Built to Last
Hey, listen, I get it. I really do. It’s easy to fall into performance mode. You walk into church, throw on your "everything’s good" face, shake hands, say “blessed and highly favored,” maybe even hit a high harmony on that worship song like you're trying to land a record deal with Jesus. And it’s not because we’re fake people—it’s because we’ve been taught that if we don’t look put together, something must be wrong with our faith.
So we perform. We clean up real nice. We post our verses, we pray out loud in small groups, we quote some C.S. Lewis or Tim Keller when the moment calls for it. We even volunteer, and we’re good at it. But under the surface? We’re duct-taping our hearts back together. We’re emotionally limping through the week, whispering “I’m fine” when we’re clearly not. We’re spiritually tired and secretly scared that if anyone found out how close we were to the edge, they’d think less of us... Maybe even God would.
But here’s the thing: Jesus isn’t impressed with our spiritual acting skills. He’s not grading us on how well we can look like a Christian. He’s looking for something real. Not perfect. Just honest. Just surrendered. Something with a foundation that won’t collapse the second the storm hits.
And maybe that’s where this week finds you. Maybe your faith has been more performance than pursuit. Maybe you’ve built something that looks decent from the outside, but you know in your gut it’s not built to last.
So for the next three days, let’s take a good, hard, honest look at what we’re building on. Not to feel bad about ourselves, but to ask Jesus to tear out the stuff that doesn’t hold and start rebuilding on something stronger. We’re not after pride. We’re not chasing emotion. We’re done trying to impress anybody, including God.
Day 1 – The Words We Say
Scripture: Matthew 7:21
You can say all the right things. You can quote Scripture, say grace over your Chick-fil-A, post a Bible verse in your Instagram bio, and still completely miss Jesus. That sounds harsh, I know—but Jesus actually said it. Not me. Because lip service isn’t the same thing as surrender.
We’ve gotten really good at looking the part, dressing the part, sounding the part, and saying all the “right” things at the right times. You’ve probably done it. Heck, I’ve done it. You know the drill: “God’s got this,” “Blessed and highly favored,” “I’ll pray for you” (even if we don’t).
But if we’re being honest, maybe we’ve talked more about Jesus than we’ve actually talked to Him.
Maybe we’ve encouraged someone else to “trust God,” while quietly ignoring that one thing He’s been nudging us to let go of. Maybe our lips are moving, but our hearts is somewhere else entirely.
God isn’t sitting in heaven keeping score of how many Bible verses we know or how spiritual we sound. He’s not impressed by our religious vocabulary. What He wants… is us. Not the polished-up version. Not the Sunday-only version. Not the “I’ve got it all together” version. Just us.
Obedience is louder than any spiritual-sounding sentence we can string together. And trust shows up in what we do way more than in what we say.
Application:
Ask yourself: Am I using Christian language to cover up a lack of real obedience? What’s one thing Jesus has been telling me to do that I’ve been putting off?
Prayer:
Jesus, I don’t want to just say the right stuff. I want to live as if I truly believe it. Help me spot where I’m talking more than obeying, and give me the courage to follow You for real.
Day 2 – The Way We Feel
Scripture: Matthew 7:22
Sometimes we confuse feelings with faith. We’re in worship, the lights are low, the band hits that perfect build, and boom—here come the tears. Goosebumps. Hands up. We feel something deep. We might even think, “This is it. I’m really connecting with God.”
And maybe we are. But here’s the problem: we walk out of church… and absolutely nothing changes. That’s not faith. That’s just a vibe.
Now don’t hear what I’m not saying. Church, God can absolutely move through emotion. He wired us with hearts that feel things. But when we start chasing feelings instead of Jesus, we’re building on sand.
If the only time we think about Jesus is when the music swells or the speaker gets passionate, we might be more into the experience than the Savior. And listen, I love a good worship night as much as the next guy. But faith isn’t proven in the moment. It’s proven in the Monday that comes after it.
What happens when the lights come back on? When the goosebumps fade? When life punches us in the throat on Tuesday? That’s when we find out what our faith is actually built on.
So let’s not settle for emotional highs that leave us spiritually empty. Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are those who get the chills.” He said, “Blessed are those who hear my words and put them into practice.”
We can’t build a house on chills.
We build it on truth.
We build it on Him.
Application:
Think about this: When the feelings fade, what’s left? Is your walk with Jesus built on truth or adrenaline? What helps you stay grounded in Him even when you don’t "feel it"?
Prayer:
Jesus, I want more than an emotional high. I want You. Help me to follow You when the feelings fade, and trust You even when it’s quiet.
Day 3 – The Things We Do
Scripture: Matthew 7:23
Let’s be real for a second, some of us have built an entire spiritual identity on doing stuff for Jesus instead of being with Him. We serve every Sunday. We give our ten percent. We lead three groups, take meals to people in crisis, and post Bible verses with just the right filter. And hear me: none of that is bad. In fact, it’s really good. But here’s the thing: Jesus doesn’t want our résumé. He wants our relationship.
He’s not looking to see how many spiritual boxes we’ve checked or how long our list of “good deeds” is. He’s not impressed with how busy we are at church if our Bible is gathering dust and our prayers are on autopilot. We can do all the things and still miss Him entirely.
That’s what makes Matthew 7:23 one of the scariest verses in the whole Bible: “I never knew you.” Not “you didn’t do enough.” Not “you weren’t religious enough.” Just… “I never knew you.”
Because at the end of the day, the one thing Jesus wants most is our heart, not our hustle.
Application:
Take a step back: Am I doing spiritual things to get something from God, or because I love Him and want to know Him? Where am I performing instead of pursuing?
Prayer:
Jesus, I don’t want to build my life on ministry or busyness or activity. I want to know You. Help me trade performance for presence. I need You more than I need to be impressive.
Most of us, at some point, have faked it. We’ve smiled when we were crumbling. Played the part because we didn’t want to get judged, or maybe because we were afraid that if people really knew us, they’d walk away.
And some of us… we’ve even gotten really good at it. Church face. Church answers. Churchy life.
But deep down, we know something’s off. It’s like painting over rotting wood. Looks decent… for a minute.
Jesus isn’t mad at you for that. He’s not rolling His eyes, arms crossed, disappointed in your fake smile. He’s not shaking His head, saying, “Wow, I thought you’d be better by now.”
No. He gives us this warning, not to shame us, but to wake us up. Because He loves us too much to let us keep pouring our lives into things that were never strong enough to hold us up. He’s not interested in our performance. He’s interested in us. The real us. And He’s offering something so much better than a life that just looks good on the outside. He’s offering a life that actually works. One that holds up when everything else comes crashing down.
So maybe your prayer this week isn’t long or fancy. Maybe it just sounds like this: “Jesus, I’m done building on things that crumble. You’re the Rock I need.”
That’s it. That’s the place to start. No shame. No pretense. Just honesty. And when we start from there, when we build on Him, that’s when everything starts to change.
Let’s build from there.
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