Three Essentials to Build a Great Life

I like to observe the processes that come together to build things. I live in a new subdivision where they are still building new homes and I love to watch them develop from the bare ground to the finished product. It takes about six months to build a home.

It takes longer to build a friendship and it takes a lifetime to build a life. But since you are building a life, don’t you want to build a great life? There are three things you need to build a great life. But you must start with the two things you need for right structure for life itself. Here are those two things.

Build starting with the foundation

Your new great life must have the right foundation. When we built our house, the builder told us that the foundation and the trusses were the most engineered part of the house. It was absolutely essential for the foundation to be right if the house was to be right.

The foundation for your life is clearly articulated in scripture. Jesus is the cornerstone, the teaching of the apostles and prophets are the foundation. We know that the teachings were given by the Holy Spirit so we can argue that the foundation of our lives is the word, the truth, of God.

The principles, commands, and lifestyle that is communicated by God’s word are vital to helping us have that solid and structurally sound foundation.

If the foundation is out of whack, the whole house will be, too! If the foundation of your life is out of whack, your whole life will be too! Get the foundation right and you can move on to the structure of your life.

Build the structure of your life

Believing the teaching of Jesus, the apostles and the prophets is the foundation. Putting it into place in your life is the structure.

It is never enough just to believe. You have to live it out.

You must embrace the truth of God. When you do, it will drive you to prayer. Asking God to forgive your sins and become Lord of your life begins the process of building a structure for a great life. Then, you must live your life in conscious obedience to the leadership of Jesus. He will lead you through his Holy Spirit in the way you should go. He will help you make good decisions.

Day by day obedience will begin to form you into the person he wants you to be. When you understand the word of God and live out the principles of righteousness every day, you have a solid structure in place. This good life will carry you into an eternal reward.

But why have a good life when you can have a great life?

3 Essentials

There are three things to finish your life and make it great.

When people visit my house, they don’t comment on the foundation or the trusses or anything else that makes the structure sound. If they were so great, we could have moved in months before the house was done! Our guests love the openness, the colors, the décor, the peacefulness and relaxing atmosphere of the house. They comment on the countertops, the kitchen, the fireplace and the comfortable seating. This is what makes the house great.

Your life can be great. Build with these three things.

Faith

Do you believe all that God has promised? When we have faith like a mustard seed, Jesus said, we could literally do the impossible! That kind of faith heals the sick, transforms lives and changes circumstances. It doesn’t wring its hands and declare the situation impossible. That kind of faith is given to us by God.

If your faith is wavering or weak, ask God for more faith. We all go through seasons when we struggle with faith but as the years go by our faith should grow stronger. We will get to the point where we simply believe the impossible. That is the power of God.

Your faith will touch the lives of those around you so let it. Build your life on faith and see how many things change for you.

Hope

We are living in the rising tide of despair. But hope is God’s gift to us. We have a hope that is strong and secure. Our hope carries us through all the days of our lives. We have a hope that is grounded in the promises of God. Our hope is sure because God is trustworthy and will never fail us!

Remember the reality of God’s faithfulness to nourish your hope. When you focus on the hope of God, you are building a great life. Build on this hope and see how it changes your outlook day after day.

Love

Love is the quality that elevates your life to the heavens. Build your life on love.

Love from God flows into and through our lives to completely transform everything. Love is the one thing the world around us is desperate for. Love is eternal.

Think about how great love is. One day all your hopes will be realized or overwhelmed by a glorious reality. One day you will no longer need faith because you will experience everything you have believed and placed your trust in. But love will continue forever. Our experience with love will multiply every day. It is almost too awesome to consider.

Love is not just something to receive and experience. To fully enjoy this love, we must pass it on. To be embraced and consumed by the love God gives, we must allow it to flow through our lives. When we express that love to the least deserving, it reaches its height.

It is easy to love our friends and family (most of the time). It is easy to love those we get along with, who live and think and look like we do. However, loving those who are different is hard. When we allow God to truly get a hold of us and willingly share his love with those who are hard to love, we truly experience the fullness of that love.

The challenge is to love everyone. That love is expressed by forgiveness, compassion, kindness, gentleness and is not tainted by any kind of impurity or sin. Ask God to help you love everyone, just as he loves you.

Build Today

There is lot to digest here but I encourage you to ask God to help you build your great life today. Many of you are already walking down this path. Continue on that great walk and build a great life!