Foundation is More Than a Cream You Smear on Your Face
Luke 6:46-49 | June 21 – 28, 2023
Edited by David Anthony and Samantha DeVore
Several years ago I was privileged to go to New Orleans to help rebuild some houses destroyed in hurricane Katrina. The homes we worked on were being rebuilt on stilts so that when future storms come the houses would not wash away. When I think back on that experience, it reminds me that in each of our lives, storms will come. The Bible tells us as much. So the question is: Are we constructing our lives in such a way that they can withstand the storms?
Every one of us, at one time or another, will face the death of a loved one, hardship of some kind, financial loss or the loss of a job, failure, defeat. Knowing this, it’s imperative, as Jesus tells us in Luke 6:46-49, that we build our lives—our houses—on the proper foundation.
46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
In this parable, Jesus gives us two different kinds of builders. Both built homes, but only one dug deep and laid his foundation on the rock. The other didn’t feel a foundation was necessary, building his house instead on the ground. When the storms hit, only the house built on a solid foundation remained standing. The other crumbled. But to passersby, both houses might have appeared sturdy. That’s because the foundation of a house isn’t often visible. You may see the top of the concrete slab upon which the house is built, but not the footings extending into the earth underneath, reinforced with cross-sections of steel rebar.
Jesus is speaking to those of us who hear His word. Some hear His words and put them into practice, laying a firm foundation for their lives going forward. Others will hear His word, but it doesn’t take root; their foundation is on something else, something less secure, something that shifts with the surging tide.
What are some of the other things people build lives upon? Health and wealth are two of the most common. But the Bible tells us repeatedly that both are temporal. Both are fleeting—here today, gone tomorrow. In Ecclesiastes 12, Solomon says this:
1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore” …3 Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop…. 4 Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades… 5 Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper… 6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. (NLT)
What about building our lives on our reputation—on the image we put out to the world? This is a trap. We are often held captive by people’s opinions of us when the opinion of Jesus is all that matters. Remember what it says in Proverbs 31:30…
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last. (NLT)
Dolly Parton recently talked about her public image and the plastic surgery she has had over the years. She said humorously, “It takes a lot of money to keep me looking this cheap.” When asked about future plastic surgeries, she said, “If I see something sagging, bagging, or dragging, I get it nipped, tucked, or sucked. I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep my image up.”
You know, you can’t keep people from criticizing you. And foundation is more than a cream you smear on your face. The battle to keep up your image is a chasing after the wind. I read a meme recently that asked, “Why do we spend our precious time trying to impress others who will forget about us one week after we’re gone?” That’s so true! One day, not long after we’ve left this earth, you and I will have been forgotten. Only the work we’ve done for Christ will last.
What foundation are you building your life upon? Is it the rock of ages—the rock of Christ? Or is it the shifting sand of this world? Jesus should be—desires to be—the cornerstone of our house. He is, if we trust and build upon His word, our firm foundation, the rock on which our house stands. In Him and through Him, we can weather any storm that comes. Jesus said in John 16:33…
33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus has said these things to us that in Him we may have peace in times of tribulation. We can take comfort in His word when we make Him Lord of our lives. But to make Him Lord over our lives is to do what He says. If we call Him, “Lord, Lord,” but do not do what He says, our standing is on shifting sand, not the solid rock.
With that in mind, let us endeavor from here on out to be doers of His word. Let us stand upon that rock and not be moved. Regarding image: the only image we need to present to the world is His image. It never sags or bags, never requires nipping or tucking. His image is forever perfect, forever unchanging, forever grounded in truth.
Have a blessed week!
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