Matthew 7:24-29-Building on a Solid Foundation

Jesus says, “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 on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

These few verses are PACKED with so much wisdom given to us by Christ. It shows the importance of putting the Word into practice. Christ is way more concerned about our walk and how we are representing Him, than our talk. The saying, “actions speak louder than words” certainly applies here. Also, as a dear friend pointed out, this passage talks about how a house would stand up against a storm. This analogy shows that we should expect life’s storms to come along and also prepares us to withstand them. These two men have several things in common, except how they responded to Jesus. 

God blesses me constantly through the people that He has placed in my life!  This goes for any day of the week. Whether I am at work during the week, studying the Word with my Bible study girls on a Tuesday night, or at First Baptist on a Sunday morning, God continually blesses me through others. That’s why I believe it is so important to fellowship with other believers. Hebrews 10:23-25 encourages us to persevere in our faith, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Praise God for the encouraging people He has put in my life! 

Love,

Rebekah 

Do you ever feel like your life has nothing to do with you? That everything you do is about/for/benefiting someone else?

The reality is that it isn’t about us! The first few words in the well known book, The Purpose Driven Life, are “it’s not about you.” This is a sobering thought to the naturally selfish human nature. We feel like we have the “right” to think of ourselves first. This is hard to overcome, but not impossible. 

Through learning about Christ and His character, our minds and lives begin to transform to look more like His. I have discovered that the more I serve and do for others (whether I want to or not), my heart is being transformed to desire to do those things. 

Even after losing John the Baptist, a family member and dear friend, Christ immediately served thousands of people. The account in Matthew says that “he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (14:14) 

The next time you think that you are losing sight of “your” life and not having “you” time, be encouraged by the eternal perspective of things. 

We need to make sure that it is John 3:30 we are concerned and not just more of me or more of someone else, but bringing glory to God. 

“He must become greater, I must become less.” John 3:30

side note…I usually write what the Lord convicts me of…I have in no way mastered the above. 

Just a few moments ago I was sitting with a dear friend enjoying our favorite addiction, Rita’s ice. We were talking about God and how we tend to grow the most during times of doubt. It is these times that force us to dig further into the Word of God and learn more about His character and attributes.

My friend once struggled with how huge God is…knowing that He created the world, could “crush it with His hand if He so chose” were her words. I think I am paddling alongside of her confusion on God’s size in the boat of not giving Him enough credit. I have strong conviction of God’s power, His creativity and His love, but I am not letting this transform my life and change the workings of my pea-sized brain.

God demonstrates this power and creativity through creation and through His people. His purposes are going to be fulfilled with or without me, but how humbling is it that He would even consider using ME! I was reminded by the prophet Isaiah how God accomplishes His purposes, “my word goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaish 55:11)

Try and grasp how huge God is, give Him credit for His power, creativity and love, and let it transform your life! 

My thinking is that buying a laptop that will fit in my purse will leave me no excuse but to rid myself of the wisdom that I have written on old receipts, numbers on envelopes, to do lists written in various planners and even notes on church bulletins. My mission is clear-I must organize my life, starting with getting my thoughts in order.

So far all that has happened is that I now have a tiny laptop in my purse…still working on the rest.