READING:
One-year plan: Genesis 21-23, Matthew 7:7-8:13
Two-year plan: Genesis 11-12, Matthew 5:1-16
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I’m dating myself here, but I can remember many, many years ago when I joined others in our church’s Sunday morning bus route singing together, “The wise man built his house upon the rock . . .” and “The foolish man built his hand upon the sand.” And, when the rains came down and the flood came up, the former’s house did stand, and the latter’s house did “splat.” As I recall, we also had hand motions that accompanied the signing.
Today, I thought about that little chorus when I read Matthew 7. Of course, the point is that those who build their lives on the Word of God are wise, but those who hear the words and ignore them are foolish indeed. Wisdom means that we hear the Word and act on it. What most grabs my attention, though, is the fact that Jesus used a storm (“the rains came down . . .”) to help his listeners evaluate the rock on which the builders built. That is, it was the rainy storm that revealed whether the foundation of each building was solid rock or shifting sand.
I doubt that’s changed much since then. It’s one thing to test your foundation when the sun’s up and all is well; it’s another matter, though, to test your foundation in a storm. Indeed, it is the storms of life—not the sunny days of ease—that most readily reveal whether our faith is deep.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Are you in a storm in your life? If so, who or what is your foundation?
PRAYER: “Lord, I want to build my home on the solid foundation. Help me.”
TOMORROW’S READINGS:
One-year plan: Genesis 24-25, Matthew 8:14-9:8
Two-year plan: Genesis 13-14, Matthew 5:17-30
