“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.”

Matthew 7:24-27

Our daughter and son-in-law and grandsons live in the Phoenix area where rain falls rarely, but when it rains in Phoenix, it pours and pours.

I think Jesus’ hearers of the story above, could relate since their rain was also intermittent and often heavy when it did rain.

Jesus tells the story of two builders, but he is really speaking of two different kinds of people. The first builder built his house on the rock. His foundation was firm and when the storms came, the house stood strong. The second builder took a shortcut. It was easier to build on the sand with no foundation, but when the storms came, everything collapsed.

What was the difference between the two kinds of people according to Jesus? Both heard Jesus’ words, but only one actually listened and did what He said. I am reminded of James’ pithy words –

The deception is found in thinking that hearing is enough. Unless we do what Jesus said, our foundation is non-existent and when the storms of life appear (and they surely will) our lives will crumble.

The question is – Is it possible, I’m deceiving myself?