This month, I was thinking about what it means to build a strong spiritual foundation. God’s Word tells us the wise man built his house on the Rock, and the foolish man built his house on the sand. So, how do we make our house on the Rock?
After Jesus chose his core group of disciples, he began teaching them the everyday life of discipleship through the power and presence of the Kingdom of God. He was teaching them one day, and a large crowd gathered. So Jesus sat down on the mountainside and began teaching.
Every word he spoke was the foundation rock on which we are to build. He started with “Blessed are Those,” teaching what the Kingdom of God looks like. Then he continued by saying that we are salt and light to the world.
Next, he went on to explain how he fulfills the law and that murder and adultery begin in the heart. Marriage is sacred and binding. Then he taught us to go the extra mile and love our enemies. He gave us a model prayer to help us talk with him.
Take a moment and imagine sitting on that hillside, listening to Jesus as he taught. The sun is shining but not hot, and a soft breeze blows through the crowd. The ground beneath you is hard, but you can feel the warmth and softness relaxing as you listen to his voice. Hundreds around you are also listening, but it seems he is only talking to you.
You hear him say to lay up treasures in heaven and to choose a master because you cannot serve two. Then he tells us not to worry or be anxious but to seek Him. He then tells us what happens when we judge others.
His next words encourage us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. He knows that every word he has been teaching will be difficult for us, and we will have questions. We will fail and lose our way, but He will answer us if we remember to run to Him.
Then, he finishes his teaching. These are hard, but they are three of the four corners of our foundation. The first is that there is only one way to life, and it is narrow. Second, others will know us by the fruit we bear, and third, only those who do the will of the Father will enter heaven. The cornerstone of our foundation is Jesus.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the Rock. And the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the Rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
This is our foundation for hearing and acting on Jesus’ words. It seems so simple, yet we let distractions pull us away. We stop asking, seeking, and knocking because we get lazy, or it’s too hard to love the enemy.
What do we do then? How can we keep our focus on these things Jesus taught us?
We must read and study His Word and talk with Him daily. Start by setting aside time to read his love letter and make it a priority. We are given 24 hours each day and plan most of them. So when we prepare for the day, schedule God’s time and keep that appointment. It may feel silly initially, but you will get used to it.
Then talk with him. His Word says to pray continually, so this one: you talk to him all day and all night. During your God time, ask him questions about what you read. Talk to him before, during, and after that big meeting with your boss, when you fix dinner for your family, or when walking through the grocery store.
Find a Bible-teaching church. God created us for him and each other. We need each other to encourage and pray for one another. When we meet, we share what God has taught us and build our faith when others give their testimonies.
In future posts, I plan to share Bible study helps, prayer tips, and ways to draw closer to God in your quiet time or with your Bible study group.
Let’s build our spiritual foundation on the Rock!
Matthew 5 – 7
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MAT.7.24-27
