30 Years of a Foundation
My church has a young adult ministry that is called sub30. It is a ministry focused on reaching and connecting with the college and young adult age group (18-30). No we don't check IDs at the door, its just a guideline! I was thinking about the name of this the other day, and something struck me.When Jesus was turning 30, He was just starting His ministry! I look at my own life, and the 30 years I have lived to this point, and realize that based on the life of Jesus, my most impactful years are ahead of me. Ive been a part of this ministry for over 5 years now since i have lived in Jacksonville, but this is just the beginning.Now God is God, so He could have very easily just sent Jesus here as a 30 year old man and had Him start His ministry immediately (would have been more efficient). But He didn't do that, He had Jesus grow up as a man to experience the lives and situations of those around Him. I am certain that he saw things over those 30 years that affected the way He spoke to people later. He probably learned a skill that was useful, and built some credibility as a human, so when he spoke in parables they knew that He knew what they were going through, because He had been through it. He was creating a foundation from which to build from.Think about building a house. What do they put down first? The Foundation! A lot of times when watching a new building being built, it takes a long time before you see any walls come up, but when they do they go up REAL fast. They take their time to make sure the foundation is done correctly. Without a firm foundation, the building is doomed from the start. but with a good foundation, the rest of the building is quick and can be done with great confidence.Why do you think God made the light first in Genesis? He knew that other things were going to need the light (Plants, animals, humans) so he built the foundation first before going through the rest of creation. How would Adam have been able to see the animals to give them names without any light?The point I'm trying to make here is simple...Focus on the FoundationJesus focused on the foundation knowing that it was a major part of His 3 years of ministry. You may be in a foundation building period of your life. Maybe its the start of a new job, maybe you just moved to a new city, maybe you just started a new relationship, or maybe you just got out of one. Whatever it is, you are building a foundation for the next season in your life...don't rush to get there, focus on building a firm foundation (centered in God's Word) and you'll build great things from it!
Matthew 7:24-27"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”