“All who listen to My instructions and follow (obey) them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock. But those who hear My instructions and ignore them are foolish like a man who builds his house on sand. For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 TLB

Wise or Foolish?

When my little grandson was observing our church nativity, I pointed to the baby Jesus and asked, “Who is this?” He replied correctly, “Baby Jesus.” Mary and Joseph were also correctly identified, and then I pointed to one of the figurines of a wise man. “Who is this one?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. I told him it was a wise man. Assuming that I had indicated the identity of the other two, I pointed to another wise man and asked, “So, if this one is a wise man, who is this one?” He drew himself up tall and in all confidence he replied, “It’s the foolish man, who built his house upon the sand, and the rain came and it went splat!” Then with a grand gesture, one hand came clapping down upon the other.

I know a teacher who was wonderful with children. She loved them and wanted to teach them songs to help them follow Jesus always. When my grandson was just a little guy, he learned this song from her class. I will cut out the repetition, but you will still understand the message:

The wise man built his house upon the rock

     And the rains came tumbling down

      Oh, the rains came down

      And the floods came up

     And the house on the rock stood fast.

 The foolish man built his house upon the sand

     And the rains came tumbling down

     And the floods came up

     And the foolish man’s house went “splat!” [clap hands once]

So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ

     And the blessings will come down

    As your prayers go up

    So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Along with all the hand gestures, the message of Matthew 7:24-27 was clear: Jesus said to follow His instructions and obey what He told us to do. Have we forgotten? Perhaps it is time to get back into His Word and re-read the “instruction manual” love letter to us because we have a tendency to forget. His Word is alive and active. Even if we read the Bible through year after year, it is fresh and new every day.

“Thank You, Lord, for the everyday reminders during the storms and torrents that besiege me. You are my shelter, my refuge and hiding place. I will trust in You.”