Foundation on the Rock
mmalanga | January 3, 2006“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does
them…is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid
the foundation on the rock.”-Luke 6.47 [ESV]
In a past issue of the comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, the
two companions are walking in the snow.
“Are you making any resolutions for the New Year?” asks
Hobbes.
“Resolutions? Me?” Calvin snaps back. “Just what are you
implying? That I need to change? Well, buddy, as far as I’m
concerned I’m perfect the way I am. For your information,
I’m staying like this, and everyone else can just get used
to it! If people don’t like me the way I am, well, tough
beans! It’s a free country! I don’t need anyone’s permission
to be the way I want! This is how I am-take it or leave it!
By golly life’s too darn short to waste time trying to
please every meddlesome moron who’s got an idea how I ought
to be!”
Calvin is about to go on when he notices that Hobbes has
left, leaving him to rant by himself. “Humph!” grunts
Calvin, “He should resolve to be more attentive when someone
is speaking!”
Despite Calvin’s humbug attitude toward New Year’s
resolutions, many people still make them. New Year’s
resolutions represent the hope a fresh start. Calendars are
clean. Goals are set. Plans are made. Diets will be kept.
The irksome thing about New Year’s resolutions is they are
more easily made than kept. The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak. The old adage “Wishin’ don’t make it so,”
must have been uttered by someone who made then broke their
New Year’s resolution.
With apologies to Calvin, I propose we make the following
New Year’s resolution: let us resolve that in 2006 we will
seek the Lord’s help to be wise by practicing what Jesus
preaches. Practicing what Jesus preaches is not complicated,
but it does require hard work-digging down deep always does.
“All hard work brings a profit,” says Solomon in Proverbs
14.23, “but mere talk leads to poverty.” In 2006 let us
resolve to talk less and do more.
Let us be joyful in our worship. Let us be humble in
confessing of our sins. Let us be grateful for our
participation at the Communion table. Let us be fervent in
prayer. Let us be diligent in reading and studying the
Bible. Let us be gracious to forgive others as Christ has
forgiven us. Let us be courageous in telling people about
Jesus. Let us be compassionate to those who have neither
received nor shown any knowledge of mercy and grace. Let us
prove that we love Jesus by doing what He says.
Jesus said there are many who call Him ‘Lord’ but few do
what He says. It takes a God-given faith to call Jesus
‘Lord’ and practice what He preaches. It is a faith that
believes it’s better to keep digging than toss in the
shovel. Only fools toss in the shovel. Once they stop
digging all they have to show for their effort is a hole in
the ground and speculation as to what might have been.
So build well.
People who practice what Jesus preaches know that the
ultimate building inspection does not take place in this
life. Death comes to us all and on that day when we stand
before Jesus He will ask us whether or not we put His words
into practice. There is no cheating then. He knows the
answer before we speak. He knows whether we have built well
or built cheap.
So build well.
The reward may not come in this life, but it will most
certainly come in the next. Even more importantly, the test
of your life’s quality may not come in this life, but it
will come in the next.
So build well.
Happy New Year.
MM
