Here Jesus explains how building our life is like building a house. If we want a house that will last, it must have a solid foundation. And the only foundation for living is to listen to Jesus’ teaching and put it into practice.

When the apostle Paul talked about building up the church of Jesus, he used house-building language also. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-13 he warned, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is.”

Paul used similar imagery in Ephesians 2:20-22 to describe God’s household—“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.... And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

Describing Jesus as “the living Stone,” the apostle Peter adds, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” And why? Not just to have a solid, full life worth living, but “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9). Jesus wants us to live by his Word and teaching so that we can share his message with others—and help them have a life built on Christ too!