With the 24 hour weather and news channels available to us now, one can pretty much have a minute by minute analysis of what is taking place when a storm or hurricane occurs. One can actually watch as heavy rains deluge an area, as winds blow roofs off buildings and as flood waters rise to cover stationary objects. It should all bring to mind the words of Jesus when He said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24-25). Our success in building our home in heaven is dependent upon that which we build upon. Jesus tells us quite clearly that it must be built upon obedience to His word. The gospel of Christ is the only rock upon which we can build if we desire heaven. When Jesus was transformed before Peter, James and John and Moses and Elias appeared and talked to Jesus about His upcoming crucifixion; a voice spoke to the trio of apostles saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5). It was neither the law of Moses, nor the words of such prophets as Elias that God said we were to listen to, but the words of His Son. The Hebrew writer stated, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1-2). There is no doubt that the house that is built upon obedience to the word of the Lord is the house that will withstand the storms of life.

However in our day and age, many if not most, have placed their confidence of a home in heaven, not upon obedience to what God said, but upon various flimsy foundations. But, Jesus said, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:26-27). Let’s face it, if it is built on any other foundation than that of obedience to the word of the Lord, it shall fall.

Some place their confidence in what they feel in their heart. Yet, one’s feelings are directed by what one believes to be true, regardless of whether it is actually true or not. Jacob felt that his beloved son Joseph was dead, torn and eaten by wild animals, but his feelings were misled by false information presented to him by the brothers of Joseph (Gen. 37:31-35). Nowhere in the word of God will one find instructions to follow your feelings. Jesus did not say, “Ye shall feel the truth and the truth shall set you free”, but “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Others place their trust in what they have been told, without bothering to ascertain if that which they have been told is in fact what the Lord said or not. There was once a young prophet that trusted in the words of one which is referred to as “the old prophet”, yet that old prophet had lied (I Ki. 13:15-18). The young prophet died because the old prophet lied! It would do us each well to be as those Paul spoke of in Berea: “And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Great is the number of warnings found in God’s word telling us to beware of false teachers, for they are many. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matt. 7:15). The apostle John wrote, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1).

Many have built their hopes of eternal life upon the shifting sands of tradition. They doggedly continue in whatever beliefs and practices that have been handed down in their family, whatever they were brought up to believe and practice without ever questioning it’s verity. Just because something is believed to be true for a long period of time and by many of one’s ancestors, does not make it true. Had the apostle Paul “stuck with” the religion of his fathers, he would never have been able to say, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me in that day” (II Tim. 4:8), for he was born and raised in the Jewish religion and had to cast it aside for the gospel of Christ, the rock upon which he could build and trust it to withstand the winds, the rain and the floods.

So, just what kind of foundation have you built upon? Is it the truth of God’s word, or is it one of the flimsy, unstable foundations created by man? If you have not the sure foundation, you need to “rebuild.”

(Editor’s note:Send any questions or comments to: rcoliver@centurylink.net)