Building on a Firm Foundation

Matthew 7:24-29

Finding chemistry with girls I dated as a young man was never a problem, but one learns quickly that only goes so far. It takes a lot more than chemistry to build a partnership. Nita and I have plenty of chemistry, but by the time we met I had learned that there was a lot more to it – I was selecting a life partner who would be there with me for the long term. I was going to need to make a wise choice for my partner and that took more than fun. With my calling, I had to look for a ministry teammate. Finding the right partner took a search for wisdom and understanding. Much in the same way, we need to build our lives on a wise foundation in Christ or we’ll be shaken to the core.

I spent 9 hours in Hurricane Ian listening to the storm trying to beat my house to a pulp. I heard every bang, every thud against the house and each one was felt in my heart. I was afraid; would my house, or us, survive? I trusted in God, but I was still getting to know the house. The goal of life for anyone, Christian or not, is to be able to stand firm and progress as we face the storms of life. If we are going to solidify our foundation, then we must learn to make good choices. Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders can help us learn how to make those good choices in life. I’m sure we all could stand to improve that some.

Train Your Ears to Hear Jesus (Actually Listen)

We all have selective hearing – your ears would train in on a few key sounds growing up – the dinner call or tv turning on, etc. but miss mom’s voice as she calls for chores. Have you ever stopped to see what you are actually hearing? Our naturally developed selective hearing gives us a tendency to miss things we don’t want to hear while zeroing in on the sounds we like. We end up training ourselves to hear sounds or words that we like – consider Pavlov’s dog. We do the same thing to ourselves. So what do you like to hear?

The first step to making better choices is to train our ears to hear Jesus. He can say things to us we don’t like. Society has a way of taking things they don’t like to hear and just removing it – no one teaches on the issue of divorce anymore, ex. Unless we are fully open to the master’s teaching, we won’t even have a chance to live in His wisdom. Rev 3:20 is for Christians! Jesus won’t yell down the hall, we have to listen.

Obey with Action (Don’t Pay Lip Service)

I was a swim coach for a while and tried to teach the butterfly stroke. I keyed in quick on the people that did what they were asked vs. the others who didn’t. It was easy to see who was practicing on their own – with butterfly, you either practice and get it, or you struggle through the water. What’s the point in learning anything if you don’t put it into practice? James 1:22-25 tells us that not practicing what Jesus teaches us is like forgetting what we look like after being at a mirror. It’s like forgetting why you walked into a room – which is common for many of us, but very frustrating!

New Years’ is a popular time make resolutions and they are worthless! No one keeps them – to difficult. They might as well be wishes at a fountain. Instead make a goal (explain the difference) and measure it. It doesn’t have to be big, just actually do something.

Recognize the Power in His Message (He’s Not Just a Nice Teacher)

Many people like to look at Jesus as just a nice teacher, but that’s not really accurate. He poked and prodded and pushed people to great lengths while teaching that He is God! Consider the Good Samaritan parable to the pharisees. It’s not about being nice, but about recognizing His power and aligning yourself under His banner. Hebrews 12 talks to us about running the race of life and how important it is to fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the power; He is the one we must align with; He is the key to our making good decisions in life!

Next Steps

If we’re not careful, the storms of life will batter and shake us to the core. To me, Hurricane Ian was scary – I didn’t know how strong the house was (yay for new building codes). The kids weren’t scared. They trusted in us and played games. When our foundation is secure—our life is built on Jesus—no storm will be able to take us down. Start prepping today!

1. Pray and ask God to speak to you this week and for help hearing what He says, because He will speak. Then seek confirmation.
2. Make a measurable goal for your spiritual life in 2024 and share it with the pastor.
3. Find an accountability partner (like a workout partner) and commit to each other to check in weekly regarding your time spent with God.

Relationships don’t survive on chemistry; neither do houses survive on sand. What’s your foundation? Give it some action – step by step and day by day.