Built To Last

Jesus spent a large portion of His time on earth teaching. Crowds flocked to hear Him speak. People hung on to His every word when He taught in the temple. In the parable of the wise and foolish builders, Jesus warns His followers about the consequences of not putting His teachings into practice. The wise man takes Jesus’ words to heart and applies them to his life. This practice secures Christ as the foundation of his house, his life. The foolish man, on the other hand, listens to Jesus and ignores His teachings. When unrelenting rains and strong winds beat down against their houses, the foolish man’s house is completely wrecked, while the wise man’s stands firm.

This parable implies that a strong house requires a solid foundation. We can lay a strong foundation by sitting at Jesus’ feet, eagerly absorbing His teaching. We can invest our time and energy in building an intimate relationship with Him. As we practice listening to Jesus and taking His words to heart, we learn to depend on Him, trust Him, and submit to Him. He becomes the source of our help, strength, and hope.

Jesus does not want us to be passive recipients of His Word. He wants us take action and apply His teachings to our lives, for our own good. He wants to be the Rock on which every life is built so that we can fully experience the miracle of enduring a storm without damage.

Respond

• In which area of your life have you been holding back from fully surrendering to God’s authority?
• What words will you use to praise and thank Jesus for keeping you safe and secure in the midst of adversity?