In Matthew’s Gospel he records Jesus telling a parable about two men building houses. One built on sand, and his home was washed away. The other built on rock, and so his house survived the storm - the point for us today? All people must choose whether to build their lives on Christ, the bedrock for sure foundations in this life and the next, or to look elsewhere. In the Matthew passage, Jesus makes it clear that it is those who hear His words and do them who stay secure.
How do you keep the foundations of your life in good shape, to withstand the buffeting of the World and all it contains, as it hammers against the doors and windows of your life? How do you keep yourself spiritually strong and healthy as a Christian?
In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read that ”the word of God is living and active”. What thrilling and cheering encouragement for us this is. God speaks today with vitality and energy. And one way we hear Him and so maintain the foundations of our lives, is through our reading and study of the Scriptures. We have an opportunity together this Autumn to engage with the living and active Word of God, as we pick up our Bibles to study together on a Wednesday morning. We begin the term in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Our aim will be, with those early church Christians, to hear God’s Word to us and to respond. As Paul puts it “You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him...let your living spill over into thanksgiving.” (The Message Col 2.6-8: Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson).
Godfrey