Monday, September 6

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1

Today, ask God – by his Holy Spirit – to help you put aside all the things you have to do today – and to sense his presence as you meet with him. Ask him to use his word to refresh your soul.

“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. 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. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Matthew 7:24-27

My wife and I have twice had the experience of building a house. And when you dream about a new house – you start thinking of what you want the family room or the bedrooms to look like. You imagine having a nice front porch – or a spacious kitchen – but you don’t start thinking immediately of building a foundation! I remember watching the construction company dig the hole for the foundation of our current home. There wasn’t much exciting or glamorous about it – it was just a big hole that they then reinforced with steel forms and concrete. I couldn’t wait for them to get on with building the house! But the truth is, without that foundation, the house we would eventually live in would not be safe for my family.

Jesus here concludes the entire Sermon on the Mount with an illustration about the importance of establishing a solid spiritual foundation for our lives. He has been teaching us about the Kingdom of God, and how the truth and values of his Kingdom are to shape our lives as his followers. In essence, Jesus has been methodically tearing down our assumptions about everything from religion to prayer to wealth – and rebuilding our understanding of both God and the life he calls us to live. And the foundation of this life is built on the “rock” of two unchanging spiritual truths. The first is that the Kingdom of God is real – and the only way we can enter it is to put our faith in Jesus and follow him. The second is that our lives only make sense when we see them from an eternal perspective. This life is not all there is. When we understand that Jesus has called us into an eternal relationship with God – we see our lives, our material possessions and our relationships in a different light.

The point Jesus is making to close the Sermon on the Mount is that we have a choice in the matter. We all build our lives on something – some philosophy, some belief system – whether or not we are conscious of doing so. Jesus is saying that we either build our lives on the foundation of HIS truth, HIS kingdom and HIS salvation – or we build on the foundation of something else – like career, wealth, or personal achievement. While there is certainly nothing wrong with placing at least some value on these things – Jesus is reminding us that, at the end of the day, all these are temporary and will disappear – and therefore do not make a very reliable foundation for our “houses.”

Take a few moments to think honestly about the values, priorities and assumptions that serve as the foundation of your life. Are you building on that which is unchanging and eternal – or that which one day will let you down?

Brian Coffey