Active Theology

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25, ESV)

It’s no secret that life doesn’t always go as planned. I imagine that many of us experienced this truth throughout the past year. I experienced it this week. The time between Christmas and New Years is a vacation week for me. I’m out of the office and able to spend time with my family. I usually have some goals in mind and things I’d like to get done, but more importantly I plan to slow down and spend some time with my wife and kids. 

This past week didn’t go as planned. My wife and youngest daughter got sick the day after Christmas. We still enjoyed our time together as a family- we watched movies, went to coffee, tried a new recipe for dinner, and spent some of our Christmas cash. But since Haley was sick, I gladly took on the extra parenting load. Did it get in the way of family outings or accomplishing a task? Yes, of course! But I’m so thankful that my time off allowed me to care for my family. 

My week didn’t necessarily go as planned, but I still loved it. I didn’t put all of my hope in having a picture perfect week. 

In Jesus’ final words in the Sermon on the Mount, he makes it clear that “the storms of life” will come. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, the rain will fall, the floods will come, and the winds will blow. We don’t know the severity or when it’ll take place, but we know that it will.

Jesus teaches us that in order to withstand the storm we must build our house on the rock – we must build our life on Jesus. 

How do we build our life on Jesus? We spend time with him by reading Scripture. We pray throughout the day. We live in a way that acknowledges his Kingship over our lives. We live as members of his Kingdom by being full of love, mercy, grace, and compassion towards others. 

When we center our lives on Jesus we will be able to stand firm through whatever may come. When we center our lives on Jesus, our joy, hope, peace, and comfort will come from the One that will never fade and always be by our side from now and into eternity. 

So as we turn the page and begin a new year, I pray that you apply his words in Matthew 7:24-25 and build your life on Jesus. He is the one that will never let you down and will always be with you.  

Pray: God, I thank You for Your Word. I thank Your for Jesus. I know that I need to go to You as the ultimate source of joy, hope, peace, and comfort. I pray that the Holy Spirit would remind me to run to You and that I would stand strong in You, no matter what life may throw at me. Amen. 

Song: “Firm Foundation” by Cody Carnes

Craig is a worship pastor at Wallula Christian Church and the creator of Active Theology. He loves coffee dates with his wife, reading, and riding his bike. A few of his favorite things are third wave coffee, vanilla ice cream, and plain t-shirts.