Your Direction: Life's journey

God Direction: Build on the Rock.

What does building have to do with our life's journey? It depends on our point of view, both are the same. The house that we build is our life's journey. With that said let's go to the Bible.

Matthew 7:24-29 “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 its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.¹

These verses are the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Therefore the words that we are to hear and put into practice are those that Jesus had spoken throughout the whole sermon. How can we sum it up? We should live our lives for God and not ourselves; we should be servants to all and trust God for everything; good works are the result of saving faith not how we save ourselves and  we need to pray as well as read and study the Bible. If we live our lives in this manner we are building our house on the Rock (Jesus) but if we live differently we are building on sand and when the storms come (and they will) Those on the sand will be washed away. Casting Crowns has a song that states this message quite well.

American Dream by Casting Crowns Listen and view video

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam
He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family the finer things

Not this time son I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play
And then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

So He works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things will get better;
Better in time

Chorus:
And he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare
With every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend
And they are slipping away

'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night
He tells them things will get better
It'll just take a little more time (chorus)

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end
I'll take a shack on the rock
Over a castle in the sand
Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time
'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands
And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You

Let's pray: Father God, I yearn for the finer things, help me to understand that You are the finer things. Give me the strength to resist the temptations of greed and pride. In Jesus Christ's Name I pray, Amen

¹The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Mt 7:24-29). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.