July 7, 2021

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24-25

I am currently building a detached garage… my “shop” as I like to call it. It seems that every building project ends up costing more than you planned, and this one is no different. One big reason for the increase in cost is the skyrocketing price of lumber. But another thing that I had not planned for was an increase in the cost of the foundation. I originally planned on doing something called a monolithic pour, where the foundation wall and floor of the shop are all one big concrete slab. However, after looking at the slope of my property and the size of my building, the engineer, excavator, and concrete contractor all suggested I do a separate foundation wall and floor because it would be a much more stable platform to start with. These guys are experts in their field, and they are all guys I trust. So, I have decided to go the more expensive, but more stable route and build with a separate foundation wall and floor.

Now, if I had heard all that advice and said, “that’s a really good idea!,” and then built with a monolithic pour anyway, whose fault would it be when the building begins to shift, and the concrete begins to crack? It doesn’t matter how much I acknowledge the truth of the idea, unless I put that information into practice, it does me no good. This is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew chapter 7. He says, “anyone who hears these words of mine AND puts them into practice” has a solid foundation for life. Many of us know, believe, and can even quote Scripture. But unless it is something we put into practice, our lives are still built on shaky ground. It’s not good enough to know it, you must live it!

Lord, show us the areas of our lives that are still not in line with the teachings in Your Word. Convict us of our negligence and empower us to change.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon