ON THE ROCK!

Today's Passage: Matthew 7: 24-27

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 it's foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain blew down, the streams rose, and the winds beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Notes:

If we read the words of God like it were a novel, with no real meaning, we will just move on with our daily lives as though we never read it.

The bible is here to teach and guide us, not to entertain us. It should not only be studied as though we will be taking a test that we can not afford to fail, but also lived as though it is an instruction manual for life itself. Imagine building a car, piece by piece, without an instruction manual. What happens when you get behind the wheel? If you have a basic knowledge of building cars, if you're lucky it may last you a few weeks, maybe even a few months, but eventually, it'll crash or die.

How this passage can be applied to my life:

Many times I have been like the foolish builder, building on my own hopes and dreams, living off of my own motives, doing what I wanted when I wanted, because I knew what was best for me.

I became a Christian when I was 16, but until this year, church was the only place I ever opened my bible. I only went to church for about a year, got too busy with work, school, and the rest of life, so I stopped going. I started living for myself again, until a couple years later when I started going to church again. This cycle repeated itself in my life for nearly 10 years. Every time, except for the last time, when I started going back to church, it was because of that great crashing wave. Every thing would be going great in my life, until all of a sudden there was a storm so huge that it tore it all apart, leaving me face down in the sand, knowing that the only one that could help me back up was God himself. God has worked many miracles in my life, and many times I have turned my back on him as soon as my life was looking up again, like I was telling him, "Thanks for the help but I got it from here."

Not this time! Never again! I'll keep my foundation right here on the Rock where I belong!

Memory verse from today's reading:

Matthew 7:24
Therefore everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Something to think about:

Would you rather be standing on the rock, or sinking in the sand?