Read Matthew 7:24-29
Jesus said, “Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock.” —Matthew 7:24 (CEB)
Where I live, we have had a very wet summer with some violent thunderstorms. The rain has been relentless, trees have been uprooted, and rivers are swollen and overflowing. During one storm water gushed under the back door of our home. This made me think of Jesus’ story about the two men who each built a house: one on the sand and one on the rock.
No doubt the sky was clear and bright when the first man built his house on the sand. He wasn’t contemplating any storms. The other man considered that storms must inevitably come to all of us, so he built his house on the rock. When the first storm came, the house on the sand collapsed, while the one on the rock withstood the weather.
If we keep spiritually strong by reading the Bible, praying, engaging in spiritual practices, and worshiping with fellow believers in Christ, we can recover from adverse circumstances more easily. When our lives are grounded and firmly set on the Rock and his teachings, we can weather the storms that come our way.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us faithfully to build our lives on you and what you are teaching us. Help us to be bold in our witness and to stand strong with you. Amen.
Thought for the day:
When the storms of life are raging, Jesus stands with me.
Valerie Clark (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)
