Building on a Solid Foundation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 4:19

 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

(ESV)

In our independent society where individuals value their freedom, liberty, and independence the thought of dependency is foreign and even viewed as weakness.  Many view people living in poverty and dependent on others for their basic provisions in life as lazy or perhaps someone with a drug or alcohol problem.  While this may be the case for some, there are also others who are in poverty and a state of dependency through no fault of their own. 

Our society is full of single parents who are single because of a deadbeat spouse that abandoned them because they did not want to own up to their responsibilities as parents.  Others live in dependency due to their jobs either going away due to a sluggish economy or replaced by technology.  Many have become dependent due to their jobs going to another country.  Others are dependent due to failing health making it impossible for them to work.  The Bible cautions each of us not to judge others warning us that the same standard with which we judge others will be used against us (Matthew7:1-2). 

However, dependency on the wrong thing can lead to disaster.  For example, our society in the United States has been waging a “War on Poverty” since 1964 and as of 2013, 14.5 percent of Americans were living in poverty after spending three times what the nation has spent on military wars since the American Revolution.  (1) 

Even those not dependent on government or charity are dependent even though they may like to think of themselves as independent.  For example, I do not receive any government or charitable subsistence because God has blessed me with sufficient income to meet my needs.  However, I have that income from working for someone else and therefore am dependent upon their ability to pay me for the work I do for them.  In addition, even though I do not receive any direct aid from the government, I do depend upon them to provide security through the military and police force, basic services such as trash pickup and sanitation.  I am also dependent upon others to provide services I am not qualified to do such as fixing my car or plumbing.  In other words, even those of us appearing independent have some dependency upon others.  Even the efforts of the Obama Administration to eliminate poverty led to record numbers of people not working, (2) and record numbers of people on Food Stamps despite a low unemployment rate.  (3)  It would appear dependency on government to end poverty is a misplaced dependency leading to misery.

Those placing their dependency upon their career or education fare little better.  The recent revelation that Disney was replacing its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) employees with foreign cheaper labor, and even requiring the American workers they were replacing to train them, caused a firestorm of debate and even congressional hearings.  (4) (5)  People working these jobs that placed their dependency upon them have now discovered their job could be eliminated through an executive decision to seek cheaper foreign labor.  In addition, record numbers of defaults on student loans due to graduates’ inability to find good paying jobs demonstrates a misplaced dependency on education to provide for their needs.  (6)

The bottom line is that even though we all like to think of ourselves as independent, we all have dependency on something or someone else.  The challenge we all face is one of placing our dependency upon something with the ability to meet our needs.  That is why I have chosen to place my dependency upon God. 

This does not mean I abandon my dependency on job, career, or education.  It also does not mean that we refuse help from the government or charity when we have a genuine need.  What it does mean is an understanding that the things in the world such as career, education, and government change but God never changes and provides a solid foundation upon which to anchor our lives. 

Matthew 7:24-27 records Jesus parable about two men who built a house.  One of the men was wise and built his house the foundation of a rock.  When storms came, his house stood because of the solid foundation upon which it was built.  The other man however, was foolish and built his house upon a sandy foundation.  When storms came, his house fell. 

We live in stormy times politically, economically, and even emotionally and have a choice.  We can build our lives upon the sandy foundation of career, job, or some government program or we can build upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  As for me and my family, we choose the solid foundation of the Lord (Joshua 24:15). 

Which foundation will you choose?

1. Rector, Robert. The War on Poverty: 50 years of failure. www.heritage.org. [Online] The Heritage Foundation, September 23, 2014. [Cited: February 26, 2017.] http://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/commentary/the-war-poverty-50-years-failure.

2. Jones, Susan. Record 95,102,000 Americans Not in Labor Force; Number Grew 18% Since Obama Took Office in 2009. www.cnsnews.com. [Online] CNS News, January 6, 2017. [Cited: February 26, 2017.] http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/record-95102000-americans-not-labor-force-number-grew-18-obama-took-office.

3. Swoyer, Ales. Food Stamp Use At All Time High Despite Eight Year Low Unemployment Rate. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbard News, March 2, 2016. [Cited: February 26, 2017.] http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/02/19-million-more-americans-on-food-stamps-despite-low-unemployment-rate/.

4. Wisner, Matthew. Disney Workers Forced to Train Their Foreign Replacements. www.foxbusiness.com. [Online] Fox Business, March 1, 2016. [Cited: February 26, 2017.] http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/03/01/disney-workers-forced-to-train-their-foreign-replacements.html.

5. Benderly, Beryl Lieff. Displaced American STEM workers spur Senate hearing. www.sciencemag.org. [Online] Science, March 3, 2016. [Cited: February 26, 2017.] http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2016/03/displaced-american-stem-workers-spur-senate-hearing.

6. Looney, Michael Greenstone and Adam. Rising Student Debt Burdens: Factors Behind the Phenomenon. www.brookings.edu. [Online] Brookings, July 5, 2013. [Cited: February 26, 2017.] https://www.brookings.edu/blog/jobs/2013/07/05/rising-student-debt-burdens-factors-behind-the-phenomenon/.