Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I…
I spent many sunny summer days standing on the edge of the lake with my feet in the sand. The kids haven’t outgrown building sand castles or creating motes to fill with minnows, turtles and frogs so the shovels and buckets usually accompany our trips to the beach. When they tire of swimming they attempt to bury a sibling in the sand until little toes wiggle and the casing cracks right open freeing the unseen child. All summer long my car fills up with little granules of sand that stick to legs and feet so we can bring home a little bit of the beach with us.
Every year, someone starts a grand project on the edge of the beach, digging deeper than ever before, creating something newer and better than last year. When the creation is complete, the kids jump into the water and splash and play only to discover when they return to the beach that their work is washed away by the waves.
Just like the man who builds in sand, the rains and winds will bring the house crashing down. What is the difference between the man who builds his house on the sand and the one who builds on solid rock (Matthew 7:24-27)? The sand might feel good between our toes; it’s malleable, warm and soft under our feet, but it crumbles under the slightest pressure. The foolish man who builds on the sand is described as the one who hears the word of God but does not put it into practice. How easy it is to build upon sand! We love to listen to a good inspiring message and soak up the Word of God through beautiful worship, but are we just looking for comfortable Christianity where we come to church only to receive blessings from God? Are we building where everything feels cozy and we are not challenged to act upon the truth we hear? The problem with this type of faith is that when storms come and life is not so sunshine filled, there is no strong foundation for security. Easy believism leads to Christians who crumble under pressure like a cracking sand castle.
I am so convicted by this verse. I don’t want to be a wishy-washy Christiafn who isn’t willing to step out of my comfort zone to listen to God’s Word and follow His hard commands.
The contrast is the Christian who walks the walk, who humbly follows God’s Word and lives according to it. This wise man is building upon the Rock…the foundation of Jesus Christ. When storms come (and they will), faith that is built up by continual obedience will stand strong.
The apostle Paul also talks about how we build upon our foundation of faith.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:13
May our lives be solid because we are placed upon the Rock and we have built our homes with quality materials (Proverbs 14:1). May we rest securely in a foundation of truth and a life lived out for the Lord.
Heather
Amen, Heather. Even though we have storms in our lives, we know where to turn to. I am glad that I build my faith on the Solid Rock, and not my own abilities.