Plans from my Bible app: Choose Your Foundation (Matthew 7:24-27)

Note before sharing a devotional from one of the Bible reading plans: this is a passage I've heard for many years, but only in the last year did what Jesus was saying begin to make sense. What does it mean to build one's house on rock vs on sand? The short answer pertains to what I spend my time doing, saying, and thinking about. If I spend time with God, praying, worshiping, and reading the Bible, then I'm building my house on rock. If not, if I'm instead partaking in or thinking about worldly things, then I'm building my house on sand. I could go into more detail, but I think that's sufficient for now.

Choose Your Foundation

Imagine standing next to the sea as waves crash at your feet, storm clouds swallow the sky, and the wind whips your face.

You know you need shelter—and that’s when you see a small hut nestled in the sand nearby, and one further away that’s firmly built into a rocky hill. Which shelter would you choose to take cover in?

2,000 years ago, when Jesus walked this earth, He often told stories to the crowds that gathered around to hear Him teach. One day, He said to them:

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

Matthew 7:24-25 NLT

As was His way, Jesus used real-life examples to help explain spiritual truths:

“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Matthew 7:26-27 NLT

We are all building our lives on something. Every decision we make reinforces what we believe our support system to be. So when life’s storms come, will the thing you’ve built your life on support you—or cause you to crumble?

Jesus’ teachings have remained reliable and steadfast through social upheaval, the rise and fall of government regimes, and generations of historic change. No matter what has happened—God’s Word still stands firm.

Teachings from the world, on the other hand, tend to shift with each generation. Like shifting sand, what current culture provides is usually unstable because its values are constantly changing.

Storms are inevitable and challenges will come, but you get to choose your foundation. You can choose to make Jesus the one thing you build your life upon, or you can choose whatever habit, idea, or desire feels good and accessible in the moment.

So … what will you build your life upon?