June 1 I Friday

2 Chronicles 15-16

John 12:27-50

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  —Psalm 11:3

There is a story about a multi-storey building that holds a fundamental truth for everyone. The building had been in operation for several years before a crack was discovered on the 42nd floor. The CEO of the company that managed the building immediately called the architect to come and investigate the problem. When informed the architect had arrived, the CEO went to the 42nd floor to meet him, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

When the architect was finally located, he was in the 6th level basement. The CEO met him there and said to him, “We called you to investigate a crack on the 42nd floor. What are you doing in the basement?” The architect replied, “You may have a crack on the 42nd floor, but the problem isn’t there. It’s in the basement.” Apparently, a security guard wanted to build a garage in his yard at home but lacked the funds. Every night after his shift, he chiselled a brick from the wall of the 6th basement level and after months of doing this, the building’s foundation had grown unstable, causing a crack to appear on the 42nd floor.

The point of this story is that unless we have a solid foundation upon which to build, cracks will appear on the upper levels of our lives. They may go unnoticed for a time, but if left unchecked, cracks will deepen and widen till a wall comes crumbling down. Domestically and globally, walls are crumbling wherever we look. Families are falling apart at a faster rate than ever before. There is moral decay, political unrest and people are losing trust in their governments. Confusion, instability and uncertainty are the currency of our times.

The root of these cracks is not found in our families or our governments but in a faulty foundation. Paul tells us, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). A solid foundation is built on truth, and Jesus Christ is the Truth to which all of Scripture bears witness. The Christian faith is rooted firmly in the exposition of Scripture and forms how we act on the basis of what God reveals in His Word.

Our actions do not exist in isolation, but are a result of what lies under the surface. If our foundation is faulty, we will be easily led down the path of least resistance. Any foundation not built on Jesus Christ is built on shifting ground, but when we apply the truth of Scripture to our lives, we find a logical, coherent picture on which to build on a solid foundation.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, You are eternally faithful, and Your truth prevents any cracks that lead us astray. Thank You for being the firm foundation on which to build our lives.