Matthew 7:24-29 (New International Version Bible) 24 "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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
The foundation of our life is as critical as the foundation of any home. When a builder cuts corners on the foundation, the final home is unstable and at greater risk to disasters. The same is true of our lives. All that we do, all that we say is rooted in the foundation of our beliefs. Jesus is calling us to be wise about that foundation and examine our beliefs against the truth of His Word recorded in the Bible. Carelessly accepting worldly interpretations may be a sign of cutting corners in the foundation of our beliefs. The foundation of our life needs to be built on the rock of Jesus Christ and the Bible helps us to build that foundation.
In verse 26 Jesus makes reference to the foolishness of building our foundation on the shifting sands. What makes up the shifting sands? Is it a driving need to focus solely on financial security? Is it a driven desire to secure a title or position? Is it the need for power and recognition? Is it refusal to accept the truth of the Bible? Is it refusal to accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ? Is it misinterpretations of the Gospel truth? How many of our theological debates are around “shifting sand" issues? At times it appears the theological stance changes as often as the weather. My point is that our focus on insuring the solidness of our foundation should not be limited to our “outside of church" habits. We need to be active about validating our beliefs about the Bible with the Bible itself and not rely solely on the words of men.
Another point of this parable that I find interesting is that both builders are subject to the storms of life (v25, v27). The foundation that we choose does not remove the storms of life, but instead it ensures our survival of the storms. The foundation built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ provides the strength to survive. We have never been promised that we would not be subject to the storms of life, but we are promised in this parable that Jesus Christ will be there to see us through.
Our choices are critical. We choose daily how we are going to react to various situations and each time that we react, we lay another portion of our foundation. The Bible must serve as the source for our direction and instruction. We must validate all we hear against the Bible so that we do not build a foundation on the shifting sands.
I am not a pastor nor do I have years of theological study to draw from. I am a common, everyday worker. I do believe that the life changing truth of the Bible and teachings of Jesus Christ are open to all men, women and children. Jesus spoke to the common person about how we are to live, and the strength of Jesus’ parables are they are open to everyone. To find the lesson of truth in the parable does not require a degree in theology, but simply a heart seeking God.
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