Saturday, April 10, 2010

BUILDING OUR LIVES ON THE ROCK

MATTHEW 7:24-27 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.


In Jesus’ illustration of these houses, each house might “look” the same from the outside. Just like our lives might look the same compared to many other Christians around us. But like a house, where the real foundation is hidden, our inner hearts and lives can only be seen by Him. And when those storms of life come, how we stand, will show just how secure our foundations are.  Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, both now (in trials) and in the ultimate judgment before God. It is much better that we test our foundations now than at our judgment before God. Merely hearing God’s Word isn’t enough to provide a secure foundation. It is necessary that we are also doers of His Word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out…the sin of doing nothing, and great will be our fall. (Numbers 32:23)

Nothing in this life is permanent or can be counted on not to crumble and fall apart. If we spend our lives seeking the worlds treasures and pleasures, and not after things of God, we will find ourselves empty spiritually when we need it most; or certainly as we stand before God someday. And likewise of course, if we center our lives firmly on Him, He will be there for us when we truly need Him to be....and when we ultimately stand before Him, we can say we put our trust and faith in Jesus, which is the only thing that will save us...

I heard it taught somewhere once, can't remember where now, and I guess it doesn't matter, that if we go through our lives NEVER (or seldom anyway) addressing or feeding our spiritual selves, but instead have our minds firmly centered on this world and what it has to offer and gain, that we can't expect to draw any comfort or strength from something that doesn't exist when we most need it. Kind of like a bank account...there is no savings if you have never made the deposit. But if we go through our lives not neglecting our spiritual needs and feed our spirits on the Word everyday and build a real relationship with the living God, then He is right there when we need Him, and we can draw strength and comfort from a wealth of scripture that He has given us....again, like a bank account....our "savings" is HUGE...

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26 comments:

  1. Hi Debbie,
    Great post! Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a wonderful Sunday.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  2. Deb, this is a wonderful post! I don't know what I would do without Jesus as my Rock. The storms of life would overtake me, if not for Him.

    Love you,
    Debbie

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  3. Amen Debbie! He is our Rock! When we look to HIM we will never be left empty or lost!

    Bless you my friend...Have a beautiful weekend

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  4. Great post, Debbie. Jesus is the solid rock - never leaving or forsaking us.

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  5. This is a truth I sometimes forget to nurture in my own life. I forget to "bank" God's word so I have something to draw upon when I need it. Thanks for this post.

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  6. Well said, Debbie. Thank you for sharing these important thoughts with us today.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  7. So true Debbie...He is our rock! I posted on this today too. We can always depend on Him through all trials in our lives...God bless.

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  8. Well said, Debbie! Have a great week.

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  9. I have always loved the story about the 2 houses. The storm came to both houses, but acting on the Word causes us to still be around long after the storm has passed!
    Great post!

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  10. It is sad to see some co-workers working even harder, getting more pay, buying a lot of investments. But the truth is...nothing here lasts...I thank God for the rich spiritual blessings we have in Christ. That nothing can destroy. Have a great weekend sister Debbie. God bless you and your family.

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  11. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post! Have a lovely Sunday.

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  12. Excellent post. I totally agree with you. We need to be doers of God's Word and hide His Word in our hearts.

    In Christ alone,
    Urailak

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  13. There is no place to build but upon HIM!!!!!

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  14. Debbie, I love your example of the bank account...so very true! Thank you for the reminder today!

    Blessings,
    Elaine

    BTW.....your blog is so lovely! :)

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  15. This is an awesome post! Some of our close friend are more about the earthly things rather that spiritual things. They have such a empty life. It seems to me that they are alway trying to feed a void in their lives. We try to influence them but it's not a easy task.
    God Bless,
    Ginger
    p.s. I agree that your blog is lovely.

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  16. Debbie, this sounds like some of the sermons I have heard and preached. I mean this as a compliment! You are talking about things that apply to our everyday lives. This is"down where the rubber meets the road" kind of "stuff." Thank you for a message we all need.

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  17. Debbie, Thank you so much for sharing this! Have a great week!

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  18. This is a great post.thank you for sharing this...I've learned if I don't stay close to HIm...I can't function well...

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  19. I never looked at the wise man and foolish man's houses this way...with application to our foundation - that part that no one but God truly sees. I really like that - and I'm sure it will come to mind every time my crusaders and I sing it during class time:)

    I know what a blessing it is to have some deposits stored up...and being able to draw (and draw deeply) from that account!! I cannot even imagine trying to go through life with "empty accounts"!!

    Thanks for the image. I hope that your Sunday was a blessed day. Today was busy than normal for me...but still a great day. Looking forward to what's in store for the week ahead:)

    Have a great one, friend. Jennifer

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  20. Praise God that our account with Him is never depleted, unlike our earthly ones.

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  21. Nice... love the savings account analogy...

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  22. Was just over at Jennifer's blog - learning about organizing our posts and little headings and I saw your comment...thought I'd stop by and there you already have two headings!! You go girl:)

    I told Jennifer blogging is definitely the closest I have ever come to journaling...and what a blessing blogging has been! I never expected it. I am certainly glad to have "met" you, my friend...and know that your blog is a blessing - and I look forward to checking in each morning.

    Hope your Monday is going well!! I wanna go read your "about me"!!:) Hugs - Jennifer

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  23. Great observation. These times have everyone shaking. Good to remember our true foundation is in Christ.

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  24. I think this was a very powerful post and so true. Do you lead a Bible study group? Because I think that you should if you don't already. Great post Debbie, really.

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!