Building (Part 2)

God is the one who chose Jesus Christ as the foundation for spiritual life:

Isaiah 28:16 "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation." 

The foundation of spiritual life is not a man-made creed, a denomination, or a religious ceremony. The foundation is Jesus Christ. Many professing believers try to build great spiritual structures of Christianity in their lives.  They become involved in the program of the church and do many good works. The outward appearance of their spiritual building is good. But before long their spiritual building begins to sink and collapse. They become discouraged, defeated, and fall into sin. This is because they are trying to build on the wrong foundation.

Just as a good foundation is necessary to properly support a building in the natural world, the right spiritual foundation is necessary to support the building of your spiritual life:

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."

All so called "Christian" works will be tested by God. The structure of your spiritual life will be examined to determine if it is built on the proper foundation. The only foundation of spiritual life which will stand is that which is built on Jesus Christ. 

Foundations are very important. The writer of Psalms realized this when he asked:
 Psalms 11:3 "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" 

In the natural world if the foundation of a building is not properly laid the whole structure can collapse. The same is true in the spiritual world. A wrong foundation will result in spiritual disaster. 

The Biblical record of Haggai stresses the importance of proper spiritual foundations. Israel was experiencing poor harvests in the natural world. Haggai told them to examine their ways:
Haggai 1:6, 7, 9 "Ye have sown much, and bring in little...Consider your ways...Ye looked for much, and lo  it came to little."

To correct the problem, Haggai told Israel they must rebuild both in the natural and spiritual worlds.  Rebuilding in the natural world was necessary for Israel because they had delayed building the house of the Lord. They had built their own homes and put their own concerns ahead of God's command to rebuild the temple. But more important, the spiritual foundation of their lives was wrong. They had been offering sacrifices [good works] with unholy hands:

Haggai 2:14 AMP "...So is this people, and so is this nation before me, says the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there on the altar is unclean because they who offer it are themselves unclean."

A right work offered by unholy hands is not acceptable. The spiritual foundation of their lives was wrong and this is why they were not blessed by God. In the natural world Haggai told God's people that the foundation of the Lord's temple must be rebuilt. He said they must also rebuild their spiritual lives on a proper foundation. From the day that Israel started to build on the right foundation God began to bless them:

Haggai 2:18, 19 TLB "But now note this:  From today,...and from this day onward, I will bless you.  Notice, I am giving you this promise now before you have even begun to rebuild the Temple structure, and before you have harvested your grain, and before the grapes and figs and pomegranates and olives have produced their next crops: From this day I will bless you."

From the day you start to build proper spiritual foundations, God will bless you in every area of your life.