Series:A Firm Foundation Part 2

The necessity of having a firm foundation is a lesson we all need to learn, especially when it comes to our spiritual lives. A building’s structural integrity is dependent upon the types of materials that are used and the type of foundation it is built upon. In the same way, we need to be very careful what we are building our spiritual work on, and to take heed how we are building. Jesus instructed his followers to make sure that they not only heard his words, but also put them into practice. If they did then they would be like a wise man that had laid his foundation on a rock.

Matthew 7:24 and 25
(24) Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(25) The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

For a long time I gave myself a pass on ungodly behavior, largely because I felt righteous in my knowing (hearing) Jesus’ words. Hearing and knowing is where we need to start, but it must be followed by practice. We are not building on the firm foundation of Christ unless we are “doing” what he said to do. Truth in doctrine is a prerequisite for truth in practice, but the point of hearing is doing.

James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Not only are we building as unskilled tradespersons when we do not build with truth, we are also building on a wrong foundation. Every building contractor knows that if the foundation is wrong then the house cannot succeed. A number of years ago I hired a contractor to add a porch on the back of my house. Unfortunately, during the process of installing the foundation, one of the tradesmen made a mistake resulting in the foundation being over three inches out of square. The error at this most fundamental stage.