Foundations and Other Fundamentals

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about foundations. Why concrete beneath my feet comes to mind while six men pound away at replacing our roof, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s the racket these heavy-footed, nail-driving enthusiasts are making. With no attic space to buffer their blows, it sounds like they’re bringing the house down. Fresh nail pops have sprouted in our walls, pictures hang at a slant, and a security sensor dangles by its wires from the ceiling upstairs. Even our cat is slinking about from room to room as if some winged predator had him in its scopes. I’d probably be questioning the soundness of our humble abode about now had my husband not originally constructed it to last.

Which brings me back to the subject of foundations. And storms. And wise men who build their houses on solid rock and foolish men who build on sand.

Matthew chapter seven lays out the specifics of the story. So, everyone who hears these words of Mine and obeys will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and floods came, and winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. [i]

At this point I had to ask myself, “What exactly are the words Jesus says we’re to hear and obey?” Looking back in the text, it looks like He covered subjects like personal humility and repentance, staying constant in prayer, treating others with love and respect, the pursuit of holiness and walking the straight and narrow. And lastly, He tells us to discern those we associate with and to be wary of false teachings and prophesies. [ii]

I’d say these impressive qualities Jesus describes are something we all need to possess if we profess to be His followers. He calls them the fruits of hearing and obeying Him . . . you shall know them by their fruits. [iii] Luke 6:45 adds another detail to that same story—for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

Horticulturists may know their stuff and can identify specific fruit trees by their leaves and flowers. But for regular Joes like me, it’s anybody’s guess until the fruit pops out. “Fruit is a tree’s most revealing feature.” [iv]

The same applies to a person’s spiritual condition. Jesus goes on to say, Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works? [v]

You would think that if the fruit of a life submitted to the Father is known by a person’s speech (. . . out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks), then surely these would be considered fruitful because they called Jesus Lord, Lord.

You’d also think that if the fruit of a life committed to obeying the Father’s will is known by actions (works), then these also did some impressive works. They prophesied in Jesus’ name, drove out demons, and did mighty works in His name.

However, Jesus said to them, And then I will say to them openly, I never knew you, depart from me you evildoers. [vi]

Even fruit that looks fresh can sometimes surprise you with rot inside. Jesus is obviously looking for more than the outward fruit of works and expressions of faith. He’s looking deep within, at the core of what we build our lives on. No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid. His name is Jesus Christ. [vii] We must begin by building upon the rock-solid foundation of Knowing Him. And this is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. [viii]

If on this solid foundation of knowing Him we hope to produce good spiritual fruit, we also must be nourished through the Knowledge of Him, because knowing motivates doing. Grapes are produced only when nourished by its grapevine. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains (abides) in Me and I in him will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.[ix]

If we want our fruit to remain throughout the violent storms of this present evil age, we must also be supported in ever-increasing measures of the Knowledge of Him. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him . . .. [x] Blessed is the man whose confidence is in Him. He shall be like a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall stay green, and shall not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit. [xi]

I'm telling you, it’s all about foundations and that which nourishes and supports us in life. We build our lives on the foundation of knowing Jesus. Or we build on sand. It’s up to us.

As if to validate my line of thinking, my husband and I stumbled across a story about the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. Because of its unconventional foundation design, this elite 58-floor condominium skyscraper steadily sank into the earth at a pronounced tilt, from 2015 until a team of engineers were finally able to successfully stabilize it in bedrock in 2023. The problem wasn’t its 10-foot thick, steel-reinforced concrete foundation, but the layer of soft compressible clay upon which it was originally “founded”.

I would think the tower’s 75-foot saltwater lap pool, its fitness room, luxurious spa, private theater, fine dining, and other notable amenities would seem less impressive when experienced at a slant. Imagine watching a windstorm through your condo’s floor-to-ceiling windows when suddenly a pane of glass—glass designed to withstand hurricane-force winds—plummets from some floor above and crashes onto the walkway beneath. What about the creaking and loud popping noises residents heard in the night? Wouldn’t that disrupt most peoples’ sense of wellbeing? All these alarming issues were independent of any extreme forces of nature.

I guess you could say that by all appearances Millennial Tower, with all of its luxurious bells and whistles, bore much fruit. It was a dwelling for the wealthy and those who appreciate finery, but dA house is only as “sound” as the foundation it sits on. eep beneath, at its core, its foundation wasn’t founded upon bedrock. The house was sinking. Sinking at a tilt. [xii]

And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon sand. And the rain fell, and floods came, and winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. [xiii]

There’s no way to avoid life’s storms. They can hit unexpectedly. They can come at us from all sides. No matter how prepared or spiritual we are, they “beat around the soul”, assaulting bodies, souls, and spirits. [xiv]

If our foundation isn’t right, nothing will be right. We can spend our energies on many worthwhile causes. We can build on countless foundations. But a house is only as “sound” as the foundation it sits on. If what we build is not “founded” on Jesus, nourished by Jesus, and supported by Jesus, it will tilt, sink, crack, split, and eventually topple. Build your house upon the foundation Rock of Jesus Christ, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. [xv]

By the way, our new roof looks great. Pictures have been straightened, the alarm reattached, and the new nail pops in our sheetrock ignored like the rest of them. Our cat, for the most part, has also returned to ruling his little kingdom again, with only an occasional wary glance upward.

Photo by Ben Allan on Unsplash

[i] Matthew 7:24

[ii] Matthew 7:1–5, 7–8,12, 13–14, 15

[iii] Matthew 7:16–20

[iv] growgreatfruit.com Identifying fruit trees by their flowers August 23, 2024

[v] Matthew 7:21–22

[vi] Matthew 7:23

[vii] 1 Corinthians 3:9–16; John 14:6

[viii] John 17:3

[ix] John 15:4–5

[x] John 15:16; 2 Peter 1:3

[xi] Jeremiah 17:7

[xii] Wikipedia; Millennium Tower (San Francisco). Due to design failures (Millennium Tower Lean: Building Design Failures, March 18, 2025, forensisgroup.com

[xiii] Matthew 7:26–27

[xiv] Matthew 7:25 – quote from Barnes Notes on the Bible

[xv] Matthew 16:17–19