The Amish Voice 7
first, in order to live our lives righteously
as the Life of Christ brings fruit.
World Perspective
When I read an article or book, I like
stories and examples and would like to add
one here to help explain a world
perspective.
Nearly
all
Mennonite
denominations (whether they are driving a
car or horse and buggy) associate red cars
as worldly; I personally associated red cars
with being wild and worldly. Later, though,
I realized if there aren’t any rules
concerning color of cars, it becomes a
matter that few people even think about. In
fact, the average red car owner isn’t even
aware that his color choice is any different
than what any other color might be. In
reality, it isn’t any different. What can be
different is our motive for wanting a
particular color, and we can even have
pride in what we call a “conservative
color.”
Because it’s “where we draw the line,” our
rules are what we tend to think about most.
If a person only focuses on Christ, all of a
sudden that person starts to think about
Him and His way of Life. Suddenly, we are
all-consumed with following Him and
disregard all comfort and thought of
ourselves. If we are bearing our cross and
following Him, we will even give our life
for Him alone – all because we understand
that it’s about Him, not about us.
The World
is
Wrong
To conclude, I wish to emphasize that plain
people are right in recognizing that the
things of the world are sin and, in fact,
contrary to God. To live only for Christ is a
tall order, and we can only do this by
denying self. May we all deny ourselves
and follow Christ recognizing that our only
hope is in truly denying the world,
choosing instead Christ who is our
righteousness indeed.
—
J. Martin
Matthew 7:24-27 says:
Therefore whosoev-
er heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man,
which built his house upon a rock: And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock. And every one that heareth these say-
ings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man,
which built his house upon the
sand: And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell: and
great was the fall of it
.
Recently, we had the opportunity
to visit a cottage in the Georgian Bay
area. The entire area is one large rock, solid
granite with some soil on top. Trees cover
most of the landscape which is dotted with
numerous small lakes. The entire shorelines
are lined with cottages where Toronto resi-
dents come to escape the rush of the city.
As I looked around, I noticed that our
cottage had no foundation in the expected
way of digging down and pouring concrete.
Just a small glob of concrete in a few places
and some cement blocks formed the under-
pinnings of the cottage.
I wondered
is this a good way to build?
But when I consider that the entire area, as
far as the eye can see is one huge rock, I
understand. The support underneath us has
not moved in many thousands of years and
is more permanent than the houses or any-
thing else built on it.
Jesus, when teaching, spoke about the
importance of building on a rock. He was
not referring specifically to building hous-
es, but building your life. What is of value?
Houses may decay, burn or blow away, but
never have I seen a solid foundation such as
rock destroyed by fire, decay or wind.
As we go through life, we are in fact
building a “house”, or something we con-
sider valuable. Jesus was of course teaching
about more than building a house. He said
that his words were more permanent than
life.
Separation from the World (Part 2)
—
continued from page 6—
—
by J. Martin
One of the substitutes for building on a
rock is our tendency to lean on traditions,
teachings, and philosophy of men. This is
true in every type of church. Many people
who follow the teachings of their church
and hope that God will accept their works
of service. I once heard a person say, “I am
doing my best-what more does God expect
of me?” As long as we hope to achieve
peace of the conscience and ful-
fillment through what we do
for God, we will never get
there. Many of these
people do a commend-
able job of serving the
poor and helpless.
But, is it building on solid
rock?
Good as it is to belong to a church, it is not
the Rock. The church may refer to the Rock
(
Jesus), but adhering or belonging to a
church will not be building on the Rock. If
that were so, then it would depend on adher-
ing or belonging to the right church. There
are plenty of churches claiming to be the
right church. Who knows which one to
choose? If God selected His people He was
going to save based on their choice of a
church, then we are all in trouble. Also, the
Bible would stress how to choose.
So then, I shall live my life in a church
that promotes my well-being by pointing
me to what Jesus says. I need to keep the
teachings of Jesus always before me and put
into practice what He says. He says He is
the source of everything and will give the
Spirit to anyone who asks. He is the head
and, therefore, able to direct anyone to
wherever He needs them. If He says I am
needed in Africa or any other remote place,
then I have to obey, or I am just pretending
to be a believer and building on sand.
Will your house stand the test of a storm?
When the storm winds blow, make sure you
are built on the Rock that cannot be moved.
Eli Stutzman
8717
Beattie Road RR 1
Straffordville, ON N0J 1Y0
The Value of Building on a Rock
—
Eli Stutzman
