12月16日

標　　題：蓋在磐石上

經　　節：所以，凡聽見我這話就去行的，好比一個聰明人，把房子蓋在磐石上。（馬太福音七章24節）

基督徒生活需要付上努力的代價。基督教包括系統性地將神的話語，應用在自己的生活上。除非有恆地活出神的話語，否則不能有靈性的深度與成熟度。

耶穌當時才剛剛結束山上的講道，祂在那兒說明了最深刻的真理。神的兒子親自解明什麼樣的生活是討天父的歡喜。然而，耶穌知道雖然祂已經下了結論，但有些聽眾可能永遠不會在生活中實踐所聽到的道。

耶穌說，人把神的話語應用在生活上，就像一個聰明人把房子蓋在磐石上。磐石是很堅硬的，很難蓋房子在上面。這需要我們非常努力，才能把建築物蓋在磐石之上。把房子建造在沙土之上，會給我們立即的成果；把房子蓋在磐石上，則是又麻煩又吃力，並且沉悶乏味。然而，把房子蓋在沙土上的，會使工頭落在易受攻擊的地位；把房子建在磐石上的工頭則高枕無憂。

你如何分辨自己正在蓋什麼樣的房子？看暴風雨來臨時的反應即可得知。人生風暴會掃去那些不留心神話語的人，而那些把生命建立在神話語的人，會在任何風暴中屹立不搖。

靈性的成熟是沒有快捷方式的，唯有努力順服神的話語才能成熟。你下回聽到耶穌的話，要立即將祂的話語堅固地建立在生活中，以至於沒有任何人生風暴會動搖你。

Built on a Rock

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24)

The Christian life is hard work. Christianity involves systematically striving to implement the truths of God’s Word into your life. Spiritual depth and maturity do not come without consistent effort.

Jesus had just concluded the Sermon on the Mount, which sets forth some of the most profound truths ever spoken. The Son of God had clearly explained the kind of life that is pleasing to the Father. Yet Jesus knew, even as He was concluding His sermon, that some of His listeners would leave and never apply a word they had heard.

Jesus said that a man who takes the words of God and builds them into his life is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock. Rocks are hard to build on. It takes great effort to attach a foundation to a rock. A house built on sand provides instant comfort; building on a rock is laborious and tedious. Yet building on sand leaves the builder in a vulnerable position, while the one building on the rock is secure.

How can you tell what kind of foundation a life has been built on? Watch to see what happens when a storm comes. A life built upon the Word of God will withstand the very storm that sweeps away the life that did not heed God’s Word.

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. Maturity only comes through hard work and obedience to what God says. The next time you hear Jesus speaking, immediately begin to firmly build His truth into your life, so that no storm can unsettle you.