City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Luke 6:46-49 (NIV)

“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.’”

Isaiah 28:16 (NIV)

Reflection

I’m going to go with Pastor Ji’s example of the Leaning Tower of Pisa: only three meters (or 9.84 feet) in marshy soil (have you ever mucked in the wetlands? Wear waterproof boots!), it was an accident waiting to happen, it began to sink when working on the second floor. Hindsight can be enlightening and it can be cruel, you’d think they would just swallow their pride and start over. But no. They built six more floors with one side taller than the other to compensate for the tilt! 

Silly, isn’t it? But don’t we do that sometimes? Instead of working on a deep-rooted weakness, we deny its existence and try to hide it, hoping it will remain that way? I know I’ve done it, and it never stays hidden, it only causes more problems (and it never brought in tourism). I don’t know how experienced the builders of the Tower of Pisa were, but the foolish man in the parable knew better. He knew he was supposed to build a strong foundation, but chose not to, and it showed in his outside life. Maybe he thought the cost was too much, but it cost him a lot more in the end.

What did the wise man do differently? He listened to godly wisdom, thoroughly assessed the soil of his heart, dig deep within, tilled the hardened soil, and built his life on the Rock called Jesus Christ. He knew tough times were ahead , prepared for them, and his house couldn’t even be shaken, much less ruined.

Application

Maybe your building is tilted, or even destroyed, and you need to renovate. There’s nothing wrong with starting over, what’s wrong is continuing to build over terrible soil, not digging deep enough, or using the wrong materials. What’s in the soil of your heart? Till the soil (use a jackhammer if needed), dig deep, and start with the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16). 

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for being my Rock and my Foundation. Help me to keep the soil of my heart soft so Your Word can take hold and stay deep in my heart. In Your Name I pray, amen.