Devo for 09/21/2025 Service - Message by Pastor Clint Sprague

Continuing our “Hike through the Sermon on the Mount”, we continued in the 7th chapter of Matthew.  The key verses were 24-27

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

In these verses, Pastor Clint pointed out that both of these men faced storms.  Just as all of us face storms (trials) in our lives, how we weather the storms comes down to our foundation.  Are we building it on sand (the world) or on rock (the Kingdom)?

Going deeper into the fact that we will face trials, we should take heart in knowing that, with God, trials will help us grow.  As we heard in the message, James explains it this way:

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” James 1:3-4

And even better than that, James lets us know that our endurance, here he uses the word perseveres, gets us blessed!

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  James 1:12

Storms and trials in our lives are never fun.  However, if you take the two verses as truth (which they are!), and you have faith that God will do what He says (He always does!), maybe on the next trial you face, you can face it knowing you will grow and be blessed as you persevere through it! Don’t give up!!

Don’t forget to invite God into your day!

Topic for Study

• Resentment

• Luke 15:11-32

• Proverbs 15:12

• Job 5:2

September Memory Verse: 

John 15:13

“No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends”