Matthew 7: 24
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
--NASB
In the name of the One Who is our Rock, amen.
This parable which Jesus told at the end of His sermon on the mount is quite familiar. It is a very simple parable, but it is often misinterpreted because of its stern warning. Building upon the Rock means living a life that is in keeping with The Faith. Those who build on the sand are the people who foolishly think that simply because they cry, "Lord, Lord," they have salvation.
Jesus warns us that when He comes again many people will be unpleasantly surprised because they thought that they could live any way they wanted, because they have "faith." But that sort of faith is shifting sand that cannot support us in the hurricane of God’s anger.
But how do we get this faith that is built on the Rock? Well, to begin with, you already have true faith. Jesus spoke these words of warning to His disciples—to people who already had faith in Him. He wanted them to be sure that their faith lived and remained active. We can kill our faith by not nurturing it. So, a few verses prior to our passage, Jesus tells us how to get the nurturing that our faith needs. He tells us to pray because our heavenly Father is eager to give us the good gifts that we need.
Even our Savior’s warning comes from the great love of God that doesn’t want to see anyone perish. Such love is eager to give the strengthening of faith, the courage to produce the fruits of faith, etc. Such love will keep you in the True Faith so that you will be saved. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for encouraging us to pray for the things that we need. Grant us a living faith that shows itself in deeds. Help us to build on the Rock so that we may glorify Your holy name forever. We ask this in our Savior Jesus’ name, amen.