The Foundation

By Danny Saavedra

“‘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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”—Matthew 7:24–29 (NIV)

What do you need to successfully build a house? Well, you need the right materials, the right tools, the land needs to be right . . . but there’s one thing that is the absolute most important: the foundation!

One article explained that the foundation’s “primary purpose is to hold your house up. The foundation bears the load of everything that’s built upon it. Without it, your house would quickly sink into the ground unevenly, resulting in cracks and damage to your home. A strong foundation resists movement! If your home is not anchored to a solid foundation, it can crack, break apart, or even be washed away by the natural forces at work. A sturdy foundation can resist any seasonal movement that happens below and around your home.”

This is true of houses and Lego towers, but it’s also true of your life. In today’s passage, Jesus tells us that “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

You see, friends, our lives are like a building project—a house, if you will. And for humanity, there are only two paths. There are no other options. There’s no third path, no way around it, no in-between.

Either your life will be built on the foundation of Christ and His Word and it will stand the test of time and remain strong in the face of any and everything the world throws at you, and will one day stand forever in glory, or it will be built on ANYTHING else or not properly and fully set on Christ and His Word. In this case, it will be built upon a shaky foundation and, eventually, whether in this life or when you breathe your last, it will topple over.

I need to make sure I stress this, because it’s of vital importance. This key detail makes the difference between life and death, between your “life house” standing or falling: You can build your life house to resemble the words of Jesus, it can be built on “right living,” on “doing good,” and even on biblical principles and deeds, and you can still see it all topple over.

The Pharisees did this. They followed the letter of God’s law, and their lives looked righteous—they seemed to be perfectly constructed—but their foundation WAS NOT CHRIST. Instead, their foundation was self. It was works and earning their way into the kingdom. This kind of house is built on sand. Why? Because this kind of foundation cannot take even a single gust of wind (sin). Just one and it falls apart because there’s no way one can earn their way into the kingdom. We can only be invited by Jesus! It’s His name and His stamp that gets us in. And He’s given us the plot of land to build our house on the rock, all we need to do is trust in Him who has all authority (Matthew 7:29), receive Him, and walk with Him! And when we do, when we build our lives firmly on Him and His Word, the apostle tells us, “Your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7 NLT).

Pause: What’s the difference between building on the rock or on sand?

Practice: As we saw in Colossians 2:6–7, we have the foundation of Christ and must build our lives upon it. How do we do this? Through devotion to His Word, which teaches and enables us to grow closer to Him, to recognize His voice, to find hope, purpose, peace, and security in the gospel, and to live the abundant life Jesus came to give us. But when we don’t make studying His Word a priority, things can creep into our hearts, minds, and lives and cause structural issues that must be adjusted. Sometimes, we need to knock down a wall of false doctrine in our homes. Sometimes, we need to repaint that awful color of cultural influence we thought was trendy or fix a faulty, unbiblical ideological pipe that burst. Today, ask the Spirit to do a survey of your life house and reveal any areas that need renovating.

Pray: Heavenly Father, I need Your help every day to grow and build upon the foundation of Your Son. Your Word in Ephesians 4:14 (NIV) says that I’m susceptible to be “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming,” and 2 Corinthians 11:3–4 (NIV) says that I can be “deceived by the serpent’s cunning, [my mind] may somehow be led astray from [my] sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to [me] and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus [they] preached, or if [I] receive a different spirit from the Spirit [I] received, or a different gospel from the one [I] accepted, [I] put up with it easily enough.” Help me, Lord, to stay rooted in Christ. Amen.