Monday | Foundation: Identity in Christ
Monday | Foundation: Identity in Christ
Monday, August 18, 2025
Reading For Monday | Ephesians 2:19-22
BUILDING ON THE RIGHT FOUNDATION
If you’ve ever driven by a construction site, you know the first visible step is often the least glamorous—digging, leveling, and pouring the foundation. Weeks might pass before you see walls go up. But every builder knows that what happens in those early days will determine the strength of the entire home. If the foundation is crooked, cracked, or poorly set, it won’t matter how beautiful the rest of the house is—it will eventually crumble.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives. Before we think about adding spiritual practices, building good habits, or structuring our days, we have to ask: What am I building on? Our rule of life—the patterns we choose to shape our walk with Jesus—will only be as steady as the foundation underneath it. And the Bible is clear: the only unshakable foundation is Christ Himself.
Paul reminds the Ephesian church that they are “members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). That cornerstone sets the direction for every other stone. If our identity rests on our performance, our circumstances, or our ability to “stick with” our spiritual routines, then the first sign of stress will cause cracks to form. But if our identity rests in Christ—what He has done, who He says we are—then no storm can shake us (see Matthew 7:24–25).
This means that crafting a rule of life doesn’t start with doing for God—it starts with being with God, and believing what He says about us. From that place of secure belonging, the rest of the “house” can rise strong.
If you’ve ever driven by a construction site, you know the first visible step is often the least glamorous—digging, leveling, and pouring the foundation. Weeks might pass before you see walls go up. But every builder knows that what happens in those early days will determine the strength of the entire home. If the foundation is crooked, cracked, or poorly set, it won’t matter how beautiful the rest of the house is—it will eventually crumble.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives. Before we think about adding spiritual practices, building good habits, or structuring our days, we have to ask: What am I building on? Our rule of life—the patterns we choose to shape our walk with Jesus—will only be as steady as the foundation underneath it. And the Bible is clear: the only unshakable foundation is Christ Himself.
Paul reminds the Ephesian church that they are “members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). That cornerstone sets the direction for every other stone. If our identity rests on our performance, our circumstances, or our ability to “stick with” our spiritual routines, then the first sign of stress will cause cracks to form. But if our identity rests in Christ—what He has done, who He says we are—then no storm can shake us (see Matthew 7:24–25).
This means that crafting a rule of life doesn’t start with doing for God—it starts with being with God, and believing what He says about us. From that place of secure belonging, the rest of the “house” can rise strong.
PRACTICE FOR TODAY | "ROOTED IN CHRIST" PRAYER
- Find a quiet space where you can be still for five minutes.
- Begin by thanking God that your identity is secure in Him.
- Slowly pray these truths over yourself:
- I am God’s child (John 1:12).
- I am fully accepted in Christ (Romans 8:1).
- I am God’s workmanship, created for good works (Ephesians 2:10).
- Ask God to show you any false foundations—places where you’ve been building your worth on something other than Him.
- End by picturing your life built on the solid rock of Christ, unshaken no matter the storm.