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: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. Matthew 7:24 -25 KJV
Context and Charge:
Jesus was speaking to his disciples here, even though the crowd at the foot of the mountain could hear Him. As always, the message is for everyone, but the impact lies in the choices that I make on a daily basis. I could decide to remain a part of the crowd, content to just hear, or enjoy listening, but then do nothing about the words that I hear. Jesus continually speaks through His word, and all that He tells us to do must align with the Word He has graciously given us. What this means then is that I do myself a huge favour if I can spend time reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God. The Word of God holds the secret to the great things that God has in store IF I do not read, hear or listen to the Word, how would I know God's expectations for me? If I do not know what He expects, how do I please Him? The key is in the knowledge and practice of the Word of God.
I note that the verse above speaks about 'hearing and doing'. There is no OR; only AND. You cannot be selective in your hearing when it comes to what God says. Anyone can stay in church and hear; or pick up the paper or electronic version of the bible and spend time reading; these acts would not be enough on their own. You have to add a desire to DO. It is in doing that the fruits of my reading, hearing and studying are made manifest. Men are able to see my daily actions and decisions, and know that I have had an encounter with Jesus. Jesus calls the man who 'does' a wise man. He is laying up treasure for the future; planning for the unknown tomorrow. It is that unknown tomorrow that involves the rain, flood and winds. I note that these do not contain IF, but WHEN. I cannot pray my way out of the rain, floods or winds. They must come and test the strength of what I have spent time building.
Conviction and Conclusion:
The rain would eat at the foundations of your building; the floods do not happen overnight, but steadily build until they are strong enough to sweep your feet away. The winds can be pretty heavy, and can cause damage. These events are bound to come, but they have to meet preparation. I must be ready for them. The devil will not rest until his final defeat, and I must also not be careless and slack off, thinking I have arrived. The Word of God will ground me and make me unmovable by the rain, flood or wind. Events around the world show that the best plans are useless outside of God; the hearts of men are shaking at the crises and uncertainties around us, but for the one who has learnt to listen and can discern the voice of God, s/he has all that is required to rejoice, no matter what the physical circumstances are. Does this describe you and I at the moment? God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment