Jesus told the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49 to show that one must prepare for the storms of life or possibly face destruction.
The Revs. Joe Weaks and Mark McCuistion say the best preparation is to read the Bible, pray, go to church and increase one’s faith in God.
“Real life is filled with stormy days,” said the Rev. Weaks, co-pastor of Connection Christian Church. “Infuse your faith with spiritual discipline so that when the rains do come, you will have a better chance of survival.
“Jesus told this parable because he had challenges throughout his ministry and he knew what real life was like.”
Weaks said the story about the foolish builder who built his house on sand and the one who built on rock refers to people who depend on things like material possessions as compared to those who rely on Jesus and his teachings.
“It’s a cautionary tale for the modern Christian because we can’t rely on our faith in trying times if we don’t strengthen it along the way by engaging with the faith community in regular worship and developing our spiritual discipline through prayer and reading the Bible as well as practicing kindness, good stewardship and generosity,” he said.
Weaks said he had conducted funerals for people whose relatives had crises of faith because they had not previously invested in their faith. “You can’t retire and suddenly have a 401K as a resource if you haven’t invested in one along the way,” he said.
The story as related in Matthew says in part, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
“The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash.”
The Rev. McCuistion, pastor of the First Church of Nazarene, recently had his faith put to the severest test imaginable when he underwent treatment for stage 4 stomach cancer in Houston and Siloam Springs, Ark.
“I read Psalm 107:20, which says, ‘He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave,’” McCuistion said. “This storm was the worst I ever had, but God healed me.
“Jesus told this parable so people would see that they had to understand what God said or they would be foolish.”
The pastor said people often don’t prepare for trouble in their finances or relationships and are crushed when trouble comes.
“The most foolish person of all is the one who has not prepared for the final judgment,” he said. “When you die, are you ready to go before your maker or not?
“Build your life on the foundation of the word of God, which is true and solid and never changes.”
