ICS Daily Devotions
Be the Wise Builder
Luke 6:46-49 (NKJV) “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Jesus said in v. 46 of this passage that we need to do the will of God in our lives as His followers. The will of God is referring to the lifestyle of faith in Him, which includes sanctification—being separated from the world and to walk in His plan by submitting to His will for our lives.
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Therefore, we need to ask ourselves, “have we really taken time to put God as the first priority in our lives?” Of course, sanctification and consecration are lifelong processes, but they began the day that Jesus became our Saviour and the Lord of our lives. We have chosen to live for Him and be set apart from the world. The Bible is God’s blueprint for our lives; it helps us to not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of our mind with His Word. Because we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in our lives, God’s Word and His plan for our lives ought to take significant importance in our lives. We will want His wisdom and we will want to avoid venturing out to do something important without His blessings—that’s what it looks like when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness for all things to fall into place nicely (Matthew 6:33).
In the opening passage, Jesus is referring to two different believers: one wise and the other unwise who has built a house without a foundation. The house represents our life. Most builders will dig into the soil until they reach the bedrock before laying the foundation. It is one of the most important processes before any builder is to build upward especially if it is a high-rise building. The foundation needs to be deep, firm and strong in order to withstand earthquakes, strong winds and other natural disasters. The real test of the foundation will be when disasters strike.
God is just and righteous, but all of us are subject to the sufferings of this life until the new heaven and new earth appear. Therefore, let’s keep this Scripture in mind to help us persevere in the midst of our suffering.
Sermon Series: Resilience
