“Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:24-27
Not far from Oregon is an island that hides a secret – of a town that fell into the sea.
The island is all that remains of a peninsula that looked like prime real estate in the early part of the twentieth century. Developers laid out the streets for a town and named it Bayocean. Families built homes. A three-story hotel went up on the top of a bluff 140 feet above the ocean. Picnickers from Portland crowded the beaches.
But the town was built on sand, and winter storms started taking their toll. One house at a time, Bayocean tumbled into the waves. By 1952, the town – including the hotel, the bluff, and most of the peninsula – had washed away.
Stories like this one leave us with a hollow feeling, don’t they? All that effort for nothing. All those hopes vanishing without a trace. In today’s text, Jesus teaches about the importance of building our life on what will last – through this life and for eternity. After all, before the result of our life can ever be evaluated by Jesus in heaven, it must survive the trials and temptations of this world.
But how do you build a “house” that will survive? Jesus put it in very direct terms. The person whose house rests on rock is “whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them.” (V.24).
Obedience – doing the truth – may be the most important rule for building a storm-proof life. “The evidence of knowing God is obeying God.” writes one commentator. How easy it is for us to listen to Jesus’ words, fit them into our beliefs, nod our heads in agreement… and take no action. Yet, this response – so recognizable and common – is as dangerous as staking our future on a hill of sand. James wrote, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
Jesus pointed out the importance of doing, not just knowing, the truth in a similar story in Luke’s Gospel. In this instance, Jesus used the image of building on a foundation:
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say…..? But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Amazing, isn’t it? God’s blueprint for a life that endures is simple enough for anyone to understand: Listen to the truth and do it.
Today, I invite you to do a building inspection of your life. Ask yourself, What did Jesus tell His followers to do? What comes to mind? I’ll get you started:
Love God and love your neighbour as yourself…..
Give …….
Forgive……
Resist temptation……
Turn the other cheek……
Deny yourself…..
Go and preach the gospel…..
Place a check mark by the things you have actively been doing the past few weeks. Have you been deceiving yourself, as James warned? Remember, you and I will not be rewarded in Heaven for what we heard and believed, only for what we did for God.
How wonderful that you and I don’t have to guess what it will take to please God with the building of our life! Today we have the teachings of Jesus, and of the whole Bible, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And today we have many more opportunities to obey – and impact eternity.
Within sight of the deserted sands of Bayocean stands a small lighthouse. It’s been there through fog, sleet, wind, and darkness for a hundred years, shining a beacon out to sea. Why has the lighthouse endured when the town didn’t? Because the lighthouse was built two hundred feet above the waves….. and its foundation rests on solid rock!
Make that a picture of what you want your life to be for God. If you are ready to listen and do, you can build your life with confidence, certain that when trials and storms come your way, your house will stand and your service to God will shine for all eternity.
“Lord, please reveal to me today what I have been hearing You say again and again in my life, but have willfully chosen not to do”.
No other foundation can anyone lay than that
which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11
Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he has been approved,
he will receive the crown of life which the Lord
has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:12
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm
Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Humbly
With my hand in His
Your servant and His
Wenessa
Cornerstone Discipleship Outreach Ministries
