The type and content of any material used for the purposes of building a foundation that will last for a lifetime is critically important for the longevity of the structure and of the builder. Within the entire building industry you will find complete agreement among the construction bosses and construction company owners that it is indeed the foundation, it’s strength, and it’s correct construction methods and materials that makes the whole difference between a building or a structure lasting for your lifetime or one that will not last as originally intended. If a building or a planned structure does not sit on a good foundation, there is simply no way it will stand and last over the long term future use of the structure.
Why incur all of the costs of construction only to build something that won’t last? It makes no sense to do so. And yet, that is exactly what a vast majority of people do with the use of their lives. They spend 40 to 45 years of their life working, laboring, and building for the future and the enjoyable senior years of their existence only to see those years arrive, and sadly watch their plans for retirement and enjoyment turn into a nightmare only because of insufficient funding. A sickness, severe disease, illness, catastrophic accident, debilitating occurrence, financial loss, or personal injury can wipe out all of a lifetime of financial planning no matter how well you may have thought out and set up your senior years of living out your working days on earth. “Stuff” happens, and it happens to almost every person alive.
The foundation upon which you build will determine how well you will be able to weather the “Storms of Life” that you will face after your productive years have passed. Are you well prepared,…ready,… and properly positioned for your future? I certainly hope you are.
The truth of the matter is that very few people are indeed properly prepared for their ending years on this earth. They reach their later years with insufficient funds. Somehow they overlooked the fact that the future will be more expensive to live in than is the present. A quick example pops into my mind as relates to my parents. When I was a child, gasoline for the car cost about $.25 per gallon. Not so today! If the senior citizen has planned for a retirement on a fixed stream of income as provided by social security or a fixed benefit retirement account wherefrom comes a same amount monthly allotment, then financial trouble looms ahead as time marches on. Foolish or bad decisions made by local and federal government entities can cause huge tax increases and high rates of inflation, all of which make for more expensive costs of living. The end result is financial stress and pressure that may in turn increase illness and medical expenses.
These “Storms of Life” can be severe and devastating. Often times they come one right after another. When that happens, the accumulative effect can all but eliminate any budgeted funds that were intended to take care of retirement needs.
A strong and properly built foundation on which rests the item of desired lasting benefit is the key to future success of preplanned activities and events. Strong foundations are what holds the planned activity and its funding in place and makes them well able to weather any such storms that attack them.
If you indeed desire to build your life and planned future on the right foundation, and thereby insure the success of your planning, then all one needs do is to go to the manufacturer of all things (God), pull out the instruction manual (the Bible) and see what He has to say about what you should properly do. Once you come to know what needs to be done, all that is necessary is for you to be obedient and explicitly follow His instructions. The Creator of the Universe gave all mankind His Holy Word, the Bible, for him to use to build a life of great creativity, productivity, and related happiness.
B Basic
I Instructions
B Before
L Leaving
E Earth
Anything done based on the truths of life contained in the Holy Scriptures will be done properly and will last a lifetime. God’s promises are for man’s benefits and blessings. Do things in accordance with the directions contained in the Bible and they will last and carry great rewards to those who follow the Word of God.
I am indeed blessed to be a member of my great Bible—based local Crossover Church here in my hometown. My Pastor, Mr. Terry Little, is an extremely well trained and articulate biblical scholar who knows and preaches from God’s Word extremely well. I am fed a weekly spiritual feast directly from the Bible every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. It is very exciting to learn so much every week as to how and what God has to say about the manner and way we as believers are to conduct our lives.
Several years ago our congregation under the leadership of church officials decided to build a new and much bigger church building to house, train and equip our ever-increasing membership. I love it when a group of people actually lives their lives in the same manner as they say they live. Every member and their families were asked to write out their three most favorite Bible verses in their own handwriting on a piece of paper. The written verses, signed and dated by the writer, were then placed into a zip-loc plastic bag and sealed closed. Later in the week on the day that the concrete foundation for the building was being poured, all of the church members showed up at the construction site with their sealed verses. Under the direction of the concrete contractor, each individual or family, on que from the contractor, laid their sealed verses into the foundation which them entombed the verses permanently into the actual cement foundation on which the new church building, when finished, would rest. This new House of God was literally built sitting on the “Truths of God and His Word.” That was the true desire of the hearts of all in our church congregation. Our new church building was to be dedicated to God for His purposes and would be based on the Truths of His written Word. I just know in my own heart that what we did that day was very pleasing to the heart of our God.
My wife’s selected verses were:
1 Peter 4 : 11
(11) “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the
very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with
the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be
praised through Jesus Christ”
1 Chronicles 4 : 10
(10) “Oh that you would bless us indeed, and enlarge our
territory, that your hand would be with us and that you
would keep us from evil.”
Ephesians 3 : 20–21
(20) “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at
work within us,
(21) to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen.”
My own selected verses were:
Colossians 2 : 6–7
(6) “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk in Him,
(7) rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as
you have been taught, abounding in it, with thanksgiving.”
Colossians 3 : 14–17
(14) “But above all things put on love, which is the bond of
perfection.
(15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to
which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
(16) Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching, and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord.
(17) And whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
Him.”
Philippians 1 : 6
(6) “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a
good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ.”
The Creator, the God of the Universe, is eternal. He is Love. He speaks to we humans in many ways, one of which is through His written Word.
When you build the important things in your life upon the foundation of God’s Word, you must know in your heart that what you are building will be right and will last for your lifetime and beyond. All glory be to God!
Peace And Love to All of You………………….Poppa Bear