My son loves his Mega Blocks. They’re like Legos, but they’re huge. He always wants to build the tallest tower. He puts them one on one of of the other until it falls over. He gets upset and says, “It’s too hard. I can’t do it.” I’ll then go over and remind him if he starts with a better foundation, he can build it as high as he wants. When we widen the base, it doesn’t go as high as he wants, but we are able to use all the blocks in the bag.
Jude 1:20 says, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit” (AMP). In this verse, he’s reminding us that it’s our responsibility to build the tallest tower with the blocks of faith that God has provided. The problem for many of us is that we don’t use the right foundation and our tower falls. The good news is that God’s grace is there to help us rebuild.
In Matthew 7 used a very similar analogy. In verse 24 He said, “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.” He then said when the rains come and wind blows, your house (tall tower) will not fall. By contrast, in verse 26 He said, “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.” When the rain and the winds came, that house (tall tower) fell.
The difference between the wise and foolish person was very subtle. They both heard what Jesus said, but only one acted on them. We are all building a tall tower. When we just hear what the Bible teaches, but don’t live it, we can be sure our tall tower will fall when the winds and rains come. But if we build on a solid foundation and actually do what Jesus taught us, our tower will survive. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].”
The world is full of people who know the words Jesus used. They try to use them against each other to change what they believe. Many people misinterpret what He said by taking a statement of His out of context. If you don’t know what He said, and how He said it, you can easily be deceived. It’s important for each of us to not just hear the Words, but to be doers (obeyers) of it. That’s how we start with the right foundation and build the way God wants us to.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 