Articles
In Advance
Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with a BANG!—the complete collapse of a house that could have stood if only the builder had followed the instructions (Matthew 7:24-27). Although the storm was unavoidable, the destruction of this house was totally preventable. Had the foolish builder done what the wise builder did, there would have been two houses standing instead of one.
Here, to conclude the sermon, Jesus issues a promise and a warning. The promise is: If you hear My words and put them into practice, you will stand. Then comes the warning: If you only hear but don’t do, you will fall. It’s the doing that makes the difference.
“Why,” Jesus asks, “do you call Me, “Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NASB).
Today’s choices determine future outcomes. Each day we are building—on the rock or on the sand. The storms of life will reveal what kind of builders we are.
We all need to take a hard look at the blueprint Jesus has given us for the kind of spiritual house we will live in. This parable reminds us that obedience to Christ is the only sensible option for building a life.
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
-Reprinted and adapted from the daily devotional guide Power for Today
