Creator, Father, King #189

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED to live in a window-filled mansion overlooking America’s beautiful coastlines?

Well, you may want to reconsider.

In recent years, plenty of scientific studies have been published showing how rising sea levels, increased storm activity, and other factors are causing the nation’s shorelines to erode. That’s bad news for houses built on seaside bluffs. Sure, you might enjoy gorgeous vistas, but they won’t last long if the ground beneath the house is giving way!

This brings to mind Jesus’ metaphorical parable about building your house on the proper foundation. Here’s what he said:

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.

When Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with these words, he wasn’t giving real estate advice. He was showing concern for the eternal state of our souls.

What’s It Mean?

What are you basing your life on? This was Jesus’ question to his original audience—and to us today.

God has given us the words of the Word—his Son, Jesus—to build our lives upon. There is no other true spiritual foundation in life. Pharisaical righteousness—trying to please God through good works—won’t get us into heaven. If we build our lives upon fame, fortune, pleasure, or any other worldly pursuits, the “rains and floods” of life (i.e., trials and hardships) will reveal the shakiness of those foundations.

The floodwaters of trouble will come in life. Don’t build your hope on the unstable sand of self-righteous pursuits or worldly vanity. Build on Christ! He is the true Foundation, the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20) on which our eternal hope stands firm!

Now What?

Next time you’re at the beach, take time to read Matthew 7:24-27.

Did You Know?

When Jesus finished his Sermon on the Mount, “the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law” (Matthew 7:28-29). Unlike the religious leaders, who quoted other rabbis when they lectured, Jesus powerfully spoke with his own divine authority as the Son of God.