Where to build your foundation

Helaman 5:12 is today's scripture mastery:

 12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

This verse goes very well with the parable taught by Christ in the New Testament, about the foolish man and the wise man (Matthew 7:24-27)

 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

If we choose to build our foundation on Christ--the only solid and safe foundation, we will be able to weather the storms of life.  However, if we choose to build our foundation on anything else, the storms of life will be able to overpower us, and our "house" will fall.

How do we build upon the Rock?  We must both hear and do the commandments of the Lord.  Hearing only is not enough--and we can't keep the commandments if we don't know what they are. . .So it is very important to read and study the scriptures.  It is important to go to church and listen to the word of God.  It is important to pray daily, both in our families, as well as privately.  But then we must go out and do those things that we have heard and read about.  There is a well known quote that goes something like this "Pray as though everything depends upon God, and then work as though everything depends upon you"  That is true doctrine.  We must DO those things that are right.  We must FOLLOW the example of Christ, and DO his works.  We must help the sick and the afflicted.  We must relieve suffering whenever possible (and not cause it ourselves).  We must KEEP the commandments.  If we do these things, we will be securely founded on the Rock--The Rock of our Redeemer--and when the storms of life and temptation come, we will be able to withstand them.