Upon arrival at Yellowstone National Park for a camping trip, it was cold and raining. Fortunately, the campsite contained a layer of gravel to facilitate drainage. Otherwise, it would be incredibly uncomfortable sleeping in a tent filled with mud and water in this cold climate. Setting up the tent and campsite is certainly easier in dry conditions, but it is only an inconvenience, not an impossibility.
As Christians, it all has to do with a solid foundation. If our faith was built on ourselves, it would be very similar to putting up a tent in muddy water during a rainstorm. As the rain continues to fall, the tent pegs will loosen and the tent will fall. Once the inside of the tent is wet, nothing but heat and sun will dry it out. Yet instead, the foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ. Because He is rock solid, our lives are built on His stability!
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.
Isaiah 28:16
Sadly, many Christians make that decision to follow Christ, but continue to walk with one foot in the world. The process of “one-foot walking” is neither comfortable nor effective. Following Jesus involves both feet.
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 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.”
Luke 6:46-49
What is apparent in the parable above is that storms will arise. Instead of the unrealistic promise that life will be filled with happiness and sunny skies, Jesus reminds us that trials will come and they will be difficult. Yet if Christ is the solid rock of your foundation, no storm will blow your house down. As Christians, we are strangers in a strange land. This world is not our home. Instead, we live in temporary homes. Our earthly bodies are nothing more than tents. Isn’t it ironic that Paul worked as a tentmaker while preaching to his fellow believers in their earthly tents?
Let your foundation be set in stone!
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
2 Timothy 2:19
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