When Jesus would preach to the crowds he would often follow it up with “He who has ears, let him hear.” This might seem to be a bit unusual to us but it made sense to the Jews who heard it. In their culture one’s ability to hear is directly proportionate to their obedience. And obedience is acting in accordance to what’s been said to us by others.
When we read the story of the two builders it is in the context of a parable at the end of his “Sermon on the Mount.” This sermon is recorded in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 and Luke 6 but we often read Matthew’s record of events more often than Luke’s. When Jesus started his parable it was with the context of being the last thing He said in the sermon. So when He says “these words” he is referring to everything else He’s just said beginning in chapter 5.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But 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.”
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
At the time of writing this, March 18th 2025, it’s the season of Lent. While I am not Roman Catholic some traditions carry over to the different denominations if they aren’t inherently heretical. This season of Lent is sometimes called the “Fasting Season” and at the beginning of March my pastor had a sermon about this topic to help us center our minds on this element of fasting. The purpose of fasting is to draw closer to God and build spiritual strength through the disciplines of surrender and devotion.
I use the term surrender rather than denial of self because that’s what my pastor did in his sermon. To deny oneself something is simply to not indulge or prevent oneself from being part of it. But surrendering oneself is the complete giving up and replacing our own desires with those of another. If fasting is just about not doing something then when it is over we go right back to the thing we gave up on for a while and there is no change in us. But if we replace it with something or someone else there will be a change in our lives and that’s what is supposed to happen.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
A person receives many blessings from obedience but they are not all financial, material, or instant ones which are quick to be noticed.
The first of which is that when we obey God we receive His indwelling presence and because He is with us we are provided with peace. When we repented and accepted Christ’s sacrifice for our sins He came and dwelt within us but through obedience we provide Him with more of our lives to be active in. When His lordship over our lives becomes a reality it will transform us. And this transformation enables us to receive the second blessing I’ve recognized God provides to His children.
He provides us with guidance in life. By coming closer to Him we are able to hear clearer for we’ve learned the sound of His voice from reading scripture and knowing who He is. As it is written in John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” And those who follow Him are provided life. This extends more than just having eternal life in Heaven when our time on earth is over but to our own lives as we still live here. He will provide us with direction and show us where to move.
Peace and Guidance are the two things I can guarantee without hesitation because they are things we all need in life and He promises to be with us all and to grant what we need. Matthew chapter 5 has a section addressing the habit of worrying about tomorrow. Jesus reminds us that the lilies of the field are dressed and the birds of the air are fed by God but we are even more important to Him than these other parts of creation. And if that is true, why wouldn’t our Father in Heaven care about us as well?
I moved out on my own and to a different state in 2022. It was a decision I made when things were changing in my life and I felt God telling me to move up the timeline when my plan was to do it in the summer, not January. When nothing else made sense the choice presented to me could be summarized as this; live by what I believed, that God leads and provides, or live as a hypocrite that has no willingness to live out that self-proclaimed trust.
It’s only now that I look back at that point in my life several years removed that I can see clearer how God worked things out. Had I moved in the summer, my apartment would have been rented by someone else and I wouldn’t have met my friend group at the coffee shop down the road from it. Friends who are so full of faith and strong conviction of the scriptures that I can’t but praise God for everything that He has done for me.
God provided me with a good job so that I could establish myself as independent and self-reliant. But now, I’m in another time of change for my life. The factory I got my job at announced to us in August of 2024 that it was shutting down.
Something that might be obvious to everyone reading or listening to this is that it took me a bit of time to produce this one. Currently, as I record this, it is August 5th 2025, and I have received my severance package from my company. But I do have a testimony of praise. I did what God has commanded us to do, be wise and plan ahead. When my severance date was first given it was June 20th. Things changed since then and it became August 1st. I searched everywhere in my area for a job that was closer to home and paid well. A diligence that God found favorable and He let me find one which cut my drive time in half and gives me more time to spend with the family.
Because of all this, I am confident to say that those who are diligent in obedience will receive the promised blessings. Just be patient and willing to go through the difficulties as they arise taking one thing at a time.
Until Next The Next Thought,
Courage and God Speed
A good word and a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
I appreciate the thoughts regarding fasting, a new perspective about surrendering.