How firm a foundation

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.” - Matthew 7v24-25

Jesus was the great Master Teacher. He often used very common illustrations to teach great eternal truths. Here He used lessons everyone can understand. Everyone knows the importance of a good foundation, not that they always apply that wisdom. For example, here in Ireland, because of a lack of land near Dublin, many developers have chosen to build on flood plains. No one likes to think about it, but these homes are now liable to flooding given the right conditions. The houses look great, but there is no real foundation. As Jesus pointed out only a foolish young man would build in such conditions.

When it comes to physical illustrations we all understand. Sadly, when it comes to a spiritual application, we tend to miss the boat. We can swallow the world’s ideas hook, line, and sinker and decide to build our lives on people, possession, popularity, and prestige. All of these are like the sand Jesus talks about. The Bible later teaches that there is only one solid foundation – Jesus Christ. If we are not laying our foundation there then we are wasting our time. All of this will one day be gone; only Christ remains.