THE DIG
Verse of the week: Luke 6:47-48
47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
On Sunday, we wrapped up our “Shake the Ground” series with the fifth instalment, and wow, what a climatic conclusion! This entire series has been about raising the level of our expectation, believing that God not only can, but that He wants to shake the ground among us, doing impossible things in His church.
To close the series, we pressed into the idea that no matter where our situations start, He wants to build integrity in your life. He’s calling us to dig deep! Here’s the breakdown:
#1: God wants to build a solid foundation in your life.
We’ve talked a lot in this series about God shaking the ground to make change in our lives. But we’ve also just gone through a heavy season where the world has shaken around us, and God has promised to keep us firm through that shake.
In this week’s highlighted verse, in Luke, we see some principles about living a life that is not shaken when the world shakes. It shows what it’s like to live in Jesus – digging deep and building our life on a firm foundation – Him. That’s good news for us all, because it shows that God wants to build your life, and He has a plan to build you unshakable through the tough times.
It can be tough to believe that in 2022, when the entire world seems to be fighting against you in chaos. But that’s what Jesus wants us to see through Luke’s gospel – that we are made strong in Him.
#2: We need to dig.
God is ready to rebuild our lives, but it still requires us to put in the work. Like it says in Luke 6:48, we need to dig deep if we want to be unshaken when the world shakes. We need to dig towards our firm foundation – Jesus. That way, when the flood comes, or in our case, the troubles of this world, we will not be shaken, because we will be well built.
We don’t need to have everything figured out, but we do need to dig – into strong habits, solid relationships, and meaningful connection with God. We need to develop lives of integrity.
That can be really hard in a busy world that is constantly after your attention. See, integrity is a value that doesn’t want to drive at the pace you want to drive. We often just want to get to where we’re going – we want to build fast. But in doing so, we can lose our way, and build on the wrong foundation. No one ever intends to leave integrity behind, but we all face moments when we have to decide: “Do I want to run at my pace and leave integrity behind, or will I run at the pace integrity can stay with me on this journey?” When we make the effort, and put in the work, God will meet us there, and that’s when the real building begins.
#3: Everyone starts in the sand.
You might be reading this message feeling completely overwhelmed by your circumstances, feeling too far from God to even begin to dig. Maybe you’ve done things you’re not proud of, and do not feel integrity is within your grasp. But if you read the story in Luke 6:47-48, you’ll realize that the starting point isn’t the rock – it’s the sand.
We all start far away, but it’s how we respond that will determine whether or not we will be destroyed by the storm. That’s why it’s so important that when things look bleak, we need to be reminded:
- God’s word is true and wise
- Integrity matters
- Until we see Jesus face to face, we will all fall short of the God’s glory – we’re a work in progress.
And that’s the story of Jesus. We aren’t worthy of salvation, but we are saved by grace. It’s an encouraging message in that no matter how far you might think you’ve strayed, you’re just one moment away from
redemption in Jesus.
So as we close this series, let’s be encouraged. If you’ve stopped digging, stopped building in this season where you feel like you’ve lost sight of your calling – it’s time to build again.
Make sure to check out the full message here!
