Read: Matthew 7: 24-27

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 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.
26 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.
27 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.”

Reflect:

Today I walked through the new home being built for one of Patrina’s clients. I imagine that If you ask them what they like most about their new place, you may hear something about the floor plan or the kitchen or something else.

You probably wouldn’t hear about the foundation, but nothing is more important to enjoying the benefits of the home.

In His parable of the wise and foolish builder Jesus makes the same point on a much more important topic – What is the basis for our faith?

The wise man builds his house on the rock by not only hearing the words of Christ, but by doing them.  Jesus was and is looking for people who are totally committed to Him.

How many times do we treat the words of Christ as a good suggestion or an idealistic goal?  The result is a house planted firmly on the sand because we heard the same words but failed to be obedient.  We failed to surrender.

Respond:

When we face the storms of life, will we stand?

James summarized Jesus’ teaching with the challenge to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
James 1: 22-25