Scripture: Luke 6:46–49
The older I get, the more slippery my mind gets. I will hear what my husband or family says they need from the store or something they ask me to do, but if I don’t write it down, even though I heard their words, I don’t always do it.
I try my best to remember what is asked of me, but I don’t always succeed.
Maybe you can relate on some level.
Hearing doesn’t always equal doing.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about this in Luke 6:46–49. You might be familiar with the parable of the two builders.
Jesus said the person who comes to Him, hears His words, and puts them into practice is like a man who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on rock. When the flood came and the torrent struck, the house stood because it was well built.
The other man heard Jesus’ words but didn’t put them into practice. He built his house on the ground without a foundation, and when the torrent struck, the house collapsed.
The difference between the two builders wasn’t what they heard.
They both heard the words of Jesus.
The difference was what they did with them.
This parable caught my attention during my quiet time and caused me to ask myself:
Which builder am I?
Am I digging deeper and laying the foundation of my life on the Rock? Or am I trying to build on the ever-changing ground of this world?
I know I want to be the person who hears and believes the words of Jesus, knows they are life-giving, and gives my all to do what He says.
But if I’m honest, I have been guilty of hearing and not doing.
His words and His ways are often upside down from how our flesh—and the world—tell us we should live. Unfortunately, sometimes the flesh wins out, right?
So what do we do when that happens?
Do we pack up our tools and look for a different location because we think the rock is too hard for us to bore into? Do we start looking for somewhere else where the rock might not be as difficult to reach?
A place where our tools don’t break, bend, or get damaged as we build a house more to our liking?
Maybe we settle for a house that feels secure enough—partly in the rock, but mostly in the sand.
But how is that house going to hold up when the storm rolls in, the wind blows, and the water rises?
I suspect there might only be a few beams left standing when the storm is over.
But what about the builder who keeps going?
The builder who stays in the same location and keeps digging, even when the tools get beaten up and worn down. The builder whose hands become callused and bruised and whose back gets tired, but who slowly begins to see progress.
Yes, a tool might break.
A nail might bend.
A board or two might be crooked.
There may even be a section that needs renovating because some of the materials weren’t quite the quality the builder thought they were.
But eventually the builder looks around and realizes something important:
The foundation is good.
I am that imperfect builder.
I know the Rock my life is being built upon.
His name is Jesus.
It isn’t always easy to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice, and I certainly don’t do it perfectly. But when you know the Rock—the foundation of your life—you keep building.
You might break a tool or a thousand.
You may discover a section or two that needs renovating.
But you keep digging. You keep allowing Jesus to shape your heart and your life so that every part of it becomes more securely anchored to Him.
Jesus said the wise man hears His words and puts them into practice.
That is how we build our house.
It isn’t about being perfect, because not one of us is. A life built on Jesus is constructed day by day, hour by hour, and sometimes minute by minute.
It’s choosing to forgive when you have been hurt.
It’s loving others even when they are not loving toward you.
It’s treating others the way you would want to be treated.
It’s hearing what Jesus says and choosing to build that part of your life according to His words.
We aren’t always going to get it right.
Sometimes we will bend the nail. Sometimes we’ll use the wrong material. Sometimes we may have to tear out something we built and start that section again.
When that happens, we don’t need to look for another foundation.
We pick up our tools and keep building.
Because the strength of our house was never dependent upon the perfection of the builder.
It depends upon the Rock beneath it.
And that Rock is Jesus.
A hearer hears.
But a doer, does.
Digging Deeper
- Is there something Jesus has been saying through His Word that I have heard but haven’t yet put into practice?
- Are there areas of my life that I have built partly on the Rock and partly on the shifting sand of my own desires, the world, or what feels easier?
- Is there a part of my life that needs some renovation so that it lines up with the words and ways of Jesus?
- When I fail to get it right, do I become discouraged and put down my tools, or do I receive His grace, pick them back up, and keep building?
- What is one thing I can do today to put the words of Jesus into practice?
Prayer
Thank You, Jesus, for being the Rock on which my life is built.
Lord, as I build my life on Your words, I am thankful that I don’t have to be a perfect builder. Thank You that Your grace covers me when I don’t always get it right the first time.
When my tools become worn, my hands get tired, or I realize something I have built needs renovating, give me the courage to keep digging and keep building. Help me not to settle for easier ground simply because obedience is hard.
As we build my life together, continue to mold my heart and make it Yours. Help me not only to hear Your words, but to put them into practice.
Jesus, help me become a woman who does.
Amen.
Just a girl after His heart. ❤️