This time of the year tends to be bittersweet for me. The advent of Autumn (“Fall’s fall” – in my internal dialogue) represents a sad farewell to the luxuriant sunbathed summer, and forces an unenthusiastic acknowledgement of the cooler, gray-skied, year-ending months. My one consolation for this undesirable seasonal change is the stunning fall foliage that comes with it. Nothing beats the vibrant hues and picturesque landscapes that adorn many regions of the Northern Hemisphere during this transitional period. The kaleidoscope of colors is breathtakingly glorious, creating enchanting scenes, making for a great fall season, and serving as a psychological buffer against the cooler weather.
During a recent time of Bible study, I was acutely reminded of another type of fall, one that may be just as colorful but grossly lacking in compensatory beauty, one associated with long-lasting, calamitous consequences – the fall of a house or other solid structure. The Bible describes it this way:
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.1
Humpty Dumpty Wasn’t The Only One Who Had a Great Fall
“… and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”2
I read these descriptive verses and took away some key points:
1. Diligent obedience to the precepts of God’s Word is the key to a solid and enduringly meaningful life.2 Obedience is not an act, it’s a heart’s disposition which is deeply rooted in the fear of the Lord (i.e. having a deep reverence for Him)3. It is nurtured by loving and spending quality time with Him (through the study of His Word, worship, and prayer)4.
2. Dig Deep Into God by not settling for a surface-level relationship (see number 1). Digging deep simply means going all out for Him,5 and all wise builders dig deep to build the most solid foundations.
3. The difference between a life that stands out and remains enduring and relevant versus one that is ephemeral, loses relevance, and experiences a disastrous end – is the honor and seriousness each person places on living out God’s Word (fastidiously studying, meditating and applying it).
4. Build your life on the Word of God i.e., build your life ON the foundation of His Word and WITH the solid building blocks of His Word! Simply put, every lover of God has Jesus as His firm foundation,6 and should build their life on that solid foundation with the enduring material of His applied Word7. This ensures a “falls-proof” structure!
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=uOP4s8fOEm0&si=8jjIQwmP4VFyck4h
5. The rain, torrential floods, and winds of life WILL surely come to everyone, it’s just a matter of time. The question is – who will stand, and who will fall?
“… it DID NOT FALL, for it was FOUNDED ON THE ROCK.” … “… it fell. AND GREAT WAS IT’s FALL.”8
There are several types of great falls – great fall seasons, great waterfalls, Great Falls U.S. cities (named such), the infamous fall of a famous nursery rhyme/animated movie character, etc. In my mind, the most notable and tragic of these is the great fall of a life that failed to build with the right type of blocks or settled for a foundation that was not deep enough to withstand severe weather inclemency.
Friend, build your life on the Rock of Ages9. You can’t get any deeper, stronger, or safer than the security of The Rock, which transcends time and eternity, was present before the world was in existence, and is infinite in perpetuity.
“Trust [confidently] in the Lord forever [He is your fortress, your shield, your banner],
For the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].”10
**For questions on how to get to know God personally through Jesus Christ, experience Him daily, or for other inquiries, please email: graced@thewordofhisgrace.com
Bibliography
- Luke 6:46-49 ↩︎
- Psalm 119:8-11; Deuteronomy 6:17; Joshua 1:8-9; Proverbs 3:1-4; 4:4-9, 20-22 ↩︎
- Deuteronomy 8:6; Ecclesiastes 12:3; Proverbs 8:13; 16:6 ↩︎
- James 4:8a, Jeremiah 29:13; Isaiah 55:6; Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 25:1, 4-5, 12-14; 145:18 ↩︎
- Psalm 63:1-2, 5-8; 42:1-4, 7; 84:1-5, 10-12; 27:4 ↩︎
- 1 Corinthians 3:9-11; Acts 4:11-12; Matthew 7:23-27; Luke 6:46-49; Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; ↩︎
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Timothy 2:20-21; 2 Peter 2:4-9 ↩︎
- Matthew 7:25 & 27 ↩︎
- 1 Corinthians 10:4; Psalm 18:2 & 31; 31:3; 62:2; Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Isaiah 28:16 ↩︎
- Isaiah 26:6 ↩︎