Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matthew 7:24-27 NIV)
The foundation of the golf swing includes a proper grip, athletic posture, a shoulder-width stance with weight favoring the ball of the foot, and accurate alignment of the shoulders towards your target.
We can’t just hear these positions and hope it all happens. We must know about them and then put them into practice.
At the end of a long series of teachings known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus asserts the same to his listeners … everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice …
Jesus’ parable about building a house on a rock versus sand is not to claim he is the rock, nor is he comparing a Christian from a non-Christian.
A more careful reading brings us to a different conclusion that gathers all his teachings from his Sermon on the Mount with a directive to practice what has been heard. Jesus’ teachings are to challenge and change their (and ours) hearts and behaviors.
Skye Jethani has an interesting insight into the parables that came before this one about building your house. Jethani writes, “In each case, the comparison is between things that outwardly appear righteous and godly—sheep, trees, disciples—but over time and careful observation, their true identity is revealed” (Holy Post, July 6, 2026).
In other words, we cannot go through the motions of being a Christian—listening to sermons, reading our Bibles, or even telling someone else what we know—while hiding the cracks and sand in our own foundation.
To repair and build a strong foundation, we must hear and put into practice Jesus’ teachings, a process that never ends. But as we consistently build into our foundation, we will have strength in the storms of life.
The one who hears but does not put into practice what he hears will be blown and pulled down when the storms come because there are no rebar stakes in the ground.
In such a simple and profound way, Jethani ends his blog post with, “Despite what you may have learned in Sunday School, the “rock” in this story is not Jesus. It is obedience to Jesus.”
Obedience is a practice. The object of our obedience is the teachings of Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, open my ears to hear and to put into practice what I hear you teaching me. Help me build a strong foundation to live my life upon.