Here to HearSample

DAY 2

Written by Cole Willis

In the summer of 2021, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Costa Rica with my church. While we were there, one of our jobs was to build a house in a poorer community. We spent about two days building the walls, but then came the task everyone was looking forward to: pouring the foundation. Everything about it had to be perfect. If it wasn’t, all of our hard work building the rest of the house would mean nothing.

The part of Costa Rica we were in fell victim to massive floods every year which meant that all the houses had to be built above the flood level. If they weren’t, the houses and everything in them would be destroyed. This only made our job more important. Before we arrived, the family had already piled up five to six feet of dirt. We had to pack it in solid, making sure that there was no loose dirt that would be swept away by the floods. Then came the task of mixing the concrete. Everything had to be exact. Two buckets of gravel, two bags of concrete, one bucket of sand, and a good amount of water. Once it was mixed, we would haul it up the hill to be poured and smoothed over. Only after this could we begin building the house.

I often find myself thinking about that foundation and all the work that went into it. Even though it was exhausting, it was one hundred percent worth it. In the same way, we need to make sure that what we build our foundations on is perfect. Some build their foundations on a job or money; others build it on relationships or hobbies. The truth of the matter is that no matter how much we want it, nothing on earth is perfect outside of Jesus. Matthew 7:24-25 says “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And when the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Jesus is the only foundation that won’t be shaken.

Matthew 13:6 shows us what happens when our foundations aren’t built upon God. Even though your faith can shoot up quickly, you will be easily swayed by the things of the world. “But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” Even though there was good soil in the ground, there were still rocks that hindered the growth of the roots. If you really want to follow Jesus, the devil will begin throwing everything e has at you. The only way to withstand his attacks is to build your life on Jesus.

Pray this prayer with us today:

Lord, I pray that You will equip our generation with the courage, strength, and fortitude to withstand the attacks of the enemy. We know that the only way to do this is by building our foundation upon You and only You. I pray that our faith would sprout up for all to see and that our roots would hold strong in You so we will not be swayed by the things of this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.