A Solid Start

I must explain up front – I’m not a contractor!  Even though in my young age I worked with my father to renovate homes, I don’t believe I could build one from "the ground up."  A common phrase (the ground up) we hear applied to a lot of processes which refers to a beginning or starting point.  

Again, I’m no contractor, but I’ve never seen a house being built from the roof down!  It would be ludicrous to even think a home could be built in this fashion. As we travel around the Village, we can spot a new home being constructed simply by recognizing the starting point – the foundation.

The individuals who construct this important part may be the most important contractors in the entire home-building process.  Water lines must be laid, gas lines, and sometimes electrical lines for in-floor receptacles. All of these must be precise, and then the foundation is poured.  A solid, level, accurate foundation is essential to move on to the remainder of the house. A weak foundation will eventually rear its ugly head through cracks in the interior and exterior of the home.  Yes, the most important part of the building process is a firm foundation.

When Jesus began His ministry, a foundation had already been laid.  His cousin John had been calling people to repentance, to be baptized, and to prepare themselves for the one who was to come – who was already among them!

John had one purpose in his life and one purpose only which was to lay the foundation for the Messiah.  He never set himself as higher or even on the same level as Jesus. When Jesus appeared that day to be baptized, John’s foundational ministry was coming to an end.

John the Baptist closed an era of prophets who foretold of the coming of the Messiah.  But unlike other prophets, John saw his prophetic preaching come true. And when John sent word to Jesus from his prison cell asking if He was the one or did they need to look for another who was yet to come, Jesus’ answer left no doubt in John’s mind.  He was the one!

Jesus built His ministry on the foundation built by John.  But what of our ministries? What foundation do we have to build upon?

We have an even more solid foundation than the one John built.  We have a foundation laid by the creator of the universe, the one who creates in perfection.  We are all called to be "doers of the Word." If we build upon the foundation laid by Christ, and not one of our own construction, the structure we build will be glorifying to the only one who can give us a perfect starting place.

Our starting place is to give everything we have to Jesus every day, and ask Him through the Holy Spirit to guide our steps.  What better foundation upon which to build up the Body of Christ, while we eagerly wait for His return!