The flood of 2002 in Germany and the Czech Republic was called a "century flood". It had a big effect on the city of Grimma in the German state of Saxony ("Sachsen").

With nearly 700 damaged or destroyed homes, wrecked infrastructure like streets and bridges and an estimated 250 million euros in damage, the city of 30,000 residents was considered to be the hardest hit community in Saxony.

If people had previously been unaware of the danger, the 2002 flood alerted officials to Grimma's extreme vulnerability to the floodwaters of the Mulde river. With that knowledge, it was clear that something had to be done. It was decided to build a 2 km long flood wall on the old city side of the Mulde, with floodgates, to divert the Mulde’s water and avoid another catastrophe.

In spite of the knowledge of what had happened and the urgency to act, nothing was done was several years. Citizens' protests and a lengthy planning process delayed the start of the project, which is now scheduled to be completed in 2017.

The knowledge of Grimma's vulnerability did not help much in the last week. The Mulde river again flooded the city.

Jesus says we are foolish if we know what we should and we don't do it. In view of last week's events in Grimma, the analogy He used to make His point is interesting:

"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" (Matthew 7:24-27).

Everyone who desire to be a disciple of Jesus Christ must understand this: Knowledge by itself is insufficient. Acting on that knowledge is what matters.

With these thoughts I wish everyone a rewarding Sabbath!