A Matter of Building

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:21-29 ESV).

Life is a matter of building. Each of us has the opportunity to build something whether it be a secure family, a good reputation, a career, or a relationship to God. But some of those things can disappear almost overnight due to financial losses, natural disasters and other unforeseen difficulties. What are we to do? Daniel Webster offered excellent advice, saying:

“If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men’s immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with just fear of God and love of their fellow-men, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity.”

The key to this kind of building is in putting first things first. Haddon Robinson points out that one old recipe for rabbit started out with this injunction: “First catch the rabbit.” Says Robinson: “The writer knew how to put first things first. That’s what we do when we establish priorities, we put the things that should be in first place in their proper order. There are many things that we can involve ourselves in doing, most of which are good things. However, there are only a few “first things.” If our lives are to be the kind that will withstand the storms of life, it is important to do those first things. One of those things is prayer. The act of communicating with God is essential to establishing our lives on a sure foundation.

Most people don’t pray effectively because they have not made it the habit of their lives. There is plenty of habitual prayer that takes place in our lives, but making prayer the habit of our lives is much different than that. Genuine communication with God is like talking to your best friend. Often the subject is not crisis oriented, it is centered on the continued development and maintenance of relationship. I know that sounds and feels strange, but the more you practice that kind of prayer, the more you will establish a firm foundation for your life. Practice is the key.

Quarterback Tony Rice led Notre Dame’s football team to a national championship in 1988. Before the season, sportswriters wondered whether Notre Dame could beat the tough teams with a quarterback like Rice, whose passing often was inaccurate. They didn’t know that coach Lou Holtz had brought Rice a dartboard and told him to practice throwing darts an hour a day. Rice didn’t see how that would help his passing, but he did as his coach said. Soon he began to throw passes with more accuracy and confidence, both of which were evidenced in a banner season. Christians likewise find the practice of prayer on a regular basis will improve the action. Any activity will improve with practice. How’s your prayer today? Talk; really talk, to Him. He's waiting to hear from you now.