I love this question and the challenge that Jesus gives us to test Him. “I will show you what it’s like…” I want to see what He is talking about in this Scripture. I know my walk takes constant growth and knowledge and there will be pruning that takes place because I know Him. Our focus needs to be on Him no matter what and our lives need to show the transformation from our old selves to our new creation in Christ.
Jesus goes on to say in verse 48, “It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.”
It just jumped out to me today what Jesus was saying here. He is saying work hard to learn and live out what I am showing you so you can be exactly like Me. A person that digs deep has worked their tail off, are we willing to work so hard with our reading and praying that the Spirit is jumping in our bodies ready to react just like Christ? That constant learning is what makes us obey what we learn because we die to self and let the Spirit lead us, and the Spirit is able to lead us where we are weak.
Now look at verse 49, “But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
This is talking to most Christians that go to church do some service but have no desire to grow on their own. The message on the weekend is enough or reading God’s word in moderation can help. It’s reading God’s word for information not transformation. Thinking my life is so busy I will patch Jesus on when I need Him but that is it. A good foundation takes great effort and willingness to never be satisfied. Look what’s next, “…when the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” That’s later when the trials of this world come and we aren’t ready or able to handle them and we shrink back. When you get bad news and you are crushed and don’t see that everything can be used to glorify God. When things of this world keep enticing you and you don’t have the foundation to be the passenger and let the Spirit drive. You can’t give up the control of your life and hand it over to God. We are called to be like Christ, this takes continual work and development, seeking answers and wisdom from God and filling the Spirit which lives in us to answer and react to all situations.
Earlier in chapter 6 verse 45 Jesus says, “A good person produces good things from a treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
I say let the Spirit in your heart be the one that powers what we say. The more we learn the more we can change and the more we can change the more significant the transformation. Work to build a sound foundation and never stop asking and seeking to know more and have the ears to hear what God is telling us. Amen