Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them, is like a wise man, who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24)
Neal Beidleman survived an unfortunate expedition in 1996, in which eight mountaineers died on Mount Everest. Some of them have paid 65,000 dollars for the opportunity to climb the peak of the world's highest mountain. When evaluating the causes of misfortune, Beidleman said, "Tragedy and catastrophe ... are not caused by a single decision, event, or mistake, but are the culmination of many things in your life. Something happens, and it becomes a catalyst for comes all the risks you've taken."
On Mount Everest, that "something" is a raging blizzard. According to journalist Todd Burgess, "If it weren't for the hurricane, the mountaineers would still have faced many risky challenges. But it was the storm that showed their weakness."
The things that are at risk in our lives today, whether spiritual indifference or disobedience, can overwhelm us when the storm hits. Jesus told a story about a wise and foolish housebuilder to emphasize the importance of obedience to His word (Matthew 7:24-27). He said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (verse 24).
Obedience to Christ does not remove the storms of life, but it does determine whether we will endure or fall when the storms come -- David McCasland
THE STORM OF LIFE REVEALS THE STRENGTH OF OUR FAITH
* Take from Daily Devotional