October 3rd~The Wise Man and the Fool

Matthew 6:5-7:6

Luke 6:37-42

Matthew 7:7-20

Luke 6:43-45

Matthew 7:21-29

Luke 6:46-49

We continued and finished Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is like drinking from a fire hydrant. Each topic that He taught could be expanded and applied for days on end. Therefore, writing one devotion to summarize them all is quite a challenge. However, I’d like to focus on Jesus’ final words, which wrap up and apply the rest.

“Anyone who listens to My teaching and obeys Me is wise,” Jesus said, “like a person who builds a house on solid rock... But anyone who hears My teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand” (Matthew 7:24-27). Luke also recorded Jesus saying, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey Me?” (6:46).

If we adhere to the teachings of Jesus, then God calls us wise; the world, however, will call us fools. If we give credence to man’s ways, then the world calls us wise, but God calls us fools. Satan has built a world system that not only despises the teachings of Jesus but perverts them. All that our Lord esteems, Satan rejects; and that which our Lord rejects, Satan esteems. So who is right?

The proof of who is telling the truth is revealed in life’s difficulties. When we are pummeled with the winds and rains of adversity, which foundation remains? Time and time again, the people of the world have proven that their values, their pursuits, and their selfish lifestyles are shaky and unreliable. Fear, despair, dejection, adultery and divorce, alcoholism and drug abuse, pornography, depression, and even suicide are all common place among those who build their house on the shifting sands of human whims and wisdom. On the other hand, those who build their lives on the bedrock of biblical principles may bend in the wind but they do not break! God is their Rock and reinforcement!

Daily Reflection

James echoes Jesus’ teaching when he wrote, “Remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But, if you keep looking steadily in God’s perfect law — the law that sets you free — and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (1:22-25).

Summarize what James is saying here.

It is not enough for you to read or hear God’s Word. You must obey it. To read the Bible for knowledge only is like considering a driver’s manual only for the pictures. If you don’t apply what it says, then your life will be one wreck after another. To take advantage of the stability that God’s Word provides requires you to build your life on its principles, to translate the words into actions. If you are unwilling to stand upon the truths of Scripture, then you will fall every time you’re encountered with storms.

How are you doing with building a life on a solid foundation? Evaluate your craftsmanship. Have you been wise or foolish?

BiAY.org | Day 276 — 89 Days to Go