Act

You know the Sermon on the Mount? Have you ever noticed how it ends? Jesus had been talking about who is blessed in the Kingdom of God, the way believers are supposed to act, the way we're supposed to love our enemies, the way to give, the way to pray, what not to worry about, and not judging. He talks about some other things too. And then it ends with this:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on 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 sand. The rain fell, and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell- and great was its fall!" (Mt. 7:24-27, emphasis mine)

Probably you know what I'm getting at here. We always talk about this passage in the sense of building a firm foundation of right beliefs. Knowing scripture and knowing right from wrong is the strong foundation, right? Um. Read again.

Jesus says that what will preserve the wise person is acting upon his words. Living out the entire Sermon on the Mount. Every word. Beliving these things, knowing them and understanding them? Not enough.

I love it when Jesus makes things a bit more difficult than we wish he would...