Saturday, August 4, 2012

Promises - Foundations

Our family enjoys playing Jenga:  robbing the foundation to build to great heights is a source of great fun for us.  Testing the steadiness of the hand and willingness to risk toppling the structure, the inevitable crash always generates much laughter.  There is a heart-breaking reality that parallels the game:  lives built like Jenga towers.  Foundations decimated to build lives to inspiring heights produce deadly destruction.

Our promise today takes a look at the foundation God longs to build in every life.  It takes us back to the days of Isaiah and focuses on words given to the rebellious nation of Israel.  While prophesies to Israel have literal meaning to that people group, our attention will be directed to spiritual meaning for Christians.  With Jesus as the Cornerstone of our foundation, consider Isaiah’s words from God:

“...I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires.  I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels and all your walls of precious stones.”  Isaiah 54:11,12”

Oh, how I want a life like that!  There is nothing drab about a life built upon the LORD and by the LORD.  His purposes are perfect; His work is exquisite.

The verses just before and just following these are hope-filled as well.  The beginning of 11 tells us this is spoken to a people enduring a storm--and grieving.  Knowing Israel’s history, we understand they created the storm with rebellion.  Honest review of our own lives will show us we are just like them.  We go our own way and grieve the results.  It is at this point, the building plans of God are laid out.  It is then that creations of beauty are possible.

The verses following the building plans turn our eyes to the future.  Lives built from grief to glory, open toward a heritage of lasting beauty.  The building work of God in our lives instructs those who come after us.  The glorious buildings God creates are the key to a lasting legacy.  Foundations in God and of God do not crumble.  Enjoy a game of Jenga--and the glory of God!

No comments:

Post a Comment