Devotionals

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The Choice

by Steven P. Wickstrom

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to wise man, who built his house upon the rock.

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.

And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
Matthew 7:24-27

The wise man and the foolish man have several things in common. They both heard the words of the Lord. They both built a house. They both went through a storm. One house survived, one house was destroyed. What made the wise man wise and the foolish man foolish? Why did the wise man's house survive while the foolish man's house was obliterated.

Perhaps we should put this in a modern day perspective. Two people go to church and they both hear a sermon about obedience. Both people consider themselves to be Christians. One person realizes there is sin in his life and in obedience, repents of that sin. The other person realizes there is sin in his life but he is comfortable with that sin and does not repent. What is the difference between these two people? Only one of them ACTED on the word. They both heard the word, but only one acted upon it.

As you read the Bible, and hear it taught from the pulpit, consider whether or not you are acting upon that word. Perhaps you don't realize that you are building a house, but you are. Everything you do adds to your building. What you do (your actions) determines what your building material's are. Some people are building the house out of straw and mud. They are building on sand because they are not acting on God's word. Most of these people consider themselves to be Christians, but they don’t act on God's word and in a sense, don't really believe it. Other people act on God's word and take it to heart. These people are the wise ones who build on the sure foundation.

One thing is certain; the storms will come. God uses the storms to show us what we are building on and what we are building with. While we are in this life we still have the opportunity to start over if our building is destroyed in the storm. You won't have that chance to start over after you die. If you are not acting on the word of God and taking it to heart, the Bible considers you to be foolish. When God looks at your life, will he consider you to wise, or foolish? When you stand before Him on the Day of Judgment, which one will you be? The answer depends on whether or not you act upon God’s word. The choice is yours.

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