Act On It.
In this week’s readings from the bible reading plan, we finished the sermon on the mount on Monday (Matthew 7). It’s an amazing bit of teaching from Jesus, world-changing, personally convicting, and far reaching. But I want to highlight how it ends – because I think it’s what is so often missed:
24 “Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 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. 26 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. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
Jesus tells this little parable of those whose house stands through the storm vs. those whose house crumbles.
Do you see what the difference is? It’s those who hear his teaching,
and act on it.
It’s not the hearing (or the reading!) that really matters. It’s the doing.
As someone who reads a lot of the bible, reads Jesus’ teachings in the bible, and reads other people teaching about Jesus’ teachings in the bible – and teaches it all myself – I need to remember this.
It’s the doing, the acting that really matters.
I mean, it’s wonderful for us all to understand the original meaning of such and such, and to know theology, and to have great ideas, and to have memorized scripture – amen to all of it! – but if we are not acting on it, it’s like we’re building on shifting, sinking, self-decieving sand.
It’s pretty simple actually: if we live our lives by acting on Jesus’ teaching, we’re on solid ground. If we ignore it, we’re not.
So think back on any of Jesus’ teachings – his parables, his scattered sayings, his long discourses…think back through the sermon on the mount, for instance.
You’ve heard and read it. Now act on it.
“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Now act on it.
“You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Now act on it.
“Do not worry about tomorrow.”
Now act on it.
“Love your enemies.”
Now act on it.
“Pray then in this way.”
Now act on it.
“You are the light of the world.”
Now act on it.
We overcomplicate things, and some of what Jesus says can seem overly complicated. I get it. But let’s be a church that is continually committed to figuring out what Jesus is saying to us and has said to us, so that we can act on it. As we do, we’ll find a solid ground and a firm foundation that will withstand whatever storm comes our way.