Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock. And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house. And it fell, and great was its fall.
For much of the year, Israel receives little to no rain. The early rains ( "Yoreh") begin at the time of the Fall Feasts, September-October, and the "Latter Rain (“Malkosh”) concludes the rainy season around the time of the Spring festival of Passover.
With the heat and barely a cloud in the sky during the summer months, the ground becomes hard. When fall arrives the rainy season begins with frequently intense downpours creating streams in the desert since hardened ground never absorbs water. The rushing waters form cataracts flowing from the high places through valleys and crevasses, temporary rivers, which also create spectacular waterfalls in rocky places. Adventurous souls travel from all over the Land to see these flowing waters, yet tragically, entire groups hiking into the desert to enjoy the watery scenes have suddenly perished, inundated by sudden and horrific flash floods which they could not escape.
Yeshua gave this warning: “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock. “ [Matthew 7:24-25]
We could say that this world is becoming more and more like a desert, hardened and dry, loveless and difficult to live in. Not only so, but floods are also increasing, flash floods we aren't expecting, unanticipated but deadly dangers for any who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Messiah warned everyone about these anticipated dangers, these floods of destruction. He said they will come, and they have, throughout all human history, but especially now, today as we approach the Second Coming. There is no excuse to be caught unaware! He instructed everyone how to prepare. Simply do what He said. Don't just hear it....be a doer of His word. The safety of obedience is powerful protection from the floods of this world.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]
Living by faith financially can be a wonderful thing. Back in Jesus' day, people didn't have savings and money market accounts, mutual funds, and IRA's. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that those things are bad to have. What I'm saying is that those of us who live without them have an opportunity -- an opportunity to see God provide in miraculous ways!
"Before refrigerators, people used ice-houses to preserve their food. Ice-houses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut from the frozen waters, hauled to the ice-houses, and covered with sawdust. Often these ice-blocks would last well into the summer.
Did you know that when a bone is broken and then heals, that previously broken place becomes the strongest part of the bone? What an amazing thing!
In a traditional Jewish marriage, a contract known as the 'ketubah',(which means 'that which is written', in Hebrew) is signed be both the bride and groom. Originally, it included the price of the bride, the promises that the groom must keep and the rights to which the bride is entitled.
We've been receiving dozens of emails lately from people who are really feeling the pressure, and who have expressed gratitude and appreciation for our devotions over the last few days. Reading through some of the replies, my initial thought was – wow, God is creating some magnificent diamonds!
F.B. Meyer once said, “The education of our faith is incomplete [till] we learn that God’s providence works through loss…that there’s a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things. The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives.
A disgruntled church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained: "I've gone to church for thirty years now, and in that time I have heard something like three-thousand sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. I think I'm wasting my time and the Pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."