Build Your House on the Rock
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
I was reading a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. The book goes into the psychology of habit and why the foundations of habit are powerful in creating success. One of my favorite stories is that of Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I do not want to lose you at sports, if you are not a fan, this is not a sports story. Tony Dungy did something amazing with a team that was previously thought of as a losing team. Dungy was a different kind of coach. He was not a coach that called plays during the game with strategies that were complex. No, Dungy worked on the habits of players and the reactions based on habit. Repeatedly like the Karate Kid, these players worked to develop habits that seemed senseless at the time, slowly building a foundation for success. While they started off the season losing, in a game against the San Diego Chargers, things started to change as the habits, the foundation, started to kick in. The Buccaneers won that game against the Chargers, and they turned their gameplay around. These good foundational habits won games, big games. Tony Dungy ended up being the only coach to reach Superbowl playoffs for 10 consecutive years.
We all have habits, some good and some bad. Our habits drive our lives. We wake up every morning at roughly the same time, we eat the same breakfast, we drive the same route to work. Even if our morning habit is not so much routine, we have other habits that are routine.
Habits are fundamentals, a central or primary principle on which something is based. Our habits, our fundamentals, can define us and our behaviors. What we build upon is what we become.
Therefore, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus mentions the building of a house. Jesus’ sermon lasted for several days. Several days of wisdom were imparted to the people. But, while Jesus was able to speak to the large crowd, educate the large crowd, challenge the large crowd, he could not control what they did with this information. He could not act as a life coach and follow up to ask what the people did when they went home, he could not hold them individually accountable…. or could he?
Enter Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus calls to our attention our limited knowledge on building houses. He speaks of a man who builds his house on a firm foundation of rock versus the man who builds his house on the shifting sand. We understand that Jesus is likening the foundation of the house, the habitual building, on a firm foundation to building our spiritual house on God’s word, God’s desire for our lives in obedience to him. The habits, the foundation, required to not be shaken when the storm comes is the house on the rock. However, in contrast, if our foundation is weak, our habits not built on God’s desire, our resolve to do right will crack, will crumble. Good habits, good foundation, rooted in God’s desire in our lives win the game. And our reward is not a Superbowl ring-like Dungy’s team, but instead everlasting life with God in Heaven. That is quite a win.
The story of Tony Dungy in The Power of Habit is quite an amazing story and I love the book. I do encourage the read. You can also see a summarized version here: https://productiveclub.com/the-habit-loop/
