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: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV

Jesus told a parable of two believers; two church goers, two members of a congregation, two people who profess their faith in Christ. He called one foolish and the other wise. It was not Christ that determined their status or assigned their characters – one as foolish and the other as wise, neither was it their circumstances. Rather, it was their choices that determined their nomenclature, their status and their outcomes in life.

One, a hearer and a doer. The other a hearer only. He (the hearer only) hears but doesn’t do, he feels he is smarter, wiser. He is busy playing church, fooling himself thinking he is fooling the pastor, the church and everyone. He is doing eye service, maybe even becomes a leader, a deacon, or a pastor in the church. He is one man in church and another outside of church. He criticizes the pastor, analyzes the sermon, rationalizes the word, says amen to the prayers but mocks the instructions and trivializes the declarations. The Word he hears benefits him not. He isn’t doing the Word even though he is a hearer of the Word. He shouts “preach it pastor!” during sermons and tells the pastor after the service “What a word! That was wow!” but that’s where it all ends.

But here’s another guy, comes to church, pays attention to the Word, acts upon every principle, holds unto every promise, believes every declaration, carries out every instruction. He goes and evangelizes, makes it a daily assignment. He spends hours praying, reads a chapter of the Bible a day, he reads it voraciously, meditates on the Word daily. He has no excuse for reading and doing the Word, never too busy for the Word, he does not play the I’m-too-busy-to-read-the-bible card for he realizes it is his life. No other fun is more exciting than the Word, for his delight is in the Word of God and that is what he ponders on. He thinks about it, imagines it, and speaks it to and over himself day and night. He gives unto the Lord, he makes giving a profession. He is a doer of the Word.

Can you see a picture of yourself being painted here? Tomorrow we’ll continue to examine the lives of these two. Enjoy the rest of your day.