Opus 2013-74: Location, Location, Location

What are the foundations of your life?  What are the abiding principles that guide your decisions and set your priorities.  For Christians these foundations are found in Jesus and His teachings.  There are two places where Jesus talks about foundations and they have slightly different emphasis.  Both make it clear that we are to build our lives on keeping His words. 

Luke emphases blooming where you are planted.  The wise man digs down to rock.

(Luke 6:48 KJV)  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.

In the next verse the foolish man does no preparation, just starts to build.

(Luke 6:49 KJV)  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.

Matthew relates it differently.  He starts with the wise man.

(Matthew 7:24-5 KJV)  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Notice that there is no mention of digging.  In this teaching it is a matter of picking the right place to start with.  Compare it to the foolish man.

(Matthew 7:26-7 KJV)  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

I can picture Jesus giving this lesson to different people and emphasizing different aspects of the teaching.  For some who have no choice it is important to dig down deep, to bloom where they are planted.  This gives us hope when we are locked into less than perfect circumstance.

The other group were more flexible in their options.  It was important for them to find the right location.  Katrina took out houses regardless of their foundation.  Maybe we need to go where the rock is to build, not just dig where we want until we find rock.

Which teaching applies best to you today is between you and the Holy Spirit.  Do you need to dig deeper or should you find a better foundation for your life?

Take your pick, both lead to Jesus.

homo unius libri