Sandcastles

"Now 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: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.''
Matthew 7:26-27

I saw a TV program recently where a team of sculptors turned a beach into a Disneyworld of castles and statues. It was truly amazing to see. We can all remember a day spent at the beach attempting to create a fortress that would stand against the incoming tide, trying to shore it up against the slowly advancing water!
Their castles, wonderful as they were suffered the same fate as ours did, and pretty soon the beach was flat sand again, with no evidence left of hours of dedicated effort!

Of course it’s only a beach pastime, and we don’t take it seriously. Jesus however was very serious when He warned us about the consequences of not taking Him seriously. If we’re not careful we can spend our whole lives building a sandcastle only to see it crumble to nothing when the tide turns.

Jesus said; "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26
This saying somehow packs a bigger punch that the one we usually trot out “you can’t take it with you.” True enough, but that’s not the point; what we say is “ I want it all, and I want it now!” Jesus’ statement exposed that attitude for what it is, a trade off between what the world has to offer, and what God has to offer.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
1 John 2:15-17

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:25-33

In the first passage John is apparently on a downer about the things of the world, whilst in the second Jesus accepts that they are necessary. But both are saying the same thing.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
This is where the problem lies. Whatever is dear to our hearts, whatever we are attached to at a deeper emotional level is what will preoccupy us, and hold our attention, or in other words we will love. Whatever we love we worry and fuss over. That level of attachment should be reserved for God and for each other, not for the “things” of the world, not even the necessities such as shelter, food and clothing. Of course as they are necessities, we need to devote a lot of time and effort to securing them, but when we focus our attention exclusively on them to the exclusion of our relationship with God and even each other, then we are building sandcastles.

Like Esau we have traded our soul for a pot of stew. Trouble is we can live our entire lives without realising it. And it’s true, you can’t take it with you. One day you won’t be able to manage that big house you killed yourself to pay for. One day you will not be able to drive that Porsche. One day that designer label outfit won’t fit, and wouldn’t look right if it did! One day you will wonder why you devoted so much time and effort to acquiring them. None of these things in themselves are wrong, and if God “adds” them to your life be thankful, but seek after Him, not them!

We are all different, and God has different plans for our lives. Some will be called to a life of few material possessions and wealth, others will have much. But God says clearly to those who have been given much, that He expects them to share it.

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48

This applies to Material and Ministry gifts. Paul implored the churches in Greece who were well off to help the churches in Palestine who were struggling. By the same token he a Jew, laid down his life for the gentile churches in Greece, Italy and Asia Minor.

Paul also said that we will only enter Heaven with things that are of value.

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

There are some things you can take with you after all! You can’t take your big house with you, but you can take with you the “precious stones” of the time you housed someone who was in need for a season. Your title of Bishop or Vicar or Evangelist or TV Minister will mean nothing in Heaven, but the “gold and silver” of the time given sacrificially to that person suffering from depression, or the time and effort spent in repairing that broken spirit will adorn you as you enter His presence. That is not to say that salvation can be earned by good works, because unless they are built on the foundation of Jesus Christ they are sandcastles. No matter how beautiful or impressive, the tide will wash them away. (See Inevitable Appointment)

If you are a Christian, I would encourage you to take stock of your life. Are you building a sandcastle? Get close to God, seek Him first, and He will show you how to build an enduring house.

If you are not a Christian, you need to ask God into your life. Turn away from the empty things of the world to God, and He will show you a better place, a place of eternal value. Jesus will fill the void in your life that only He can fill.