It is a beautiful day in Arizona, beautiful but hot. It is 105 degrees. Needless to say, it is a good day to cool off in the pool. I just got out and for the moment I am feeling cooler.

While in the pool, I did something I hadn’t done for years. I played swimming pool basketball. It was a great workout, and it was great fun. It was very enjoyable and I look forward to doing it again.

But I did learn something during my play time. It is not easy to throw a basketball, even a small one, when you are floating in the water. Not having a firm foundation to throw from makes it much more difficult.

What I had previously learned about shooting a basketball had a lot to do with using your legs. Keep your knees bent. Face the basket. Jump straight up and land in the same spot. All of these instructions required a floor.

These instructions were not relevant to shooting hoops in the pool. I didn’t have a foundation. I didn’t have a floor, and it made every shot more difficult. Not only was it more challenging, with every shot I was pushed further from the goal.

It made me realize that for many, life is much more difficult than it needs to be. A lot of people are going through life trying to shoot for the goal but missing because they are shooting without a foundation. They are working so much harder than necessary. Even with the extra effort they put forth, with every shot, they push themselves farther from the goal they are trying to reach. They need a foundation.

Today in America we base our foundation for morals, ethics, lifestyle, and behavior on what is socially acceptable or politically correct. These are not firm foundations. They shift every time we turn around. As we shoot for our goals, these foundations move beneath us and make it difficult to shoot straight. We need a solid foundation.

Fortunately we still have a foundation we can depend on at all times. Our foundation is Jesus. He made everything so He knows the rules of the game of life. We are instructed in God’s Word, the Bible, on how we should live. All of this is built on the fact that Jesus is the True God, Savior of the world and our firm foundation. “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11, ESV)

Although we can learn to shoot from the pool our accuracy would improve if we shot from solid ground. We would also be less worn out because it takes less strength to shoot where there is a foundation. We would also move closer to the goal instead of farther away. I choose a firm foundation.

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

3. His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.