As an athlete, I was told to know the fundamentals of sport if I wanted to succeed. It was necessary to practice passing, lay-ups, free throws and ball-handling no matter how redundant it got. I needed to know the proper steps in order to effectively and powerfully rebound a ball. I needed to walk through plays over and over with my team so that we could know our roles in each possession. I needed to know the rules of the game to prevent unnecessary fouls and turnovers. If I wanted to play basketball…and succeed, I had to have a good foundation of fundamentals and know the boundaries involved.
The same is true in the life of a believer. If we want to be powerful and effective for the Kingdom, we must have a strong foundation of fundamentals. It’s necessary for us to spend time with God. We need to know His word so we have the proper steps to powerfully and effectively walk in faith. We need to walk through life with like-minded people, being held accountable to know our identity in each moment. We need to know the boundaries God has given us so we can prevent unnecessary sin and walk in the fullness God has given us.
You’ve probably heard, “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.” I believe this is true in all aspects of life. We’re becoming a better athlete or we’re digressing in progress. We’re becoming more like Christ, or more like our flesh. We’re always building a foundation, but the question is which foundation is yours? The two foundations, Wisdom and foolishness, aren’t external characteristics. They’re internal; pointing to and speaking from the heart of the person and not their actions. Both foundations seemed to be good, well-built even to those who were building…until tested. Scripture warns that it’s not if but a matter of when the temptation will come, the trial will be in front of us. Knowing that it is indeed coming, we must be builders of strong foundations.
