Luke 6:46-49, “Why does God have so many rules?” A Bible Study Devotion.

Luke 6:46-49, “Why does God have so many rules?” A Bible Study Devotion.

Read Luke 6:46-49

The story of the two builders has a lot of different lessons. There are many observations that come from the story; here is one of my favorite: Verse 46 says, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” In other words, both of these home builders consider themselves Christians. Both of them believe they have a saving relationship with Jesus. Both call him “Lord,” yet they both don’t do what he says to do. Guess what. Jesus tells you what to do for your own benefit. I’ll repeat that, Jesus tells you what to do for your own benefit. If you can learn this one lesson, it can change your life. You will no longer see God as a tyrant who makes rules to make your life miserable. You will see him as a loving parent who guides your path because he wants what is best for you.

What do the houses have in common?

• They were both built by house builders. The story does not say that one was built by a carpenter and the other by a bread maker. It is assumed that both builders knew how to build their house, but one cut corners. It says that both builders “heard” Jesus’ word, but one chose to ignore them.

• Both houses were going to see a storm. Jesus never says, “Follow me, and all your troubles will be gone….” it is not a question of “if” you will see storms in your life. It is only a question of “when.” In each case, the houses were hit with a storm. One was able to stand firm, and one was destroyed.

• Both houses look the same on the outside. This is a great nugget…. You cannot see the foundation of a house. If you drive down the street and look at the homes, you have no idea if they have solid foundations. The same is true with the people next to you in church. You don’t know if they have built their “homes” on the foundation of Christ’s teaching.

What is different about these houses?

• The material that is under the surface. One of these houses is built on the ground. One of them is built on a solid foundation of bedrock (Jesus’ teaching.) Remember that Jesus is not limited by time. (See my post, “God’s Helicopter view times two.” While it may seem like it goes against everything that you have learned so far in life, you must have faith that God knows what is best for you and can see the “whole” picture.

• The time that it took to build these houses. What is faster, doing the quick job, or doing the job the right way? What is better? This is obvious on paper, but do you practice it too? Imagine the one builder sitting in a lawn chair in front of his finished house sipping a cool drink while the other builder is still in the hole in the ground working on the foundation. Building on Jesus’ teaching takes more time; it’s harder work. However, Jesus says it will be worth it when it matters? Do you trust him?

Learn this lesson…

Jesus tells you what to do for your own benefit.

Why does God tell people not to have sex before marriage? Is it because he is mean? Is it because he does not understand relationships in the year 2010? Or… Is it because he wants you to know if you have a relationship without sex? Which one takes more time? Which one is harder to do? Which one is built on a solid foundation? Which one is more likely to survive a storm?

Why does God tell people not to lie? Is it because he wants to give your competition a leg up? Is it because he does not understand life or business in the year 2010? Or… is it because he understands that a lie is a prison that needs more and more lies to keep up. Do you want to be slave to a lie? Are you smart enough to remember what you said to every person? Can telling the truth be harder? Which one is built on a solid foundation? Which one is more likely to survive a storm?

Why does God want you to give the first 10% of your income to the local church? Is it because God “needs” your money? Is it because God does not understand finances in the year 2010? Or… is it because this is the way that God can teach you to not worship money. What does God say about the love of money? Does it seem logical to give away money? Which one is built on a solid foundation? Which one is more likely to survive a storm?

How am I saved? I repent and put my trust in Jesus… what does that mean, to trust in Jesus? Does it mean to do what he says even if it does not make sense according to what you have learned in this world? Which one takes more time? Which one is harder to do? Which one is built on a solid foundation? Which one is more likely to survive a storm?

Written by Chris Vasecka

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