Therefore, whoever hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on a rock (Matthew 7:24).

You may have read this verse and thought, “Whoever hears what words?” Glad you asked! Beginning in chapter five and continuing through chapter seven, Matthew records Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which is chock-full of wisdom on how to live a life pleasing to God. He is wrapping up His teaching with this parable of two houses to illustrate the reliability of His instruction.

In this first verse of the parable you’ll notice that Jesus doesn’t just say, “Whoever hears these words of Mine …” In other words, nodding our head “yes” as we read or offering a hearty, “Amen” is not sufficient. There is an accompanying action step for us to take.

“Whoever hears these words of Mine and acts on them.”

We need to put His words into practice. When we do, we are promised strength to endure the storms of life. (We are not promised to avoid the storms altogether, but the strength to endure them, for the glory of God.) 

So, what are some action steps that we can take to follow the Way of Wisdom that Jesus invites us into?

Do you find yourself plagued by worry over a circumstance for which you have no control? If we tend toward worry and not the practice of daily placing our trust in Jesus, we are vulnerable when the storms of life hit. We won’t have built that spiritual muscle of placing our trust in Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider (See Matthew 6:25-23).

Or perhaps you have the opportunity to be salt and light – God’s expression of love and mercy – in someone’s life today (See Matthew 5:13-16). When we seek to reflect the Light of the World, we can bring gentleness to conversations or environments where there is conflict and strife. 

Each new day dawns with the opportunity for us to make a choice. We can choose to subject ourselves to the turbulent ways of the world or we can accept Jesus’ invitation to follow His Wisdom. Which way do you choose and what will you do about it?

Lord Jesus, thank you that your Word is trustworthy and able to bring light and life into the darkness of our world. Open our hearts and minds so that we may understand Your instructions for us today and continue to draw us closer to You each new day. It is in Your name we pray, Amen.