"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24
When excavations were begun for the historic Arcade Building in downtown St. Louis in 1917, a bed of quicksand was discovered, and no solid foundation could be built on it. The problem was solved when caissons were driven 50 feet below the subbasement.
Jesus was not a building contractor in a physical sense. He built human life and character, based on faith in His Word and redeeming work. In a parable He calls attention to the folly of a man who built his house on sand. He declares: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:27). The man who built his house on a rock had a foundation that could withstand the elements.
The sayings of Jesus are like this rock. What our Lord said and taught was the eternal truth. What He said about mankind lost in sin was true. What He said about the love of God was true: He so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile it by the shedding of His blood.
What He said about living a life of wisdom and righteousness was true and is true to this day. The wood, hay, and stubble of human opinion cannot serve as a foundation for life. Only the Word of God is the abiding bedrock on which to build.
Christian education is based on the truths of the Law and the Gospel. It is begun in the home, continued in Christian schools, and applied in the day-to-day encounters of our world.
All persons – parents, children, teachers, business people – says Saint Paul, should be careful how they build. “For,” he says, “no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Quicksand, as building contractors know, cannot support a building, but solid rock can. In our spiritual lives Jesus Christ is that rock.
PRAYER: O Holy Spirit, guide me as I live my life according to the truth of Jesus’ words. Amen.
(Devotions from "With Jesus Every Day" copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Judges 7-8 Luke 13:23-35
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