"Boom. Boom, boom." I partially woke up and then drifted back off to sleep, thinking people were setting of fireworks in our area. "BOOM!" I was awake. No, it wasn't fireworks - it was real thunder, really close.
I checked the weather to see how serious it was. We were under a flash flood warning for a few hours. I was grateful as I reflected on how our house should be safe in a flash flood because of the position and construction.
As I sat there in the dark, an illustration Jesus gave came to mind:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
Our lives are like houses and we will all face storms. Where we are building is crucial.
Let's ask ourselves, "What are we building our lives on?"
Jesus tells us that if we build our lives on Him and - hearing and doing - His Word, we will stand secure. But, if we base our lives on other things, we will fall.
The Bible - the Word of God - is 100%, unchanging, and infallible Truth. This is where He shows us Who He Is, what is Truth, how we can know Him, gives us His promises, guides us in the way He created us to live, and so much more. When we base our lives on His Word, by His grace, we are unshakable.
I know from personal experience that when I build my life on anything but the Word of God, instability results. Feelings, circumstances, people, appearance, money, etc. all are fallible and changing. Jesus and His Word are Truth and steadfast.
Every area that is built on Jesus and His Word will stand secure.
Notice that there are two parts to Jesus' illustration - 1. Hearing, and 2. Doing. First, we must hear God's Word - by reading or listening to the Bible. Secondly, we must act in obedience to what we've heard.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22
Imagine you wanted to build something and you just read the instructions but never acted on what you read. We must read the Bible and receive God's grace to live in it.
So, if today I read, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding...", I have heard it. Now I must ask the Lord for help to apply it in my daily life - to put my faith in Him and His Word over my logic or feelings. The more this takes place by the Lord's power, the stronger the "house" of our lives will become.
Jesus invites us to hear and build our lives on His Word for His glory and our good!
I want this, don't you?
Let's answer Jesus' call to receive His grace to both hear and do His Word today - and build our lives upon what will last forever!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join the conversation! We'd love for you to leave a comment below and share:
What is one verse from the Bible that you are building your life on right now?
I checked the weather to see how serious it was. We were under a flash flood warning for a few hours. I was grateful as I reflected on how our house should be safe in a flash flood because of the position and construction.
As I sat there in the dark, an illustration Jesus gave came to mind:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
Our lives are like houses and we will all face storms. Where we are building is crucial.
Let's ask ourselves, "What are we building our lives on?"
Jesus tells us that if we build our lives on Him and - hearing and doing - His Word, we will stand secure. But, if we base our lives on other things, we will fall.
The Bible - the Word of God - is 100%, unchanging, and infallible Truth. This is where He shows us Who He Is, what is Truth, how we can know Him, gives us His promises, guides us in the way He created us to live, and so much more. When we base our lives on His Word, by His grace, we are unshakable.I know from personal experience that when I build my life on anything but the Word of God, instability results. Feelings, circumstances, people, appearance, money, etc. all are fallible and changing. Jesus and His Word are Truth and steadfast.
Every area that is built on Jesus and His Word will stand secure.
Notice that there are two parts to Jesus' illustration - 1. Hearing, and 2. Doing. First, we must hear God's Word - by reading or listening to the Bible. Secondly, we must act in obedience to what we've heard.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22Imagine you wanted to build something and you just read the instructions but never acted on what you read. We must read the Bible and receive God's grace to live in it.
So, if today I read, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding...", I have heard it. Now I must ask the Lord for help to apply it in my daily life - to put my faith in Him and His Word over my logic or feelings. The more this takes place by the Lord's power, the stronger the "house" of our lives will become.
Jesus invites us to hear and build our lives on His Word for His glory and our good!
I want this, don't you?
Let's answer Jesus' call to receive His grace to both hear and do His Word today - and build our lives upon what will last forever!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join the conversation! We'd love for you to leave a comment below and share:
What is one verse from the Bible that you are building your life on right now?
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