Any church which is involved in a building project holds a special place in my heart. Over the course of our ministry, our church has had many such projects. If you know anything about construction, then you know that the most important part of any building, no matter how beautiful it looks on the outside, is hidden from view. I’m talking about the foundation. You can build the world’s greatest crystal cathedral, but without a foundation, you have no building.

The same is true of a Christian. This person may do many great things for Christ. They may have a lot of friends or the respect of others. They may have a good job and a nice family — a beautiful “building.” But if the person’s heart is not right with God, then the building will come crashing down. The foundation for the Christian’s spiritual life is the heart.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”(Matthew 5:8) This statement is full of truth. To be “pure in heart” is to have a clean heart. To have a clean heart is to be blessed. It is also to have an undivided heart which can clearly see God. With nothing else competing with God for attention, God can lead, encourage, teach, and convict this kind of Christian. If the Christian’s foundation is strong, then the rest of the building will stand firm.

Have you been building up your building without tending to the foundation? It is very easy to go through the motions in life, adding a panel of the glass of good works here, painting bricks of a good work ethic there. You may think that because people can only see the surface, this is the only thing you need to worry about. If so, then you’ve got it all wrong. Remember, looks can be deceiving — your building will only be as strong as its foundation.