“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. But everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house
in sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and
beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27
That passage
was the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. What exactly is He
talking about, though, you may be asking yourself? That’s a fair question
and one that should be answered. I’ve used this passage to explain how
one’s faith must be built on a solid foundation (rock) instead of wavering
faith build on sand that will crumble when times get tough. Another
illustration of that passage is the necessity of obeying the will of
God—basically what He has told us to do.
Have you ever
found yourself not doing what God has told you to do? Yeah, me too.
What is the ultimate result? Probably as if you built that decision on
sand, right? When we choose not to follow God’s ultimate plan for our
lives, often times things don’t work out too well. That’s not to say that
if we follow God’s plan, things will be smooth sailing. Bad things happen
to good people all the time. James 1:2-3 says this: "Consider
it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." By making a concerted effort to
follow the will of God, we are showing Him that we are obedient to His
will. Yes, times will get tough, but if we are able to give our burdens
to God and persevere through the challenges, He will bless us.
This passage
can also be used for discipleship. If you’ve read any of my posts over
the course of this week or navigated through my 7-week deliberate discipleship
series, you know that I am most passionate about discipling others. I
believe very strongly that our job as Christ followers is to make Christ
followers. Our job description is outlined in Matthew 28:18-20 (the Great
Commission) and our boss, God, is eagerly waiting for us to call upon Him for help.
In order to
effectively disciple others, you must have a solid foundation (built on a
rock). You don’t have to be a theologian—any Christ follower is very
capable of being a disciple. The biggest challenge with discipleship is
fear. Many people fear rejection, confrontation, or the inability to
answer questions. It is when you have that fear that this passage will be
revealed to you. Putting God’s Word into practice, daily, is an excellent
way to prepare you to face these fears. In fact, Scripture clearly states
that God will be with you when you have fear: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do
not be dismayed, for I am your God.” Isaiah 41:10a