Posted on May 6, 2024 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
How To Build Your Life
by Allison Antrim
Thanks to smartphones and the internet, we have access to more information than has ever been available in history. Phrases like “do your research” and “educate yourself” are common parlance online, demonstrating our culture’s belief that anyone can learn enough to settle the heavy questions and surmount the difficulties of life.
Education and knowledge are important but aren’t strong enough to serve as the foundation for a good life. Jesus says the love of God is the only foundation that will endure in the storms of life, and the word of God is the only blueprint guaranteed to create a good life. Yet a builder must put God’s words into practice to turn the foundation into a home and the blueprint into reality. Practice isn’t quick or easy, and results can take a long time to be revealed. But little by little, day in and day out, if we show up to God’s invitation in his word, if we try to live like he shows us and tells us, we will find ourselves building a beautiful life that will last because of Him.
Practicing the Christian life, rooted and established in the love of Jesus, doesn’t mean our skies will always be sunny. We live in a broken and sinful world where none of us can escape pain and struggles. But when the rains come down, and the floods come up, his love will support us and see us through.
What is God calling you to do with his word today? How will you put it into practice this week?
The storms of life are a certainty. We have no choice in when the rain will fall, or how high the waters will rise, or how fiercely the wind will blow. Challenges, trouble, and difficulty will always be around in this life. Yet we can choose the foundation upon which we build our lives. In verse 24, Jesus says that “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice” will find their houses can weather whatever comes. Those who don’t act on Jesus’ words, however, can’t expect such security. In fact, their houses will experience complete destruction. What does it look like for you to build your house “on the rock?” How has God’s word helped you weather life’s storms?
Serving God and getting approval from others can go hand in hand. Being kind, giving to those in need, comforting those who mourn, and many other good works that come with being a Christian are often looked on favorably. But ultimately, growing in our faith and obedience is going to bring rejection from those who don’t submit themselves to Jesus. When that happens, we can rest on the assurance that we have God’s approval because of our belief in Jesus and what He has done for us. God will always look on us with favor, because we are His beloved children. Have you been caught between seeking the approval of people or the approval of God? What would your life look like if you truly believed that God looks on you with favor?
Comparing the one who trusts in the Lord to a well-watered tree is a striking simile. Such a person will always have life-giving water nearby to soak up through their roots. Neither heat nor drought can threaten them. And they will bear fruit without fail. Would you describe yourself as “well-watered” during this season of life? How will you continue, or what will you do, to draw life from God this week?
Paul’s earnest and passionate prayer for the Ephesians is about power and love. He asks for God’s power to give them inner strength and to help them know His vast and mighty love for them. It’s one thing for the believers to be “rooted and established in love” (verse 17), but yet another to grasp the incomprehensible love of God that is more important than knowledge of Him. When have you experienced the wide, long, high, and deep love of God? How has that experience affected your relationship with Him?
Here we see Jesus expose the religious leaders who try to question His authority. They cannot answer the one question he poses to them about John the Baptist’s baptism. Either answer they give will incur a negative reaction from the people, which would cause them to lose the approval of the people, so they refuse to answer. What does this passage tell you about Jesus, and how does it impact your understanding of the danger of craving the approval of people over the approval of God?
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize the man who traveled with them until they all sat down to eat together. The moment He took the bread, broke it, and held it out to them was when they realized He was Jesus. In hindsight, they recall to one another how they felt while traveling with Him when He taught them from the Scriptures. But it was when He met one of their most basic needs – giving them food – that they saw Him for who He was. Have you ever received God’s provision for a basic need? What did that experience show you about His love and care for you?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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