Verse of the Day 3/17

Verse of the Day 3/17

Luke 6:46-47 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:    English Standard Version (ESV)

Over the past coupled of years, as I've read through the gospels I've tried to pay closer attention to the questions that Jesus asked.  When He taught, He asked questions, it didn't matter who the audience was, whether it be disciples, someone in need of healing, someone caught in sin, or the Pharisees who were always trying to trap Him.  Today's question, as many others, were for the people that were there in His presence but also for us today.  They are for professed followers and the question cuts to the evidence, the testimony of those who profess to be His followers.  If He is Lord, why aren't we doing what He asks us to do?

The passage goes under the heading "Build Your House on the Rock".  The things that He tells us to do are the building blocks of faith.  Faith isn't just doing, but those who live by faith will be doing what He tells us to do.  As we "do" we build a foundation, built on faith, that will withstand the floods, the trials of life.

Jesus isn't looking for "lip service"; he wants actions.  I like the way Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message paraphrase, "These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on."   Is God's Word an improvement to our lives or is it foundational?  Our actions will tell.

Read the passage below. May we be like the "smart carpenter" and work the words into our life as our firm foundation.

-- 

In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Luke 6:46-49 The Message (MSG)

^46-47 "Why are you so polite with me, always saying 'Yes, sir,' and 'That's right, sir,' but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.

^48-49 "If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss."