Choose Your Foundation (Daily Refresh, 11-04-26)
Imagine standing next to the sea as waves crash at your feet, storm clouds swallow the sky, and the wind whips your face.
You know you need shelter—and that’s when you see a small hut nestled in the sand nearby, and one further away that’s firmly built into a rocky hill. Which shelter would you choose to take cover in?
2,000 years ago, when Jesus walked this earth, He often told stories to the crowds that gathered around to hear Him teach. One day, He said to them:
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”
Matthew 7:24-25 NLTAs was His way, Jesus used real-life examples to help explain spiritual truths:
“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Matthew 7:26-27 NLTWe are all building our lives on something. Every decision we make reinforces what we believe our support system to be. So when life’s storms come, will the thing you’ve built your life on support you—or cause you to crumble?
Jesus’ teachings have remained reliable and steadfast through social upheaval, the rise and fall of government regimes, and generations of historic change. No matter what has happened—God’s Word still stands firm.
Teachings from the world, on the other hand, tend to shift with each generation. Like shifting sand, what current culture provides is usually unstable because its values are constantly changing.
Storms are inevitable and challenges will come, but you get to choose your foundation. You can choose to make Jesus the one thing you build your life upon, or you can choose whatever habit, idea, or desire feels good and accessible in the moment.
So … what will you build your life upon?
My Thoughts
What a blessing that this scripture and devotional were part of my regular reading today! I needed the reminder. After all, the election didn’t just not go as I wanted it to, it went very badly in what I consider the wrong direction. But I heart two things this morning as I looked at my socials while eating my breakfast. One: Politics is temporary but faith in Jesus is eternal. And “No matter the election results, Jesus wins!”
We may not always get what we expect, especially after praying and giving money and then doing our civic duty by voting. But we do always, always, always have God with us no matter what storms come our way.
My hope is not in a party, a man, or even a nation. My hope is in the eternal and everlasting love and forgiveness of Jesus, and that is my firm foundation that won’t rock with the wind or sink under the waves. I pray that He is your firm foundation, too. Everything else is temporary but this one thing remains. Jesus Loves You!
