BUILT UPON A ROCK

"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:24-27
These verses came to my mind several times during Hurricane Irene as we watched the strong winds and rain beating down, not knowing what damage we would find when it was all over.
This parable is actually talking about a person's spiritual "foundation". What is your "foundation" built on? Faith in Jesus, money, popularity, friends?
The wise man in these verses is one who has built his life upon the Lord. The storms of life may beat upon him, but as long as his faith is in Jesus, he will stand firm. Sometimes we have to hold on to His hand a little bit tighter during these times, but He is always there for us. That is why it is so important to daily read our Bibles and pray. Church attendance is also very important, as not only is this where we are taught the Word of God, but we are also among other Believers who can pray for and uplift us during our "storms". These are important "building blocks" in our foundations.
On the other hand, the foolish man is one whose spiritual "foundation" is built on things such as money, popularity, friends, etc. All of these can be taken away in a moment. All are like the "sinking sand" that he has built his house on. It is like building a house on the beach. When a hurricane comes, this house would be destroyed because the foundation was made of sand, and not rock.
During the "Great Depression", suicide was great among the rich. Their lives were founded on the money that they had, and when the banks crashed, so did their lives. It was very sad! Their foundation was built on sinking sand.
What is your life built on today? How firm is your foundation? Are there "storms" in your life that you are going through right now? If you are a Christian, stand firm. Keep praying and get those special "prayer warriors" in your life to help you pray. It will soon pass. If you don't know Christ as your Saviour, why not ask Him today? He is knocking at the door of your heart, but He won't come in until you ask Him. Let today be the day of Salvation, and the beginning of a new life!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)