Stockton Baptist Church
Body
SINKHOLE(?). It might not technically be a sinkhole, but the house our son recently bought had an interesting hole in the backyard. It was about 2 ft by 3 ft and about 6 or 7 feet deep. The backyard sloped right to that spot, and apparently, over a long time, the water eroded the hole and then exited into a ravine about 15 feet away. The solution we came up with was to fill the hole by layering rip rap and crush and run rock. He must still place a diverter around the spot and plant a tree to hold the soil longterm. Not surprising, but the unusual erosion got me thinking about spiritual truth. Like many places worldwide, Israel is subject to heavy seasonal rains. The obvious effect is for a previously calm, meandering Jordan River to become a torrent, thus eroding and destroying anything unstable. The Lord Jesus used this to teach unbelieving Jews of His day, saying, 'But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things I say? Whoever comes to Me and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently and immediately fell. And the ruin of that house was great.' (Luke 6:46-49). Likewise, storms of affliction, temptation, persecution, etc., beat against our souls. In the blink of an eye, our health, livelihood, and all we hold dear can be gone leaving us flailing about. However, if we're grounded solidly on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have un-eroding confidence in His protection, provision, and promises. And earthly calamities cause no lasting harm. Is Jesus the Rock of your life?
