Monday, June 28, 2010

Foundations, Builders & Storms

In the book of Matthew Jesus tells us about, among other things, two buildings. One is built upon the sand and the other upon the rock. But have you ever noticed that the focus of Jesus’ illustration is not only on the foundation? For that matter, neither is it only focused upon the storms. The focus is also upon the builders.

One builder is wise and the other foolish. The wise builder is the one who hears and does. The foolish builder is the one who hears and does not.

Biblical scholar, William Barclay, makes a good point concerning the difference between doing and not doing.


"knowledge only becomes relevant when it is translated into action. Knowledge must become action; theory must become practice; theology must become life. There are thousands of people who listen to the teachings of Jesus Christ every Sunday, and who have a very good knowledge of what Jesus taught, and who yet make little or no deliberate attempt to put it into practice. If we are to be in any sense followers of Jesus we must hear and do.”

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock…and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:" (Matthew 7:24-26)

There are at least two ways to interpret the storms. The storm can be symbolic of the “Storms of Life” (i.e. difficulties, challenges, conflicts, tragedies, and spiritual warfare). On the other hand, as in the OT (and also in Jewish writings), the storm can represent “The Judgment of God.” Such is the case in Ezekiel.

“… because these evil prophets deceive my people…It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Tell these white-washers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down. …I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm…" (Ezekiel 13:10-13)

You might take issue with the idea of a storm representing the judgment of God. You may say that this amounts to no more than attempting to scare people into the kingdom of God. I’m not so sure that fear is such a bad thing.

Let’s imagine you are asleep in your house and your neighbor is aware that a devastating storm is upon you. And that neighbor comes a-pounding upon your door and frightens you. You awake with a start. You’re angry to be awakened from your peaceful slumber. You decide to go to the door and give that neighbor a piece of your mind. When you open the door he insists, with some sense of urgency, that you leave, right away. You say that you’re not going anywhere because you do not believe. But as the neighbor tells you the extent of the destruction that is coming your way, fear sets in. You are convinced. You rush out to safety, just before both you and your house are swept away. You might agree that your neighbor motivated you by fear but you just might also thank that neighbor, profusely, for scaring you to safety and saving your life


Foundations, Builders and Storms. The bottom line is, if the house is not built upon the proper foundation, when the storm comes, it will fall. So it is with a life that has been built upon a poor foundation. It will fail. The necessary tool by which this house must be built is faith. The foundation upon which it must be laid is the rock. And the end result of building by faith upon the rock is salvation. There is only one salvation and it is only secure when it is founded upon the rock. It is a scary thing to be told that there is a devastating storm a-comin'. God promises that the life founded upon the rock, no matter what storms may come, it will stand. If you are a wise builder, you will build your house upon the solid foundation.

Additionally, it is very encouraging to realize that this foundation is so solid that it can be referred to by no name, other than Rock. Perhaps Jesus' illustration in Matthew is what Edward Mote had in mind in 1834 when he penned the words, "On Christ the Solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."

One final thing. Frankly, when we consider the times in which we live (i.e. disastrous oil spill; disastrous economy, disastrous unemployment; disastrous spiritual condition of the country), it is all the more urgent that men, women and children build, by faith, upon The Rock.

I am reminded of the timeless words to the song written by Ruth Caye Jones. "In times like these, you need a Savior. In times like these, you need an anchor. Be very sure. Be very sure. Your anchor holds, and grips the solid rock. This Rock is Jesus."

May you be encouraged throughout the month of July by this rock solid reminder from the heart and mind of Victor.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Say It Again


Concerning the Internet: It has opened up a world of opportunity for every single person who feels they have something to say. There are blogs and sites for every imaginable subject under the sun. And, in the case of science and religion, everything in the universe. Now, everyone wants to be a philosopher offering their commentary and opinion on everything in the cosmos. I suppose in saying this, I am pointing a boney little finger right back at myself, as well. Oh well. Confession is good for the soul.

Here is what I am leading up to. Sometimes, we don’t need to say anything, other than what has already been said. In my studies, I often run across some very good quotes. I frequently discover that a thing cannot be stated any better than it has already been stated. This is probably why there have been so many books published containing significant quotes by famous people (e.g. Quotable Quotations by Lloyd Cory; “Tale of the Tardy Oxcart” by Chuck Swindoll; “Who Said That” by George Sweeting). So, with this in mind, here are a few quotes that have resonated with me over the years.

“Christianity demands a level of caring that transcends human inclinations.” Erwin W. Lutzer

“Being part of an agenda beyond ourselves liberates us to complement each other rather than compete with each other” Joseph Stowell

“You have not been saved to sit back and wait, you’ve been saved to serve in faith.” V. L. Stanley

“You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters are continually flowing on.” Heraclitus

“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” Winston Churchill

“Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil.” Mohandas Gandhi

“They that know God will be humble, and they that know themselves, cannot be proud.” John Favel

“We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount…Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.” Omar Bradley

“A smile is the universal welcome.” Max Eastman

“Love and a cough cannot be hid.” George Herbert

“In the beginning God made a man and a woman and set them on earth. Then the man and woman looked at each other and burst out laughing.” African Myth

“We are not saved by continuing in the faith, but rather we continue in the faith because we are saved.” V.L. Stanley

“Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children. Now I have six children—and no theories.” Lord Rochester

“Little pots soon boil over.” Anonymous

“Always take hold of things by the smooth handle.” Thomas Jefferson


“Life is an onion and one cries while peeling it.” French Proverb

“It is not how many years we live, but rather what we do with them.” Evangeline Cory Booth

“To teach is to learn twice.” Joseph Joubert

“Words are loaded pistols.” Jean-Paul Sartre

“We have a head on us for the same reason a pin has: to keep us from going too far.” George Sweeting

“If you would master temptation, you must first let Christ master you.” Anonymous

“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” Charles Hadon Spurgeon

“To catch even a glimpse of understanding concerning God’s love serves to cast out fear, so that our serving is done out of genuine thanksgiving and humble adoration, rather than personal guilt and morbid fear.” V.L. Stanley

Perhaps you noticed that, interspersed among these quotes, were a few that have been credited to “Yours Truly.” What can I say? Like I said, everyone wants to be a philosopher.

Philosophically and spiritually yours, From the Heart and Mind of Victor.