Building your spiritual house (Pt.3)

Pt. 3-Firm Footing

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”-Matthew 7:24-27

One of the most important decisions that a person can make when building a house is choosing (not only the architect), but the location. Realtors have a mantra: “Location, Location, Location”; which means homes can experience large increases or decreases in value due to nothing other than where they are located. In Jesus’ parable, the focal point wasn’t about building in the right neighborhood, but that the house is built on the right kind of soil. I didn’t realize, until I started studying for this series, that from an engineering standpoint that soil integrity was so important to making sure that a house stays structurally sound. Apparently, however, Jesus knew it! 

There are some well-known examples of structural failures that resulted from a lack of soil knowledge. One of the most famous is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The land beneath seemed stable during the dry season when building began, but the soil became unstable during the wet season and sank under the weight of the building. What’s worse, is it sank unevenly, causing the tower to lean. 

So choosing what to build your house on is an important first step. Jesus says that when we choose to obey God’s Word we build our lives on solid ground. When we choose to ignore God’s Word we build on shifting sand. 

One of these scenarios we sing about: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

The other is unreliable, unable to withstand the storms of life and gives no strength to our faith. You can build your life on a lot of things: worldly principles, personal desires or cultural norms. The problem is that each of these shifts with the times and preferences of society. 

However, God’s Word is unchanging:

“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”- Psalm 119:89

When we build our lives on God’s Word we are choosing a foundation that is firmly fixed. It is at this point that our spiritual house is ready to be built, which begins with laying the cornerstone. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church