Wrapping the Pipes
How prepared are you for life’s difficulties?
Verse of the Day
‘Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.’
Today’s Devotional
Winter in Texas is notoriously fickle. One day it’s perfectly chilly, the following day it’s warm enough for short sleeves, and the next day the temperature could drop well below freezing. Those of us who live here know that there are certain things we can do to prepare for the drastic changes.
Recently, there was a several day stretch of below-freezing temperatures. These are the kinds of conditions that require preparation and diligence when our homes are not built to withstand these temperatures. We had to wrap all exterior pipes. We had to leave faucets dripping inside if they were on an exterior wall. Since my brother was out of town, we went to his house and turned the water off completely and drained all the pipes in his house so that nothing could freeze and cause damage.
What if Jesus is teaching us to continually wrap the pipes of our souls?
Jesus tells us that listening to His teaching AND OBEYING is like building our house on a solid rock foundation. But listening and not obeying is like building our house on sand. In both scenarios, there is rain and floodwaters and wind. Jesus is teaching us that there will be troubles on this earth. It will not always be easy. But doing the foundational work before the storm means that the storm will not cause destruction and devastation.
If we know that there will be “storms”, aren’t we responsible to prepare for them? Jesus says that the way we prepare for the storms of life is through continual obedience to His teachings. And we must know what He is teaching if we are going to obey. The best way to know what He is teaching is to be in His Word. Daily.
I can think of several things that God has invited me to obey over the last few days. There were situations which arose, none of them life-altering or earth-shattering. But in an effort to seek Godly wisdom on these matters, I searched Scripture. (The primary tools I use for topical search are openbible.info and gotquestions.org.) In one of these searches, I was led to 2 Timothy 2:24-25. ‘A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.’ My obedience, then, would involve kindness, willingness, patience, gentleness, and leaving the outcome in God’s hands. I can choose to obey or not. If I obey, I am building my foundation on Jesus. I am wrapping the pipes of my soul to prevent damage when the storms come.
Sometimes obedience is as simple as prayer and giving thanks. Sometimes it’s much more involved than that. But no matter how difficult the obedience seems, isn’t it better than having to deal with damage and destruction from life’s storms?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Describe the most recent spiritual “storm” you’ve had. Was there damage?
What was the last thing God invited you to obey? Did you do it? Why or why not?
How can you search Scripture for anything you are currently going through? What does the Word say?
How can you listen to Jesus and obey Him today?