24 “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 7:24 ESV
DEVOTION:
At Faith Lutheran we are ROOTED in CHRIST. But what does it mean to be “ROOTED?”
The root system of a plant or tree gives it stability. If the roots sink down into good soil, the plant is apt to thrive, but in rock soil, there’s little for the plant to actually hold on to. This image, taken from the four soils in Mark 4, is similar to the analogy Jesus gives us in Matthew 7, where He says, the one “who hear these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock.”
According to Jesus, hearing the Word of God and doing what it says provides a firm, stable foundation for your house (i.e. ‘your LIFE). But ignoring God’s Word is like building your house on the sand. The sand is not a firm foundation. The sand shifts easily with wind and rain. A house built on the sand is likely to fall; and a life built without the foundation of God’s Word is likely to fall apart. So says Jesus.
Yet despite the Word of our Lord and His encouragement to gladly hear, learn and live by His Word, still we are regularly tempted to do otherwise. The world, you see, is filled with siren songs which draw us away from God and the life He freely gives us. Money, power, success, popularity, selfish indulgence, and many more temptations constantly assail us. And we are told to go ahead and embrace these things and build our lives upon them. Go ahead and spend yourself, your precious hours, on mindless entertainment. Go ahead, give yourself to the pursuit of the next shiny bauble the world is trying to sell you. Go ahead and do whatever makes you happy.
The problem, of course, is that nothing the world offers is ever enough. Nothing the world offers ever satisfies. Instead, we keep building, building, building. But we are building on sand. We are building on something that has no stability or substance. And eventually this will be exposed. In Jesus’ analogy of the houses built on rock and sand, the same harsh reality afflicts both houses. The rains and winds and floods come. Because life is like that. Hard times are not far off. They are coming, and when they come, only the firm foundation of Jesus enables us to endure.
Why? Because Jesus has defeated all our enemies. He alone has won the battle with our sin on the cross, forgiving us. And He alone has defeated death and the devil by His resurrection. Jesus is the Rock and only when we build our lives on Him and His Word and promise, will we be secure.
-Pastor Shaun
CATECHISM MEMORY:
The Third Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
READINGS for THIS WEEK:
Mon: Matthew 5 Tue: Matthew 6 Wed: Matthew 7 Thu: Psalm 2 Fri: Proverbs 1 Sat: Romans 13
Sunday, August 30: (Jeremiah 15:15-21| Romans 13 | Matthew 16:21-28)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES for the READINGS
- What does each reading teach you about God’s Word and its intended effects on our lives?
- What does each reading teach you about how you should receive and respond to God’s Word?
- How are you tempted to build your life on sand? How can you build on the Rock instead?
- Sketch or paint a house built on a Rock, or another image that reflects the imagery of
this week’s readings. (Share your image with Pastor Shaun) - What questions do you have about the readings this week?
(Write them down and share them with Pastor Shaun!)