Luke 6:47-49 "I will show you what everyone who comes to me, hears what I say, and obeys it is like. He is like a person who dug down to bedrock to lay the foundation of his home. When a flood came, the floodwaters pushed against that house. But the house couldn't be washed away because it had a good foundation. The person who hears what I say but doesn't obey it is like someone who built a house on the ground without any foundation. The floodwaters pushed against it, and that house quickly collapsed and was destroyed."(GW)

Most of us grew up hearing the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs. This is the story where each pig built it's own house. One pig built his house out of straw, another built his house out of sticks, and the third pig built his house out of brick. When the big bad wolf came to blow the houses down, the only house that could not be blown down was the one made out of brick.

The devil is like the big bad wolf in that fairy tale. He is always trying to knock us down through trials, discouragement, doubts, distractions and many other things. Unless we are firmly secured in our walk with God, we won't survive those attacks. This is what Jesus was trying to explain in Luke 6:47-49. He said that those who come to Him and hear His words are like the man who built his the foundation of his house on a bedrock. Notice that Jesus used the words, "dug down." Some translations use the words, "dug deep". We can't just say we know Jesus, read a little about Him and then expect to be secure. We need to dig deep. We need to study what Jesus had to say, ponder on His words, discover what they mean. By learning about Jesus we will develop a strong relationship with Him. When the trials of life come flooding on us, we will be able to survive them through our belief and understanding of Jesus and His power. We won't have to be fearful because we know Jesus, and know He will carry us through those times.

Those who don't take the time to dig deep, but decide to just let the minister or others tell them about Jesus, are not building on a foundation. They're living on unstable ground. They may have heard Jesus will help them, but they don't have true understanding. They don't have experience. They've not developed a relationship with Jesus that would allow them to experience His power and comfort. When the trials of life come, everything crumbles. The people on unstable ground don't experience just a little discomfort, they experience a great fear. Everything they put their security on collapses and is destroyed. They don't know how to go to Jesus or how to cling to Him so they try to solve the problems themselves and only end up making matters worse.

It's human nature to think we can take care of ourselves and don't need any other help. This way of thinking puts all the burden of our lives on our shoulders. It causes a huge amount of anxiety in our daily lives and eventually wears us down until we feel we cannot go any longer. Jesus has offered to help us with that responsibility. In Matthew 11:28-30 He said, " Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and become like me, for I am gentle and without pride, and you will have rest for your souls; For my yoke is good, and the weight I take up is not hard." (BBE)

I suggest that we not only build on rock, but that we be like the one little pig and surround ourselves with The Rock. Surround ourselves, our lives, with Jesus. Fill our lives with things that will draw us close to Jesus. Be selective of what we watch, read, and listen to. Let everything direct our attention back to Him. In doing so, we will have allowed Jesus to build a strong fortress around us that cannot be destroyed. We will be able to face anything life throws at us and not live in fear because Jesus is right there with us all the way. He is our rock, our security, and our strength.