Solid rock

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading gives us a useful word about human behavior. Jesus tells his listeners that we act like who we are: you can't expect good behavior from bad people. At the same time, the "abundance of our heart" isn't always the same. Some days we can almost feel frustration build up inside us, and we find ourselves speaking and acting out of that abundance. Other days, especially days we pay attention to our blessings and the love that surrounds us, we feel full of goodwill and speak and act out of that abundance instead. What that means for Christian ethics is that we seek to be transformed each day more into Christ's image, replacing the evil treasure of selfishness inside us with the good treasure of God's love.

The second paragraph reminds us that calling Jesus our Lord is not enough, the point is following his word. If we don't follow Jesus any of our claims about what we believe ring hollow. Our lives need a solid foundation; otherwise the best building, the best education in the world will be wasted effort. As Christians our foundation is Christ our solid rock.

blessings,
Sam


Luke 6:43-49

43“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.


46“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? 47I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. 48That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”