Do not build your temple on dead donkeys

                 Build your foundation on Christ with the Ten Pillars 

There was a self-proclaimed Godman, who ran a temple successfully. He strategically constructed the temple in the marketplace. It was a popular business corner. A lot of devotees flocked to the temple to offer prayers and petitions. Fortunately, most of the prayers were answered and devotees labelled the temple as a place of luck and never failed to get the temple deity’s blessings and in return dumped offerings in the dumb box. The Godman was riding on the luck and thriving on the offerings of the devotees.

He had a lazy son who squandered all the offerings and lavishly spent it on trivial things. Due to his overspending, the father was annoyed. Every day the father and son had a tiff that often ended in a cold domestic war. One day the son told the father, give my share of the property and let me build my own business. Father was more than willing and agreed to part with the son so that he could enjoy the temple income all by himself. He gave him his share of the property and a donkey to ride on.

The Son rode on the donkey and went to a faraway place. As he was known for his irresponsibility, he did not take care of the donkey well and soon donkey died. He felt sad because he had to walk on foot thereafter. But he wanted to give a decent burial to the donkey. He dug a pit under a banyan tree and buried it. Over its burial place, he lit a candle or two and some incense sticks to pay his last homage. That was the day he overworked and slept under the banyan tree overnight. The following morning, before proceeding further on his way, once again he knelt before the dead donkey and thanked and prayed to God to take care of the soul of the donkey.

Meanwhile, a passer-by saw the son and assumed that he was chanting a prayer to a powerful god and followed suit. He too knelt and prayed and dropped a coin or two on the grave. One became two and two became four and the number of people who visited the site increased day by day and the offering poured in believing a powerful saint was buried and he blessed them all. The Son, the lazy bone changed his mind and remained at the same place and collected the easy money and built on it. He did not move out of the place. Meanwhile, he learnt the art of speaking words of comfort and blessings. More people thronged to the site and offered prayers. The son became more popular and richer than the Father.

One day the Father visited his son. He was shocked and surprised to see him having a real big-time with all the comforts and the throng of devotees visiting him. He gently enquired and got to know the story from the horse’s mouth and laughed. The son did not know why his father was laughing away to glory. The Father said, ‘Son, you erected a temple on the foal, and I erected a temple on Mother Donkey.”

Christ is our Foundation

Today most of us have built our Christian life on the dead bones, dead ideas and human teachings that are not permanent. These human teachings are not life-giving words. Let us build our Christian foundation on Christ. Paul says, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 3:11

Isaiah 28:16 

Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

 

How do we build our foundation? Jesus himself teaches this “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. Of course, we all know that Jesus Christ is the Rock. Let us erect ten pillars by practising the Ten Commandments as we build on our Christian faith. We build our temple on goodness, but the foundation is always Christ. The Ten Commandments are the ten pillars to strengthen our faith.

 

Your Foundation will be tested

 

1 Corinthians 3:13-16 

Each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

 

Have the right foundation lest a breeze from the teacup could blow your foundation.

 

Read Psalm 119 for the usefulness of the statutes.

 

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