For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV)
Family
If your faith rests on the influence of family, then you will have a shaky foundation. Perhaps your parents were strong Christians. They drummed Christian teaching into you. You accepted what they said. But, at some point, it occurred to you that you have never really thought deeply about Christianity for yourself. You’ve always believed, but you do not really know why.
Friends
Maybe the dominant influence in bringing you to faith was not family, but friends. You became part of a group, and you identified with the group and its beliefs. Then, later on, you went to a secular university and found yourself with a different group—and none of them believed. You began to wonder if your faith was only a social convention. You cannot have a secondhand relationship with God. You cannot believe simply because someone else says so.
Feelings
Our culture places tremendous emphasis on feelings. Most marketing is not addressed to the mind, but to the heart. Whether it’s a new drink or a new car, the pitch is about how it will make you feel. The pressure is on for the church to appeal to how Christianity will make you feel too. Many well-meaning Christians have said, “I know it’s true because I feel it.” God may begin his work at any point in a personality, but His purpose involves the whole person.
If your faith is founded on feelings, what happens when you are faced with great darkness, or with the challenge of taking up your cross? The feelings will fade if there are no core convictions forming the bedrock of your faith.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Compare Him to your family, friends, and feelings. What do you discover?
