"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17b-19 (NIV)
Build on
the right foundation – Practice what Jesus preached
... and established...
Paul loved to mix metaphors, so we shouldn’t be so surprised that he turns from an agricultural to an architectural picture. The word “established” literally means to have a firm foundation laid.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
Most of us are pretty familiar with this passage. Jesus gives us an excellent picture of how we can make sure we are building our lives on a firm foundation. I remember when I was a young man and wanted to learn carpentry. I attempted to put up a wall in our basement so I could have my own room. Needless to say I didn't quite lay it out right nor was it plumb. So the wall looked like a snake slithering its self along. That's why it's important to not just think about and meditate on the words of Jesus, but put them into practice. If we really want to build a firm foundation, we have to act on those words. We have to put them into practice so we see them produce spiritual fruit.
If all I ever did was to think about Amy and how to meet her needs, but I never acted on those thoughts, that wouldn’t go very far in establishing a good foundation for our marriage. The same thing is true for us spiritually. If we truly want to experience the love of Christ in our lives, we have to be grounded in Him by practicing what he preached. You are loved!
... and established...
Paul loved to mix metaphors, so we shouldn’t be so surprised that he turns from an agricultural to an architectural picture. The word “established” literally means to have a firm foundation laid.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
Most of us are pretty familiar with this passage. Jesus gives us an excellent picture of how we can make sure we are building our lives on a firm foundation. I remember when I was a young man and wanted to learn carpentry. I attempted to put up a wall in our basement so I could have my own room. Needless to say I didn't quite lay it out right nor was it plumb. So the wall looked like a snake slithering its self along. That's why it's important to not just think about and meditate on the words of Jesus, but put them into practice. If we really want to build a firm foundation, we have to act on those words. We have to put them into practice so we see them produce spiritual fruit.
If all I ever did was to think about Amy and how to meet her needs, but I never acted on those thoughts, that wouldn’t go very far in establishing a good foundation for our marriage. The same thing is true for us spiritually. If we truly want to experience the love of Christ in our lives, we have to be grounded in Him by practicing what he preached. You are loved!
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