KEY SCRIPTURE. Matthew 7:24-25

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

RELEVANCE

No, I'm not doing a piece on the Los Angeles fires. But I am writing about foundations.

Our telling key verse, directly from the mouth of Jesus, shows us that ordinary life, with all its complications, applies to Christians as well as non-believers.

The Difference? Christians know and trust the Rock on which they have built their spiritual lives and natural character. 

The Bible doesn't say that we fly past life's dramas and traumas like a high-speed rail passing villages without stopping or being affected by the local stations. I've been on high-speed rail—411 km/hr, steady and fast, stopping only at the destination. It is great! Smooth and trouble-free, on an exclusive track separate from the local trains.

Although Christians are bound for a separate destination, we go through the same stuff. The crucial point is that we've taken steps to build our lives on the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ, so that we remain rock solid in troubled times and not lose our heads or faith. 

The TV documentary Grand Designs, a show about unique house buildings, shows the importance of foundations. Most councils, like the Word of God, create a building standard for foundations. Yet, some builders, like some cocky Christians, often say that standards are overkill: " We shouldn't have to do this. It's been 20 years since that last hurricane came through. It's unlikely to happen again!!" 

But Christians experience huge unexpected storms in their lives that can shake them to their foundations. Then, we are thankful that our lives are built on rock, not loose sand, where we sink in despair.  

Jesus' illustration above explicitly highlights the significance of the integrity of a believer's foundations. I have seen too many people walk away from God after great catastrophes—people I thought were as 'solid as a rock' but who fell when the right problem hit the right spot at the right time and tested the foundations, which weren't as deep as we all thought. 

In those instances, do we say that Satan landed a bullseye, or is that just making him the scapegoat for a lack of diligence?

We can't blame Satan for everything. We know he is there, and is wiley, and will wait for the right time to move. We know all that. It is then our job to ensure we've done due diligence on our spiritual building, making sure our complete and unswerving trust is in our beloved Saviour, who has gone before us.

As our scripture states, when we follow the sayings of Jesus Christ, WE BECOME the people who built their house on a rock. WE ARE the wise men and women who, when the rains and floods come and the winds blow against our lives, do not move a millimetre from our position of faith. That is the rock-solid promise of our Saviour. We can take it to the bank!

Keep trusting the Word of the Lord in the little decisions, as they will either erode or strengthen your foundations for the bigger challenges

Like all the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, choose to trust every time, and the Word will never let you down. Great is the faithfulness of the Lord.  

PRAYER

Precious Father, thank you for the mighty strength and faithfulness of your Word—those wonderful promises to all believers that if we hold fast to your Son, Jesus Christ, the winds might blow, and we may seem shaken at times, but we will never be moved from our position of faith. We are built on the Rock! Praise you again and again!

Photo by Chris Gallagher