Posted 9/13/05
Read
Matt. 7:24-27
24[Jesus was saying] “…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. 25The 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. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
With
Hurricane Katrina fresh in our memories, we might conclude that it didn't
matter WHERE our house was built - it would have gone down - but even in
Katrina, it did matter. The portion of New Orleans that was least damaged and
was not flooded at all was the portion built on higher ground.
When
Jesus speaks here of a rock, he doesn't mean a flat stone foundation -- He
intends us to picture a very large rock - a high place. When rain comes, it
can't flood. When the storm surge comes, the rock cannot be washed away like
sand can -- right now, Ophelia's lingering in the Atlantic is causing millions
of dollars of reclaimed beach sand to be eroded away again.
Whether
the house built on the rock will stand up to WIND or not depends on how
sturdily the house is constructed. A passing acquaintance with Jesus will not
create a house strong enough to stand up to much wind. That's why Jesus says in
John 6 that unless we chew (the Greek verb here is stronger than
"eat") His flesh (be continually meditating on His Word, sharing in
the Lord's Supper, hearing good teaching), we cannot enter into (or remain in)
the Kingdom of God.
In
God's Kingdom, ALL houses are sturdily constructed and built on the high place
of the Rock of Ages. When our life is hidden with God in the anointing (when it
is not I who live, but He who lives in me - Gal. 2:20), nothing can cause us to
crash or be demolished.
Posted 9/4/05
Read
Psalm 112:6-8
Surely a righteous man will never be shaken; he will have no fear of bad news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure; he will have no fear.
Bad
news does come sometimes, but the person who knows he is covered by Jesus’
blood − knows he is the “righteousness of God in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:21)
because Jesus became sin for him − does not fear. He believes that “God
works everything together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to His purpose for them. (Rom. 8:28)
Be ready to attack bad news with God’s report. Trust Him and be at peace. He will show you the way.