By Tracy Smith
“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 (NIV)
While on a recent road trip, we were
playing CDs we’ve had for years. One 20-year-old song is one I’ve always loved,
but have not heard in a while. The song is sung by the band Big Tent Revival
and is called “Two Sets of Jones’.” The song is a modern retelling of the Wise
Man/Foolish Man parable. It tells a tale of two young families. One family
builds its foundation on money, success and material things. The other builds its
foundation on Jesus. The chorus goes like this:
And the rain, came down,
And it blew the four walls down
And the clouds they rolled away
And one set of Jones' was standing that day [1]
And it blew the four walls down
And the clouds they rolled away
And one set of Jones' was standing that day [1]
The song goes on to
talk about how the family with the wrong foundation falls apart through hard
times while the other family stays strong.
The parable is
found is found in Matthew
7:24-27. Jesus points out
that those who hear His words and put them into practice are like the wise man
who builds his house on the rock. When the winds and rains come, the house is
standing in the end. Those that hear His words and ignore them are like the man
who builds his house on the sand. When the wind and rain come, the house
crashes down because the foundation was not firm.
The song asks two
important questions. The first: “Is your life built on the rock of Christ Jesus
or a sandy foundation you’ve managed to lay?” [1]
There are so many sandy foundations
we can build our lives on: money, success, looks, education, earthly
relationships, careers, etc. Each of us has to look into our own hearts to see
what sandy foundation beckons to us.
I’ll end with question number two
from the song: “There’s two sets of Jones’, which one will you be?” [1]
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What is the sandy foundation you struggle with? What can you do to avoid
using that as your foundation?
2. The video for the song shows the story of the
song, watch it here at this link (plus you get a flashback to 90’s styles!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7qPchMdcO8
FURTHER
READING:
Along with
being a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is a ministry assistant at
Oakwood and works with a great group of Junior High girls.
