Matthew 7:21, 24 - 27
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven." . . .
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Life is rarely "either/or." Motivational speakers, comedians, and preachers who say, "There are two kinds of people in the world . . ." are generally blowing smoke.
Most all of us live somewhere between the two poles, somewhere between the two extremes.
In this text, Jesus was not dividing the world into those who hear and put into practice on the one hand . . . and those who hear and do not put into practice on the other hand.
Instead, I believe he was making a statement about outcomes. He painted a vivid portrait of what life is like for the person who hears his words and puts them to practice. And he painted an equally vivid picture of what life is like for the one who does not build life upon the solid foundation of his words.
There is another realization that strikes me from this passage, too. If I'm completely honest, I cannot say that I am either this person or that person. I cannot choose from between these two types of people described by Jesus.
And the reason I cannot choose between them is because I am both of them.
There are times when I hear God's voice well, when my own capacity to hear God and see God is clear and unobstructed. In some of those times, I have the resolve to adjust my life to what I hear from God. I find the courage to live into God's design for me. I am enlivened by God's Spirit to grow more fully into the person God created me to be.
But there are also times when I do not hear from God, when I am preoccupied and distracted, when I fail to pay attention to God's still, small voice. Or there are times when, even after hearing what God says, I refuse to let go of what I hold in my hands. I get attached to security or applause or the approval of others. Then, when my center of gravity is somewhere other than God, I stubbornly resist God's prompting, leading or guiding.
I'm seldom one or the other. At any given moment, there are elements of both surrender and resistance within me. I imagine it's the same for you, too.
We might as well be honest about that.
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