Built on Sand

Jesus spoke: “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. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7:24-29)

Here, the Lord Jesus addresses two different approaches to life. One represents the person who relies on himself and his vision of the future, and builds his life upon that. The other approach is based on trust in God. We recognize this in the fact that the “wise builder” listened to the words of Jesus (God) and put them into practice. Both men were caught in the fierce storm, but one’s approach failed spectacularly, while the other’s withstood the storm!

I’ve said it so many times before: without Jesus Christ in your life, you cannot find true happiness. You can obviously get by just fine for a long time, but what happens when the going gets tough? What if you’re diagnosed with cancer? What if a child is born with a severe disability? What then? What if a market crash halves your savings in an hour—what then? What if your partner has a fatal accident? What if you get laid off from that “oh-so-secure” job? What if a flood, like the one in the “Ahr Valley” in Germany, washes away all those beautiful houses in a matter of minutes? What then? Then the foundations of life are completely destroyed!

Yes, this happens to Christians just as much as it does to non-believers. BUT, we have an all-powerful Friend who has sworn not to forsake us or fail to come to our aid in time! That is a huge and crucial difference. (Hebrews 13:5)

People can only endure a certain amount of hardship; after that, difficult events begin to take a toll on the psyche. People start drinking, taking drugs, retreating into the virtual world, or becoming depressed or aggressive. But none of that has ever helped anyone get back on track—quite the opposite.

Help is found in the Lord who created heaven and earth, and He calls every single person to Himself.

“My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches over you will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:2–3)

However, it is up to each person to decide how to respond to their Creator’s call. God does not force anyone into anything. Satan works through coercion. He delights in leading people into physical and emotional dependencies. But in Jesus Christ we find freedom, and he even frees people from Satan’s miserable clutches—we just have to be willing.

Many must first taste the bitter aftertaste of sin to develop a longing for God’s freedom. I see this time and again. Some must walk difficult paths, but if you find your way to the Savior in the end, it was still worth it! It is better to have suffered here on earth but found the right path than to be lost for eternity. That is immeasurably better! With this in mind, I urge everyone to seek the presence of Jesus Christ. Amen.

“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37)