In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus spoke:
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,
29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
A wise man is known as a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man who makes the right choices which serves him well in the long term. In these days of instant gratification, there appears to be less “wise” men than in the past. In these times, everyone tends to rely on technology to fix any problem that arises. In Oklahoma, we have some of the best weather technology in the world due to the high incidence of tornadoes but most of us who have been here for a long time know that we cannot count on that technology to assure us of a tornado’s track. This is why we have a storm cellar.
In the spiritual sense, many people no longer rely on following the principles of Jesus because they have yet to see a significant storm in their own lives. They assume that the long term will reflect their limited experience in the short term. Nothing could be further from the Truth yet they are not interested in pursuing the warnings given to us by Jesus Christ or The Holy Spirit. They are more interested in having their senses tickled by the latest form of entertainment.
Now that I have been around awhile and endured a few of my own storms, I have a greater appreciation for the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the intent of His unconditional Love to prepare us for such storms. I have endured storms on all fronts- spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and financial, and FATHER has delivered me out of them all. This gives me the confidence and faith in HIS Word even to a greater degree.
These writings are meant to build up the Body of Christ and provide current examples of “doing” the Word. My wife and I have been cheerful givers for many years and FATHER has always been there for us in our own time of need. What must I say or write to convince someone to become a cheerful giver? I can only be a practical example for someone who is wise to look at and accept my testimony at face value. Over ten years ago, I shared the importance of accumulating an ounce or two of silver each month whenever possible. Those who live in Argentina are now going through hyperinflation of their fiat currency which has virtually no purchasing power now. Those who accumulated silver are able to purchase food for their table.
What does it take to convince people that the Words of Jesus are critical to our lives? The wise man will respond long before the first cloud in the sky forms. However, the foolish man will wait until he is in the midst of the storm when all his assumptions are proving to be worthless and his life is crashing down all around him. Neither Facebook nor Twitter will come to your assistance when the storm is raging all around you. Only FATHER and HIS Truth will be standing when the storms of life cease. You can learn your lesson the hard way or easy way… it’s your choice.