“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.” – Matthew 7:24-25
Our world is a rapidly changing place. We are constantly being bombarded with new innovations, exciting inventions, and different events that make our news channels operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In a world where artificial intelligence is a reality, and our technology is obsolete just a few days after we make a purchase, it is easy to lose sight of who we are and who we are called to be. For us to find stability in a world that is constantly fluctuating we must know our story, the Biblical story.
The Bible tells the story of God, creation, and God’s will for His good creation. This amazing story speaks to us and reminds us of who we truly are, even in a world that is changing before our eyes.
Today’s scripture (Matthew 7:24-25) appears at the end of Jesus’ teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). These three chapters contain some of the most notable teachings of Jesus. They are directions for living the Christian life. Phrases like, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (5:6) and “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (7:1) define God’s kingdom. This is the kingdom Jesus tells us to pray for so that it will be, “On earth as it is in heaven.” (6:10)
How do we know who we are? How do we know how to act? What ethics guide our daily lives? What does God’s kingdom look like? We know the answer to these questions by reading our story. When we know this wonderful story, we find that our feet are set on a solid foundation and our eyes are open. When we meditate on God’s word, we find that the rapid shifts in our world are not able to sweep us off our feet, but instead we stand strong in our faith.
This is why we are reading through the Bible this year. We need to know our story. We need to be constantly reminded of who God is and the Great love God has for us all. Let today be a reminder that when we read our story, we open our eyes to the work of God in the world and we place our feet on solid ground.
Keith King, Pastor of Worship
