Month: April 2025

Christ, the Firm Foundation

by Emily Rose MasseyDiscipleship / Sanctification

Recently, my husband attended a conference that was specifically for pastors and leaders in the local church. Over 3,000 men were gathered in the sanctuary worshiping the Lord in song and learning from some of the best expositors of God’s Word. I was thankful to be able to watch the sessions via Livestream. Hearing thousands of men lift their voices in song, worshipping our King was such an incredibly beautiful sound! The lyrics of one of the songs that was sang at the conference has stayed with me, and I can’t keep myself from singing the chorus:

“You’re my solid Rock, my firm foundation. My steadfast hope that won’t be shaken. My soul will wait. My soul will wait for You.”

These lyrics remind me of some wonderful truths from our Lord in Matthew as he finished the Sermon on the Mount:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25, ESV).

Although Christ does not specifically call Himself the rock here, we know that those who follow and obey His commands, trust Him, and build their life upon Him alone. Like a large rock, we know that Christ is immovable, He is strong, He is secure, and He is faithful, consistent, and reliable. We also know that building our life upon Christ does not mean that we are exempt from the storms of life; It simply means that when we face storms and trials, we do not have to face them alone because the Lord will strengthen us to endure them. In Christ, we receive a grace that sustains us no matter how hard the winds are blowing. In Christ, our life will not crumble because He fills our heart with a steadfast hope of the glory that awaits us in eternity. We must seek to cling to His words that are spirit and life (John 6:63).

Intersecting Faith and Life:

Christ is the Word made flesh. The Word of God is so powerful and the more we study and meditate upon it, our foundation will be strong in Christ, and we will continually know how to look to Him any time the chaos and trials of this life try to overtake us. Let us always be quick to ask the Lord for His sustaining grace and help in our time of need, looking to Him always because He cares for us. No matter what is going on around us, even if it seems like everything is crashing down on us, we must remember that God holds the entire universe in His hands. He is completely sovereign. Nothing passes through His hands by accident. He is in total control and has a great plan regarding all of it. Jesus Christ, our rock, is our firm foundation when the ground beneath our feet feels shaky.  We can run to Him for safety and trust that when the waves crash in around us, He gives us strength to stand strong in faith, filled with a hope the world cannot give us. Our hope should be built on Christ, our Solid Rock, the anchor of our soul, the only security we have in this life because that security is eternal. Our health and finances may be taken from us. Our relationships may dwindle and fall apart. No matter what happens, life in Him can never be taken away from us. For when this is all over, He is the only One who can save us from the curse of sin and death. We must keep the truth close to our heart that in Him, we are forgiven and justified before a Holy God. In Him, we stand faultless before the throne of judgement that awaits us all one day. The hope of eternity in His presence should be the anchor in the storms of life. The only real hope we can stand upon is eternal life found in Jesus Christ. On Christ the solid rock, by God’s grace, choose to stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Further Reading:

  • Luke 6:47-49
  • 1 Corinthians 3:11
  • Isaiah 28:16

Tagged : / / / / /

A Heavenly Citizenship

by Emily Rose MasseyDevotionals / Discipleship

About fifteen years ago, there was a popular Christian apparel company called “Not of This World.” I used to own a few of their t-shirts and would often spot their NOTW logo on cars in my church’s parking lot where the merchandise was sold. The company’s name came from the phrase found in John 18:36 where Jesus says that His kingdom is “not of this world.” The NOTW logo on my t-shirt was a small reminder that although I live in this world, I am not of this world as a child of God, so my eyes need to be fixed heavenward. As a daughter of the King, I am a part of His Kingdom and ultimately, a citizen of heaven. Although I experience various trials and pain in this life, my eternal hope in Christ means that heaven is my true home where all suffering will cease. It’s important that no matter what is going on around me, that I fight to remember where my journey here on this earth leads. 

The Apostle Paul reminds the church at Philippi about this eternal perspective:

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20-21, ESV).

Intersecting Faith and Life:

As believers, because of our faith in Jesus Christ, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life- the paperwork needed for entrance into our awaited home in heaven. This heavenly citizenship means we are to be set apart from the world as believers. Does your language, dress, entertainment, etc. reflect your heavenly citizenship? What area of your life may look more like the world?

If Christ has saved you, He has given you the privilege of knowing Him and anticipating His full fellowship. The more time we behold our King, the more we become like Him and long to reflect Him to a lost and dying world. The world needs the hope of Christ, and we are to be carriers of that message that sets the captives free and gives them life eternal in Christ alone. We are to be eagerly fixated on the return of King Jesus, but all too often temporal, worldly desires have our gaze. We cannot allow the temptations of this world and our weak flesh to entangle us into bondage Christ gave His life to set us free from. We must pray and ask God to strengthen us so that we do not give into these temptations and worldly desires. He always provides a way of escape from these temptations, and we must trust that He will never lead us astray. His ways are so much better than ours!

While here on earth, we can enjoy a small taste of glory as we become conformed to the image of Christ, by God’s grace and the power of the Spirit. The Christian life is the process of growing in Christ-likeness- transformed through sanctification. The path of transformation leads to an eternity of transformation. Our bodies will be transformed from our humble state into the conformity with the body of His glory. As believers, we joyfully submit to Christ’s Lordship in all things in our life. In the end, Jesus Christ reconciles all things to their right place; He sets all things right by the authority and might of His power. When the world gets dark, let’s remember to fix our gaze on our heavenly home that awaits us!

Further Reading:

  • Ephesians 2:19-20
  • Colossians 3:4-5

Tagged : / / / / / /