Digging Deep for the Rock

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayins, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
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.  Luke 6:47-48

Now I know that this passage is talking about doing rather than just hearing.  But I was really touched by the illustration of the home builder.  That picture of digging down deep to the solid rock really spoke to my heart.  It seems so very easy in this day and this culture to be a 'Christian.'  And yet, how often, when the storms of life and the attacks of the world take their toll, are we left shaken and overthrown?

I was so encouraged by this passage of my need (and now my desire) to push down past all the stuff of this 'Christian life' to find the Lord Himself, to meet Him face-to-face, to go beyond the knowing about Him to the KNOWING Him and SEEING Him clearly for Who He is.  I may have been there at one time, but I think that over the years so many things have shifted in between us and it is so hard to see Him know through all the conflicting and competing representations of Him that surround us.

So, anyway, for what it is worth, I want to share my thoughts on this idea of digging down deep to build our foundation:

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Effectiveness and stability in the Christian life depend on what we choose to build our lives upon.  Jesus Christ is the only immovable, unshakable One upon whom we can set our foundation.  Everything in this world, a teaching, a teacher, a culture, a country, a 'truth,' a belief, or any code of ethics, everything changes and passes away.  Only Jesus Christ is unchanging.

The church changes, its teachings change, 'the truth' changes, right becomes wrong and wrong right.  Yet, Jesus Christ -- not our representations of Him, not our assertions, not our illustrations of Him -- Jesus Christ, Himself, is unchanging and immovable.

That being said, He is not so readily found.  By that I mean, He, Himself, His very being, His discipleship is not so easily come by.

Oh, there are invitations, clues, bread crumbs all around us because He really wants us to find Him.  But to find HIM, to find His heart, His face, His very being, we need to dig down deep, removing layers of selfishness, pride, misinformation, false-Messiahs, worldly attitudes, easy feel-good spirituality, harsh judgmental self-righteousness, our desires for 'signs and wonders,' our longings for knowledge and being 'right,' our cultural prejudices, our patriotism, our racism, and our fears.

Dig down past the comfort of the pews, past the recitations of orthodox creeds, past the feel-good self-sacrifices to earn acceptance.  We have to dig down beyond all that we want to hold on to -- jealousies, angers, fears, longings and desires.  Past all that we hide in our hearts -- our secret sins, our fears of being uncovered and our 'real' selves being exposed.

Then we can begin to build our foundation of truth.  Such a foundation is paramount.  But even a foundation of truth, if not built upon the solid bed-rock of the Source of Truth (the One who Himself is Truth), will not stand.  Truth, facts and evidence, alone cannot stand without His bedrock beneath it.

So we build the foundation of His Word and His Spirit, brick and mortar.  These two must go together, when they do, they are strong and sure.  And then, upon the foundation, we build our lives.  And here, too, how we build matters.  We measure, plumb, and choose only the finest materials, setting each stone in place with care and consideration.

Such a structure founded upon the True Rock can withstand all that this world can throw at it for it will take on the characteristics of the Rock it is built upon.  It will not be moved by opposition, assault, injustice, or turmoil.