{"id":11331,"date":"2015-06-24T09:46:24","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T14:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/?p=11331"},"modified":"2023-03-16T20:28:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T01:28:28","slug":"in-the-word-on-wednesday-matthew-726-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/2015\/06\/24\/in-the-word-on-wednesday-matthew-726-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Word on Wednesday: Matthew 7:26-27"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Free<\/p>\n

Our family loves going to the beach.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/p>\n

We usually go off season, which means we avoid the crowds<\/strong>, but it also means the water is colder than in the height of summer.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/p>\n

So we spend most of our time there playing in the sand <\/strong>instead of riding the waves.<\/p>\n

\"At
\nWe bury one another<\/strong> in sand…<\/p>\n

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\n… and we build lots of sand castles. <\/strong>We even cart along our sculpting set, so we can add detail work to our castles, like bricks and drawbridges and turrets and windows.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s a lot of fun, but we know from the beginning our sand castles won’t last<\/strong>, so we never invest an inordinate amount of time on them.<\/p>\n

Several years ago, we built a real house<\/strong>. A house to live in.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

That house took a much bigger investment of time and money than the houses of sand we construct on the beach. We had to do a lot of dirt work before we ever got started with the actual building, to ensure we were working on a solid foundation<\/strong>. We didn’t want the house to crumble when the storms rolled in, as they inevitably do.<\/p>\n

\"2003<\/p>\n

When Jesus contrasts the wise man who built his house on the rock with the foolish man who built his house on the sand, it is interesting to note that both builders had heard the same message<\/strong>. The difference was not in the knowledge with which they were working, but in what they did with that knowledge.<\/p>\n

The wise man chose to obey the words of Christ<\/strong>. The foolish man chose not to.<\/p>\n

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. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell -\u2014 and great was its fall. (Matthew 7:26-27<\/a>)<\/p>\n

They both worked hard. They both invested time and effort and capital in the construction. But the wise man’s obedience meant he was building on a solid foundation of rock.<\/strong> The foolish man’s carelessness meant he was building upon shifting sand.<\/p>\n

In actuality, the houses are metaphors for life. They beg the question, “In what am I investing my time and energy and effort?<\/strong> In something of eternal value, in obedience to Christ? Or am I sinking my resources into something that’s going to crumble when difficulties arise?<\/p>\n

As Francis Chan observed in his groundbreaking book, Crazy Love<\/a>, \u201cOur greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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This week’s verse can be found in the third set<\/a> of our Scripture Memory Flashcards:<\/p>\n

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[click on image to print]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/p>\n

And for extra practice on Matthew 7:26-27 (and other passages), I’ve made more handwriting printables, as well:<\/p>\n

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[click on image to print]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, in case you missed them, here are links to the first two sets of flashcards and practice sheets, too:<\/p>\n