“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25 The Amplified Bible)
I drove by the major university located just northwest of downtown the other day. As I visually surveyed the space on which the various, specialized schools of learning, I thought about how the many acres on which the high tech buildings sit, this was once a residential area, pretty much a settlement of African-American people, once the first federal housing projects that included stores and other business entities, and a famous basketball court where a lot of great stars developed their hall of fame skills as they were mentored and challenged to be better by older players. In regard to the latter, those being mentored were given a foundation that would fuel future success. That’s a model to follow when it comes to helping our children see the way they should go. When you do, their successes will surpass your own, in many cases.
With the changing of the neighborhood I just described, accompanied by the emergence and eager desire to see downtown, a place that used to be called “Naptown,” as something to desire, and with the expansion of the university, hospitals, and specialized care facilities, there is one thing that has remained the same. The ground created by the Sovereign has remained the same. In other words, beneath all the high-tech, modernized building, and in spite of the displacement of people and a community, the foundation on which the university is located is an unchanging foundation.
Pioneers, professors, and people pursuing educational goals walk on the same space that I remember from years past, their feet on resurfaced street, but underneath all the concreted, all the brick and mortar is that original ground, an unchanging foundation. Schools have been substituted with spacious, multi-level parking lots, churches have been converted to cherished museums where people congregate for lessons in history, hotels have replaced hang-out sites where history making entertainers delighted a people whose music is still listened to in our times. Yes, musicians who highlighted their highly blessed talents, gained world recognition on this ground. There were blocks occupied by outstanding entrepreneurs who flourished and became the building block or basic pattern for businesspeople who would emulate their initiatives. Nevertheless, note this fact: The ground remains the same. It is an unchanging foundation. What I just said is deeper than referring to physical things but can be expanded to sociological things and psychological themes that contributed to overcoming in many ways.
Now listen! In life, we will go through things and experience firsthand a variety of changes over time in a variety of areas. We will encounter conditions, challenges, crisis, and circumstances that are either appealing or appalling. But the good thing for you and me, fellow believer, is the same as the ground described above. You see, regardless of the nature of the changes, the ground we stand on is unchanging. We stand on an unchanging ground. Don’t ever forget that fact or drift away from acknowledging where you stand in Christ. Read the excerpt for a familiar hymn, composed by Edward Mote in 1834, before you start your Tuesday to support what I am trying to convey to you and assure your conviction is the same as mind, that we can occupy, stand on, unchanging ground, an unchanging foundation. Have a great day! Be blessed!
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
Mark L. King