Week 1, Day 4
Today’s Reading: Luke 7-8
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Most of us have sung the song about the wise man building his house on the rock, and the foolish man building his house on the sand. I know it was a regular song when we were in small classes, and I’m pretty sure that the teachers are still teaching it to the young children now. This comes from the story that Jesus tells at the end of Luke chapter 6 (and parallel passages). But, we need to look at the passage and see what it is that Jesus was teaching with this story!
First, notice that Jesus starts the final section of the chapter by asking the question: “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things that I say?” How many people today are guilty of the same thing? How often might we be guilty of the same thing? We cannot call Jesus our Lord, and then ignore the instructions that He gives! The story that followed this question was to emphasize the point that the wise man will do just as Jesus instructs.
Jesus said that the one who would come to Him, and listen to what He said (thus, putting it into practice) would be like the wise man. The man who was willing to listen would dig down through the soft soil until he found the rock. He would build the foundation for his house on that rock, so that it would be solid. No matter what might come, the house would stand. There would be no storm, nor flood that could knock down the house that was built on solid rock. However, the man who hears what is said by Jesus, but refuses to act in accordance with His instructions is like a man who would build his house on the earth, without any foundation. Of course, when the storms came, the house was completely destroyed.
The question to us is: where will we build our house? The only way to answer that question is to look at our own reaction to the instructions of Christ. Are we willing to listen to what He tells us, and put it into practice in our lives? Or do we (like so many around us) think that we can act in any way that we choose? If we hear the word of Christ, and then ignore it for our own desires, we are building our house on very unsteady ground. We can be sure that it will fall at the first sign of trial, or tribulation. However, if we are dedicated to applying the instructions of Christ to our lives, we will be building on the solid foundation. If our foundation is on Christ, then we will be able to withstand the trials and tribulations that come our way.
Here is a passage for further consideration:
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
–1 Corinthians 3:9-16
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