Building A Firm Foundation For Our Children

According to an article I was reading about building foundations for a house, a good foundation should last forever. Since a foundation is supposed to last forever, it is important to pay attention to the details and design of it. I also learned that footings and the foundation are to homes what feet and legs are to the human body: footings anchor the home to the ground and support the foundation, which in turn carries the weight of the home. The fact that a strong foundation is essential for a home to endure through it's life is the same concept of establishing the proper foundation for our children to endure the life that is set before them.

In Luke 6:47-48 Jesus said the following, "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock." Upon reading this scripture, my heart was filled with a passion like none other. The Lord spoke to me clearly that there are essential steps to take in order to build a firm foundation for the children He has blessed me with. I would encourage you to consider the following points below on this topic of building a firm foundation.

1. Come to Jesus - The first step in building a firm foundation for our children is we, as their parents, come to Jesus first and foremost. Jesus said, "Whosoever cometh to me". There is no other way to build a firm foundation if we do not come to Jesus. Jesus told us in John 14:6 that He was "the way, the truth, and the life". There is no other "god" or "religion" that can build a foundation better than Jesus Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Son of Man and the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the Savior to the whole entire world. No person, angel, idol, demon, or Satan himself can conquer Jesus Christ. He is the only sure source for building a true foundation!

2. Hear What Jesus Says - Jesus speaks to us through the Bible, God's written word. There are many people today that claim Jesus speaks directly to them, even if it contradicts what God's Word says. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, does speak to us today. However the words the Holy Spirit speaks is of the Father God. Nothing the Holy Spirit will speak contradicts the Father's Words. Jesus said in John 16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." The words that the Holy Spirit hears comes from the Father. Therefore it is important to understand that when we "hear" Jesus speaking to us and those words are not aligned with His Father's written Word, then the words we are hearing are not from God but rather from Satan. Satan is the last person we want to listen to because he is the father of lies (John 8:44). Therefore, we can rest assured that God's written Word is THE Authority for our life and certainly when it comes to raising our children. We can trust this since God's Word is truth!

3. Do What Jesus Says - Jesus said in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Therefore, if we truly love Jesus Christ then we will obey all that He said. Recall that He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit speaks that of the Father. Since the Bible is "God-breathed", we can trust that what it says is the truth and we can trust it for living a daily life. We need do what all of what God's Word says, not just the things we find convenient. Actually doing what Jesus says will enable us to build a firm foundation in the life of our children.

4. Dig Deep - I think parents often think children can't handle deep discussions and topics. I used to think this way before I had children. However my children have amazed me. They can really carry on a conversation on deep theological matters better than some adults can. Also, the questions they ask are very probing. Often when parents are faced with these types of questions, they try to answer them quickly and at the surface. Although sometimes this can be beneficial and can satisfy the question at hand, don't be afraid to dig deeper. Digging deep will provide a more comprehensive answer and will build up their worldview more wholly. Digging deep also not only answers the question, but also prepares them to defend it. I Peter 3:15 tells us in part to, "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." The Greek word for answer in this verse is "apologia" which literally means to "defend". Therefore not only do we need to provide answers to our children, we need to also teach and train them how to defend the answer. One day, they will be faced with scoffers and they need to be ready to defend what they believe. Understand now why those "WHY" questions are so important to respond to. Someday they will be faced with the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?"

5. Build the Foundation on THE ROCK - Simply put, THE ROCK is Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is one person within the Trinity and since the Trinity is one, God's Word obviously is included in THE ROCK. God's Word must be the first place we go to answer all of life's questions. God's Word must be the authority in all areas of our life. Unfortunately years ago, I was guilty of compartmentalizing my life with respect to serving God. I had my personal life, my church life, my school life, my work life, my hobby life, my family life, etc. Thankfully I realized one day that what I really have is a life God has given me and He must be in every part of my life. That means His Word is my guide personally, privately, publicly, at home, at church, at school, at work, in my hobbies, among my family, etc. To separate our life from God's Word in any part is detrimental. We must teach and train our children early to rely on God's Word for every area of their life, for every decision they will face, and for every good and bad thing that will come their way. It is only through God's Word will they be able to navigate this world properly and in a Godly way. Building the foundation on THE ROCK is the only way to truly weather the storms of life and believe me, they will come! The questions is, will we as Christian parents have done all we can to ensure our children's foundation will be ready? By the grace of God, let us make sure!