In Touch - May 17, 2006

In Touch Daily Devotional 
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Wednesday May 17, 2006

The Foundation of Our Faith

Matthew 7:24-29

Did you ever see an elaborate, masterfully crafted sandcastle? That’s one of the most delightful experiences of a trip to the beach — you get to see some beautiful works of art in an unusual form. The best builders are painstaking in every little detail — the towers are straight, the windows are even... sometimes the outline of individual bricks can be seen on each wall. The end result is often stunning, rivaling the elegance of homes in the wealthiest neighborhoods of the world.

There’s a catch, however. For all its splendor, a sandcastle’s hours are numbered. From the moment the first grain of sand is set in place, you can be sure that the miniature building is on its way to oblivion. Within hours, the details are destroyed. Wind, rain, the tide, and overanxious spectators can wreck in seconds what took hours to create. There is simply no future for a house of sand.

Sometimes a believer’s faith is like a sandcastle. Even though everything looks perfect on the outside, the slightest nudge from the elements can bring the whole thing crashing down. An unexpected hardship, an unkind word from a friend, a health or financial crisis… and faith turns to rubble. How can that be possible?

Weak foundations produce weak faith. If your life of faith is centered around church attendance, ministry work, discipleship programs, and other seemingly “good” things, then your sandcastle is on its way down. Only a faith built on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ — and Christ alone — can withstand the winds of adversity.

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