Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: Matthew 7:24 KJV
At some critical points in my life, I would have to decide how to respond to the Word of God that comes to me. There will be several opportunities to hear God, either by personal or corporate fellowship with God. I would have to search the scriptures for myself and see what God has for me. I would have to listen in during fellowship to hear what God has for me. He has promised that he will not leave me without guidance and direction. His Word is the compass for daily living, the light for daily decisions and the guard against a lifestyle of sin. I do not know of any other thing that can preserve a man, or keep him from evil, except the Word of God. That is why my reaction and response to the Word of God is the greatest decision I have to make. The consequences of that decision are eternal.
As always, it is a personal decision that nobody can take on your behalf. That is why today's extract starts with that offer: 'whosoever heareth'. It is an offer open to all; yet it is an offer that not all will take. That is the truth about life. In Jesus' day, there were some who felt that they knew his family quite well, and he could not be the Messiah, even though they saw the mighty works he did. It is still the same today: we see God's mighty hand, yet we do not believe. We think we have God figured out and there can be no surprises. We ascribe glory to created things, rather than the creator. We apply logic and common sense to the things of the Spirit, and then lose our minds when things don't make sense the way we want. We forget that it is not best for things to make sense, but for them to align with the purpose of God. Have I sought to reduce God to the level of my common sense? Have I sought to bring God down to my level, thinking I can fit him into a particular narrative or fit him into a mold? I must repent and place God in His rightful place. It does not matter who I am now, or what I had done before; it all comes down to this one decision: what would I do with the words of Jesus spoken to me?
And I note that it is not just enough to seek it out and hear a lot of it; the balance is in doing it. So many people hear; the function of the physical ear is to hear. However, as we know, even though the ear hears, it does not always listen to understand what is spoken. The bible refers to some people as forgetful hearers, which means they indeed heard, but it did not leave any impression and they soon forgot all they heard. What kind of hearer or listener am I? How I hear and listen go to show what kind of builder I am. All of us alive are building towards the future. Our decisions, responses and reactions to things today are the building blocks for the future. As I hear God's Word, how I take, process and react to it are all parts to the house I am building. As we all know, building a house takes time, effort and the right materials and skills. You don't start from the roof; you start from the foundation. If the foundation is right, a fitting structure can be placed on it. If the foundation is not right, it does not matter what kind of structure you want to place on it; it is an accident waiting to happen.
The wise don't have all the answers; they are wise only because they have made the right decision on the response to God's Word. The wise don't boast in what they know, but on whom they know and have submitted to. They are wise because they have made up their minds that Jesus and his Word will be the focus, even if he leads where they do not understand at first. If I will be wise, I have to walk the same path. If I will be wise, I have to set my heart on the Word of God, even if it wounds me. The Word of God is described as a double-edged sword, which can cut in any direction, even addressing both the speaker and the hearer. It is profitable for doctrine, reproof, instruction and training in righteousness. There is no life that the Word of God cannot change, and if the Word of God cannot change you, then nothing and no one else can.
I am building for eternity. Oh, I cannot be inactive. Doing nothing has consequences; building right has consequences; building the wrong way has consequences. It does not matter what you do or don't do; every action, inaction or decision has a consequence. If my present actions/inactions were to be presented to me as a house to live in, can I stay in it? Would I be able to? Work towards the end in view; build according to the pattern that God can bless; build in line with the Word of God. My eternity will be glad I did. His time of favour is here.
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