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Principle vs Fashion
Luke 6: 48-49 (KJV)
48 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.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
I have heard this scripture preached on dozens of times. Every time the emphasis has been on doctrine and why not that is the way Jesus explained it as well. I however believe that this passage applies to more. We are going to take some time to examine just how deep these two verses can be.
What is doctrine?
Doctrine is defined as a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group
You can see from this definition that a doctrine can be anything taught by more than one person. By this definition not only does every religion have a doctrine, but every family does as well. Their doctrine are the beliefs that shape the way they interact with each other, their environment and the world. It is the foundation upon which they build themselves as an individual and as a group.
What is a foundation?
The word foundation has been used for a few different things.
(1) the lowest load-bearing part of a building or structure typically underground
(2) the underlying principles upon which a belief is founded
There are other meaning used for foundation now, but these are the two we are concerned with in this post. In this short parable Jesus refers to a buildings foundation as a descriptive of His teachings.
The best foundation is bedrock. If you have ever gotten stuck in the mud in a vehicle you know that dirt or soil will sink and even squish out from under an object. When building a structure you really do not want to just build it on top of the soil. That could be okay if you were building a temporary structure, but for a permanent dwelling a foundation is required.
When a person builds a structure on the ground without a foundation settling will occur. Settling is when the dirt under the load bearing portions of the structure compact. This might be acceptable if all of the ground settled the same amount, but it never does. Some parts will sink more than others. I am sure you have seen commercials for foundation repair services. If these structures had been built on a firm foundation, these repairs would be unnecessary.
(1) the lowest load-bearing part of a building or structure typically underground
(2) the underlying principles upon which a belief is founded
There are other meaning used for foundation now, but these are the two we are concerned with in this post. In this short parable Jesus refers to a buildings foundation as a descriptive of His teachings.
The best foundation is bedrock. If you have ever gotten stuck in the mud in a vehicle you know that dirt or soil will sink and even squish out from under an object. When building a structure you really do not want to just build it on top of the soil. That could be okay if you were building a temporary structure, but for a permanent dwelling a foundation is required.
When a person builds a structure on the ground without a foundation settling will occur. Settling is when the dirt under the load bearing portions of the structure compact. This might be acceptable if all of the ground settled the same amount, but it never does. Some parts will sink more than others. I am sure you have seen commercials for foundation repair services. If these structures had been built on a firm foundation, these repairs would be unnecessary.
The problem is that we as a people are always looking for shortcuts. All of the modern day foundations or footers are man made. Modern foundations are made of concrete and rebar. If these foundations are too thin the foundations will crack and settling will occur.
Sometimes we build our lives on principles that are thin. Building our lives on what society considers fashionable is a very thin foundation. Fashion is always changing, if a person based their lives on societal norms, their basic beliefs will always be changing. I understand that sometimes core beliefs can change but those changes should happen as a result of deep thought or sometimes even an epiphany.
What are good principles?
God first, family second, hard work, and what you do will come back to you.
God first. I know this is very unpopular. I know that a lot of people look at the Bible as a book of don'ts. There are a lot of don't dos in the book, but there are a lot more dos in the Bible than people realize.
Family second. There are a lot of people who will abandon you when time gets tough. If you have a close knit family they will stand by your side. Family will walk through blazes and grin on the journey.
Hard work does not necessarily mean for a corporate entity. Hard work is a continual diligent improvement of your own situation. This diligence can be on a job, in your garden, in a relationship, anything that is of value to you.
Karma, or at least that is what most people call it today is based on a spiritual principle. Everything we do will bring a harvest. When we do good things, good things will come back to us. When we do bad things, bad things will come back to us. It is the sowing and reaping thing again. Simple and logical.
Having deep held principles can and should guide should guide our actions and reactions. The Bible has been under attack, but the scriptures still hold the best guide for everyday life. If we apply those truths our world would be a better place.
Life Based on Fashion
A life that is founded on what is currently socially acceptable or fashionable tends to be materialistic, self centered, and indulgent. Decisions are based on immediate gratification. We live in a drive thru wold. Fashion is selfish and ever changing.
There are people who call themselves Christians who don't have strong held principles and there are folks who have never been to a church that are solidly grounded in what they believe.
When hard times come, and believe me they will, having a foundation of time honored principles will see you through. Build your life on a firm foundation, the rock of principles, not the shifting sands of fashion.
I hope you are finding these devotions beneficial.
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