pramsay posted on January 18, 2007 06:02 1032 views

The torrential rains driven by hurricane winds flooded the street. Some mansions collapsed quickly; others survived longer. But by the end of the storm only a few were left standing. Television crews waded through the water filming the destruction. Incredible homes – totally gone! Reduced to a pile of rubble. Here and there bits and pieces of many things. Jagged pieces of a marble sink; a flattened piece of high end electronics; chunks of elaborate furniture; fragments of flamboyant jewellery; a smashed painting that once proudly hung below the vaulted ceiling – nothing was salvageable. Bulldozers would move in quickly. Only a few homes survived.

Powerful sermons have been preached to sinners about a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the wise man who built upon the rock. But is it possible Jesus had me or you or the both of us in mind?

“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?”
Luke 6:46

Sometimes we say: “Lord, Lord!” and we sound really good. But there’s very little evidence that Christ is reigning upon the throne of my heart. Is He really the Lord of my life or do I just feel better when I call Him that? Do I call Him “Lord” and continue on with my life as I want to live it? Enjoying the things that give me a rush; pursuing the goals that appeal to me; and making choices that make sense to me. What ‘say’ does the LORD really have in my life?

I’m in the driver’s seat – not the Lord. I obey the impulses of my heart. I bow to the desires of my flesh. I bend to the pressure of my friends. I submit to the fashions of the world. I surrender to the dictates of my career path. I crave more nice things. I yield to the things that satisfy me.

When the big storm comes and I’m fading quickly, no longer able to work, unable to play, barely able to read the ‘thinking of you’ or the ‘get well’ cards and pushing the institutional food away from my bed, and as loved ones surround me what life reflections will I have?

“O Lord, I never thought it would all be over so quickly.
Why did I miss so many prayer meetings
getting those certificates?
And all the overtime I worked, Lord, is it really possible my life is going up in smoke?
I worked so hard to get that car and to build that home and to climb that corporate ladder but what did I do for You?
All my kids saw of me was work, work, work and $$$$$.
What legacy am I leaving them?
I have been a horrible example on how to live one’s life.
While others took their kids to Christian conferences,
I was always too busy.
Yes Lord, my kids know I used to get up early every morning – but it was always so I could get to work early –
not to spend time alone with Thee.
And Lord, here I am unable to relive my life.
I lost the privilege of being a close follower of Thee – a disciple.
Unable to go back and obey Your commands
to live my life differently.
I can’t believe I poured so much of my time and energy into everything else but did the bare minimum for Thee.
I feel like I built my life on sand and everything that was important to me is being swept away.
My soul is saved but my life for Thee has been lost.”
“But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst,
and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6:49 Amplified

Someone said: “Only one life; ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

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