way to navigate it with success is to continue with the foundation - daily prayer and bible study, keeping the relationship of the Lord in tact which spills over into the relationships we have with others. I contend that it is the basic foundational truths that we are overlooking that are leading us astray.
Today, let's make a commitment to concentrate on the basics. When we keep the foundatioal truths of Christ in order, it will take care of the rest. It may be messy for awhile, but it is worth it in the end.
