“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27
My 8-year-old grandson who loves football informed me today his dad told him he wasn’t coachable. “Why?” I asked. “Because I won’t listen and do what he asks,” he said. Here is Jesus at the end of the Sermon on the Mount asking us, his disciples, if we are coachable. Every coach wants players willing to accept corrections and put them into action. Jesus asks his followers if they will trust him, humbly submit to his authority, and live in his way with a heart like his Father’s. God uniquely chooses and equips every member of his team. We just have to make the choice and commit to him.
A team isn’t built overnight however, it takes practice. Muscles aren’t built without repetitions, musicians don’t become skilled without discipline. Houses won’t stand against the storms without being built upon a solid foundation. Practice requires hearing and doing, listening, obeying, and putting your whole heart into it. Jesus said the house that stood was built into the rock. Petra is rock in Greek, which means not a stone or a boulder but a massive outcropping. We have to use the building materials of practicing to grow a strong faith, stand firm and defend the truth.
Are you coachable? Jesus says hearing his words and doing them will make us wise. Our culture defines wise as living in the present and living for yourself. God says wisdom is living for him, serving others and the eternal Kingdom. We have a rock to build on. Jesus isn’t looking for superficial saints but deeply invested disciples. Practice building your life by hearing and doing. You could take time to read the Fall Connections Guide handed out recently and listen to God’s “coaching” for your “practicing” this fall. What do you hear God calling you to do? Make a goal and a plan to build some spiritual memory muscle. If you need help, call our connections pastor, Yvonne Biel, at the church office: 303-797-1500.
By Donna Burns
