It is frustrating when you are faced with the challenges related to poor construction. The challenge not to it right the first times is the temptation to cut corners. I am sure that all of have a story that we could tell. What is often forgotten is the cost to paid later from poor construction. This truth is not limited to the physical projects but also includes our spiritual relationship with the Lord.
Many years ago, on an entry level budget, we purchased an entry level travel trailer. Little did we realize that our assumptions on RV construction would come back to haunt us later. The impact of correcting the issue cost our family by delaying our vacation along with the repair costs. My point in this illustration is simply, it makes a difference how we build our spiritual lives.
Jesus made this point also through the illustration of building two kinds of homes, one built well and one not built well. I get the impression that building one’s own home in Jesus was more common in it is today. It was something that recipients of this sermon would have related too. We read, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” Luke 6:47–48 ESV
Jesus uses several metaphors to communicate a vital truth about building our own lives well. The first, is that of the house. Our physical home represents where we live, a spiritual house represents how we live. The quality of our home represents that investment of time, selection of materials and the quality of our workmanship.
A second metaphor is the flood. The flood represents a natural calamity that can destroy a home a poorly located and built house. Pictures from the 1977 Johnstown Flood reveal the devastating resulted from a flood. It was caused by a dam failure from heavy rains. Everything in its path was swept away. The flood represents life crisis’s that take us by surprise. It is then that we realize the true costs of cutting corners in our spiritual lives.
The Biblical description is a little different from the modern verses the Sunday School song, “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man.” that declares that house built on the sand came down with a CRASH! We read, “But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”” (Luke 6:49 )
The quality of your “Spiritual House” will depend on the investment you make in your relationship with Jesus. First, we must build our lives on the Spiritual foundation of a grace-based relationship with Jesus. Second, the materials and workmanship of our Spiritual development represent our consistency in reading our Bible, spending time in prayer, ministering to others and even our church attendance. These basics and other spiritual disciplines contribute to our strength in the Lord needed for when the flood comes!
It is always the right time to make improvements in our building of our spiritual lives. Why not consider working on one improvement in 2024.
-Pastor Joe Parkinson