Build · Faith Made Visible
(Part 2 of 3 in the “Hear · Build · Stand” Series)
From Hearing to Habits
Last week, we listened. We stood with the crowd on the hillside as Jesus began to speak: not with power or spectacle, but with blessing.
Now He calls us to act:
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” — Matthew 7:24 (CSB)
Hearing turns to becoming when the truth takes shape in our actions. The Sermon on the Mount ends here, where faith becomes structure, not sentiment.
As Jonathan Pennington describes, this is “flourishing embodied.”
Dallas Willard put it plainly: “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.”
The battle’s already been won. We don’t build to earn God’s favor, we build because we already have it in Jesus.
I. Building on the Rock
When Jesus contrasts the wise and foolish builders, He’s not describing two types of believers: He’s describing two ways of living.
Both hear the words, both build. The difference is the foundation. The wise builder practices what he hears. The foolish builder admires but never applies.
The Greek word Jesus uses for “acts” (poieō) means to make, to practice, to live out.
Faith becomes wisdom when it moves from admiration to application.
Families build before the storm, not during it.
Every unseen act of obedience, every moment of forgiveness, prayer, or quiet trust is like poured concrete and we are laying the foundation.
Practice for the week: choose one daily anchor rhythm:
Read a short passage at breakfast.
Pray aloud before bed.
Light a candle or set a small object on the table as a visual reminder: “Christ is our foundation.”
“Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain.” — Psalm 127:1 (CSB)
II. Formation Through Repetition
The Christian life grows through practice, not performance.
Paul told the Philippians,
“Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and the God of peace will be with you.”— Philippians 4:9 (CSB)
It’s repetition that turns conviction into character.
James K. A. Smith writes, “You are what you love, and you learn what you love by what you practice.”
Habits form hearts.
The Beatitudes we read last week become our reflexes when they’re rehearsed in daily life.
“Blessed are the merciful” becomes mercy shown in traffic, at work, or in how we speak to our children.
Family rhythm:
Morning: one verse, one-sentence prayer.
Evening: one gratitude, one confession.
Weekend: one “Sabbath hour” with no screens, just Scripture and rest.
Grace grows quietly, like muscle memory for the soul.
III. Building Together
Faith is a family project.
When Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15), he wasn’t making a private vow—he was claiming a shared way of life.
The New Testament refers to believers as “living stones,” being built together into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).
Homes built on Christ become small sanctuaries: places of peace, laughter, correction, and prayer.
Modern research confirms what Scripture has always shown: Families who pray, read Scripture, and eat together regularly are far more likely to pass their faith on to the next generation.
Faith isn’t taught once a week; it’s caught every day.
Try this:
Let children choose a verse to read aloud at dinner (or you choose one for them).
End the meal by asking, “Where did we see God’s kindness today?”
Keep it simple, but keep it steady.
IV. When the Storms Come
Storms don’t test your faith; they reveal your foundation.
Jesus never promised a life free from trouble—He promised a life that endures it.
“He is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” — Psalm 62:2 (CSB)
The family built on Christ stands not because it’s strong, but because it’s anchored.
When you build on His words: through prayer, Scripture, forgiveness, and faithfulness, you’ll find what holds when everything else shifts.
Reflection question:
What kind of foundation are we pouring right now: in our words, our schedules, our habits?
Family Prayer
Lord, teach us to build what lasts.
Shape our habits until they look like trust.
Let our home rest on Your Word
steady when the winds rise,
and faithful when the world changes.
Next Week — Stand
From hearing to doing to enduring.
When storms come, a built life doesn’t collapse, it bears witness.
References
Matthew 7:24–27 (CSB) • James 1:22–25 (CSB) • Ephesians 2:8–10 (CSB) • Psalm 127:1 (CSB) • Philippians 4:9 (CSB) • Joshua 24:15 (CSB) • Psalm 62:2 (CSB)
• Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (HarperOne, 1998)
• Jonathan T. Pennington, The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing (Baker Academic, 2017)
• N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone (SPCK, 2002)
About the author
Justin Jones, Ph.D., is the founder of The Imager Project, a nonprofit equipping families to live with faith and purpose in everyday life. With a background in biochemistry and years of teaching, coaching, and ministry, he writes about faith, family, and flourishing. Justin and his wife are raising three children in Delaware and helping families live as God’s people today.
