28 Feb The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock
At the beginning of this year, I prayed for God to show me His heart for Cup of Faith in 2025. A verse from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount seemed like it was jumping out at me from the page as I read:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
Dear friends, this scripture meets me at a time when I feel the wind is blowing and beating, the rain is pummeling and the water level is rising at an alarming rate. In both my inner life and my outer circumstances, I feel I am surviving rather than thriving. It’s true that no one will make it through this life without facing difficulties. Not even Jesus had a carefree human life! And God knows this about us. But here’s His promise: If we prepare ourselves wisely, our entire lives can stand firm.
Birthing Ishmaels
But godly wisdom doesn’t come naturally. Jesus knows we are prone to doing things our way. It’s difficult to be patient when we are waiting on God. No one knew this better than Abraham and Sarah. They struggled with the reality of their infertility which seemed to blatantly contradict God’s promise. The waiting was too long, too tedious, too painful. Ishmael was a product of the ‘we’ll make a plan and show it to God’ way of navigating the tension. It was the easier route but it had devastating consequences for all involved parties.
Building our lives on the sand will have devastating consequences. The opportunity cost is too high. What could be used for the Kingdom will be washed away in an instant because we did it without the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The Holy Spirit is so gentle with us. He is easily grieved. He won’t nag us to wait for God. But His quiet conviction is sure. We can lean into it in faith.
The Rock
“…everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
When Jesus says ‘these words of mine’, He’s referencing the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7) as well as the rest of scripture. But the Sermon on the Mount certainly has a lot of practical wisdom to start with. Things that are countercultural, that we don’t see many examples of, and are thus easy to forget. Things like
- Blessed are the poor in spirit
- Turn the other cheek
- Tag the log out of your own eye
Jesus is telling us that wise living means investing into our character first. Character before possessions, character before being right, character rather than transient passions… Personally, I’ve had to re-learn what it means to take the log out of my own eye. This was something He first spoke to me about in my early years as a Christian in reference to my relationship with my brother. You can imagine how easy that was! But sibling relationships are a great testing ground for the rest of our relationships. Just last night, as my husband and I attended an Alpha Marriage course at our church, this verse was referenced as a key concept for healthy conflict. When we are hurt, all we want to do is to point out to the other party why they are wrong but we are right. In reality, Jesus is saying, we are more so at fault for such a hypocritical and judgemental attitude! When we are healed we can better minister with humility and grace to others.
Employing such a ‘Lord, me first’ attitude in my marriage has been immensely healing. It’s relieved me from the role I placed myself in as my husband’s chief fault-finder. Jesus’ wisdom is truly a rock for us to build our lives on.
What about you?
Why not take some time this week to read through the Sermon on the Mount. Allow the Holy Spirit to highlight a passage to you. Perhaps it won’t even be immediately obvious as to its relevance in your life. But trust that as you allow Him to lead you in His wisdom, you are secure against the coming storms.
Kate is the current owner and editor of Cup of Faith. She is a blogger who loves Jesus, loves to read, and currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband.
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