Luke 6:46-49 - I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice...

The Wise and Foolish Builders "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Commentary

The word Lord means Master; it means He has complete authority over our lives, that we belong to Him, and that we are obligated to do whatever He says. To call Him Lord and then to fail to obey Him is absurdly contradictory. A mere professed acknowledgment of His lordship is not enough. True love and faith involve obedience. We don't really love Him and we don't really believe on Him if we don't do what He says.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Lk 6:46). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Proverbs 11:14 - For lack of guidance a nation falls

For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Commentary

One of the marks of America is it's individualism. We talk about a "personal Savior" or "my calling". Yet the Bible was written to communities about communities. It was meant to be lived and expressed as a people, not a person. According to Scripture, each individual has something vital for the whole community. It is one of oldest schemes of our spiritual enemy, Satan, to isolate people. He knows that isolation will cut us off from the wisdom that multiple perspectives bring. Even in professional athletics, where athletes should know the game, the role of coaches are vital. We may remember major Christian leaders who have fallen publicly. When we learned more we found that they were essentially doing things alone. We all need a community around us that help us to see the blind spots that we won't see on our own. This is what makes victory sure.

Today's Commentary by:
David Whitehead, Pastor, Grace NYC