Built Strong

[Jesus said]   “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 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. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27 ESV).

 

You can see from the picture I’ve attached today the first work done on our home. Mary and I went outside after the initial layout and dirt work had been done. As was my custom, I documented all the stages with pictures. This one shows the rough layout for the slab to be poured. Later I would also take pictures of the 20 piers that were dug twenty feet into the soil finally hitting bedrock. Of course, the beams and slab would be poured and finished in such a way to give the house ample stability through any storm North Texas might throw our way. Mary, understandably so, was more concerned with how big it was; I, on the other hand, was concerned with how strong it would be. The key was the bedrock that it rested on. That’s the meaning of our reading today.

 

In our reading Jesus explains how building our life is like building a house. If we want a house that will last, it must have a solid foundation. And the only foundation for living is to THE Rock. He is Jesus. When the apostle Paul talked about building up the church of Jesus, he used house-building language also. He warned, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation ­using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is” (1 Corinthians 3:11-13).

 

Describing Jesus as “the living Stone,” the apostle Peter adds, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” This is not merely to have a solid, full life worth living, but “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9). Jesus wants us to live by his Word and teaching so that we can be certain to be on the right side of the justice to roll down like water I mentioned yesterday. What are you building your “house” on?