“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24 NLT

​The opposite of solid is unreliable in this context. No one I know likes to think of themselves as anything less than reliable. We prefer to be remembered as trustworthy, dependable kind of people. The best way to be like this is to listen to, and follow, the teachings of our Lord Jesus. Then, when life gets tough, we will be consistent and be able to hold on with strength.

“Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”  Matthew 7:25 NLT

We will not collapse when we hold on to Christ. Even if the floodwaters rise and we feel like we are drowning, and the winds beat against us, causing our lives to shudder with their power, we will hold fast.

How often have you looked back at certain times when you didn’t react well, gave in to pressure, or collapsed under the mental strain of a situation? We often wish we had done better and feel disappointed in ourselves that we caved in.  We wouldn’t want these days back again (they were tough enough), and we reluctantly admit we let ourselves down.

Sometimes it has just been a slight loss of ground, whereas other times we have had a complete breakdown. As Jesus described:

“When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”  Matthew 7:26,27 NLT

If we have had a mighty crash, we remember it all our days, and if we recover, we do practically anything to avoid another. Hopefully, we learn from our mistakes, and rather than make the same blunders, we change.

“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.”(verse 26)

Sadly, we all know people who ignore the teachings of Jesus and never seem to learn from their mistakes. Perhaps, one day, they will be foolish for the last time. Perhaps, one day, they will begin to listen to the teachings of Jesus.

Be determined to live a consistent, steady life, being reliable to the people around you. Knowing there is always someone to lean on can make an enormous difference to those who depend on and work with us.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT