“Sand” or “Rock”

My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus’ blood and righteousnessI dare not trust the sweetest frameBut wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ the solid rock I standAll other ground is sinking sandAll other ground is sinking sand
When darkness veils His lovely faceI’ll rest on His unchanging graceIn every high and stormy dayMy anchor holds within the veil
His oath, His covenant, His bloodSupport me in the whelming floodWhen all around my soul gives wayHe then is all my hope and stay
Let’s just revisit and visualise itJust think about what that is gonna look likeWhen we hear that trumpet sound
When He shall come with trumpet soundOh, may I then in Him be foundDressed in His righteousness aloneFaultless to stand before the throne
“The Solid Rock” by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816-1868)
 a musician who composed the tune to “Jesus Loves Me”.

Sand has its uses…the glasses we drink from, the windows we look out of are made of sand at heated temperatures of 3,200 degrees fahrenheit.

Sand is essential in our lives for roads and highways, buildings, wildlife habitats and of course beaches…who doesn’t love a good beach day.  Where would we be without our beaches in the summer, by the water, to stick our toes in  and make sand castles?

It is one of the earth’s natural resources.  However, sand can be a weak structure, causing it to slump and prone to drying and erosion.  Not so dependable that you would want to build your house on it.

Rocks also have great purposes.  They help develop new technologies, building materials, cars, roads, appliances.  Even the minerals from rocks are in cosmetics for us women out there and even those we take orally for maintaining healthy lifestyles and strengthen the body.  Perhaps a rock is a good foundation to build your house on.

 

In Matthew and Luke, Jesus told a simple story to illustrate a spiritual lesson that of a foolish man who builds his house on the sand.

Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV),  Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Luke 6:46-49 (NIV), Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.  They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

If you hear God’s Word but don’t do what it says, you become a foolish builder who builds his or her house on sand.  That house will be crushed in a storm.  But when you hear the Word of God and obey it, you become a wise person who builds his or her house on solid rock.  That house will stand up to any storm.

Christ is the solid rock upon which we can build our house of faith.

Storms of life will try to beat us down.  They will best us and our integrity.  Just as important to build our houses we live in on firm rock solid ground, it is also perhaps more so to build ourselves, in our hearts to have a grounding in Jesus.

Why go through life living on slanted floors and leaning walls.  If our spiritual houses are solidly based on Jesus and His Word, we can have complete confidence that the pilings are deep and secure.  We will also make wiser choices as the Holy Spirit guides us even before the storms of life come.

Only in Jesus and His Truth, can we be assured that our foundation is rock solid.  If you don’t know Jesus but would like to have Him in your life, say this little prayer, from your heart, and ask Him in.

 

There is no better a foundation to build on…Jesus is immovable!