Gospel Reflections #413: It is God who builds the house, not us

Matthew 7:26 “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."

When we hear such words, don't we often think, "I have to do my best! Paul was speaking to the church in Ephesus.

Paul said to the church in Ephesus, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. It is not of yourselves, but it is the gift of God. It is not by works.

We can only "choose" to hear God's word and accept it. We cannot do the Word of God by ourselves. It is God who makes us do it, and it is by our choosing Him that He works, causes us to think, and causes us to act.

It is God who builds the house, not us.

We only have to choose whether to build on sand (our foundation) or rock (God's foundation).

God will then work in us, causing us to want to build a house, giving us wisdom and strength, and guiding us to build a house.

Our Jesus is the guide and the finisher of our faith, Paul affirms.

He is the only one who guides and perfects our choices. And it is by believing this and choosing God that we "put our faith to work."

Faith is a raw material, and if we don't put it to work, it may rot.

But the more we put our faith to work, the more it will come alive in us and be transmitted to those around us.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.