Message: Matthew 7 takes me back to that childhood Sunday school song about the wise man building his house upon the rock, and the foolish man building his house upon the sand. As I read this I thought about the obvious that we are all striving to build our lives on the word of God. For the most part I feel like I do that, but reading about the foolish man building on the sand forced me to think about and evaluate what that sand might represent in my own life. My own flawed thinking or beliefs that kind of sneak in there posing as “wisdom”. Some of my flawed thinking is probably interwoven with actual truth. Behavior patterns and relational dysfunctions that I haven’t yet surrendered or even identified. Pride, unforgiveness, immaturity. These are all things I can think of that are probably compromising the integrity of my foundation. I have definitely seen some storms and winds, and there are times the storms have demolished me, and other times I have stood firm and made it through the storm. This reminds me that my foundation is not just a one and done deal. I need to be constantly examining my foundation for cracks and things that undermine it’s integrity.
Command: Examine my foundation constantly and pay attention to things that could undermine the integrity of it. Pride, unforgiveness, immaturity, unchecked relational and behavioral patterns.
Promise: If I build my life on the firm foundation of God’s word, I will be able to endure the storm of life.
Warning: Storms will come! That is certain! If I don’t deal with the cracks in my foundation and the things that undermine it’s integrity, it may not stand firm during a storm.
Application: For me this is a reminder that I am never beyond the stage of checking my foundation. There are all kinds of things that can creep in and undermine the strength and integrity of it. Unchecked pride, rebellion, unforgiveness and even temptation can sneak in if I am not taking inventory of what is going on in my heart. Feelings are unreliable, but they can sometimes point to the deeper issues going on inside me. When I find myself in an emotional for no particular reason state I really need to sit with God and do some investigating. Holy Spirit, please show me the things I have allowed into my heart that are compromising my foundation.
