Now we see that the same is true of our faith. We need a firm foundation in our beliefs and in our connection with God before we can face the challenges of living out our faith.
In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus provides a short parable about two men building houses. Where did the wise man build? What happened when the weather turned bad? Where did the foolish man build? What happened to his house?
Like so many of Jesus’ parables we need to look closely at what is being said so that we can fully understand what is intended by the teaching. If we read this too quickly we come away with the idea that we need Jesus and God as our spiritual foundation so that we can weather the trials and troubles in life. While this is true – we DO need to have a sincere and genuine connection with the Lord to endure life’s challenges – there is more to the story.
In verse 24 Jesus says that those who hear his teaching “and puts them into practice” are like the wise builder. In verse 26 Jesus says that those who “do not put them into practice” are like the foolish builder.
We need to do more than simply have a deep and sincere connection with God. Or we might say that a true connection to the Lord, having Christ as our spiritual foundation, is more than just being loyal to God and spending time in church and prayer and Bible study.
To have a firm foundation of faith requires that we hear the Lord’s teaching and then we put it into practice. We must live out our faith, be active in our loving, in order to have that firm base of faith. I believe the storms of life are never a threat to any believer who is living out faith and sharing love with others.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What does your faith foundation look like?
