Building a Strong Foundation Through Faith and Trust

Devotional

Day 1: Building a Strong Spiritual Foundation

In life, just as we maintain our cars to ensure they run smoothly, we must also invest in our spiritual health by engaging with God's Word. This proactive approach helps us build a strong foundation to navigate life's challenges. By doing so, we have something to hold onto during difficult times. Engaging with Scripture is not merely a passive activity but an active investment in our spiritual well-being. It equips us with the wisdom and strength needed to face life's trials with faith and resilience. [45:59]

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to deepen your engagement with God's Word and strengthen your spiritual foundation?

Day 2: Overcoming Self-Centeredness

Paul warns that in the last days, people will love themselves above all else, leading to broken relationships and spiritual decay. True life is found not in elevating ourselves but in enthroning Jesus as the Lord of our lives. This self-centeredness can manifest in various ways, from prioritizing personal desires over communal needs to neglecting the call to serve others. By focusing on Jesus, we shift our perspective from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness, allowing His love and grace to transform our relationships and communities. [53:10]

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy." (2 Timothy 3:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where self-centeredness might be affecting your relationships. How can you invite Jesus to be the center of that area today?

Day 3: Embracing Persecution with Faith

Living a godly life may invite persecution, but it is through these trials that our faith is tested and strengthened. Instead of avoiding persecution, we should focus on following Jesus wholeheartedly, trusting that He will guide us through. Persecution, in its various forms, challenges us to rely on God's strength and promises. It is an opportunity to deepen our trust in Him and to witness His faithfulness in our lives. By embracing these challenges, we grow in spiritual maturity and resilience. [01:06:30]

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: How can you prepare your heart to respond with faith and grace when faced with challenges or opposition for your beliefs?

Day 4: Gaining Wisdom Through Scripture

The Scriptures provide wisdom, teaching us the wise thing to do in every situation. This wisdom affects every decision we make, shaping our lives and leading us to salvation through trust in Jesus. By immersing ourselves in God's Word, we gain insight and understanding that guide our daily choices and actions. This wisdom is not just theoretical but practical, influencing how we live out our faith in tangible ways. [01:10:31]

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one decision you are facing where you need God's wisdom? How can you seek guidance from Scripture in making this decision?

Day 5: Trusting Jesus in Difficult Times

Trust in Jesus is tested in difficult times, but it is through these tests that we experience His faithfulness. By building our trust in Him daily, we have a firm foundation to rely on, allowing us to navigate life's challenges with confidence. Trusting Jesus is an active choice, requiring us to lean on His promises and presence, especially when circumstances are uncertain or overwhelming. This trust is cultivated through daily practices of prayer, reflection, and surrender. [01:11:57]

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent challenge you faced. How did you experience Jesus' faithfulness, and how can you continue to build your trust in Him today?

Sermon Summary

Summary:

Today, we gathered to reflect on the importance of maintaining our spiritual, emotional, and relational health, much like the upkeep required for our cars. Just as we invest in our vehicles to ensure they run smoothly, we must also invest in our lives by reading and applying God's Word. This proactive approach helps us navigate difficult times with a foundation of faith and wisdom. We explored Paul's letter to Timothy, where he warns of challenging days ahead, marked by self-centeredness and a lack of genuine faith within the church. Paul emphasizes the necessity of building our lives on Jesus, who influences every aspect of our existence, from our emotional well-being to our relationships and finances.

Paul's message to Timothy is a call to remain faithful and grounded in the teachings of Scripture, which provide wisdom and guidance. He reminds us that living a godly life may invite persecution, but it is through these trials that our trust in Jesus is tested and strengthened. The wise decision is to place our trust in Jesus, allowing His teachings to shape our lives and decisions. This trust is not passive; it requires active engagement with God's Word and a commitment to living out our faith daily.

As we partake in communion, we are reminded of the grace and forgiveness offered through Jesus' sacrifice. This grace sustains us in both good and challenging times, encouraging us to build our lives on Him. By doing so, we experience the fullness of life and the good works God has planned for us. Let us continue to seek God together, support one another, and be a light in our community, moving toward wholeness found only in Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Centeredness:** Paul warns that in the last days, people will love themselves above all else, leading to broken relationships and spiritual decay. True life is found not in elevating ourselves but in enthroning Jesus as the Lord of our lives. [53:10]
3. The Reality of Persecution: Living a godly life may invite persecution, but it is through these trials that our faith is tested and strengthened. Instead of avoiding persecution, we should focus on following Jesus wholeheartedly, trusting that He will guide us through.

4. Wisdom Through Scripture: The Scriptures provide wisdom, teaching us the wise thing to do in every situation. This wisdom affects every decision we make, shaping our lives and leading us to salvation through trust in Jesus.

5. The Power of Trust: Trust in Jesus is tested in difficult times, but it is through these tests that we experience His faithfulness. By building our trust in Him daily, we have a firm foundation to rely on, allowing us to navigate life's challenges with confidence.

** [53:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - Celebrating Milestones
[03:00] - Disaster Relief Efforts
[05:00] - The Importance of Upkeep
[10:00] - Practicing Gratitude
[15:00] - Investing in Relationships
[20:00] - Building Spiritual Health
[25:00] - Paul's Warning to Timothy
[30:00] - The Last Days and Self-Centeredness
[35:00] - The Reality of Persecution
[40:00] - Wisdom Through Scripture
[45:00] - The Power of Trust
[50:00] - Communion and Grace
[55:00] - Encouragement and Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

1) "Because it says yes, and then it says, have you really read it? At least it does for me. Jason, have you really read this thing? No, I haven't. Because I don't like reading all this stuff. I don't like all the upkeep. I don't like, but there's something about upkeep that's important, right? I mean, if we were to really read some of the stuff that we're supposed to read, and not just read it, but like take it in and begin to put it into practice, my guess is most of us would probably eat a little bit better, or maybe we would exercise a little bit more, or maybe what would happen is we'd actually start practicing gratitude. Did you know gratitude, if you'll just write down three to five things that you're grateful for each and every day, it'll change your whole day. It'll change your week." [43:33] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2) "It's the upkeep of life. We struggle in so many different ways. And one of the things that I've learned is, is that if you'll take care of it here, if you'll read the manual, the car manuals, it says if you'll do this at this time, at this mileage, the whole idea is that if you'll learn to do that in the, when things are running well, then it'll keep things running well, even in the middle of difficult. It's the same thing, right? In your marriage, if you'll learn, some of us, if we would learn to, to invest in our marriages when things are going well, then whenever things begin to go difficult, we've got something to hold on to, right?" [45:59] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3) "And the basis of Christianity, the foundation of Christianity, the foundation of the fact. The fact that God wants to bring you life is not found in elevating yourself. It's found in when you and I enthrone Jesus as the Lord of our lives. When we make him the supreme focus of our lives. Paul says what's going to happen is people are going to love themselves over everything else. They're going to love their money. They'll be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred." [53:10] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4) "Paul says, I'm telling you, anyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will suffer persecution. Timothy, evil people and imposters are going to flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. And so Paul, Paul says, listen, this is going to be a difficult time. And then he changes his tone. He says, Timothy, you must remain. remain faithful you must remain faithful to the things that you've been taught you know they are true for you know that you can trust those who taught you you've been taught the holy scriptures from childhood timothy you you know these things you know what i you've seen me you've watched me some of you whenever we have baptisms we always say who's influenced you and so many of you talk about family members or pastors or sunday school teachers or whoever it is because you've watched their lives and you think man something about them is different they face difficult times but they have this peace they face the harsh times but there's this sense of it's going to be okay because of what the way they follow jesus he's like timothy you know this stuff you've seen it you know who's taught you he says you've been taught the holy scriptures from childhood and they've given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes from trust in you in jesus" [01:06:30] (84 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5) "Paul says all scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what it is. It's true. To make us realize what is wrong in our lives and it corrects us when we're wrong and teaches us to do what is right. And then it prepares us to do every good work that we need to do. Here's the deal. If I could put it into just one sentence, right? There was a speaker this week. He called it a soul tattoo. If I could just imprint, if Paul could imprint this on Timothy's life, he would imprint it on my life and your life. Paul would basically say that following the leading of Jesus brings life into the difficult days." [01:13:01] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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