What's going on underneath?
In life, we tend to gravitate towards the visible and the spectacular, and ignore what cannot be seen.
Whether it is an iphone, a building, a bridge, a car or a computer, we are drawn to what we can see and what these things can do for us. Often this means we are not so interested in the inner workings or foundations. That is, of course, until something doesn’t work. Then we need to look below the surface (or, more likely in my case, get someone else to look) to see what the problem is. And sometimes, when you look below the surface, say for example, at the engine in a car, you see that the problem has been your neglect of things unseen.
In the Christian life, we can easily fall into similar traps. On the surface, you seem to be travelling fine. You are doing lots, turning up and serving others. But what’s going on below the surface?
Without a deep, strong foundation, you will struggle to power on in Christ.
Going deep
We need to spend bulk time “below the surface”. A life of worship, lived before God in the fear of Him and held together by faith, love, hope, humility, wisdom and perseverance, constitute a foundation that will withstand immense stress and strain, and Satan’s schemes.
On this foundation, we build supporting beams and columns . This will include time with your community of God’s people, encouraging, teaching, rebuking, correcting and training each other in righteousness. Without these, your building will be haphazard and lopsided.
Once the foundation is in place, and the supporting beams and columns are secure, God may graciously bear fruit as you seek to serve Him and His people with the gifts God has given you.
Building in the right order
Presumably as a Christian, you want to bear fruit to God’s glory. That's great, but it all begins with solid foundations. My problem is that I spend too much time worrying about the fruit, and not enough time on the foundations. I spend more time on the visible parts of the Christian life, and less time on prayer and Bible reading, which are largely unseen by others. In other words, I spend more time washing the car, and less time changing the oil in the engine (I think that is where the oil goes).
What about you? Do you need to spend more time and energy on building a firm foundation?
One writer put it like this:
When we take care of the depth of our lives, God will take care of the breadth of our lives and ministry.
So, don’t merely be concerned with the visible and the spectacular. Build a solid foundation for life.