God wants you to build on the foundation of your salvation, but some of us must confess we’ve delayed or deserted that construction project.
Have you delayed this construction project? I remember driving through a subdivision outside a large city where building had stopped because finances had dried up. I drove past one foundation after another with nothing but pipes jutting out from the concrete. Maybe that’s a picture of your spiritual life. You made a commitment to Christ, but then you became like a stalled-out subdivision. It’s been years since your verbal commitment to Christ, and you’ve made little growth or advancement or maturity.
On the other hand, sometimes it’s not that a structure gets delayed. Instead, a structure gets deserted. In remote areas you can see buildings that have been neglected for years. The foundation is still sound, but the structure is dilapidated, caved in, and weed-infested. Is that an image of your spiritual life? For years, you attended church, you studied the Bible, you prayed, you disciplined yourself so that your moral life was pleasing to God. But then something happened. You moved to another community and just never found another church home. Someone hurt your feelings and you quit attending church. You let a busy season cause you to neglect prayer and Bible study and you never returned to it. And now your Christian life is like a dilapidated barn in a neglected field.
In Hebrews 10:19-25, the writer told his Christian readers, “We’ve been saved by Christ, so now let us mature in faith, hope and love!”
This weekend would be a good time to reflect on that passage. It just might lead you to make some good “New Year’s resolutions” to build a faithful life. I’ll teach from that passage this Sunday, so join me on campus or online!
--Tom
It’s not too late to order Tom’s book, Repeat the Sounding Joy! It’s a study of the four “Christmas carols” found in Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. Order it from Amazon by clicking here. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.