Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 20)
AS CHILDREN IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, we sang about the wise man and the foolish man (Matt. 7:24–27). It became clear to us that unless Jesus Christ was our foundation, our lives would fall flat. To build a house, there must be preparation: a large pit must be dug, then the builders set up forms, pour footings of concrete, reinforce the concrete with steel rods, and build walls on top of the footings.
God did the work of building the foundation. Throughout the Old Testament, He predicted the coming of the Messiah. Then He sent His Son to live and die among us. He completed the foundation of our faith when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This is a wonderful foundation, but it doesn’t do us any good unless we accept it as ours and build upon it.
Jude urged us to build upon this foundation. We can do so by worship, prayer, reading the Bible and Christian books, singing in a choir, listening to sermons, serving on mission teams, or whatever other Christian service God leads us to do. The best way to build ourselves up and keep ourselves in God’s love is to be obedient to Him. Ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit or going against His commandments puts up a barrier in our hearts between God’s love and us.
Choose a spiritual discipline that will build you up today.
Judith Vander Wege is a member of the worship committee, choir, and praise team at her church and plays the accordion for senior citizens.
