{Matthew 7:24-27; ESV}
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. ”
Our lives are the product of the choices that we make. There are big choices which will affect the rest of our lives, and there are the small everyday choices that seem to have very little effect on our lives. Since choices are such a big part of our lives it is essential that we have the proper foundation for making good choices.
Jesus gives us a vivid word picture in this parable about the need for a solid foundation. Without a solid foundation our lives will eventually come crashing down. That foundation is the teaching of Jesus. What Jesus taught, much of which has roots that go back into the Old Testament and branches out into the New Testament, provides us with the knowledge we need to live wisely. The wise person is the one who not only recognizes the truth in what Jesus taught, but realizes the importance of living the truth in their lives.
If we are going to follow Jesus and live wisely then we need to know how take Jesus’ teaching and make it a part of our lives. To implement Jesus’ teaching into our lives requires three actions.
- We must commit to listen to Jesus. Listening implies an active intent on part of the listener. You see a hearer is passive. If we have healthy functioning ears then we hear the various sounds of life. Listening, on the other hand, requires us to focus, tuning out the other sounds, in order to hear what is important. The means we need to be intentional about hearing God when we come to study the Bible, whether that is in a group or in private. Two very important things we can do to help us listen to Jesus is to pray and invite the Holy Spirit to guide our time of study. We also need to remove distractions. This could mean removing the physical distractions of life, like turning off the TV, or it could be removing our emotional and spiritual distractions by laying them at the feet of Jesus.
- We must commit to trust Jesus. We can listen to what Jesus has to say, but if we don’t believe what He has to say then we will not apply the truth to our lives. Trusting in Jesus is what separates the foolish from the wise. The foolish will listen to Jesus, but because they do not believe who He is or what He has to say, they will not allow His words to affect their lives. The wise believe Jesus is the Son of God and therefore trust and obey what Jesus said. So how can we trust Jesus? I think it starts with the resurrection. Since Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead means that He is God’s Son, that he is our Savior, and that we can trust him with our lives.
- We must commit to obey Jesus. This action flows out of our trust in Jesus. You have to first trust before you will obey. All obedience is is putting legs on our trust. The action of obedience shouts to the world that we trust Jesus. Obedience isn’t easy. It isn’t easy because because we will get a conflicting message from the world on the best way to live. This means to obey Jesus we will have fight against the current of culture. Obedience isn’t easy because we have developed habits and rituals on how we live life, and so we have change the way we live. This is why we need to commit to obedience, because it will not come easily.
Every single day we are faced with choices, and often we are not going to have the time to consider all the options. That is why a foundational worldview is so important, because it will provide us with a structure to make the right choice no matter what the circumstance might be.
The foundational worldview needs to be constructed out of the teachings of Jesus. For this foundation to do any good we need to commit to listen to Jesus, to trust Jesus, and obey Jesus. Without this solid foundation we will be at the mercy of the changing winds of this world, and eventually our lives will come crumbling down. With this solid foundation we will be able to stand against whatever storm comes our way.
Questions to Consider:
- Are you taking time to study God’s Word?
- Why are the teachings of Jesus the foundation we need for wise living?
- How can you make sure you are building your life of the solid foundation of God’s Word?