Daily Bread 2010 - Luke 6
Daily Bread 2010 – Luke 6
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is 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. 49But 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."
In our Preschool chapels we teach the kids the song, “The wise man built his house upon a rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up. The rains came down and the floods came up. And the house on the rock stood firm. Now the foolish man….” You probably know the song if you attended a Christian Preschool.
This section of Luke is commonly called the “Sermon on the Plain”. It is similar to Matthew’s, “Sermon on the Mount” (chapters 5-7). But there are some differences too. For instance Luke emphasizes the phrase, “whoever hears my words and puts them into practice.” A key theme for Luke is discipleship, or “putting Jesus’ words into practice.”
But we all know it is hard to put Jesus’ words into practice, especially the words in this chapter about loving our enemies, praying for those who persecute us, and not judging others. We are all born with a nature that naturally does not want to love our enemies, and a nature that is quick to judge others, but not be so tough on ourselves. But Jesus tells us that building our lives on these types of practices is on a very shaky foundation.
As go about putting Jesus’ words into practice, we are going to need a lot of help. First we need help from Jesus himself. We need to realize that he has died for our sins, so our pursuit of the lifestyle he has taught us today, is not lived in order to justify ourselves. We are justified by faith, so our pursuit of holiness is not in order to earn God’s love. Secondly, we know that without the power of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have a chance of becoming the type of person who will do what Jesus did and taught. Finally, we will need others in our lives who are pursuing a similar lifestyle, and who struggle with similar issues in putting Jesus into practice to encourage us and keep us accountable.
But is it worth it to pursue this? According to this passage when the rain comes down and the floods come up it sure will be! Will you join me?
Prayer: Jesus you have given us a pattern of life that you lived for us to pattern our lives after. Help us where we feel unable to live up to your standard to look for power and help through be rooted in You and being fueled by the Holy Spirit. May we not be like those who hear your words and don’t put them into practice. Help us to build our houses on the rock that will not be shaken! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is 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. 49But 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."
In our Preschool chapels we teach the kids the song, “The wise man built his house upon a rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up. The rains came down and the floods came up. And the house on the rock stood firm. Now the foolish man….” You probably know the song if you attended a Christian Preschool.
This section of Luke is commonly called the “Sermon on the Plain”. It is similar to Matthew’s, “Sermon on the Mount” (chapters 5-7). But there are some differences too. For instance Luke emphasizes the phrase, “whoever hears my words and puts them into practice.” A key theme for Luke is discipleship, or “putting Jesus’ words into practice.”
But we all know it is hard to put Jesus’ words into practice, especially the words in this chapter about loving our enemies, praying for those who persecute us, and not judging others. We are all born with a nature that naturally does not want to love our enemies, and a nature that is quick to judge others, but not be so tough on ourselves. But Jesus tells us that building our lives on these types of practices is on a very shaky foundation.
As go about putting Jesus’ words into practice, we are going to need a lot of help. First we need help from Jesus himself. We need to realize that he has died for our sins, so our pursuit of the lifestyle he has taught us today, is not lived in order to justify ourselves. We are justified by faith, so our pursuit of holiness is not in order to earn God’s love. Secondly, we know that without the power of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have a chance of becoming the type of person who will do what Jesus did and taught. Finally, we will need others in our lives who are pursuing a similar lifestyle, and who struggle with similar issues in putting Jesus into practice to encourage us and keep us accountable.
But is it worth it to pursue this? According to this passage when the rain comes down and the floods come up it sure will be! Will you join me?
Prayer: Jesus you have given us a pattern of life that you lived for us to pattern our lives after. Help us where we feel unable to live up to your standard to look for power and help through be rooted in You and being fueled by the Holy Spirit. May we not be like those who hear your words and don’t put them into practice. Help us to build our houses on the rock that will not be shaken! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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