The Valley Chronicle - h2Clergy Corner - Castles in the sand? Don’t

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Susan Beckett.[/caption] ■ By Susan Beckett / Contributed How many of you would love to own a beachfront home? And when I say beachfront, I mean right on the beach - sand and all. I sure would; I love the beach. But really, how smart is it to build a home there? A while back I heard reporter John Stossel speak on this very issue. Apparently, there’s a government program that helps bail out beachfront homeowners whose homes suffer damage or are destroyed when storms come. According to Stossel, these programs actually help homeowners build and rebuild on beaches. One government program pumps sand back onto beaches year after year, (it’s called beach nourishment) which according to one online source, is a “less-than-smart” idea. Yeah, it sounds pretty crazy to me! It would probably be a good idea for these people to check out the Bible building code on “sandy foundations” before proceeding again and again with their building projects. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus addresses this very issue when he teaches about the wise and foolish builders. The wise man built his house on a rock, so when the rains, floods and winds came, the house was still standing after the storm because of the solid foundation. The foolish man, who built his home on sand, suffered total loss. What Jesus is talking about here is how we build our lives and more to the point: what or who is our foundation? Because we are the construction workers of our lives, we need to make sure our foundation is a secure, solid one — able to withstand the trials and storms that life brings to all of us. Everything in your life builds on top of your foundation - everything! Your foundation can be your career or all your fun stuff. It could be sports, music, money, beauty care, mall shopping or even Facebook. The problem with all these things is that they are all temporary like castles in the sand. When the storms of life hit, which they will, these things can disappear faster than you can cry uncle! I Cor 3:11-15 puts it this way: “You are God’s house…let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember there is only one foundation [one rock] … Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out…” Years ago our family went through some tragic circumstances when our oldest daughter and her husband lost their newborn son and just over two months later our youngest daughter’s husband passed away. Trust me it was difficult, but we had the support of our incredible congregation plus a faith in God that was strong. Our “house” was built on the rock. Not long after all this, a young lady came to me to tell me she and her family were leaving our fellowship. Her reason? “If all these terrible things have happened to your family and you are the pastors, I don’t think I stand a chance if something like this happens to me!” My response to her: “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ something difficult comes your way but ‘when.’ Meanwhile, why don’t you stick around and see how our family handles these tough circumstances?” This entire scenario reminds me of Dottie Rambo’s old song, “I Go to the Rock.” Check out verse two: “Where do I hide till the storms have all passed over? Who do I run to when the winds of sorrow threaten? Is there a refuge in the time of tribulation? When my soul needs consolation, I go to the Rock!” When your world falls apart, where do you go? When all hell breaks loose, what’s the foundation you stand on? Are you left standing on sinking sand or solid rock? It’s our choice! I’m a lot like Joshua in the Old Testament, when he stood before the people and made this declaration of his foundation: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

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Pastors Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet. For more information, visit them at DPCityChurch.com