Consider Your Foundation

Building on the Right Foundation: Where Does Your Life Rest?

There's a question worth asking ourselves as we step into a new year: What are we building our lives on? Not just our personal lives, but our families, our ministries, our relationships—what serves as the foundation beneath everything we do?

This isn't a theoretical question. It's deeply practical, cutting to the heart of how we make decisions, where we place our trust, and ultimately, whose wisdom guides our steps.

The Corinthian Problem

The church at Corinth had a problem. They were blessed with spiritual gifts, waiting eagerly for Christ's return, and yet something was fundamentally broken. Paul had to address them not as spiritual people, but as "infants in Christ"—people still thinking and acting like everyone else in the world.

Their issue? They were building on the wrong foundation.

Some were saying, "I follow Paul!" Others claimed, "I'm with Apollos!" Still others aligned themselves with Peter. They were dividing themselves according to human personalities and earthly wisdom rather than uniting around Christ alone.

Paul's response cuts through the noise: "Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you?"

The answer, of course, is no. There's only one foundation that matters—Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The Wisdom of God vs. The Wisdom of Man

Here's where things get uncomfortable for those of us who pride ourselves on intelligence, strategy, and clever planning. The Scripture makes it clear: "The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God."

This doesn't mean we abandon our minds or stop thinking critically. Rather, it means we recognize that our best ideas, our most sophisticated strategies, and our cleverest plans are worthless if they're not rooted in God's truth.

Paul wrote that God chose "the foolish things of the world to shame the wise" and "the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong." Why? "So that no man may boast before God."

God isn't interested in building His kingdom through human acumen, personality-driven movements, or entertainment-focused strategies. He builds through the simple, faithful preaching of the gospel and the humble service of His people.

The Danger of Building with the Wrong Materials

First Corinthians 3 presents a sobering image: we're all building on the foundation of Christ, but we're using different materials—gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw. One day, fire will test the quality of each person's work.

What does this mean practically?

It means our motives matter. We can do seemingly good things—teach, serve, give, minister—but if our motives are rooted in pride, self-promotion, or earthly success, those efforts will burn away.

The gold and silver represent work done with pure motives, for God's glory alone. These are the acts of service rendered in humility, the words spoken in truth and love, the gifts given without expectation of recognition. These endure.

The wood, hay, and straw? These are the efforts driven by ego, the ministries built on personality rather than truth, the activities designed to impress others rather than glorify God. They look substantial now, but they won't survive the fire of God's testing.

True Humility: The Key to Kingdom Building

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of building on the right foundation is the requirement of genuine humility. Not false humility or self-deprecation, but the kind of humility that honestly says, "I don't know better than God. My ideas are foolish compared to His wisdom. I need to surrender my will to His."

This is countercultural. We live in an age that celebrates self-confidence, personal branding, and individual achievement. But the kingdom of God operates differently. It advances through servants who decrease so Christ can increase.

True humility doesn't know success built on fame, fashion, fortune, or human intellect. It only knows success defined by faithfulness to Christ and obedience to His Word.

Practical Application: What Does This Look Like?

So how do we actually build on the right foundation?

First, we become students of God's Word. We can't think like Christ if we don't know what Christ thinks. This requires more than casual reading—it demands study, meditation, and application.

Second, we check our motives constantly. Before we act, serve, or speak, we ask: Is this for God's glory or mine? Am I seeking to advance His kingdom or build my own?

Third, we resist the temptation to use worldly methods to achieve spiritual goals. We don't manipulate emotions, employ clever marketing tactics, or rely on entertainment to grow the church. We trust the Spirit of God to do what only He can do.

Fourth, we embrace our weakness. God uses broken, humble people who know they can't succeed on their own. When we're weak, He's strong.
Fifth, we serve others without seeking recognition. We use our gifts to build up the body of Christ, not to make a name for ourselves.

The Year of Maturity
Every new year offers an opportunity for growth and transformation. What if this year became marked by a collective decision to build only on Christ? To abandon human wisdom and embrace God's truth? To serve with pure motives and humble hearts?
The promise is clear: God will complete the work He's started in us. He's faithful. The question is whether we'll cooperate with Him or continue trying to build in our own strength.

As we consider our foundation, let's remember: everything we build with earthly materials will one day be tested by fire. Only what's done for Christ, with pure motives and humble hearts, will remain.

The choice is ours. Will we build with gold, silver, and precious stones? Or will we settle for wood, hay, and straw?

The foundation is already laid—Jesus Christ. Now it's time to build wisely upon it.