Knowing The Word in Luke 6:46-49

Build Your House on the Rock

6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 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. 49 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.”

Comments

Apparently, some of Jesus’ followers had already shown themselves to be false disciples who did not follow Jesus’ teachings. To explain what will happen to such people, Jesus used the analogy of a house—one built upon a good foundation and one built upon a poor foundation. The person with a good foundation hears Jesus’ teaching, puts it into practice, and is not easily upset by life’s difficulties. This person has the supreme final test in mind. The person who does not act upon Jesus’ teaching builds a life without Jesus at the center. There are eternal consequences for that person, and they will be disastrous, as it was for the people who died in the flood in the days of Noah.

Application

It is one thing to hear about and learn something. It is another to put it into practice. Disciples of Jesus know that disciplines are good for them, such as daily prayer and Bible reading, weekly worship and serving others, giving a tithe on one’s income and making sacrificial offerings of our time. The reason they are good is because they draw us into the life of Jesus. They help us put Jesus in the center of our life instead of keeping him in the margins. Consider where you need to be more disciplined in your life as a follower of Jesus.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, shape me through your Spirit to be your follower who builds my life upon your teachings. Remove those things in my life that are holding me back from you and strengthen those things help me put you in the center of my being.