Dear Church of the Open Bible,
Last week, I spoke at Pine Ridge Bible Camp in northern Saskatchewan. The theme of the week for the twenty-eight teenagers from the surrounding reserves came from Matthew 7:24-27. It’s the story of the wise and foolish builders. And it’s a powerful ending to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. After reading it, let’s make a couple of observations.
“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.” - Matt 7:24-27
The first observation we can make is that everyone is building. Everyone is a builder. Each of us are building our lives, right now, even as you read this. Secondly, everyone is building their lives on something, on some foundation. Thirdly, is the foundation you’re building your life on solid? Will it last? The solid foundation Jesus describes is obedience to His word. It is not merely hearing what He says but doing what He says. This is a warning for us who read Scripture during the week or hear it explained Sunday morning, but do not put it into practice. Another observation is that storms will come. The promise is not that an obedient life will avoid storms but that it will withstand them. It will remain standing. May we build on the only solid foundation, relying on God through His Word.