JESUS SPEAKING
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was it’s fall” (Mathew 7: 24-27.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Jesus is identifying one group of people here: all those who hear his words. He further divides this group in to two distinct groups. The division is based upon the response to what the hearers have heard. One group puts in to practice what they have heard from Jesus, and the other group does not. Those who take action are wise, and those who do not are foolish.
Both groups are likened to builders, who undertake the construction of a house. One builds on solid rock (unmovable, sturdy, and permanent), another group builds on sand (movable, shifting, and impermanent.) Every human being is a building, and their actions and behaviors are the result of following a blueprint. Some blueprints are horrible, some are wonderful, but only one blueprint is eternal. The wind, and the rains, and the floods that Jesus is talking about are the forces in life that attempt to break us down, cause us to fail, and give up hope. Everyone suffers set-backs; everyone suffers trials, and those who don’t practice the teachings of the Lord crumble when those trials arise. When a person acts and behaves in a manner that is pleasing to God, they are laying their lives down upon an eternal foundation. They are building a life for themselves in a place that will last forever; even when this world fades away and dies, those who have lived for Christ will remain forever.
Along the coast in southern California many people have built huge mansions on the cliffs that overlook the ocean. Every so often mudslides and sink holes bring down huge portions of the cliffs upon which these houses stand. In the newspaper you might see a picture of a half a house standing on a cliff with the other half of the house laying on the beach below, buried with the cliff that gave way. Sometimes a house built on a solid enough foundation will hang over the cliff, fully intact with nothing supporting the half that’s hanging over. The same thing happens with anyone who builds a life in this world based on the teachings and sayings of Jesus Christ. This world will eventually perish, and it will undergo it’s destruction; yet whatever was built in this life according to God’s design has also been built in the life that is to come. Anything that has its foundation in the eternal God will not perish like those things that will perish.
Today, each and every one of us is a carpenter, just like the Lord. We are builders, and we are following a blueprint. One life, a life that takes shape because we follow the directions outlined for us by the eternal God, will never end. The other life, the one that is built following any other example other than that given by Jesus Christ, will be destroyed, and that destruction will last for however long God determines. Eternal life is not obtained solely by what we have heard but by what we have done as a result of what we have heard. Obedience to God is how we build our lives upon the eternal foundation. How can you start doing the things he is teaching? First, pick out a scripture and then do what it is saying. Bend your life to his truth, and don’t seek to bend his truths to meet your life. Do you pray for those who mistreat you? Are you generous? Do you give to everyone who asks you? Do you give him the credit for the good things you do for others? These are just a few examples of actions God rewards. God has written a book, and reading it is how you know what his blueprint for your life truly is. Read his word, and do his word, and when this world passes away, you will not pass away with it, but rather, you will spend an eternity with him in paradise.
“Heavenly Father we come before You and we ask that You empower us to do what we have heard from Your Son. Open up more opportunities to implement your directions for living; give us a deep pleasure and satisfaction in completing the tasks You given us to do. Father help us to strive to please You, and to be a blessing to all those around us. Give us the strength of Your Holy Spirit, and guide us in all that we do. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 