Building a Happy Life

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great.” (Matthew 7:24-27 CSB)

Do you remember the song from childhood Sunday school? “The wise man built his house upon the rock; the wise man built his house upon the rock; the wise man built his house upon the rock, and the house on the rock did stand.” And vice versa.

These words of Jesus came at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 5-7. The sermon began with the word “blessed.” Some translations use the word “happy.” Whatever the translation, the whole idea of the sermon was “build a happy and blessed life.” And then Jesus showed them how. He ended then with a challenge and a warning.

Building a happy life has all to do with foundations. There are only two possible foundations. One is a foundation of sand, or essentially no foundation at all. Ignoring what Jesus had to say about building a happy life is the same as building a house on the sand. It may stand for a while, and it may do well, actually; but when the crises come the house will not stand. Devastation will replace any sense of happiness or joy.

The other foundation is to build on the rock, and in this sense that means to build on the words of Jesus, to hear the words and act on them positively so as to carry them out. Living life the way Jesus described it in the Sermon on the Mount is the same as building the foundation on rock. When the crises come, the house will not only stand but will endure and even thrive. Most translations call this person “wise,” though the Christian Standard Bible uses the word “sensible.” That is the idea of wisdom. Building a life foundation this way is the only thing that makes any real sense, after all.

So, are you building a happy life?

Father, Guide us today as we build on the foundation of the Rock, our Lord Jesus. May our strength be found in Him and His words. Amen.