Last Updated on June 23, 2018 by OCF Communications

by Col Larry Simpson, USAF (Ret.)

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

I think that deep down inside most of us generally have a sense of how to respond to adversity and challenging circumstances. So the question isn’t “What should I do?” but “How will I choose to respond?”

Will you succumb to the demands of the event or will your response come from the foundation of your spiritual life? Jesus said that everyone who hears and acts on His words is wise. That wise one will be the person all eyes turn to in the midst of tragedy and need.

When I was a child, we played a game called Follow the Leader. As an adult, it is not a game. The world is watching, and those in our sphere of influence will follow our lead. The strength of our building materials will be revealed by how our life of faith is lived out when the rains fall and the floods come and the winds blow. In the leader’s case, how we walk in view-and out of view-of the public’s eye will speak volumes about what we truly believe and the source of our strength.

In these days of rapid-fire media, the leader’s challenge is to display a Christ-like response when life-changing moments arise, and thus be the “wise man” with a firm foundation.

  • Act on the teaching of Scripture and help others to do likewise.
  • Model biblical living and live out your faith in front of others.
  • Serve as a ready testimony; realizing that in and of yourself, you cannot do anything, but through Christ, all things are possible.
  • Display faithful actions that withstand the potentially destructive effects of adversity.

Continue standing firm on the rock of your salvation!