SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:46-49

OBSERVATION:
1. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” – Seems to be a lot of people still like this today. I am probably one of them. I was raised as a ‘christian’, but only lately have been sensing the need to be a Jesus follower (i.e. to do what He says, not just ‘go to church’).
2. “Who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice” – The key here is to put His words into practice. In theory we all say AMEN, but in the day to day reality, we usually find an excuse not to turn the other cheek, not to love and bless our enemy, not to forigve those who hurt us, not to deal with the plank in our own eye first, etc.
3. “Laid the foundation on rock… on the ground without a foundation” – The wisdom of Jesus is not just truth for a textbook or a creed, it is wisdom for living, the best way to live, the way God designed life to be lived. A life built on God’s wisdom will stand the test of time, but a life built on the folly of sin will not have a leg to stand on.
4. “The torrent struck that house” – Life contains many torrents: harsh experiences, painful relationships, sickness, injustice, persecution, loneliness, grief, natural disasters, emotional turmoil, mental health issues, tragedies, political instability, unrealized dreams, people who let us down, etc. Any challenge that we face is like a small or big storm that hits us and threatens to knock us down. Are we in a good place to handle these storms?
5. “Collapsed and its destruction was complete” – Look around at how many people seem to be crashing. Many that we hear about in the media, including the rich and famous, but so many more we do not know or hear about. The dream of the good life is elusive, and even those who sem to have found it are showing signs that they have not. To this Jesus speaks, and says, ‘I am the way, the truth, the life’. And, ‘apart from me you can do nothing’.

APPLICATION:
I need to face the reality of my own life, that as long as I try to mix worldly and godly values, the result will be a mess. I need to concentrate on what Jesus is saying, on what His words mean to me, to how I live. and I need to put His words into practice, not just sing them in hymns on Sunday, or nod my head to them in sermons. The success or failure of my life depends completely on how I respond to Jesus and His message. His way IS the best way, the only way to live. It may not be an easy way, but the short term pain will lead to long term gain while the short term gain of living for selfish pleasure will lead to long term pain.

PRAYER:
Lord, You have been showing me more ways in which I am not following You with all my heart. Thank You for Your patience with me, thank You for assuring me of Your love and forgiveness. Now help me, please, to start building on Your wisdom. Amen.