Luke 6:48: ‘He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.’

DAILY READING: Matthew 13:24-58; Leviticus 19; Proverbs 29

In a town called Pisa in Italy, there is an old 7-story tower which is almost 1,000 years old. It is called “the leaning tower of Pisa” because of its shape. Instead of standing upright like other buildings, it leans as if it is about to fall. The leaning tower of Pisa was actually the result of a human mistake. Just one little miscalculation made in the 11th century, has led to an amazing 14,500-ton leaning tower!

The construction of the tower began in 1173. Originally designed to be a bell tower, it stood upright for over 5 years, but when the third floor was completed in 1178, Italians were shocked to see that the tower began to lean ever so slightly. The reason was because the foundation of the tower, which is only 3 meters deep, was built on dense clay. The foundation of sinking clay was not strong enough to hold the tower upright over time. Due to this problem, construction works stopped for 100 years. In later years more floors were added, bringing it up to seven floors. However, despite the architectural compensations made in the construction to correct the defect, the tower still continued to lean forward. Today, its unique leaning shape has made it to become a tourist attraction in Italy, yet it is a glaring example of what bad foundation can result in.  Though millions of dollars have been spent to keep it stable, there is no guarantee it will not fall one day.

Psalm 11:3 says, ‘If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?’

In Mathew 7, Jesus’ parable about the two men who built on different foundations raises for us the question: what kind of foundation are we building on? These two men had the same vision: they both wanted to build a house. Their dream was the same but the methods with which they pursued their vision were different, and so they both ended up with different results. While the man who built on the rock had his house upright, the man who built on the sand had his house crumble down.

Building our lives can be likened to building a house. Every life will stand or fall depending on what foundation it has. In any form of construction or development venture, the foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail.  This is because any mistake made in the foundation will only keep getting worse with time. In engineering, it is known as ‘compounding defects,’ and it means that mistakes keep growing. For a building to rise up and stay up, it becomes important that the foundation be dug deep and made firm.

Likewise, the foundation upon which we build our lives matters. Spiritually, the deeper your foundation in the Word of God, the stronger and higher up your life goes. If you have not built a solid foundation through constant study of scriptures, you may be swayed when the storms of life come your way. It is our strong foundation and depth in God’s  Word that keeps us from leaning over and compromising when faced with temptations. It is only by the strength of the Word of God in us that we can overcome sin.

Psalm 119:11 says, ‘Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee.’

It is by hiding God’s Word in our heart that we can stand strong and not fall. Building upon God’s Word is building upon the rock that will never fail. The Word of God is forever stable and solid, and it never changes. What God says is the same forever. When you stand upon God’s Word, no matter the kind of storm that comes your way, you will always overcome. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world and faith comes from the hearing of God’s Word. The more our heart is filled with The Word, the more faith arises within us. When your foundation is strong in God’s Word, the Word will hold you up in every situation.

Hebrews 1:3 tells us that God upholds all things by the word of His power. Therefore if we do not want to lean over like the Tower of Pisa, then we must build up a strong foundation of God’s Word in our heart. Indeed, you can never fall standing on God’s Word.

PRAYER: Lord, I know that when I build upon Your Word, I am building upon a foundation which will never fail. Please grant me renewed appetite for Your Word so that my faith can be built up to trust in You at all times in Jesus’ name.

Quote: When you make that which is priority to God to become your priority, God automatically makes you priority in His own plan. – WORDBITE 222.