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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Matthew 7:24–25 (NIV)
If you do what Jesus says to do, you’re like a wise man who builds an unshakable house.
Storms test a house in different ways. Wind tests how well the shingles have been laid. Rain tests the foundation and weeping tile to see if they will prevent flooding. If there’s a flaw in how a window was installed, that rain will find its way in.
One little window might seem unimportant. But when rain is pouring in and ruining the walls and floors, that window seems pretty important. You need to build strength into every part of your house.
The same is true of God’s house. We’re all parts of the body of Christ. We each must build strength into our lives, because we are all important and play a crucial role.
How do we build strength into our lives? Some say suffering makes us stronger, but think of it this way: Did the storm strengthen the house? A storm won’t fix the foundation, stick the shingles on better or seal up the window. Storms try to destroy the strength that’s built into the house by the carpenter.
Although it’s true that you can learn something from a storm, God doesn’t send them our way to strengthen us. He’s given us His Word; it’s the best way to build strength into our lives.
Use God’s Word to build strength into your life so you can stand strong through the storms of life!