“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” (Matthew 7:26-27, NKJV).
The law is not intended for the person whose obedience springs out of a desire to please God. He is not concerned about what is legal or illegal, what is permitted or forbidden. He has only one criterion: “What does my Lord desire?”
You can lay out all the law before him with all the rules, regulations and prohibitions, and he will say, “You don’t have to tell me not to do those things. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt my Father. I love him. I’ve already forsaken the world and its lusts to go after him whom my heart desires. Show me what he wants, not just what he forbids. I want his heart’s desire to become my actions. I want to know his mind and obey it. Sure, I love his law, but that’s for the lawless, for those who haven’t come into a knowledge of intimacy with Christ. I have another law at work in my heart. It’s the law of love, one that says, ‘Lord, what can I do to please you today?’“
Such a person isn’t moved by threats of hellfire or even by rewards. He needs no prophet to shake him, no warnings of judgment. He is in love with Jesus, and his obedience to God’s Word is a natural outgrowth of this love. It is as natural to him as breathing.
On the other hand, the person who builds his house on sand does so only for show. It is a temporary lifestyle. You see, this person doesn’t believe a storm is coming. That is the way the world deals with eternity; they simply don’t think about it. A Christian celebrity once asked one of the late-night talk show hosts, “What do you think about eternity?” He answered, “I try to put it out of my mind.”
Tragically, a lot of Christians also try to put eternity out of their minds. They try not to think that judgment is at the door. If you’ve caught yourself thinking only of the present, turn your eyes once more to your first love!