Matthew 7:24-27
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Lord Jesus ended His famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ with a call for application. He presents the case of two individuals, who both hear His words. However, one not only hears but also does what they hear while the other one merely hears. Jesus refers to the former as being wise while the latter He calls foolish. Indeed, to know and yet fail to act on the knowledge is foolishness itself since wisdom is rightly defined as, ‘knowledge applied’. What more? When the storms of life hit, it is those who have been in the habit of doing God’s Word that will stand. The rest will be swept away. Please notice that in this parable of Jesus, the storm comes to all.
In view, then, of the conversation we have had this week on blessings and curses, we have a choice to make. We can choose to know these things and relegate them to the realm of mere knowledge or choose to appropriate them in our lives. Following in the wisdom of Christ, it is crucial that we choose to practice what we have learnt. Therefore, we must evaluate our beliefs on blessings and curses and align them with the Scriptures. This will be revealed with how we act. A few practical examples will help:
When we give, let us give because we are blessed and not because we are seeking to be blessed. When we serve, let us serve with joy out of gratitude to the God who has called us to Himself and not as a way of obtaining favour from Him. When we experience suffering, let us not be quick to attribute it to something we have done or failed to do (look at the example of Job). When engaging with our cultural traditions, e.g, initiation, pre-wedding ceremonies, burials, etc, let us not be bound by fear because Jesus became a curse for us. Therefore, let us evaluate every aspect of our cultures with the Scriptures and discard those things that contradict the wisdom of God. Many more examples can be given, but these serve as a sample to urge and charge us to apply God’s Word. As James 1:22 would re-emphasise:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Reflections
1. How will you apply what you have learned this week?
