"Why
do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will
show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into
practice. He is 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
This parable about building on a firm foundation has always
fascinated me. Again, I really love God’s symbolism, and Jesus truly knew how
to use it. In this parable we can see the obvious that when we build our lives
on the foundation of God’s Word, on Christ who is truth, we are unshakable in
our faith through the storms of life.
But I’m seeing a new part to this Scripture. If you look at
verse 48, specifically the part about the man “building a house, who dug down
deep,” the words take on some figurative meanings as well as literal in the
Greek translation.
The Greek word used here for building is oikodomeo, which means to build, but also
comes from the root word meaning to edify
or for edification. Interesting to
think about, especially if we consider edification in terms of teaching and
improving. This reflects the process of how we learn more about God and grow as
we build our foundation upon Christ.
But even more exciting is the “dug down deep” part. The
Greek word used for deep here is bathuno,
and has such a rich meaning that goes beyond the literal result of digging
deep. It also means deep, extreme
poverty, the deep things of God, things hidden and above man's scrutiny, especially
divine counsels.
I hope this excites you as much as it does me. Christ is
speaking in these Scriptures using a literal action to express a figurative
meaning. He’s speaking of this builder as digging deeper into the things of
God, pursuing God for understanding and stability. The builder removed all the
loose sand (lies, half truths, deceptions, misconceptions, worldly influences)
to reach rock (God’s truth, his Son Jesus) in order to build his house (his
life in all aspects-emotional, physical, spiritual).
When we skate along the surface of our faith, we’re not
digging into the changing sands of our lives to reach God’s truth. The sad part
of this is we not only have faulty structures, we miss out on knowing our
amazing God as a friend.
For a time my house wasn’t built on a foundation of Christ
and I do not wish that on anyone. I’ve never been fond of roller coasters
either. But the last few years have proven how vital that foundation is when
the hardest storms hit and make life feel like a roller coaster ride without
end. I’ve been able to stand firm as some of the worst storms have hit my
family.
So I’d like to encourage you to dig deep and don’t ever stop
digging and building your foundation on Jesus and God’s Word even within the
confines of a spiritually mismatched marriage. The prize is a house (an internal and eternal life)
that won’t crash around you and a friendship with our amazing Lord. And that’s the
exact testimony our unsaved loved ones need to see.
Praying and believing,
Dineen
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