Throughout the centuries, human beings have been captivated by the thought of having an indestructible life. In the face of all the troubles and uncertainty that we experience in our lives, and indeed in the face of the very impermanence and frailty of human life itself, there is something fundamentally appealing about a life that can withstand all hardships, all trials, and all calamities. In our own lives, it often feels as if we are taking a prolonged beating or that we are weathering our lives rather than living them. All of us yearn for a life and a foundation that can endure whatever storms might come our way.

The Bible reveals that only one life is indestructible—that of Jesus Christ.¹ Thus, while we can do nothing to alter the frailty of our human lives, we can build our lives upon an indestructible foundation. That foundation is Christ, His words, and His indestructible life. With Christ as our foundation, we can have an anchor that will hold us fast through any of life's storms.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus told a parable:

"Every one...who hears these words of Mine and does them shall be likened to a prudent man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and they beat against that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of Mine and does not do them shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and they dashed against that house; and it fell, and its fall was great."²

If we are prudent, we who hear Christ's words will build our house on the rock of Christ and His words. Simply by virtue of the fact that we are living and functioning human beings, each of us is building our life, or "house," upon some kind of foundation. Since we are already engaged in the building of this house, we surely should ask ourselves upon what kind of foundation we are building. If we were building a physical house, we would rightly be concerned if we discovered that the site of the house were located on unstable land. How much more we should be concerned whether our life is built upon an unenduring foundation. Against the onslaught of the rain, rivers, and winds of life, we need to take Christ's words as our source.

Christ's words offer the only firm foundation that can enable us to stand against whatever unexpected turns, crises, or misfortunes life inevitably blows our way. If our foundation is the solid rock of Christ and His words, we shall be like the prudent man whose house stood firm against the rain, the rivers, and the winds. But if our foundation is anything other than Christ and His words, we shall be like the foolish man who built his house on sinking sand. Eventually the rain, rivers, and winds will prove too much, and the ground will crumble from beneath our feet.

Christ's words to us are truly extraordinary. What sets His words apart from others' is that in them, we find the indestructible life. Christ said that He was both life itself and the way to life. "I am the way… and the life," He proclaimed.³ And again, "I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly."⁴ When Christ came, life—the eternal, immortal life—came. Not only is He life, and not only does He lead us to life, His words themselves are life. His are the words of eternal life.⁵ He with His own mouth stated, "The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life."⁶ In uttering these words, He laid open to us the way to participate in the undefeatable, everlasting life of God. These life-giving words and the man who spoke them to us are truly the unshakable foundation upon which we must found our lives.

But what shall we do with these words once we have heard them? The Bible says, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."⁷ We must heed Christ's words. His words apply to our lives and situation today, and we should consider carefully our response to these words. What is the foundation upon which we are building our lives? Will it stand the test of time? One thing that we can be sure of about human life is that, in time, the trials and tribulations will come. The rain will fall, the winds will blow, and the rivers will overflow their banks. Ultimately, only that which is based on Christ will endure. If today we hear Christ's words and yet harden our hearts, the trials and tribulations will still come to undermine our moorings, and, after our foundation has buckled, we will be left to rebuild what remains of our lives. Surely our most prudent course of action would be to choose now the foundation that will prevail against the storms we know will come. If we have Christ as our solid foundation today, we will be able to stand against the onslaught of the elements tomorrow.

To have such an indestructible foundation, we must possess Christ. If we obey His wise words and receive Christ as our life, our life will be built on an immovable rock that will endure into eternity.⁸ Regardless of how chaotic, impermanent, and insecure the world around us may be, we will have the assurance that, by building on the rock of Christ, we are building our life on a foundation that will outlast even this world.

Almost two thousand years ago, a disciple of Christ wrote that "all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and the flower has fallen off, but the word of the Lord abides forever."⁹ Human life will wither and fall; only the incorruptible, indestructible word of God is living and life-giving. God has given us the freedom to choose the kind of foundation on which we will build our life. It would be foolish to choose that which will wither and fall. Christ has spoken and we have heard His voice. All that is left for us to do is receive Him.

1 Hebrews 7:16. (back) 2 Matthew 7:24-27. (back) 3 John 14:6. (back) 4 John 10:10. (back) 5 John 6:68. (back) 6 John 6:63. (back) 7 Hebrews 3:15. (back) 8 John 3:36; First John 2:17. 9 First Peter 1:24-25.

No matter what your situation, Jesus Christ desires to come into you to be your indestructible life. To receive Him, please open your heart right now and pray the following:

O Lord Jesus! Thank You for speaking Your words of life to me. I have heard Your words and believe them. You are the solid rock and the indestructible life. You died and resurrected so that I could live. I believe in You and receive You right now. Thank You for saving me!