What’s the Foundation of your Life? 1

²⁴“So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵The rain poured down, the rivers overflowed, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. ²⁶But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain poured down, the rivers overflowed, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!”  MATT. 7:24-27

In this life we live, there are two categories of houses or temples. And remember that each of us is someone’s temple; we are either the temple of the Holy Spirit, or the temple of Satan. One temple is built on rock, and the other is built on sand. Since we live in this world, we are both subject to the same kinds of weather conditions. The thing that determines our fate during these storms is the foundation we are built upon. What are you built upon? What’s the foundation of your life?

          It is interesting that the two houses were subject to the same storm. The rain poured down on both. The wind blew hard on both. However, one house fell and the other did not, because it was built on rock. In our lives today, we have various foundations. Some of us have built on how much education we have. With how well educated we are, we are guaranteed of a great future for ourselves and our families. We have also built our lives on our wealth or those of our parents or spouses or other relations. We put our faith in the political, military or economic power that we wield in the society. We are content that these foundations are able to sustain us and secure for us a safe future. So we feel like the Samaritan woman at the well. At the time she talked to Jesus, she felt she had the upper hand. Her fate was secured. Of course she had the rope and bucket, and the well was deep. How would Jesus fetch water without her? She didn’t know there was another kind of water better than whatever she could fetch from the well. “Jesus answered, ‘All who drink this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life-giving water and give him eternal life” (JOHN 4:13-14). 

          Perhaps we too are not aware of a better foundation for our lives. We think with the influential connections we have, the well-paying jobs we have and the talents and opportunities available to us, we are strong and well-rooted in the ground. However, when the storms of life come – and they always come – we will realize that we ought to have built our lives on a better foundation. When the storms of sickness that cannot be quenched with wealth come, how do we fare? Are we able to stand? Is our foundation able to sustain us? In this life, it will certainly get to a point when you would have to rely on your foundation. It wouldn’t be important what roof you have over yourself; you would have to fall back on your foundation. Many years ago, Daniel got to that point. Even the king was helpless in rescuing him. “So the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and he was thrown into the pit filled with lions. He said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you.’ At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit. When he got there, he called out anxiously, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?” (DANIEL 6:16&19). In effect, the king was asking Daniel, “is this your God (foundation) which you love so much able to sustain you; to save you from this irredeemable situation?” How many of our foundations can save us this way?
Talk to God 

To be continued