Crumbling Foundations

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” – Matthew 7:24-27.

Living near the Gulf gives me ample opportunities to watch children and adults of all ages build sandcastles on the beach. Some are small children who come prepared with containers of all shapes and sizes, shovels and pails. They jump right into the sandcastle project with high hopes of creating something truly unique. Then there are some teens and adults who look like they went to MIT and majored in sandcastle structures. When the sandcastle is completed, everyone admires the size and design with all of its creativity and engineering expertise.

However, upon returning the following day, both the magnificent and the more ordinary sandcastles are usually gone. It could be that the rains washed it away, the tide moved in and carried it out to sea, or other beach occupants demolished it for the pure fun of tearing something down. The first inclination is to feel bad for the people who invested so much energy creating a sandcastle, but it really is not a shock because you simply can’t build anything in sand and expect it to last.

It quickly reminds me of the parable Jesus shared with His disciples to teach the consequences of the choices made by the wise and the foolish builder in Matthew 7:24-27. (above)

Jesus was referring not only to the importance of believing, studying and teaching the Word of God, but also living and practicing it’s truths in our everyday lives. A rock-solid foundation can only be built on a personal relationship with Christ. Every other foundation will crumble if it is not built on that essential relationship and of course, that includes the human relationships in our lives.

Let’s examine our personal relationship with Christ and how that influences all that we do. It is imperative that we stay closely connected to Him and allow His Word to speak into our hearts and to change us on a daily basis. With that foundation, we can build healthy relationships with family, friends and those in our church that will make an eternal difference in our lives. A marriage or any relationship is not unshakeable until our relationship with God is unshakeable. 

I want you to stop and think about the relationships in your life. If I asked you to describe them you would tell me about compatibility, friendship, personality, warmth, etc. But you probably wouldn’t tell me about the foundation. You probably don’t think in those terms, but the foundation makes all the difference. 

Discussion Question:

1. What are the things that distract us from digging deeper and founding our lives on a strong foundation?
2. In your life, what would represent a foundation made of sand? What would represent the rain, streams and wind?
3. What does it look like to build your house on the rock (a solid foundation)?
4. What can we do this week to strengthen our foundation?