“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25)
The economy is on everyone’s mind nowadays. We may have raised the debt ceiling, but we all know the possibility remains that our nation could ultimately default on our debts while our debt load grows with every passing day. What’s more, the stock market has taken a huge tumble. Unemployment is high and inflation has set in. And Europe is slowly imploding as country after country collapses under their own debt loads.
It’s easy to get nervous about the future. However, if we have built our house upon Jesus, the rock, we don’t have to be fearful. Our house will stand no matter how terrible the storm, how torrential the rain, or how terrifying the wind that howls around us.
It’s important to note, however, that we must build our house upon the rock, not simply buy the real estate with the house already on it. Jesus said that we must do more than hear His words, we must act upon them. That is the act of building our house upon the rock. It is no easy venture, but it is well worth the effort. It’s the difference between what happened to the wise man’s house when the economic storm came, and the foolish man’s house, who built upon the sand.
It’s relatively easy to build upon the sand. All you have to do is smooth and level it, and build your foundation. But have you ever seen a house built upon a rock? What’s more, have you ever seen a flat, level rock? Building a house upon a rock is remarkably difficult. First, you must drill deep holes into the rock, then insert pilings. Those pilings stand upright and support the structure. You then build your foundation upon the pilings, and your foundation must conform to the shape of the rock, not the other way around.
When we conform to Jesus, we are building our house on the only thing that is rock-solid in this world. It isn’t easy. We must first drill deep down into His word and insert our pilings of trust in everything He says. Then, day by day, as we act upon His words, we are building a foundation that conforms to the shape of the rock–Jesus–and ultimately, a house that is virtually immovable.
And when we take the time, effort and faith to build our house upon the rock, look what happens:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:28-31)
Simply stated, God’s purpose is for us to become conformed to the image of His Son. He knows it isn’t easy building a house upon the rock. But God is for us, and the rain may descend, the floods may come and the winds may blow and burst against our house, but it will stand secure. He will shelter us, and all things will work together for our good.
