Sinking Sand
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
– Jude 20-21
Our foundation in the Lord must be strong so that we can weather the storms that come against us. In these days of Apostasy, the church has experienced persecution, and we are promised it will begin to worsen. We are just experiencing the birth pangs (Matthew 24:3-14). And in this race of life, as believers, we do not just want to run well; we want to finish well (Hebrews 12:1; 1 Corinthians 9:24).
It is no wonder these warnings are given to us in the book of Jude, the canon of Scripture that is placed right before Revelation. It is in this book where Jesus speaks to the seven churches. Revelation simply means “unveiling.” It is the word used that gives us our English word apocalypse. It means to uncover, to reveal, and to make manifest. What a privilege for us to have the Holy Spirit pull back the curtain to allow us to see the fulfillment of His sovereign plans in the world. Anything that is happening in our society today should not be a surprise. In fact, as Christians, these should be the most exciting times we live in, but we must know God’s Word. It will be the only thing that will sustain us (Psalm 119:105).
As I have grown in age and my relationship with the Lord, I see things a little differently today. When I was single, I just had to be concerned about my walk with the Lord. Once I met my wife and got married, my attention became on washing her with the water of the Word. Then I began to have my sons and now grandkids. My concerns and attention have changed to these generations that are coming up. What used to be important has become less critical. What is essential now is pouring into these generations the rich heritage we share in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My desire is not only for me to finish well but that my legacy will encourage them to consistently follow the Lord throughout their lives after I have gone to be with the Lord. What legacy do you want to leave? Anything other than Christ is just a legacy built on sinking sand (Matthew 7:26).
"We must always bear in mind that the primary purpose of our work is not to get people to join a church, to give up their bad habits, or to do anything other than to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior."
– R. A. Torrey