Build Your Life On The Rock

I heard a story about an old office building.  It was not like the modern skyscrapers today built of steel and glass. This building was made entirely of brick and stone; and it had developed a dangerous break in the wall high up on the top floor.

Gradually that small crack grew larger until finally, the building manager contacted an engineer to come and figure out what was causing the problem. An engineer is a person who knows how buildings are designed and how they can be repaired. After the engineer had been there for a couple of hours, the building manager went to see what he was doing, but couldn’t find him anywhere. The manager looked all over the top floor and searched every other floor below, but the engineer was nowhere to be found. Finally, the building manager ended up in the basement, and there to his surprise he discovered the engineer walking around with a flashlight.

“What are you doing down here?” asked the manager. “The break in the wall is up on the top floor.” The engineer responded, “That may be where the problem first appeared, but it’s not where the problem started.” Then he took the manager over to one side of the building and pointed his flashlight at the foundation. There was a large hole where someone had been stealing bricks, one by one over a long period of time. It caused the foundation to become weak and the building had begun to move, causing a break in the wall high above.

It’s not an easy thing to fix an old building with a bad foundation. It can be done, but it’s not easy. The first thing you have to do is repair the foundation, one brick at a time. Of course it would be better if the foundation were never damaged in the first place.

This year we will be learning about foundations and why they are so important. In fact, Jesus talked about foundations in His famous story about the wise and foolish builders. This year’s Bonus Verse comes from that important story. Of course, Jesus wasn’t really talking about building houses, was He? No, He was talking about building lives — our lives. Jesus tells us how we can have a firm foundation for life; and what can chip away at that foundation one brick at a time. This Bonus Verse contains a powerful secret for life. It is a secret that tells us how to build our lives on a foundation that will last, not only for this life but forever.

The wristband for this year’s Bonus Verse is black with white letters. But at night, the letters glow in the dark. It’s very cool. It’s kind of like Frodo’s ring that glows in the fire. I think it’s even cooler than last year’s wristband. Three ICS students have already earned their wristbands; they came to see me this summer. And one of our graduates has already come back and said the verse. I have one of these wristbands for every student who memorizes this passage.

Why do you think this passage of scripture is so important? Because now, while you’re young, is the very best time to build your foundation for life. I am looking forward to the conversations we will have this year about the Rock of Salvation and what it means to “build your life on the rock.”

Luke 6:47-48
THE ROCK OF SALVATION

“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

This was shared by our Head of School, Stephen Danish, at the Opening Assembly on the 1st Day of School for the 2014-15 school year.