Did you know that the Golden Gate Bridge is built directly over the San Andreas Fault? During an earthquake, the bridge is built to sway some twenty feet at the center of its one-mile span.
The secret to the bridge's durability, however, lies in more than just its flexibility. By design, every part of the bridge — its concrete roadway, its steel railings, its cross beams — is integrated, from one welded joint to the other up through the vast cable system to two great towers and two great land anchor piers. The towers, which bear most of the weight, are deeply embedded in the rock foundation beneath the sea. The Golden Gate Bridge stands today because of its solid foundation.
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Our lives are an even greater engineering marvel than the Golden Gate Bridge. After all, we are God's workmanship.
Follow these three simple building blocks to construct a life that lasts:
1. Build your life on the reality that is in Jesus Christ.
Jesus hated phony religion. Why? Because it kept people from a real relationship with Him. In Matthew 7:20-23, Jesus makes clear that there are many who think they have favor with God but don't, for one simple reason: They don't know Him.
To really know Jesus is to have a personal relationship with Him. It's not about the superficiality of merely making an appearance at church and going through the motions of doing religious things. It's a personal, intimate friendship with Jesus. That is the first building block for a life that lasts.
2. Build your life on the stability that is in Jesus Christ.
Every contractor knows just how critical laying a strong foundation is to the stability of a building. Life is no different. You and I must dig deep into the bedrock of Jesus Christ if we are to weather the storms that will hit our lives.
What does that mean? It means knowing Christ and His word and doing what we know. That's why Jesus says in Matthew 7:24, "Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock." That's the second building block.
3. Build your life on the eternity that is in Jesus Christ.
You must understand that you were built to live forever. At the same time, you must realize that your physical life is but a vapor and that you will spend infinitely more time in eternity then you spend on this earth.
This knowledge will lead you to live for eternity and to reorder the priorities of your life based on that truth. With that commitment, you have put in place the third building block for a life that lasts.
If you want a life that will last, build upon the stability that is Christ. Build upon the reality of a personal relationship with Jesus with an eye to the eternity that is just around the corner.
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Jack Graham is Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX, and currently serves as President of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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1. Matthew 7:24–27
2. Matthew 7:28–29
3. Matthew 28:18
4. Matthew 7:24–27
5. Matthew 7:22
6. Matthew 7:23a
7. Matthew 7:20
8. 1 John 4:15
9. Romans 10:9
10. Romans 3:23
11. Ephesians 2:19–22
12. 2 Corinthians 5:17
13. Matthew 5:45
14. Edward Mote, The Solid Rock ©1834
15. James 4:14
16. Matthew 6:33
17. Amos 4:12
18. Ephesians 2:10