And everyone who is hearing these words of mine and is not habitually doing them shall be likened to an imprudent man without forethought or wisdom who was of such a character that he built his house upon the sandy ground. -Matthew 7:26
Am I hearing the words of Jesus? If I am I must immediately admit that He’s speaking something that’s very different from what the world is speaking.
The worldview of Heaven is different than the worldview of Earth. How am I going to deal with that?
The first thing that Jesus tells me is that if I try to build my life upon the world’s ideas rather than His, I’m building on sandy ground. I may end up with something that looks absolutely amazing but eventually what I build is going to be tested, and at that point foundational things become very important!
Around the world there are many houses owned by very wealthy people that are built on cliffs made of sand. They have prime real estate until the sands shift!
I’m grateful that from my early twenties the Lord has made me very aware of both Time and Eternity. I believe it was one of the fundamental truths that Jesus put into my heart after He saved me. Time is sand. God never intended us to build our lives upon it.
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. -Psalms 90:12
Our days are numbered. I’m baffled that most of the world lives like we’ll be here forever. We amass houses, and land, and possessions. We multiply these things like King Solomon!
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. -Ecclesiastes 2:10
We take great pride in our titles and positions and live like it’ll never end. But it’s all sandy ground! When the storm of death comes every bit of it is swept away. What is that vague sense of emptiness that people live with other than an inward realization that the things of time can never satisfy the yearnings of eternity in our hearts?
All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. -Ecclesiastes 1:8
Moses in his psalm prays that God would teach us to number our days. We obviously don’t know how to do that and need to be taught!
How common it is for people who are advanced in age to be acting like they’re going to be here forever. Why are so many building or remodeling homes when they will soon be leaving them? You’re at dusk, but you’re acting like it’s dawn!
And youth? It’s no guarantee of longevity.
I have to go a long way back to get to my high school days, but looking back, some of my peers didn’t make it out of high school! I don’t know which delusion is greater- those who are old and think they’ll be here forever, or those who are young and think they have a guarantee of growing old.
The reality of death has a way of crashing into our lives for young and old alike. Our days are numbered and none of us knows how many of them we have been given by God.
Living for this world is surely a foolish way to live!
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. -1 Peter 4:7
Those who build their house on the rock in this parable survive the storm. And why is that? Simply because the Kingdom of God is unshakable!
The Psalmist said, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Psalm 84:10)
It would seem that many people have reversed this today! They would rather live in the lap of luxury now and take their chances on eternity.
The sands of time run down the hourglass and with it everything we’ve built here. There are so many voices that try to soften this truth, but with sober certainty scripture asks, “But what will you do when the end comes?”
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes? -Jeremiah 5:31