Verse of the Day 9/11
Matthew 7:24-25 "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. New Living Translation (NLT)
Yesterday we considered how we are to cast our cares upon God, to turn on the spiritual windshield wipers and windshield solvent. I did not focus on the first part of the verses, which are foundational - humble yourself. It is an act of submitting to God admitting that you can't handle or manage everything on your own and that you are seeking His guidance and leadership. The person who does this is building the firm foundation that today's verses speak of.
Reading today's passage we should notice something that is easy to miss. Some have felt that when they became Christians that nothing bad would happen to them, that now they should be able to lead a "storm free" life. James MacDonald points out that "storms came to both lives. the wind beat on both building sites. The man who was wise and carefully chose a stable foundation got hit wit the same hurricane force winds as the man who foolishly took shortcuts and didn't bother to plan ahead."
Many of the things that bring about the anxieties mentioned yesterday indiscriminately come upon anyone, believer and nonbeliever alike. They hit us with the same force. The difference is in our foundation, which for us is the Word and character of the God whom we serve, whom we worship.
What foundation do you have - bedrock or shifting sand? Our faith is not built on "incidental addtions" to our life (The Message), God and His word are bedrock.
Matthew 7:24-25The Message (MSG)
24-25 "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
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