A GOOD FOUNDATION

Upon entering a house we may admire its design and furnishings but we seldom think about the invisible foundation which is the most important part of any building.

Jesus knew all about the importance of foundations and at the end of His famous sermon on the mount [see Matthew chapters 5-7] He told this parable about 2 men. The first was a wise man who built his house upon the rock. The second was a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. When the rain poured down and the floods came up and the winds blew, the house on the rock stood firm but the house on the sand collapsed.

The wise man studied the art of building and obeyed its principles. In sharp contrast the foolish man was a careless jerry-builder who couldn't be bothered to learn the rules and was too lazy to dig down and lay a good foundation.

Jesus told this parable to show us that if we obey His words they will give us the best foundation for living a useful and satisfying life. This will please God who created us to live for His glory. We may experience dark storms of sorrow, floods of tears and winds of change, but as we build on the foundation of His wisdom He will bring us through.

The theme of the Sermon on the Mount is, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the other things will be added to you." [Matthew 6:33] We will only be building on a sure foundation when we give top priority to the words of Jesus every day. He will put out feet on a rock, and a song in our mouth and lift us up out of the mire and into the choir! [See Psalm 40:1-3]