Well, I have been on a bit of a hiatus once again. Life has just picked up and I haven’t been able to slow down. A couple weeks back I started a new job as an administrative assistant. I figured it would be good to get some experience in “the office”, so to speak, before I start any sort of college or career. This way, I will get the “know-how” and I even get paid for it! Imagine, being paid for learning. Who would’ve thought? 🙂
Anyway, yesterday was the first storm of winter. And here on the lower West Coast by saying storm, we mean lots of rain. It doesn’t need to have any thunder or lightening, just rain steadily for a few hours and we call it a “storm”. Very impressive to us! It rained so hard that we even had a small stream running through the asphalt road out in front of our drive way. Yes, even more impressive….
As I sat looking out the window at the water falling from the sky, it made me think of this Bible passage: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27
What are the storms in our lives? Will we be able to weather them? Storms here can be defined as anything that chips and wears at us over a period of time. Whether it is a difficult divorce, the loss of a loved one, or even pressure at work or school; all those things wear us down physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In other words, the storms are defined as life in general. And during those storms of life, what are we building on?
It’s even more important to say, are you prepared for a storm? Have you built on the right foundation? Are you building on the rock which is Christ Jesus? This verse is in close relation to this one found in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15: “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” When the fires of this life sweep through and leave you burned and hurt, are you going to be found pure? In the 1840’s and 50’s during the Californian gold rush, miners from all over the world would come to pan the streams for the precious metal. They spent years chipping out mines and caverns looking for the elusive gold. And they found a metal that looked like gold, was soft like gold, and an all appearances, it seemed to be the real thing. But when they melted it down, all it became was a useless lump not good for anything. They dubbed it, ‘Fool’s Gold’. So when your faith is tested by the fire, will it be found pure? Will it be the “real deal”? 😉
Living Life Loud 