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.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; "Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus."
I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot?
We have a Christian friend who constantly talks about her problems. Every single time we talk to her she tells us how bad things are going in her life and how much she is lacking. Interestingly, in all the years we've known her and prayed for her, things have only gotten worse. Though she has come to believe in the God of victory, she is not living a victorious life. How many of us are in this boat?
During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays.
Yeshua (Jesus) began His earthly ministry by being baptized in the Jordan river. The word Jordan in Hebrew is "Yarden" and its root is "yarad". It literally means to descend, which would make sense being that the Jordan descends from over 8,000 feet from Mount Hermon to the Dead Sea which sits more than 1,000 feet below sea level.
During the American Civil War in the 1860's, a fierce battle took place at Altoona Pass. It was a key supply point for the Union Army, so the Confederate Army led by General Hood sought to take Altoona Pass which held over a million and a half rations. When Union General Sherman realized Hood's plans, he dispatched General Corse along with 1,500 men to hold the city.
Writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul illustrates his exhortation using the metaphors of running a race and fighting a boxing match. Victory is achieved by bringing your body into submission to the will of God.