Foundation First: Building Habits That Actually LastНамуна

On day one, we talked about the most important question you'll ever answer: "Who is Jesus?"

Today, I want to show you something that might surprise you. Did you know that you're already in the construction business?

Maybe that makes you nervous. You might be thinking, "I can't even swing a hammer properly" or "Nothing I build is actually level." However, your life is being built every day, every year. You're building your life as you decide to reject or accept Jesus.

The Apostle Peter, writing later in his life, uses powerful building language: “As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5 CSB)

Peter calls Jesus "a living stone" and says we ourselves are "living stones." Think about that image—we're not dead building materials, but living, breathing parts of something God is constructing.

If you spend time around children during the holidays, you'll notice they're naturally construction-oriented. Give them anything from LEGOs, blocks, or even cups, and they begin to build. Even though many of us have given away our blocks, we continue to build. We build careers, friendships, families, and futures.

Peter is saying we should bring that same energy and inclination into our faith. The same natural drive you have to build things in the physical world should be applied to your spiritual life.

In the ancient world, people believed you had to go to a specific building to meet God - the temple. But Peter explains that in the era of the church, WE are the spiritual house. Yes, churches meet in buildings, but the church isn't primarily a building - it's people. It's a spiritual house filled with living stones being built together.

This raises a critical question. The question isn't whether you're building your life on something (that answer is yes for all of us.) The question is: what kind of foundation are you building on?

This might seem more urgent if you lived in an area known for erosion, where houses are prone to falling. But it's important wherever you are. Here's what I know will happen this year: you're going to face storms. You're either headed into one, in the middle of one, or coming out of one.

Just because you attend church, own a Bible, or call yourself a Christian doesn't guarantee you're building your life on Christ. There's a profound difference between how people weather storms whose lives are built on Christ versus those built on something else.

Peter continues his building metaphor by quoting the Old Testament: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6 CSB)

We are living stones, but Jesus is the cornerstone—the foundation stone that determines the stability of everything else. In ancient construction, if the cornerstone were off, the entire building would be unstable. If the cornerstone was solid and properly placed, the building could withstand incredible pressure. Your life needs that kind of strength and stability.

Tomorrow, we'll discover why Jesus is the only cornerstone worth building your life upon, and why every other foundation will eventually disappoint you.