Mt 7 Doing the Will of God
We please our authorities by doing what they expect of us. When their expectations are fulfilled and if we ask them anything, they happily oblige. In the same way, before we call on to the Lord, we must be doing His will. In other words, first we should have done God’s will and then only ask Him for mercy. If we simply call on to the Lord and is not keen on doing his will, we will not find a place in the Kingdom of heaven. We may have done great things in the name of Jesus. It is not the miraculous works done in His name that will promise us heaven, but rather, the simple ‘yes’ to God’s will and fulfilling them. Neither Prophesying nor exorcism can guarantee us heaven. Jesus sends away the “evil doers”. Anything evil cannot be part of Jesus or of heaven. It shows that doing evil will automatically lead to one’s exit from the Kingdom of heaven.
The good that we wish to do in today’s world must be done together with people of good will. Avoid the company of evil doers who will lead one to evil ways. “An evil doer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to mischievous tongue” (Prov. 17:4). Listen to wise people. Jesus calls the man wise who hears His words and acts on them. It is equal to building the house on rock. Jesus says: “the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock”. Falling of rain is a good thing; but if it leads to flood it can cause damage. A breeze is good, but when it becomes a heavy wind, it can lead to destruction. So, if flood and wind hit the house and they still remain firm, it has to have a strong foundation. Jesus says that those who build their lives on the word of God/His teachings are those who have strong convictions and faith in Jesus. Nothing would deter them from walking the path of truth and go ahead in life.
A person of weak faith is compared to a house built on sand. It will collapse with any wind and rain and flood. The house cannot withstand any powerful challenges. A person who has strong faith in Jesus can withstand the attack of any powerful opponent. How do we know that Jesus’ words are powerful? He taught with authority. The people were astounded at his teaching. His teachings were life-giving words. One could rely on them as solid as rock. It would not alter against the attack of the evil one. The evil doers will perish hitting against the rock that is Jesus. He has built his Church on this rock. To belong to Jesus means to be part of the solid rock. To be a disciple of Jesus means to build one’s life on Jesus’ teachings and to find one’s security in them.
St. Paul as he writes to the Romans notes that by believing in Jesus we are no more under the law, but under the grace. We are called to be obedient from the heart to Jesus who frees us from sin. We are now called to bear the fruits of sanctification. Such a holy life in obedience to Jesus’ teachings would not lead us to destruction and death but rather to eternal life. His words are full of wisdom and leading one to life. Listening to Jesus’ teachings would enable one to live in eternity with Him. We are reminded not to live in self-deception. A true disciple must listen to the words of his master and fulfil them to build up a rock-solid spirituality. Amen!
