“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded on a rock” (Matthew 7: 24-25 KJV).
Building codes are rules for the design and construction of buildings that, by law, must be adhered to by the contractor to ensure the safety of future occupants.
Building codes differ based on geographical location. They reflect an area’s susceptibility to certain forces of nature, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods. Building codes in California and Oklahoma are not the same as those in Georgia.
When the drafts or blueprints for a building meet the building codes, the builder is given a permit to build.
A person may read and even memorize the building code, but if he does not follow the code when constructing the building, the occupants will not be safe when disaster strikes.
Not only are people building homes, they are also building lives. Just as a building must have a strong foundation to survive storms, a life have a strong foundation to survive the many storms of life.
The sure foundation for one’s life is faith in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3: 11). Then, as a construction crew adds the floors, walls, and roof to a building’s foundation, the Christian adds to his faith in Christ and builds himself up in this most holy faith (Jude 20). He then adds “to his faith virtue (integrity); and to virtue knowledge (intimate knowledge of God); and to knowledge temperance (self-control, self-discipline); and to temperance patience (waiting on God’s timing); and to patience godliness (Christ-likeness); and to godliness brotherly kindness (looking out for my brother in Christ); and to brotherly kindness charity (God’s love for all)” (2 Peter 1: 5–7). With charity comes completion and perfection (Col. 3: 14). “Add” means to get in the habit of doing. These things are not gifts we receive at the time of salvation, but are virtues that we add and that make up the sum of our godly character.
A person may read and memorize God’s building codes for life, but if he does not base his life on them, he will not survive the storms of life.
The person who follows God’s building codes for life will still be standing after the storms of life have done their worst and passed.
Are you building your life according to God’s building codes?
