That Was Then, This is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored
Released: May 2008 Tate Publishing & Enterprises
Book Excerpt: Chapter 1 Paulette Harper
BUILT TO STAND THROUGH IT ALL
Have you ever wondered how a building that was being erected would be able to withstand the elements of weather—earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, and the like? A building must also be able to withstand the weight of the occupants. If you and I are not contractors we may not have the complete knowledge of what goes into the development and restructuring of a building.
But what I do know is this: First, there are the building plans, which must get proper approval from the building planner and city before any work can be started.
Once you get the approval, the next step would be to secure the engineers, general contractors, electricians, plumbers, surveyors, and all those who will be part of this development. Knowing that each person is unique in his or her field of expertise, you would never hire someone unskilled to do a job they are not qualified for.
Next, the foundation must be laid. Building the foundation of the house is one of the most important tasks.
If the foundation is not properly laid, then the entire edifice will be unstable. A well-laid foundation is absolutely essential for a house. Once the proper foundation has been laid, we can now start building our house.
Now let’s examine what the Bible has to say about our foundation. First, it must be settled that our foundation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Word of God.
Matthew 7:24-25 (Amplified Bible)
So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a ]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:26-27 (Amplified Bible)
And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great and complete was the fall of it.
The bible is perfectly clear that we are going to face difficulties in life, we will face hard times, no matter who we are, no matter how much money we have, no matter what our status in life, what occupations we hold, how many degrees we have, and so forth; we are going to have bad times. The difference between these two builders is their ability to hear the Word and obey.
The same elements of life will hit everyone, trial, testing, and tribulations. And the storms in life do try to challenge our faith, they come to cause us to doubt the word of God and to discredit the promises God has given to us.
Jesus said the rain, floods, and wind will come to beat on the house, but if you hear and obey His saying, your house will be able to withstand it all. However, if you hear and don’t obey His sayings, your house will not stand, and Jesus said great would be your fall. Your spiritual ears should only listen to what God is saying; all other opinions, ideas, or suggestions do not matter. Real sheep hear and obey His voice; no other voice, that of a stranger, will we listen to.
The New Living Translation says the rain comes in torrents and the floodwater rises. Torrent, in the dictionary, is described as roaring, rushing, impetuous, violent stream, and heavy. Because your house is built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, your house will not collapse no matter how fierce or strong the elements.
We must be aware that it is extremely important that what you hear agrees with the word of God especially during hard times. Your flesh and the devil will tell you other wise.
I encourage you this day, no matter what this day has brought you, listen and obey to what God has said about your situation and circumstances. Don’t let the present condition dictate how you are going to respond and behave. If your foundation is built on Jesus Christ and the Word of God you can stay calm in the midst of the storm. Even when it doesn’t look like God has heard you and it might appear like God is not listening, but He is. He works in the rain, the storms and the test.
You are a strong house under construction, whose builder and maker is God. When everything else ceases to exist and vanishes away, the Word of God remains. God will never design something with the intent of that building crumbling, falling, or being demolished.
Under construction and built to stand.
Posted By: Paulette Harper Johnson
Tuesday, December 16th 2008 at 1:57AM
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