Day 1 — Built on the Rock

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.”

— Matthew 7:24–25 (BSB)

Jesus told a story about two builders.

The first builder was wise. Before he built his house, he dug down deep until he hit solid rock. It was hard work! It took a long time, and nobody could see the foundation once the house was finished. But he built his house on the rock.

The second builder was foolish. He found a nice, flat, sandy spot and built his house right there. It was faster and easier. And from the outside, his house probably looked just as good as the first one.

Then the storm came. Rain poured down. Rivers flooded. The wind howled and slammed against both houses.

The house on the sand fell with a great crash. But the house on the rock stood firm.

Notice something important: the storm hit both houses. The wise builder didn’t get a special pass. The same rain, the same floods and the same wind hit his house too. The difference wasn’t the storm. The difference was the foundation.

So what’s the rock? Jesus told us: “everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them.” Building on the rock means listening to Jesus and doing what He says. The foolish builder heard Jesus’ words too. He just didn’t do anything about them.

Foundations are built before the storm, not during it. You can’t pour concrete in the middle of a hurricane! In the same way, the time to build your life on Jesus is right now, on the sunny days, by trusting Him, learning His Word and obeying Him. Then when the storms come, and they will, you’ll be ready.

That’s what this book is about. Over the next 30 days, we’ll look at all kinds of storms. And every day, we’ll dig a little deeper down to the Rock.

Think about it: What’s the difference between hearing Jesus’ words and acting on them? Which are you better at?

Try this: Think of one thing Jesus says in the Bible that you know but haven’t been doing. Do it today. That’s how you build on the rock.

Dear Jesus, I want to build my life on You, the Rock. Help me not just to hear Your words, but to do them. When storms come, help me stand firm because my foundation is in You. In Your name, Amen.