Two weeks ago God placed the word foundation on my heart. I was like, “ok teach me…” And like the faithful Father He is, He blew my mind with the details!
He led me to Matthew 7:24-27:
The Two Foundations
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!”
It’s like this…
Our lives are a direct reflection of our foundation. A foundation is the basis or groundwork of ANYTHING. Think of our lives as houses, like Jesus describes. He is so awesome to relate it to a house, because on pretty much ALL home improvement websites it explains the foundation as being the most important thing! You can have a beautiful kitchen and an amazing walk-in closet, but without the proper foundation, none of it will last long.
Sound familiar?
“May the Lord be praised! Day after day He bears our burdens; God is our salvation.” (Psalm 68:19)
God carries the weight for us, especially when we are sensible enough to build our lives on His foundation, the rock. When we build our lives on the faith, words, and examples of Jesus Christ, our house withstands. Though there are many things that pound us, we don’t collapse because we stand on the rock, which is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. However, when we place our foundation in other things we are asking for trouble.
Don’t be the Foolish Man/Woman
Ever built a sand castle too close to the water? When the waves inch closer and closer, You know that the construction You just spent time on is doomed. That’s what happens when You build Your house (Your life) on the sand, that Jesus says is foolish. Well, we know that the rock is Jesus, but what exactly is the sand? First off, sand is unstable, but speaking in terms of what we may build our lives on, sand can be men/women, money/things, vanity, and self pride.
The thing I love about this is that a rock is one thing, while many particles make up the sand. There is only one Christ, one way to truly stand, but there are many things that can cause your downfall.
JESUS CHRIST CANNOT BE DUPLICATED!
Remember,
God made man from the dust on the ground. (Genesis 2:7)
Money is a piece of paper. God made the trees that produce it. (Genesis 2:9)
God specifically says that’s beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)
God knew us, before he formed us in our mothers’ wombs. (Jeremiah 1:5)
So What Was Our Reason for Using Mere Sand as Our Foundation?
All the things we try to stand on began with God. Like I said before, He doesn’t change, but the sand constantly changes. I lived in Florida for 4 years, so I think about the beach. When it was windy, the sand flew around so easily. How phased is the rock by the wind?
The Sand Will Fail Us
When that woman/man ain’t acting right. When the money runs out and we realize stuff is just… STUFF. When we understand that our youth and physical beauty is fading. When we admit that we aren’t as put together as we think we are… usually by then the collapse has happened, our sand failed us. And Jesus is descriptive, He doesn’t just say a little fall, he says a GREAT collapse.
That is why it’s important to depend on Christ; He is dependable through every season, through every storm, through EVERYTHING!
Also,
Our foundation covers the whole house. A contractor wouldn’t just make a foundation big enough for the living room, dining room, and bedroom, leaving out the kitchen and bathrooms. Like wise, we can’t have some parts of our lives built on the rock. Every aspect of our lives must be built on Christ, starting with You, Your relationships, Your endeavors, etc. How can You be built on Christ, but Your business is be built on the money, or self? How would our garages last during the storms if it wasn’t built on the BEST foundation? It just doesn’t make sense, it’s all apart of the house!
Eventually, as we construct our lives on the foundation, which is Jesus Christ, we began to complete it all. Think about a house that is newly built, no landscape, it can be a pretty house, but it doesn’t have that home appeal quite yet. When our foundation is Jesus, there are these seeds planted around us. Love, peace, kindness, faith, self-control, joy, patience, goodness, and gentleness are all seeds that are planted. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The landscape/flowers, (the fruit of the spirit) give our houses character! I like to think of the flowers all being different, so yeah, maybe my Chrysanthemums (joy) have bloomed, but my Asters (patience) are still a seeds, needing a little more TLC.
So What Does the Rain and Wind Mean When it Comes to my Flowers?
Well, the rain cultivates my flowers. The rain isn’t always the fun part, like the sun, but it gives my flowers what they need to grow! That’s apart of the TLC!
And the wind, oh the wind!
The wind blows hard, but it doesn’t uproot my flowers. In fact, from my yard it carries seeds of love, joy, faith etc. to someone else’s yard, where on good soil, they are rooted.
PRAISE GOD!
Meditate on Matthew 7:24-27 and put God in the position he longs for; Let Him be #1 in Your life! When He’s #1 Your complete trust is in Him and not some of the other things we sometimes put in that position. Trust that through the storms God will continue to support all of Your weight and You will STAND! Your house will have character with all of those beautiful flowers planted around it.
I’m praying that this post blesses You! Comment, share, print it…. Whatever You feel MOVED to do!
I’m praying for You!
Chenise
Chenise A Miller 