Praxis: Built to Last

Setup:
Fame, power, and prestige are some of the ways people have defined success in the past. Yet the ones that we hold up on pedestals because of their good looks and money have been faced with hardships only to crash and turn into a pile of rubble. Christ has siad that if we will listen to him, obey his words, and build our lives with him that we will endure the harsh storms that will come to us.

Warmup:
Go to a very sandy beach on the edge of a semi-rocky plot. Divide the group in two and send one group to a pile of racks father in-land. Have the other group stay on the beach and arm them with flashy-looking san buckets and shovels. Give them each time to complete the best castle/house. After they are finished, judge them by appearance. Then haul large buckets of water up and throw the water on the houses/castles. Then judge them according to durability. Ask why the rocks stayed in place more than the sand castles. Talk about different kinds of foundations. Ask them what kind of life foundation some people use.

Study:
Luke 6:47-49 - Why would a man be foolist enough not to build a good foundation?
Judges 5:8 - What was the bad foundation? What ws the result? What are some gods today?
I Cor 3:10-17 - Who is the foundation? Why do we need to use good materials too?
I Peter 2:5-7 - How important are we in building the house of Christ? Who is our cornerstone? Will the world recognize our value all of the time? Did they recognize Christ's value? Why/Why not?

Application:
As we plan our life or go through it, we must first make sure we have accepted Christ as our Savior so that we will be our cornerstone. Then we need to carefully examine our lives to make sure we are following and obeying his word so that we will be building our house to stand firm.

Reflection:
Is you foundation on the rock of Christ? What materials are you using to build your house? Are there any material that you need to be replaced? Do parts of your house need to be rebuilt?

Let's pray and ask the Lord to remind us of his love for us and ask him to help us follow his word and build with the right materials.
By Evelyn Gilbertson