The water is rising.
Along the coast of the Mississippi River, as you read this, the water is rising to record highs.
The crests have been measured at:
47.8 ft in Memphis, Tennessee
58 ft in Natchez, Mississippi (and it's predicted to go up to 64ft)
People's houses, businesses, farmland and overall livelihood has been swallowed by this thing. Some of these people are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. One can't help but feel compassion for the people having to deal with the disaster. It's awful. It seems as if they just got done with one natural disaster, and now they're facing the adversity of another?
(Personally, I can't imagine what people are going through. Folks, they need our prayers so much right now. As this thing continues, please continue to stay updated on particular ways you can pray and give aid in relief.)
Why do the "storms of life" seem to hit some people more than others?
...the father who lost his job and cannot find work to support his family.
...the family who has learned of a loved one diagnosed with cancer.
...the person who suffers from depression.
...the parents who lost their child.
...those of us dealing with the pressures and expectations of others.
...the kids trying to work through their parents divorce.
...pressures of conformity.
...issues at work.
...finances.
"Storms" seem to come in all shapes and sizes
...Big and small.
...Physical, mental, and spiritual.
And they will come
…it's not an "if" thing
…it's a "when" thing.
So the question isn't, "How will we handle the storms if they come?"
The question is more like, "How will we handle the storms when they come?"
Jesus understood this.
He knew the human condition.
And He knew something that we don't.
-----------------------------
This is Jesus' conclusion, ending, closure, and wind up to His mountain sermon.
Let us not forget that these words are interconnected with the rest of Jesus' teaching on the mountain.
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, 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 the house, and it fell with a great crash.
This part of the teaching is directed to those who have heard him. This has huge implications for "Christians." Jesus doesn't tell us to simply know the right "way," he challenges us to live the right "way." It's almost like he says, "Simply listening to me isn't going to get you anywhere." According to Jesus; the foundation, the core, the bottom line in our lives will fall apart if we don't apply his words to our lives.
It's the when, not the if.
Because storms tend to change things don't they?
-They seem to shift the way we think about the world.
-They can tear apart everything we know, or confirm it.
-Through them, we either have hope for the future, or despair.
-What we pour our lives into can either be washed away, or solidified.
Have you ever watched a wave completely erase everything you're written in the sand?
-Are some of us writing in the sand with the way we live our lives?
-Is everything we work for, all for nothing?
-Do we believe Jesus really meant what he said?
Jesus understands the human condition. He knows how easily we can build our lives up on the wrong foundations. He knows that the storms will come. He knows the destructive forces life can bring. Yet in the midst of all this, he offers hope and wisdom.
So as people who have heard the words of Jesus, how will we cope with the storms of life?
-With a solid foundation
or
-With a sand foundation
As we grow families, who's wisdom will we adhere to?
-By following the advice and instruction of God?
or
-By following our own wisdom?
May you find hope and peace knowing that your foundation is in the Christ.
** Matthew 7:24-27
No comments:
Post a Comment