Chapter Five

Building a Firm Foundation

In my former life, I was a real estate developer working in an area with earthquake fault lines running through it. Every new building project began with a firm foundation. Without it, even the finest home, school or office could crack or collapse during a serious quake.

Like a building, you need a firm foundation for your life, to support you in all circumstances including times of chaos and loss. Bible study can help. God’s Word is a trustworthy guide when you are making decisions about goals, actions or relationships with people. The more you study God’s Word, the more it becomes your inner voice, urging you to do the right thing. The voice of temptation will keep trying to get inside your head and take control, but it can’t if you focus on God and make His word your guide.

Accepting Jesus as your Savior is the first step to a firm foundation. To repent is to admit your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you. You may hear some people call it being born again, because when Jesus forgives, He gives you the chance at a new beginning rather than making you a prisoner of your past. You are invited to follow Jesus, but He never demands it. The choice is yours, every day, and every day you choose Jesus, your belief will grow stronger.

For starters, you will want to distance yourself from bad influences in your life and seek out good influences. Bible study and prayer strengthen your spiritual muscle the same way that working out strengthens your physical muscles. Praying for guidance directs your thoughts to Jesus’ teachings in the Bible.

Once you’re on the outside, it’s a good idea to find a church. You’ll meet other believers that you can worship, study, pray, and serve the Lord with, side by side. Eventually, it will come more naturally to you even though it may not start out that way. And getting to a place where you want to share your faith with others is a worthy goal. Every Christian is a work in progress. Just take it one day at a time.

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

Jesus is our rock, our firm foundation. His disciples are part of that foundation. They shared what Jesus taught them, and what they learned is available to us in the Bible. Along with Luke, Matthew, Mark, James, Peter, Paul, John, Timothy and others all had their moments of weakness and doubt but they committed their lives to Jesus from the day He invited them, saying, “Follow me.” They were instrumental in spreading Jesus’ good news of salvation long after He returned to be with God in Heaven.

Remember the building blocks for your strong foundation: (a) accept Jesus as your Savior; (b) believe in God as Creator, and the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God’s truth; (c) study the Bible and follow its teachings and, (d) find a church and fellowship with others.

The foundation of faith that you build in the present will support you through any life circumstance that you face in the future.

Luke Chapter Five

Jesus Healing

News spread throughout the land about Jesus’ teaching and He continued to attract large crowds, like bees to honey. People came to hear the good news from this holy man—news that would change their lives. One day while Jesus was teaching along the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret (also known as the Sea of Galilee), the eager crowd pressed toward Jesus until He was at the water’s edge. Jesus could have been fearful or rude and told the people to “back off,” but that wasn’t in His nature. Instead, he got into Simon’s boat and they moved a little offshore so He could continue teaching from the boat.

When Jesus finished teaching, He asked Simon, a fisherman by trade, to launch his boat in deep waters and put out his nets for a catch. Respectfully, Simon said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5)

Simon doubted Jesus’ instruction, but he obeyed anyway. Immediately, his nets were overflowing with fish. The fishermen had never seen anything like it in all their years of fishing. Simon signaled them to get in their boats and come help him. Imagine their amazement when their nets also overflowed with fish. Simon must have been humbled in the presence of the divine, because he fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8)

But Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be fishers of men.” (Luke 5:10)

Along with Simon, who became known as Peter, the fishermen included James and John, the sons of Zebedee. By going out to fish again after hours with no success, the fishermen showed their willingness to trust and obey Jesus, and their nets were filled. When Jesus invited them to become disciples (students), these hard-working men left everything behind to follow Him. It didn’t matter that they had no education, Jesus chose them and made them teachers, and they went on to spread the good news of salvation to many people far and wide.

One day when Jesus and the disciples entered a new town, a man with leprosy showed up. Leprosy is a disease that rots the body, covering it with painful sores that won’t heal, causing the loss of fingers and toes, and giving off a foul smell. There was no cure. Lepers were isolated from everyone else because the disease was spread through human touch. (As recently as 20 years ago, the U.S. had a leper colony in the Hawaiian Islands.)

The leper fell with his face to the ground and begged, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean!” Jesus said, “Be clean.” The man was immediately healed and was no longer a leper. (Luke 5:12-13)

Jesus instructed the man not to tell anyone, but to show himself to the priest, who was the only one in town who could pronounce someone clean. Then he was to offer a sacrifice according to Mosaic Law (the law of Moses) for those in need of cleansing. Jesus told him this would be his testimony.

As you can imagine, news of the healing spread far and wide. The man could not hide the fact that his leprosy was healed. Miracle after miracle brought more people to hear the message of Jesus and to be healed. Many were curious and had doubts, until they experienced Jesus themselves.

Luke wrote that Jesus sometimes “withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) Because He was fully divine and fully human, Jesus experienced the things we humans experience while carrying out His holy mission. He took time out from His preaching to be alone so He could pray to his Father, God, whose love restores.

Keep in mind that Jesus knew He would experience pain, suffering and death before He could complete his mission and return to His Father in Heaven. Even so, He continued teaching and healing many more people in Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. During this time, a group of Jews known as the Pharisees became concerned about what they’d been hearing of Jesus’ teaching and miracles and the impact on growing numbers of people, including Jews and Gentiles. They gathered to hear Jesus teach so they could decide for themselves if He was a threat to their authority.

The Pharisees were knowledgeable about Jewish holy law, handed down from God to Moses to the Jews. They were incredibly strict about following their interpretation of the law. Although they represented a small percentage of the population, the Pharisees were respected by the common people, most of whom were illiterate so they couldn’t read the law themselves. The Pharisees were self-righteous, believing themselves to be “separate” and more pure than other Jews who were less strict, and purer than Gentiles who they considered unclean.

They expected to be recognized and honored by the people, positioning themselves as the religious authority—rulers rather than servants of the people. They punished people severely even for minor infractions of the laws. Jesus called upon them to focus on core aspects of God’s law such as justice, mercy and faithfulness.

One day, Jesus was teaching in a large house filled with people. A paralyzed man was brought to the house by a group of believers to be healed. The crowd would not let them in, so they climbed up to the roof and lowered the paralyzed man down into house.

When Jesus saw this, He was so touched by their faith He said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:20)

The Pharisees angrily accused Jesus of taking credit for what only God can do by forgiving a man’s sins. They were so worried about protecting their authority. These men, who knew the Scriptures, couldn’t see that the Old Testament prophecy—the coming of the Messiah—was happening right in front of them.

Knowing full well what the Pharisees were thinking, Jesus asked, “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?” Then He turned to the paralyzed man, saying, “Arise, take up your bed and go to your house.” The man was instantly healed. Luke points out that the man went home “praising God,” and the people in the crowd also “gave praise to God.” This is important because Jesus always made it clear that He was acting on God’s authority, not His own; and He always gave all of the glory to God, never Himself. (Luke 5:21-26)

Jesus met a...