“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭46‬-‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How true to human nature!  We hear…we listen…we agree…and then we carry on with our lives as though the counsel was never heard! No wonder then, that Jesus asked the question that has no answer…

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

We respond like someone who has been warned that there is a precipice ahead but continues on to disaster because he did not heed the warning. 

Jesus told His story on the grounds, not that storms might happen to us in life but that they will happen. No human is immune from the disasters that are an inevitable part of life. The issue is…what have we done to prepare for such events? We cannot start building strong foundations for our lives in the middle of a storm!

The stability of the superstructure depends on its foundation. To change the metaphor, a huge tree depends on the depth and strength of its root system to survive storms. 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ NIV

The roots of our lives, the strength of a building, depends on what lies beneath the surface. Our foundation must be far deeper than mere “faith”. Some people use the expression, “Have faith…” as though faith in itself is sufficient protection against adversity. Faith must have a solid, immovable structure to which it clings to be of any benefit. 

Jesus made it clear that our trust must be anchored securely to Him and centred in what He has taught us. 

“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.”

On one occasion, He said to some who had believed in Him…

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ teaching is the solid, immovable truth to which we must anchor our faith. His teaching, in turn, is the utterance from His mouth and has its source in who He is. His words, in turn, are the words of the Father, above whom there is no greater authority, who speaks the words that Jesus speaks. 

With such a solid foundation, no storm can ever destroy a child of God. His promises support and protect us against every threat and every catastrophe, and we, His children become witnesses to His grace. 

To be continued…