“Anyone who hears and obeys
these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid
rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded,
and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on
solid rock. Anyone who hears my
teachings and doesn’t obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on
sand. The rain poured down, the rivers
flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with
a crash.” Matthew
7:24-27
Let me put these verses in a modern day context. There are many areas of this country that
experience very violent storms. I happen
to live about 6 miles from one of the areas that was largely destroyed by
Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. It
was a hurricane for the ages, one the likes we may never see again in our
lifetime. Media outlets referred to it
as Superstorm Sandy. Houses were
leveled, lives were lost and even the famous roller coaster on one of the two
amusement piers at Seaside Park fell into the raging ocean. A new law now requires folks rebuilding in
those devastated areas to have their houses lifted between 4 and 8 feet off the
ground in the event something of this nature were ever to take place
again.
Now
suppose it wasn’t a law but a strong recommendation to lift your home and a
large number of those affected by the storm opted not to lift their house up at
all. They would be the folks who hear
Christ’s teachings and decided not to pay them any mind.
Those
who lifted their homes would stand a much greater chance withstanding the
extreme high tides and ocean surge that results from such a violent storm. They represent those who have heard Christ’s
teachings and abided by them. They shall
have a solid spiritual foundation that can withstand any and all tests that
would come against them. Those who do
not heed the words of Jesus have only human resources to draw from and those
dry up much quicker than you might think.
When they reach the end of their
rope, so to speak, they have nowhere else to turn.
Read
the teachings of Christ and put them into practice. Don’t let your faith in God be nothing more
than lip service. Live what you believe.
Until Christ returns, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Translation:
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
