Monday Morning Encouragement -- Building On The Rock

 

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24

Back in the late 90's a class-action lawsuit was brought against a builder in the town where I lived. About 15 years prior he had developed a neighborhood with lovely homes. Unfortunately, in order to cut corners, the homes were built on  faulty foundations, and over a few short years the foundations failed and the homes were literally caving in. Imagine the horror of the homeowners when they realized all their hard-earned money had gone into a house that now was worthless.

Any good engineer will tell you that when considering the purchase of a home, the condition of the foundation is the most important aspect. "The foundation of a house is crucial . . . serving as the bedrock upon which the entire structure stands. It provides stability, ensuring that the house remains upright and secure, even under adverse conditions such as strong winds, earthquakes or heavy rainfall." (https://www.forbes.com)

The foundation of our spiritual lives is even more important than the physical foundations of our houses.  Jesus made this clear in Matthew 7 when he compared the two men who built homes: the wise man built his home on rock, the foolish man built his home on sand. We know the outcome of each. The wise man's house built on rock stood firm when "the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house." But the foolish man's house built on sand fell when the floods came, and the winds blew, and "great was the fall of it." 

The rock on which we stand must be Jesus. His words are the words we must take to heart and to which we must be obedient if we want to stand firm in the storms of life. The foundation the world offers us is as shifting sand. Trusting in man-made institutions and getting our security from our bank account balance is futile. These things can change with the wind, but Jesus is forever the same! 

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:4. 

Today's music video The Solid Rock (My Hope is Built) is a modern arrangement of an old hymn by Nathan Drake. I'm sure it will be familiar to many of you.

I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.