What a week it’s been! With all the fires and displaced people and animals, some lives have been turned upside down. Then between doctor’s visits, financial difficulties and relationship issues it’s a wonder we are able to survive at all. But if you stop and think, it’s this thing we call life. Every human from the beginning of time has had these same types of issues and, if you can believe it, even those that don’t know Jesus as their personal Savior somehow find a way to survive! In reality I do not know how anyone could make it through life without knowing my Jesus.
The Sunday school workbooks for this quarter are titled, “The Rescue Begins.” The last few quarters we have been learning about the coming Messiah and how every book in the Bible points to the world that they need a Savior. And now, the rescue begins! Jesus is on the scene and only through Him we have the promise of eternal life! He will rescue us from sin and give us a place in the Kingdom of Heaven! That is what He has promised to all that have called on His Name.
But you know one thing He didn’t promise? He didn’t promise smooth sailing through life. Quite the opposite. He said that, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NIV).” We’re going to have troubles, problems and even death all around us, but we can overcome and have peace in these things if we know Jesus and trust in Him that He has it all under control!
In Matthew 7 as Jesus was finishing up His “Sermon on the Mount,” in verses 24-27, He tells us a very interesting story. He talks about two distinctively different types of people. Although they had everything in common and everything that they went through was the exact same, they had two very different outcomes. And the only difference in the two men was one was wise. He put into practice everything that he heard Jesus say. The other one didn’t put it into practice and Jesus calls him foolish. In this story both men built houses (Or were living life). Both men had the rain come down and the streams rising (Signifying the problems of living life). But the one that listen to Jesus’ Words, well, his house stood firm. The one that didn’t listen, his house fell with a mighty crash. Both living life but very different outcomes. Which one are you? Think about it. Naomi and I love y’all.