Prayer Call: Building It Right

Good Morning, BFB!

This is the day that Lord has made and we will be glad and rejoice in it. This morning's thought comes from the parable of the "The Wise and Foolish Builders", found in Matthew 7: 24-28.

This morning's focus will come from Matthew 7:24-25:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had it's foundation on the rock."

Thought: Building It Right

At the end of Matthew 5–7, Jesus closes His famous Sermon on the Mount with a parable about two builders. After teaching on prayer, forgiveness, fasting, love, generosity, and how to treat others, He essentially says: “You’ve heard all of this—now what are you going to do with it?” It’s as if Jesus is pressing us to ask ourselves: Are we only listening, or are we actually living out His words? Hearing His teaching may inspire us, impress us, even amaze us—but amazement isn’t obedience. Reading and highlighting scripture is important, but the true test is whether we apply it.

From this parable, I see three blockbuster truths about what it means to build it right.

The first blockbuster truth: Hearing is never enough. Both the wise and foolish builders heard Jesus' teaching. Their difference wasn't knowledge - it was obedience. Scripture reminds us: "Do not merely listen to the word...do what it says" (James 1:22). What does it matter if we highlight bible verses, take notes during Bible Study, Sunday School, or during our Connect Groups and we never go back and apply it. One of the greatest shoe brands in the world - Nike - is not just remembered by the check mark on the side of the shoe, but they are remembered because of their slogan. It's the slogan that drives people to the brand. The slogan is what keeps Nike fresh and on the minds of the people. The slogan: Just Do It. In this parable we see that Jesus is challenging us to not just hear what He's saying but to go and do what He's saying.

Jesus told us to forgive - now go and practice forgiveness.
Jesus told us to love one another - now go and practice loving one another.
Jesus told us to give to the poor - now go and practice giving to the poor.
 
If we want to build right, we can't just be hearers. We must become doers.

The second blockbuster truth: Storms will test what we build. Not only did they both hear Jesus' teaching, they both built, and both had to deal with the storm. The rains fell, the waters rose, and the winds blew because storms don't just fall on the just but the unjust as well. Storms often times represent trials, suffering, and even judgment and none of us our exempt.

But here's the truth: Storms don't destroy equally, they reveal foundations.

Look at Job. He lost everything yet he remained steadfast because his life was built on faith in God. Judas on the other hand, looked like a disciple but yet when he faced the storm of pressure, he crumbled and betrayed Jesus because his foundation wasn't secure. I challenge all of us to reflect and ask ourselves: What is my life really built on? Sand that shifts - money, titles, circumstances, fleeting happiness? Or rock that holds - God's word, unshakable joy, the presence of Christ? The way we handle storms will reveal what we're truly standing on.

Which leads us to our third blockbuster truth: Christ is the rock that holds us together.  The wise builder's house stood firm, not because of how it was built but because of its foundation - the rock. Some may find themselves asking, "What is this rock?" while others may know: This rock is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says "No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." Psalms 18:2 says, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer." Jesus uses the rock in Peter's confession found in the book of Matthew: "On this rock, I will  build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Our identity in who we are cannot be built on our titles, what we've amassed, or what we've gained - our foundation has to be built on the Rock that is Jesus Christ.

Sometimes life knocks us all the way to rock bottom. But as the old adage goes: It's okay to hit rock bottom as long as the Rock is Jesus.

When Christ is our foundation, no matter what comes in our lives - storms, hell, or highwater - we will know we've built it right. The true measure of life isn't whether we hear God's word - it's what we do with it. If we are building right, our lives will expand His kingdom, give Him glory, and we'll take none of the credit.

I pray that as we go through this week, we take the time to reevaluate our lives and if we are building right. And if by chance we aren't, God's grace gives us another chance to start again and rebuild with Him as our foundation. Let's agree that this week we will not just highlight a verse or nod in agreement, but we will live out God's word in our lives. We will build it right.

Amen and Amen.