A few years ago, I had the privilege to speak to hundreds of teens at several high schools in Budapest, Hungary as part of a mission trip.  Every day after school students would meet me at McDonalds to practice their English.  This was a very unique three story McDonalds (with an Elvis Presley theme), right in the heart of downtown Budapest.  One afternoon in a discussion with one of the students, he pointed out the window and with a slight smile on his face said: “Do you realize that building across the street is 500 years older than your country?”  Now that was a building built to last!  The Apostle Paul uses a similar illustration to make his point to us about how important it is to build on a firm foundation.  It’s the only way to build anything if you want it to be built to last.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  (1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NASB)

As a leader, you must become a “master builder” who models and mentors others in what it means to build on a firm foundation.  No matter what you gain in this life, only what is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ will last.  I had a conversation with a dear friend who almost died recently.  As he was lying on the stretcher in the emergency room believing it to be his last moments of life on earth, he said it was surprising to him how much his priorities shifted.  All the things he had accomplished, all the things he had accumulated, and all the things he had worried about the most, were suddenly unimportant.  How he had lived his life and those people closest to him were all he could think about.  When he thought he only had a minute to live, everything looked different.  My friend gained a lot of insight that day that has forever changed his perspective and priorities in life.

What foundation are you building on today?  Are you building for your glory or for God’s glory?  Let me encourage you today to commit all you have and all you do to the glory of God.  Build your life and your career on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and everything in your life will be built to last.

“Faith is building on what you know is here so you can reach what you know is there”

~ Cullen Hightower