Firm Foundation
Reading Time: 6 minutes
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27
*queue “Firm Foundation” by Cody Carnes*
As a pastor, my dad has done a really good job modeling priorities for my brothers and me. He will tell anyone that his priorities are first, his God, second, his wife, third, his kids, and fourth, his ministry. We often read this passage and go straight to thinking about how we need to build on a firm foundation and have our priorities in order. Setting priorities helps you identify what is more important when conflict happens. It’s like juggling a bunch of balls and knowing which ones are rubber and which ones are glass. While you don't want to drop either, you know which ones would break if you do. Priorities and the values and concepts you stand on are important, but I want to come at this verse from a different angle.
This verse isn't telling us we need Jesus to build a house. It’s telling us we need Jesus to build a house that lasts. I remember hearing a quote from a podcast called The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill that basically said we are regularly platforming (making famous) people whose charisma outpaces their character. Something attracts us, we buy in and then we watch the collapse like spectators at a demolition derby. We often think that putting God first means overwhelming success in every area. We think success with Jesus is outright and immediate. We sometimes even sit and wait for the failure of others who don’t make the same decisions and sacrifices we made. But I want to remind you that success with God isn't a competition nor is it based on our metrics. You can make something look attractive without making sure it's sustainable. Your life can look good. Your career or production can look amazing but, without the right foundation, it won't last. Don’t spend so much time making your relationship or your job look good that it doesn't function well.
It’s so easy to go for fruit and not root, judging things by how they look and not by how they are built. I remember conversations with older people as they talked about how products now may look better but they don't last as long as they used to. I don't want us to get so caught up in the goal of building a nice house that we don’t see the foundation as most important. Both people still built houses. You can build an amazing house, family, image, career, and even ministry without Jesus. You can be successful without values. You can be well-known and look good without character. We see this literally all the time. But when storms come—and they will—that is when you realize which foundation is stronger.
So how do we cultivate our lives and make sure our foundation is solid? What I love about this passage is that both individuals didn't just build houses, they both heard Jesus. The word used for “house” here isn't pertaining to a temporary structure like a tent or something you’d rent. This is pertaining to a permanent structure or even a royal family line. You can build a flourishing house and hear Jesus and still not last through storms. The difference in these equations is that one person followed. Both were close enough to listen and hear Jesus. Both built thriving houses, families, and lives, yet the one who didn't just hear, but followed is the one who sustained.
This really brings up an important concept about our world. You will never understand your life more than God does, and trusting Him means following based on His understanding and not yours. You can build, but Jesus being the main voice is important. When He tells us to go the scenic route, we can trust that He sees a storm coming when we don't. God has told me not to work with some people or take some jobs or opportunities that look amazing on paper, only for me to realize months or years later how much it would’ve hurt me. Having God as a foundation is more than hearing, it's listening. You have autonomy, but who do you report and submit to? Learn to trust more every day and allow the victory of yesterday to inform your trust for tomorrow.
The following may not make sense but it's worth it. Earlier, I mentioned how my dad made a decision to prioritize his relationship with God and his family over his career. At first glance, that makes sense but it meant hard decisions to choose between us and career opportunities others would see as a major upgrade. It hurts in the moment, yet in hindsight, I'm sure he valued his marriage, sanity, and kids more than the career opportunities that would risk losing them. As I'm learning how to be a pastor, I want to live the same way, prioritizing the leading of God.
By definition, a foundation is what you build everything else on. While rock may be hard to work with, it is strong enough to sustain. Don’t choose the opportunity before you choose the One that is birthing them. Don’t choose the fruit of God before you choose Him. Oftentimes, choosing the thing God leads you to will birth success in the other areas you would’ve picked. Priorities in the right order actually flow into each other. In my dad's case, his relationship with God powers his relationship with my mom. His relationship with my mom powers his ability to raise us well. And ministry out of a healthy family unit is a lot more sustainable than trying to work without a home. Choosing God will allow other things to be birthed. Seek God first and everything else will fall into place. Seek God and you won't just build a house, you will build one that lasts.
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