Daily Devotion (August 27, 2024)
1 Corinthians 3:11
11For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The foundation of the Christian life is Jesus Christ. Warren Wiersbe writes, “The usual explanation of this passage is that it describes the building of the Christian life. We all build on Christ, but some people use good materials while others use poor materials. The kind of material you use determines the kind of reward you will get.”
An important point of these verses is this, Paul is talking about the building of the local church. What is the church built upon? The church must be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ Himself. The church must be built the way God wants it built. The church is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. I have been involved in having a number of buildings erected. It always impressed me how long it took to lay the foundation. The foundation took time to lay. It seemed weeks before the rest of the building was ever going to be constructed. I learned the rest of the building was dependent upon the foundation being strong, stable, and capable of holding up the structure resting upon it. This is the church.
The church is not a building. It is the members, those who have accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord. The foundation in their lives must be Jesus Christ. The foundation must be the Biblical teachings of Jesus.
The church is not built on programs, music, or anything else brought into the church. Programs and music are good. BUT they are not what the church is built upon! The church is built on the Solid Rock…Jesus Christ Himself. We are to build our lives upon Him and His Words and do them. (“Do” is an action word) There is no passiveness in the Christians life. We are to be about doing the work of God.
Hear what Jesus says in Matthew 7:24–25
24“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (The rock is Jesus.)