Have you ever set out to assemble something only to set the step-by-step instructions aside, saying to yourself, “I got this!” but end up with extra parts when done or, even worse, disaster? There have been many disasters in history because someone took a shortcut or cut a corner here and there. One example is the Deepwater Horizon tragedy of 2010, which took eleven lives and is the most significant environmental disaster in American history. Another was the Bhopal disaster of 1984 when 40 tons of toxic gas spewed into the atmosphere over Bhopal because of negligence resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.
Similarly, some Christians even take that same approach regarding God’s word. They look for shortcuts and try to bend Scripture to fit their desires and motivations or disregard certain aspects that do not agree with their chosen lifestyle. All of which ends in disaster; if not in this life, it will end in in the next. It’s been said the word “Bible” can be seen as an acronym that means “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.” How true! God gives us everything we need to know to live our lives in a way pleasing to His sight. Jesus, when teaching His disciples, told a parable of two builders, one who built his home on a foundation of rock, the other sand. Jesus said:
“Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
Matthew 7:24-27
For every Christian, God’s word is our foundation of solid rock that gives us the strength and endurance to weather the storms of life. When someone’s faith is built on the foundation of man’s word and promises, which shifts like the sand on a beach or in a desert, such a person will have no strength against the storms of life and will fall into temptation. Sure! No one is perfect, for Scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory,” but that should never be used as a license per se to cut corners and sin. No, we must do our best every day to live according to God’s word, and when we stumble, because we will at one time or another, we must be quick to confess, repent, seek the Lord’s strength, grow, and march onward.
How tragic when people know God’s word but fail to put it into action in their daily lives. Oh, but how joyous to see people who not only know God’s word but also live it out every day, for that is a major hallmark of a faithful witness and follower of Jesus Christ. As the people of God, let us embolden ourselves to live according to His word and seek His will daily so that we can be an effective tool in His hands to witness to the world and say in a unified voice that Jesus Christ is Lord. After all, that is our calling, our mission, which is to seek and guide the lost into the light, and how can we do so if we are not securely anchored in God’s word? The truth is, we cannot.
Therefore, let us be encouraged to study and anchor ourselves to the solid foundation of God’s word so we can withstand the storms of life and make a difference in the world around us.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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