“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them. He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!”  Luke 6:49-49 HCSB

I recently told you that I spent much of my spiritual life like a yo-yo, up and down. My problem was my foundation. I was hearing God’s word, but I was not obeying God’s word and it caused my foundation to be easily moved or shaken. I was merely riding the highs and lows of my circumstances. I spent a lot of time dwelling on the fact that if others would simply do and behave as I wanted them to that it would be all better. For a while there, I just didn’t get it. You see when our foundation is lacking, we lack wisdom and discernment. If we aren’t careful, God can harden our hearts.

But when I got back into church full-time and started to study the Bible and pray daily, things started to change. My foundation was becoming more solid. But I still had areas in my life where I was disobedient. I would sit in the pew and listen to the sermon, but then I would say, “Well, I can’t do that and God understands why, so I’m good.” But, it just didn’t work that way.

I was calling Him Lord, but I wasn’t doing what He clearly told me to do. I was calling Him Lord, but in my life He was not Lord over me and my actions. You see, I wanted His provision and HIs protection, I just didn’t want to do what He told me to do. It reminds me a great deal of my life with my parents at times. I wanted them to take really good care of me, but I didn’t always want to follow the rules. But eventually I wised up and came to realize that when I was disobedient, it only lead to disappointment not only for them, but for me also. They loved me even when I broke the rules and in time I came to realize that those rules were there for my protection. By obeying their rules, my life was better and safer.

It’s the same way with our heavenly Father. He doesn’t want us to have a good life, He wants us to have a great life (John 10:10)! He wants to provide our every need. He wants us to live safely in His shelter, but He won’t force us to do so. He gives us the choice. In Deuteronomy chapter 27, Moses literally lays out the laws for the Israelites. In chapter 28, he tells them that they will be blessed if they are obedient, but will suffer great curses for disobedience.

Throughout the Bible we see this. We see God fearing people greatly blessed and we see those that are disobedient brought to destruction. A prime example of this is David and Saul which you can read all about in the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. Saul had been made king, but because of his disobedience he lost his sanity, his life and his title. God removed it all. David took his place and was a mighty warrior who won great victories because of his obedience to God. David sinned with Bathsheba and suffered great loss. He lost his child and there was never peace in his home after that.

When we disobey God’s word, we disappoint Him. If God’s not happy with us, we won’t be happy. Suffering disappointment because of disobedience is way different than suffering disappointment when you have been obedient. You see we are not guaranteed everything we want just everything we need. So there will be times when we will want things and not get them. As we mature as Christians we come to learn that there’s good reason when God tells us no and those reasons are for our own good. We understand that God has better plans for us.

So remember, you can build the most beautiful house you’ve ever seen, but if you don’t have a solid foundation you will soon be really disappointed. If the foundation of our lives is disobedience, we will suffer one disappointment after the other. Is it really worth it?

If you have been disobedient lately and are disappointed with the results, you can change all that. Build a good, solid foundation for your life through Bible study and prayer. Don’t neglect to attend church and interact with other Christians (Hebrews 10:25), they provide a good framework of support. And most importantly don’t just read and hear God’s word, do God’s word. You will never be disappointed when you trust and obey.

Have a great day!