The Wise and Foolish Builders

I always love to read the words of Jesus as He taught people. He sometimes spoke plainly and sometimes in parables. He taught with such wisdom and authority that it demanded that the listeners pay attention. At the end of the parable in Matthew 7:24-27 the people were amazed at the teachings of Jesus because of the authority He spoke with.

In this parable there are two men who built houses. One built a house on rock so that when the storms came the house didn’t fall, but the other man built a house on sand, and when the storms came that house fell, and with a great crash, Jesus adds.

The parable was a symbol of two people who both heard the words of Jesus. One put what he heard into practice, but the other didn’t. The similarity between these people is that they both had to experience the storms that came.

I believe that this message is as much for believers as it is for unbelievers. We live in a time where there’s a great exposure of the Word of God from the media, the churches and thousands of outreaches. I would say the world is full of hearers of God's Word, but only few people are committed and willing to do as the Word of God says, either because of ignorance or unbelief.

The painful truth is that we’re always exposed to the storms of life that are all over the world, inflation, wars and conflict, global warming, insecurity, drugs, terrorism to name but a few.

How do you deal with all this as an individual? I believe that the answer is in God’s Word, reading or hearing it and doing as it says. Then when the storm comes, your foundations are strong and nothing can shake them.

There are questions in our time that we can ask about issues we face, that Jesus answered in His teachings. He taught about money and material things, divorce, hostility, forgiveness, lust, insecurity, and persecution, amongst many other things. Jesus has all the answers about what’s affecting us in this day and age. The answers for us are contained within His teachings if we will hear what He’s saying and then go and do what He says.

Prayer: Father God, I thank You for Your word and the opportunities You have given me to hear or read Your word. Forgive me for my ignorance and unbelief. Lord, lead me deeper into understanding Your word and give me the strength and grace to put Your Word into practice. Amen.