Sandcastles
Good Morning
Stand with me and lift your bible and repeat after me.
This is my Bible.
I am what it says I am.
I can do what it says I can do.
I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.
Today I will learn more of the word of God.
The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.
I will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
In Jesus Name
Amen?
Before you sit down, say good morning to your brothers and sisters.
Sandcastles
Have you ever made a sandcastle on the beach near the ocean?
How hard was it to make?
Did you learn by doing it or did someone show you how?
Turn with me to Hebrews Chapter 11 and say, “Amen” when you are there.
Read verse 11 with me.
“For He was looking forward to the city that has foundations whose architect and builder is God.”
When we build our castles at the beach of the sand that is everywhere, it may look really good.
The finished product has a tower or two and a wall for protection all the way around. It may also have a bridge that we built out of the wet sand to go around the moat that surrounds it. The moat is for protection from invaders that may want to take over our castle.
No matter how ornate or creative we may build our castle, it is only built of sand.
Such is true about our walk on our journey here in the world we live in.
We can build our life out of sand or something stronger.
It may be things we wear, or drive, or acquire, but many of those things are like sand.
They wear down and fall apart.
Some of them may seem like they last forever.
The one thing that we can get and build upon is our faith.
You and I either have faith or not.
It is our choice.
We may have faith in what we hope for in life, but when it comes down to it, faith in things just does not seem to work most of the time.
The things may become the most important part of our lives, but are they what we really want deep down inside us?
Overall, there is one thing that I know of that is a great thing.
It is something that I value way more than any sandcastle that I have built.
It is the hope and security that I have found in my relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ.
I read something recently that I want to share with you. I do not know the who the writer was but let me read it to you.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to be able to make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
You make think that the writer and I mean that you are not to be happy.
That is not it.
It is to strive to be of a purpose and you will live a good life.
You have a couple of choices on how to do this.
Your first choice is to do it your way.
Make plans, set goals, and try to achieve the life you want.
Buy the latest fashionable clothes, jewelry, cars, I Phones, houses, and tattoos, etc.
We can go on and on and on.
Go on the vacations.
Have a bunch of friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Or you can take a breather.
Stop.
Pray and listen to what God would like you to do.
How is our faith walk?
Let us go to the book of Hebrews Chapter 11 and say, “Amen” when you are there.
Let’s read the first verse.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”
I met a man not long ago who had a large company that built houses and was very comfortable in life.
The thing that was bothering him about life was that something was missing. He had a desire to help people.
A few years back, he went on a mission trip to the Sudan. He saw what people went through to get water.
The children ranging in age from 8 to 14 years old would get up early in the morning and get a large container and leave the village.
Late in the afternoon they would return with the container full of water.
They walked three hours one way to get water and then walked back.
He saw what he wanted to do. Help.
That man came home, sold his company and now serves in different parts of Central and South Africa helping people to be able to have clean, safe, water to drink.
He and his family sold all they had and now live in Namibia which is located in the southern part of Africa.
The call of God for him was not to build a sandcastle but to build on a good foundation and be compassionate by serving the best way possibly.
I am not saying that you should sell all that you have and go away to serve in another part of the world.
It might just be a time to take a look at what is going on in our lives and stop and listen to how God wants us to live.
Should we go to the beach and build a sandcastle, or should we concentrate a little more on our relationship with Him?
I know that I have missed out on many things in life because I have been so intent on making sure that my sandcastle would stay together.
But I have also learned that the One who has given me life, has been by my side, protecting me and being patient with me all along has always been there.
He has taught me over the years that His plan for my life, built on His foundation has been being built steadily along the way.
His architectural planning was put in place for us many years before we were born.
If you would like to work on your walk with Him, maybe now is a good time.
Let us go to Him in prayer.
