A Strong Foundation During The Pandemic

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” – Luke 6:46-49.

As Jesus comes to the end of a sermon He drives home the necessity of obeying what He has taught. He asks pointedly, “why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” This question set the stage for the well-known parable of two men building separate houses. The first lays a foundation on the rock, so that his house stands firm when the flood bursts against it. The second foolishly builds his house without the proper foundation, so that it is destroyed by the flood.

Just as hurricanes, earthquakes, and natural disasters are common occurrences on planet earth, disasters can also occur in all of our lives. If we want to survive these storms, steps must be taken and homes must be built which will stand strong in the storms of life. Christ tells us how to do this in Luke 6:46-49. This passage of scripture makes perfect sense: Of course one can’t just think about Jesus’ commands, you’ve got to follow through. Jesus is saying, “If you want to protect your life from damage, you’ve got to be wise and obey my commandments and my rules for your life.” Just standing on the Rock isn’t enough. A committed relationship with Jesus means we will trust Him completely. We must obediently follow His commands. We must live our lives seeking to learn more about Him and becoming more and more like Him. 1 John says it best: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6)

What about the person who builds a house without a foundation. No foundation means it will suffer damage in a storm. Why? Because he heard Jesus speak and did not put Jesus’ words into practice. His life is not firmly grounded on living a life that follows Jesus. There is no rock-solid trust in the security God provides. He is missing the enduring love and care God has for him. When the storms come, Jesus says it will “collapse into a heap of ruins.” If the skies are blue and the winds are calm, any house will stand. But when the storms arrive in the form of troubles, pressures, suffering, and pandemics, they will destroy a house with no foundation.

The one sure foundation to build on is Jesus himself. Hearing and doing Jesus’ words builds a sure foundation so that when difficulties arise, they will be unable to shake the sure foundation of our lives.

“But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.” (Psalms 94:22)

Discussion Questions:

What are you building your life on? How do you know?
What changes do you need to make in order to build your lives on the rock?