Devotion • October 6
Today’s Scripture Reading
Matthew 7:22–29
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell — and great was its fall!” Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. (NRSV)
Reflection
I am still a relatively new first-time homeowner, and I spend a lot of time on YouTube and Google. With the help of some online videos, I have fixed a leaky shower and swapped out electrical outlets. I thought there was no match to what the Internet could teach me about my home until I discovered a small crack in my foundation. I turned to Google and discovered hundreds of articles titled “Foundation Cracks: What Is Normal and When to Worry.” Yikes! In today’s Gospel, Jesus is telling us exactly when to worry.
Jesus is using the image of a home built on a faulty foundation to explain how worrisome it is if we build our lives on unsteady ground. According to Jesus, some of us build our lives on strong and sturdy rock, ensuring we hold firm when we face life’s storms. Others build our lives on sand causing us to fall — and fall greatly!
The difference between building on a firm foundation and a shifting one is whether or not we act on Jesus’ words. If we hear Jesus’ teachings and fail to act on them, if we claim the Christian faith as hearers only and not doers, we are like those who build their homes on cracked foundations and expect them to stay standing through a storm. For Jesus, love for and devotion to God must be accompanied by a life that honors God — a life in which we live out the promise of the Gospel. If we do this, if we live this way, we become stronger and more equipped to withstand the storms that come our way.
Now I suspect that none of us can act on Jesus’ words all the time. We are humans. We fail. So we might have a few cracks in our foundation and that’s OK. Jesus isn’t seeking perfection. He is seeking discipleship and devotion built on the firm rock of his Word.
Prayer
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
Amen.
(prayer from the hymn text “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” by Edward Mote)
Reflection written by Shawn Fiedler, Major Gift Officer
Reflection © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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