BUILDING ON THE ROCK

“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  (Matthew 27:24 ESV)

There are lots of competing ideas about what the good life entails. It might involve wealth, power, and sex, or, on the other hand, simplicity, family, and fidelity. The good life, from a Christian perspective, is one lived in harmony with God’s will. Jesus shows us which values lead us into keeping with God’s will, and which do not. If we trust in His teachings to guide our lives, we will learn that a life lived in keeping with God’s will is truly good. Jesus teaches this point using a parable about building a house on a rock or on sand (see Matthew 7:24-27).

Entrusting our lives to Jesus is like building upon a rock. Jesus’ teachings provide a sure foundation for our lives. He teaches us to deal compassionately with both friends and enemies. He teaches us to give of ourselves. He teaches us to be humble and, above all, to seek God in every aspect of our lives. Imagine a life well lived in this way. What a life of peace it would be! Imagine a world living in keeping with these teachings. What a different and wonderful world it would be! 

-- David Watson, in an article entitled “When Jesus Is Lord” from the book “A Firm Foundation” 

#5639

DOING WHAT JESUS SAYS

It is easier to be smart than to be good. You don’t need to know more from the Bible; you just need to do what you already know. We don’t become doers on our own, of course. As we read the Scripture, we ask the Spirit to help us understand what to do in response, and the intersection of what the Scriptures teach and how our lives unfold will give us a never-ceasing stream to actually do what Jesus says. And when we forget, another chance will come along.

I was picking up a prescription one Saturday afternoon before a church service, and because I was in a hurry, I had called the night before to make sure it would be there. But when I got there, the man behind the counter told me it wouldn’t be ready until the next week. Apparently there was a mix-up between the medical people, the insurance people, and the pharmaceutical people.

“But I’ve got to have it,” I replied. I was scheduled to leave the United States the next day. “Well, it’s not ready,” the clerk said. “But the automated system told me last night it would be ready today,” I retorted. “There is a flaw in the automated system then,” he told me.

All of a sudden I felt unbelievable anger well inside me. A flaw in the system? I wanted to say, There’s a flaw in you! I didn’t say that, because people from my church might have been around. (That is an occupational hazard of being a pastor.) But with every gesture and tone that I could, I expressed contempt and irritation with the man behind the counter. I didn’t simply feel anger, I wanted to feel it. I indulged it. I wanted to make him feel small. I was amazed at my own ugliness.

When I returned to the church, I opened a Bible in my office and read a single phrase -- “love one another” -- and had to call a friend to tell him there was an inner jerk inside me that’s scary.

Then, after I got back from my trip, I went to the pharmacy to tell the man behind the counter I was sorry for being so irritated and how much I appreciated his help. And I was back in the flow.  

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want To Be” 

#5630

OBEYING THE VOICE OF JESUS

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

Take all your present perplexities then to Jesus. Tell Him you only want to know and obey His voice, and ask Him to make it plain to you. Promise Him that you will obey, whatever it may be. Believe implicitly that He is guiding you, according to His Word. Surrender all the doubtful things until you have a clearer light. Look and listen for His dear voice continually, and the moment you are sure of it yield an immediate obedience. Trust Him to make you forget the impression if it is not His will, and if it continues, and is in harmony with [His Word], do not be afraid to obey. 

-- Hannah Whitall Smith in “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life” 

#5606

RECOGNIZING THE VOICE OF JESUS

Jesus said, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  (John 10:2-5 NIV)

Every day, we recognize voices. Famous people, everyday people, family, friends, and local people. People in our community. The voices of our pastors, leaders, and teachers. Each voice is unique in tone and character, inflection, and delivery. But there is one voice that has the power to command the attention of every earthly and heavenly soul. Jesus. He is the living Word of God. When we read the Bible, we are ingesting His voice. His unique tone and character, inflection, and delivery. His supernatural ability to inspire writers to pen His voice and meet us in our everyday lives through it. 

-- Meg Bucher  

#5605

CHOOSE YOUR SIDE

“But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things [Jesus] did and the children shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant.”  (Matthew 21:15 NIV)

After this episode, people could not ignore Jesus or be indifferent to Him. They had to take sides. Either Jesus was a subversive radical who must be restrained (death is an effective restraint), or He was someone to be listened to, believed, and followed.

Today, indifference is common because people are not listening to Jesus’ words. When Christians tell the real story, there is no middle ground. Either Jesus is God’s Son, the world’s Savior, or He is a befuddled, perhaps demented, imposter.

Today listen, believe, and follow -- while there’s time -- before Jesus comes to clean the area of false religion one last time. 

-- From the “Life Application Bible Commentary -- Mark”

#5555

THE POWER OF WORDS

It’s impossible to overestimate the power of words. They can injure or heal, poison or nourish, deceive or enlighten, cost lives or save them. It is no exaggeration to say that the course of history can be changed with a single sentence.

In 1987, President Ronald Regan met with Russian Premier Gorbachev in Berlin. Everybody knows that certain protocols come into play when heads of state get together. Above all, you’re supposed to act like friends, smile for the cameras, and not say anything in public that might embarrass your counterpart. But Ronald Reagan threw such conventional thinking right out the window and dared speak six words that historians agree altered the world forever: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down the wall.”

When I think about that incident, I’m reminded that James compared the tongue to a small bit that can turn a powerful horse, or a tiny rudder that can alter the direction of an enormous ship (James 3:3-4). 

--  Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

#5421

A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE

Jesus said, “As for everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”  (Luke 6:47-49 NIV)

No words ever written or spoken can compare with those of our Lord… Perhaps you’ve lost sight of this.

If you’ve been running low on faith, maybe it’s because you’ve been listening to the wrong people. With talk radio and television blaring 24/7, with a record number of magazines in prints, with thousands of publishers spitting out scores of books a year,… we live under a Niagara-like torrent of verbiage. But how many of those words are truly worthy of your time and attentions? How many are going to impact your life in any meaningful way? Not that many, I’m afraid.         

But one thing is sure: our Lord’s words are packed with power and, given the chance, will make a dramatic difference in your life.  

-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

#5213