Read
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24
Reflect
Three years ago, one of the biggest stories of the summer was the disaster in Surfside, Fla., where a condominium collapsed without warning. If you never saw it, the security camera video showing the collapse is shocking – almost as shocking as watching the twin towers collapse.
When I saw it my first thought was, “Dear God, those poor people.” Whenever disasters like this happen, our first response should be to stop and pray for the victims who were directly affect, for their families and for the workers who end up having to walk into the disaster scene afterward, in this case desperately trying to find survivors.
But my second thought came when I read that a study conducted in the 1990s found that the building appeared to be sinking by a couple of millimeters per year. The study wasn’t published until last year, so it’s doubtful that the condo association had any idea about their situation. But what instantly came to mind was a teaching from Jesus about building your house on sand vs. rock. (I’m not casting blame here – I just tend to find teachable moments in most situations.)
Honestly, I had a situation of my own where the man who sold me my first house built the home on top of a “bury pit.” When he had the land cleared, instead of paying to haul all of the debris to the dump, he had his crew leave everything on the lot, and they covered it with mounds of dirt. How do I know? At one point, the north end of my home was literally sinking into the earth. We had to pay someone to dig out all of the garbage, which included enormous trees and a decomposing car. (Yes, a car!) Only then could we set that part of the house on helical piers that were screwed into the bedrock about 10 feet down. Our house, which had been built on garbage, was finally set firmly on actual rock.
That’s what Jesus is comparing our lives to in today’s scripture. All too often, people live their lives on a weak foundation, or on no foundation at all. They base their security on relationships or money or their work. Some people put their faith in people they admire, and a lot of married couples make their children the foundation of their marriage. Sadly, all of those things can be taken away in an instant. Your love life can sour, you can lose your job (and there goes your money). Even the best people can let us down, and our children grow up and move away.
Jesus says that the only firm foundation for our lives is Him. He says that following Him and His ways will provide a strong foundation. Conversely, if we don’t follow Him (and if we put something else in the place He should be) our lives will look like the north end of my old house.
At times we all can get off track a little bit. Our focus can turn away from the Lord and toward the pressing issues of our life. Today, reevaluate your spiritual house. Is Christ serving as the foundation of your life? If not, what is? Pray today that He will help you reset your focus and reestablish your life on His firm foundation. And keep praying for the victims, family members and emergency workers in Surfside. They’ll desperately need your prayers for a long time.
Reflection copyright © 2024 Doug DeBolt
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
