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Greetings,
As we continue to navigate this year of 2019, I find that God is reconfirming and reestablishing foundations. It is the foundation of the house that establishes the strength and the future of every house. Houses are built upon foundations and as the body of Christ, we are the house of God’s manifest presence. The foundation of our house is Christ. We were not born to accomplish some personal agenda for some personal plan in life. We are not destined to build a house for ourselves, but we are called to a greater destiny. We are destined in Christ to be a house of His presence to be an active participant in His calling, His testimony, and His purpose in all things. We have to find our role in God’s purpose and plan to fulfill the will of God in each of our lives.
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellowworkers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
The key to building a house is found in the foundation of the house. For us to fulfill our part in being the house of God’s presence and purpose, the foundation of our lives must be built upon Christ. This will produce the testimony of gold, silver, and precious stones. These materials depict the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ in the lives of human souls. Things made of straw, hay, or wood are the materials of human efforts for human comfort, human success, and human legacy. Living for the comfort of our own lives is as straw and it will simply be consumed at the end of the day. Living for my own lifetime will surely fade and can only vanish in the flames of eternity. Living for a business, a ministry, or some empire of human effort can only last a generation or more, but even the things of empires are consumed in the flames of eternity in the end. It is only those things of eternal character that remain. What are the qualities of Christ’s kingdom in each of us that will live on in the hearts of others? Each of us were born for greater things than ourselves. We were born to live for the well-being of others.
We are in a season where God is reconfirming and reestablishing the foundations of our lives. Foundations guarantee the future of the house. Every house that is built faces the elements of testing and the opposition of many seasons of life. In Christ the foundation of our lives is established in the Rock of Christ. The objective is to be connected to the Rock, not to see how great our house can become. When we are connected to the Rock of Christ, even if the house were to fall down, we will be ok. The point of the story is being connected to the One who loves us in all things. The point is being connected to the place of our true calling, testimony, and destiny. We are a house of God’s presence in all seasons of our lives.
Luke 6:47 “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Foundations guarantee a future. When Christ is the foundation of our lives, the testing of our lives cannot prevail over the faithfulness of God in the foundation of our role in Christ. The man who dug down to the rock, was the one who responded to the word of God. In this story of two houses, both houses were built in the same geographical location. Both may have been the same design of house and even the same size of house. Perhaps they both were drawn with the same architectural floor plan. Both houses are likened unto people who God was speaking to and who were hearing what He had to say. The difference is that one responded by acting upon the words he heard while the other did not. Jesus says that the one who heard and responded to the words was like one who digs down to the rock and establishes a foundation for his house. The one who merely heard is like someone who built his house without any foundation at all. The response of acting upon what God was saying is a testimony to the process of setting a foundation for the house. Both houses were faced with the violent storms of life, but only the house with the foundation set upon the rock was able to stand. This is the testimony of true ‘belief’. The most important thing in this story is the Rock. I believe that that Rock is Christ and our relationship with Him is what will allow us to stand in every storm. Our relationship with God is cultivated by our response to His voice in our lives. As leaders we must set an example for others in how to listen to and respond to God’s voice in our lives. Our response may not always be the correct response, but if we sincerely believe we are responding rightly to His presence and His love, He will guide us in the path of destiny by His mercy and grace.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
Thank you to all who support House of Bread Ministry in prayer and in financial contributions. We are reaching the nations for the sake of the generations in God’s plan. Your prayers and support have partnered with us and we are reaching the people of Portugal, Bulgaria, Nations in Africa, Spain, Wales, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, and the U.S.
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House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Thank You – Ted J. Hanson
