A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Friday, June 7,
2019
"The Ultimate
Catastrophic Failure"
Message
summary: I
was saddened
yesterday to see a
fallen bird nest and
eggs but far, far
sadder is the image
of fallen lives
destroyed by sin and
the failure to build
on the solid
foundation of
Christ. That is the
ultimate
catastrophic
failure.
Listen to our message on your audio player. "Therefore
everyone who hears
these words of
mine and acts on
them, may be
compared to a wise
man who built his
house on the rock.
And the rain fell,
and the floods
came, and the
winds blew and
slammed against
that house; and
yet it did not
fall, for it had
been founded on
the rock. 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—and great was
its fall" (Matthew
7:24-27).
I thank
God for the
mountains,
and I thank Him for the valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through. For if I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that God could solve them, I’d never know what faith in God could do. Earlier
this week we had a
strong storm come
through. Our lawn
had twigs and small
branches that had
broken off trees strewn all
about. Mowing the
lawn yesterday
afternoon I came
across a sad sight.
A bird nest had
fallen out of one of
our big oak trees
and splattered on
the lawn along with
the broken eggs
beside it. What was
the beginnings of a
new bird family was
shattered after the
nest gave way to the
heavy rain and winds
that blew and
slammed against it.
Christ's
parables deal with
pertinent themes
that would have
readily connected
with His initial
listeners. His
stories also have
remarkable
cross-cultural and
multi-generational
impact. He concludes
the message known as
"The Sermon on the
Mount" with an
illustration from
His work as a
carpenter (Mark
6:3). In fact some
2,000 years later we
still build houses
on solid foundations
which calls to mind
the old adage, "A
house is only as
good as its
foundation."
As I looked down at the nest and broken eggs a phrase from the daily text came to me, "and great was its fall" which prompted a consideration of today's passage. An engineer would call this a catastrophic failure defined as "a sudden and total failure from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading systems failure. The term is most commonly used for structural failures, but has often been extended to many other disciplines in which total and irrecoverable loss occurs." This illustration is the final point that Jesus makes in His "Sermon on the Mount." Although "these words of mine" may apply to all that Jesus said in His ministry, it seems that they would especially apply to His words in this sermon in Matthew 5-7. However, I also believe we do well to consider this application to the entirety of God's Word. Christ speaks of two different types of builders in Matthew 7: one designated as wise and the other foolish as He concludes the Sermon on the Mount. What distinguished these two builders was the foundation upon which they built. Jesus describes one foundation as built on the rock and the other was built on the sand. Both were subject to identical storm conditions but only one stood firm; the one that "had its foundation on the rock". The first foundation built by the wise builder is likened to one hearing Christ's words and putting them into practice; the second foundation is built by the foolish builder and is likened to one hearing Christ's Words but not applying them. The foundation is what a house is built upon and of course Jesus is really talking about our lives here on earth in this illustration. Both houses faced the very same storm. In fact identical wording is used: "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house." But one stood and the other fell. In studying today I especially noted that phrase "and great was its fall". The difference was not the ferocity of the storm but the veracity of the foundation. Our Lord's great emphasis in this teaching is that we are to be like the one whom He calls "a wise man". When our home was built I am thankful that consideration was given to strong winds since we have a large open farm field across from us with little to break the powerful wind! The mother robin who built the failed nest surely did as best as her instincts guided her. But the foundation was no match for the stormy winds. Today, you may or may not be facing howling winds in your life. But you will! We don't know the precise time they will arrive but they most certainly will. We, as God's people, need to pay careful attention to the words of Jesus and, equally important, we must put them into practice. By doing so, we'll not be blown away but will stand on solid, unshifting ground when the tidal waves of opposition beat against our spiritual house. I was saddened yesterday to see the fallen nest and eggs but far, far sadder is the image of fallen lives destroyed by sin and the failure to build on the solid foundation of Christ. That is the ultimate catastrophic failure. On
Christ the solid
Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber We
saw many
roadside
stands with
fresh
home-grown
produce, most
using the
honor system
of
self-payment.
Brooksyne is
dropping her
money in the
recycled sour
cream
container for
the 50 cent
tomatoes she
purchased.
We
enjoy visiting
with employees
at company
breakfasts and
luncheons.
Yesterday
Val-Co
provided "make
your own BLT
sandwiches", a
first for us
at a company
luncheon.
Val-Co makes
equipment for
both pork and
egg production
(mayonnaise)
so we helped
their
customers.
Yesterday
afternoon I
tilled the
small area in
front of our
porch where
Brooksyne
plants her
annuals.
Special thanks
to Stephen, an
engineer at
Val-Co, who
tuned up our
Mantis tiller!
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
"Through It
All" Video
Booth Brothers
This Sunday evening we plan to attend a Booth Brothers gospel concert in Lebanon, PA. Any local readers who may be interested in attending this concert and others in the summer "Music In The Park" series see this site. These concerts have no admission charge and a free-will offering is received. The concerts are held in an outside amphitheater in a beautiful setting. "Living Hope" Video Phil Wickham What is catastrophic failure? Article Finally today: A reader's response to yesterday's message on Embedded Rock; those hardships in life we can do little about and must learn to live with: I
am a Polio
survivor, having
contracted this disease
when I was just four years
old. I am now almost 80
and still dealing with the
after affects. While
for a good portion of my
life I lived an almost
normal life, but as the
years go by, I have had
less and less mobility.
Now I am either using a
walker or a wheelchair to
get around. God has given
me a wonderful
husband who takes care of
me. I am so thankful that
I have been well
cared for, first by my
dear mother, who is now at
"home" with the Lord
Jesus. Now my husband. God
is so good to me and I
praise Him for giving
me to many who care for me
in so many ways.
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