“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.” (Matt. 7:24)
I BUILT A FENCE AROUND MY BACKYARD. My yard is large, so it’s a big fence. I’d not undertaken a project of that scale before, so before starting I took to the Internet for advice. I wondered this: Should I set my wooden fence posts in concrete? Little did I realize that this issue is more hotly debated than the question of Android or iPhone, Republican or Democrat, or who the best Beatle is. Theories abound, and experts galore tout their preference and disparage all others.
For the record, I went with no gravel footer, six inches of dirt, one bag of concrete, and tamped earth at the crown. Will it hold? Will it rot? I have no idea. We’ll know in a few years.
Sturdy fence construction may be a matter of opinion, but there is no guesswork in building a life that will last. Despite the many opinions expressed by so-called experts in religion and philosophy, there is only one Master Builder. “Put these words of mine into practice,” Jesus told us. “You can’t go wrong.”
I need those instructions, and I crave the certainty that comes with them. No one who trusts in Jesus will be put to shame, either in this life or the next. Here is the building plan that will withstand any storm. Thank you, Lord, that you are the Rock to build on.
Name one way you will be obedient to Jesus today.
Lawrence W. Wilson is the author of A Different Kind of Crazy (WPH) and coauthor of The Long Road Home (WPH). He lives near Indianapolis, Indiana.
© 2017 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
