Foundation



Ephesians 2:17-22
17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

As the work of Christ draws us back into relationship with God the Father, from whom we were separated because of our sin, we are able to see the entire picture. Jesus stands at the center of all time as the cornerstone of God’s perfect plan. The foundation of the Apostles (the New Testament) and the Prophets (the Old Testament) make up that firm place upon which we stand and can rely.

These two pictures represent the place that Christ has in our personal lives and in the life of the Church. Without Him, it all falls apart – completely. The entire church (the Apostles and Prophets) rests on Him alone. This plan is beautiful in its simplicity. Paul makes the picture of our restoration to God’s side complete as He focuses our attention on Christ as the Cornerstone.
There are times in my life when it feels like everything is simply going to tip over and shatter on the ground. The pattern is a familiar one to me. It always involves times when I am very busy (and those two words probably could use some examination and meditation as well!) and trying to accomplish all of my goals under my own power. Suddenly, it feels like everything is simply on the brink of falling apart on me. It means I have kicked out the Cornerstone. I am trying to hold up the “building” that is my life by myself. This always ends badly. What God has taught me is how to recognize those feelings early in the process so that I can immediately run back to my Savior and watch as He resumes His position as my Cornerstone. Once my foundation is again secure, it’s back to work under His power instead of my own and the panic goes away. Seems pretty simple, but we all know that it isn’t. The distractions of life are still very tempting and the process still has to be repeated every now and then – but with much less frequency. I guess I consider that progress!

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