Listen to Audio Devotion

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. – Matt. 7:24-27

We all have seen that whenever they start the construction of a building, they first dig to a certain level of depth and create a strong foundation. Upon the strong foundation, the house is built. Based on how good the foundation is, and also based on the area, the builder constructs multiple floors. One can only wonder how strong foundation towers like Burj Khalifa would have for them to be standing erect. Except for a few cases, like a small house in a city, shed-type settlements in the slums, or shacks set up in coastal areas like Goa, it’s become common sense to have a foundation while building your house. The foundation cannot be seen, and it’s not so fancy looking, but a house wouldn’t stand without a firm foundation.

In today’s passage, Jesus is speaking of something similar but in a metaphor, referring to our spiritual life. Jesus says that the one who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who has built his house on a strong foundation. There may be heavy rain, an area may get flooded, an earthquake might strike, years may pass and the materials with which the house was built may become weak; but the house will stand because it had a strong foundation. Similarly, hearing the words and walking away is like taking the ideal blueprint for the building and doing your own thing. We’re just deceiving ourselves if we only know what needs to be done and don’t do it (Jas.1:22). To build a firm foundation in our spiritual lives, we need to be doers, putting what we have heard to practice. This way though we may be tested in so many different ways we’ll be able to stand strong at the end of the test. Our flesh might be weak at times and the cunning enemy may be lingering around troubling you with various temptations, but when you’re a wise person, as Jesus says, putting His words to practice, the enemy will be like a hairdryer trying to blow away a deep-rooted tree like you. It’s just not possible.

Let’s make it even more practical. As we prepare our hearts to hear God’s word from the pulpit tomorrow, let’s make a decision to take down notes of what is being preached and meditate on it briefly every day of the week. We don’t want to be Christians who only listen to the word with legs crossed and chins held high. We want to be actively listening, bowing our heads, and looking into the bible, as we make sense of the precious word of God. I’m sure tomorrow is going to be a fresh start on building yourself a strong foundation and also tweaking and tinkering with the parts that are weak. I’m excited, and I hope you are too.

Let’s Pray

Father, we want to be doers of the words of Jesus and not just hearers. Help us to live out our faith. We ask for your wisdom to do so. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.