From the Pastor's Desk to Your Heart

One of the engineering marvels both of ancient and modern times is the building of a bridge. The ancient Romans constructed bridges using a series of semicircular arches which evenly distributed the vast weight of the stones to the foundations of the arches. Arched bridges were typically made of stone, took a long time to build and were very costly. Over a thousand years ago in China, during the Song dynasty, a high degree of commerce and travel throughout that vast land was made possible because of the ability to construct hundreds of bridges cheaply and efficiently. The bridge that the Chinese invented used wooden beams that were interwoven together in the form of a single arch and was called a Rainbow bridge. The strength of this type of construction did not come from the wooden beams alone. When the wooden beams were "woven" together they became stronger and acted as one. These bridges were a marvel of engineering skills and artistic expression.

Our text uses the metaphor of an improperly constructed house and the subsequent destruction of that house. A house cannot stand the ravages of time without a strong foundation. It may be the most beautifully constructed home in all of the world, yet without a solid foundation eventually it will be destroyed. Similarly one would not take the time or put forth the effort of building a foundation without anticipating the building of a house upon that foundation. The two actions of building a foundation and building a house are interwoven with each other. The Bible teaches that a life without Jesus Christ will succumb to destruction. A life interwoven with Jesus Christ will be a life of blessing, peace and assurance.

God's Word reveals to us in First Corinthians 3:11, that a sure and solid foundation is to be found in no other individual than God's Son, Jesus Christ. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." When a person looks to build or construct a life which honors and pleases God it must be done upon the foundation of God's Son Jesus Christ. When the life of the believer is interwoven with the Person and Ministry of Jesus Christ, it becomes a life able to withstand the ravages of wickedness and sin. God calls upon the believer to hear His Word and to heed His call. God calls us to continually establish our lives upon the sure foundation of the teachings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

"But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great"  (Luke 6:49).