A Rock To Build On

The Sermon on the Mount ends with Jesus giving a great analogy: 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. (Matthew 7.24-27)

As I read it, I saw something that I had missed before. While foolish men build there houses on sand - any sand, found anywhere - wise men build their houses on the rock. There are many options upon which to build if we don't care about our houses standing. There is only one option to build on if we want a foundation that will stand in time and eternity. That option is to build on the Rock.

As I thought about my vocation, I realized that many things provide sand for a foundation upon which to build my ministry and seek to grow my church:

• Self – talents, skills, wisdom
• Business Principles
• Financial Stability
• Marketing
• Facility
• Progress
• Hype and Excitement
• Doctrine

I could pick any of the above or another of my own choosing. It doesn’t matter. There’s sand everywhere.

But the Rock – that lasting foundation upon which I can build my life and ministry – is Jesus Christ. Building on Jesus, his character becomes my character and the character of my work and therefore the character of my church:

• Sacrifice
• Service
• Love
• Eternity
• Truth
• Surrender and Submission
• Humility
• Faith
• Faithfulness
• The Word
• Life and Light

If I choose Jesus and build on his foundational characters listed above, then I can add the methods listed in the top section. But those must not be my foundation. Jesus is my foundation.

Are you building on the character of Jesus? Your life? Your vocation? (If it’s good enough for a preacher to build on then it is good enough for a chemist or carpenter or manager or business owner to build on.) Build on Jesus! Jesus only!