Praise the Lord for another day and another chance to move forward in the gospel. Use this day wisely because it could be your last on this side of eternity. I have shared this message in some shape or form in the past. There is an urge in the spirit to share it again today.
Today’s Prayer
Father, so we go to corporate gatherings on Sunday, does that make us Christians? No, but it may make us smug or comfortable. Oh Lord help us to see that You have called us to be “holy people,” set apart from others, seven days a week! What have we done during the week that only a Christian would have done? Right now, let us resolve to walk more humbly with You, obedient to Your will, and more sensitive to the needs of others. For if our actions do not reflect You, those that we meet may be turned away from You. In the matchless name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
Building a Solid Foundation
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. – Matthew 7:26
The bible is real clear when it describes the people of the times when Jesus did His ministry. There were two kinds of people in those days. Some heard the words that Jesus spoke and were awed by His wisdom and understanding, but did nothing about what they heard. Others heard His words and acted on them. Jesus said that those who heard the words but failed to put them into practice were foolish and related them to building a house on sand. How foolish, indeed, it would be to build a house on sand.
The people who followed what Jesus taught were people who would be sure to weather life’s storms, because they were starting with the right foundation.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:24-25).
You never know how well your house is built until it is tested by the extremes. Heavy rains reveal the quality of your roof. Wind and cold reveal how well your home is insulated. Heat and sun reveal the quality of your paint and siding. All these elements reveal whether a solid foundation has been laid to make your home a secure and lasting place to live. Many of us find that we have given only lip service to God’s commands. We are faced with the reality that our foundations are not strong enough to weather life’s storms.
How do we react when the trials come?
Do we fret and worry?
Do we take life into our hands?
Do we respond inappropriately when we don’t get what we want?
The Lord uses these times to help us recognize whether our foundations are sand or rock. We all need to get before the Lord and ask if we have built on His rock. If so, you can be comforted to know that you can weather any storm that may come your way.
Quote of the Day
We take a convert and immediately make a worker out of that person. God never meant it to be so. God meant that a convert should learn to be a worshiper, and after that he or she can learn to be a worker. The work done by a worshiper will have eternity in it. ~James O. Abrahamson~