Matthew 7- What is your life built upon?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? “What is my life built upon?” Our lives are all built upon something. As we progress through life, there are foundational principles that guide us. I rememer once reading a book by Dr. James Dobson. He gave an illustration that explained the formitive years of our life (Ages 15-25 or so), which compared them to wet concrete. As we progress through those years, most of our habits and behaviors are set for the rest of our lives. After much study, he found that most people do not change much after these years, and those that do, often have a harder time breaking away from the foundation they have built. Just like wet concrete, we are all getting set in our ways in some form or another.

Although Jesus never spoke of specific ages, he spoke of this foundation that our life is built upon.

Matthew 7:24-27 - “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Two Houses

If you were to take a look at these houses, they may both look pretty good. Both houses may seem sturdy and look strong. In fact, both houses could look pretty much the same on the outside. Both of them may seem just fine. But there is an unseen difference, one is built upon a rock, and the other upon sand. 

The storms WILL come...

Both houses seem strong, but you notice that at some point or another, the storms will come. The rain will come down, the wind will blow, and the floods will come. How will these houses endure?

The Result

Only the house that is built upon the rock will last. So is the life that is built upon Jesus Christ. This world is constantly changing and is like shifting sand. Every few years there are new diet fads, clothing, and other things that really aren't as important as they would like to make us think. The house that is built upon sand may good at the moment, but when the storms come, it will fall down. So is the life that is built apart from Jesus Christ.

It is comforting to know that when you build your life upon Jesus Christ, you don't have to worry about change. Sure, we will still see the fads of this world, but when it comes to our foundation, He never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not;”. This world who is built upon shifting sand will never have that peace. In light of these truths, we should ask ourselves these questions:

“What is my life built upon?”

“If the foundational years of my life are like concrete, then where am I in this hardening process?”

“What habits and patterns in my life are in danger of hardening?”

“When the storms come (which they will), will my house stand?”