Articles
Are You Building on the Rock?
Reliable contractors and architects will quickly tell us that the foundation of a building is of prime importance. If the foundation of a structure is faulty, it will eventually sag and crack. This will cause the building to collapse when it comes under sufficient stress (Matt. 7:26-27). Jesus makes this application concerning one’s spiritual house, unless it stands firmly upon obedience to the Lord (Matt. 7:24-25; 1 Cor. 3:11; 2 Tim. 2:19). There are tests in time when our faith must reckon with the storms of life, whatever they may be. The “storms of life” could take the form of a severe sickness, the loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend, or other dramatic changes that will come our way sooner or later. Certainly, there will be the stormy judgment scene, when all that is not secure upon the Lord will be swept away in the eternal reckoning.
One of the most famous lighthouses in British history is the Eddystone lighthouse. It went through several building efforts in its long history. The first builder (a man named Winstanley) carelessly built the lighthouse without sufficiently scooping out the shifting sand. A great sea storm swept it away. A second was built on the spot by another builder and he made the same error as Winstanley. It suffered the same fate and was swept away in a storm. Finally, a man named Smeaton was engaged to build the 3rd Eddystone beacon. He constructed it entirely of brick and stone. He carefully scooped out all of the shifting sand and made the lighthouse sit upon the rock foundation that lay submerged beneath the waves (Luke 6:48). He changed the art of lighthouse building for those who followed his example.
Several years ago, a builder in Eastern North Carolina (who is a brother in Christ) had a good business of building turkey houses. These are long, narrow houses that may hold many thousands of our feathered friends. He built these “houses” all over that part of the state. One winter the area had a rare, major snow storm. The snow was a heavy, wet snow and accumulated on the tops of the turkey houses. Many of the houses in the area collapsed under the weight of the snow on the roof. But the houses that our brother built did not collapse. Many of his fellow contractors’ houses did go down. The difference was that our brother used the proper materials in building his houses. When he was supposed to use a certain size of board for support; that was what he used. His competitors used a smaller, weaker board which was cheaper and not what the building code required. It was a dishonest trick, and they thought that they could get away with it because it was hidden by the other construction around it. However, the snowstorm tested the sloppy, illegal work and found it wanting.
Many times, people get by with things that are unacceptable to the Lord, because others do not see past the surface and the outward appearances. They see only the partial view. The thinking and attitude, that is often not what it ought to be, is hidden or concealed and not out in the open. But the Lord knows the hearts and the attitudes of each and every single one of us. There is no hiding a shoddy foundation, or unsound spiritual construction, in our life and character from the all seeing eye of our Creator (Heb. 4:13). Sooner or later, we will be tested!
We must all build upon the solid rock of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is done only by loving obedience to His Word in all of our ways. Whatever we do in word or deed, we are to do all in harmony with His Will. This involves our actions being in line with God’s Word, and also our attitudes being true to the Scriptures as well. Otherwise, we are building upon the sand – it will not stand spiritually, and we will be lost. Friend, brother, sister, are you building upon the rock?
