Sandcastle Kingdoms

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

I’ll admit, there are many days I build a sandcastle kingdom with my time and energy. I pack my bags and head into the world to begin my construction. Perhaps you’ve gathered with me at the water’s edge, where the hopes and dreams of our hearts meet the day-to-day routines of our lives. We lug our buckets filled with pride and our shovels of self-sufficiency to the shoreline and dig, shape, and mold our sandcastle kingdoms. When we notice the waves inching closer to our precious creations, we try to protect them, but in the end, they wash away. The next day, we start all over again.

Jesus invites us to build on the foundation of a better Kingdom—one that no waves, worries, or windstorms can destroy, a Kingdom built on the Rock. Jesus illustrated this by comparing two builders: the wise builder and the foolish builder (see Matthew 7:24-27). The wise person builds their house (meaning their life) on the rock. The foolish person builds their life on what is temporary, the sand.

Jesus explained that the wise builder is like the person who hears the Word of God and acts on it. The foolish builder, however, is like the person who listens to the words of Jesus and turns away from him. The wise person takes into account future storms and torrential rains that will come and digs a deep foundation, past the hardened summer sand and into the firm bedrock. The foolish person, in contrast, thinks only of the present moment and builds hastily on the sand, without taking into account future storms.

As native Galileans, the disciples would have understood the importance of building a house on a rocky foundation. The sand by the Sea of Galilee would harden during the summer, giving the appearance of a good foundation. But once the storms of winter came and the waters from the Jordan River rose, houses that had been built on the sand would collapse. Jesus used this real-life example to teach his followers how to build a life that matters eternally.

The truth is, every day we are building something. If we are not careful, we will be like the foolish builder and create our own sandcastle kingdoms. Jesus teaches us to build our lives on himself, the Rock (see 1 Peter 2:4-7), and he equips us with wisdom from the Word to do so.

Building your life on the Rock requires more work, more soul scrubbing, and more sacrifice than building on the sand. But in the end, building on him leads to abundant life—both here on earth and in eternity.

So loosen your grip on your sand-building tools, lay hold of eternal joy, and build your life on the Kingdom of God, which can never be shaken (see Hebrews 12:28).

Word before World But Jesus rescues us from our flimsy sandcastle kingdoms and invites us to be a part of building his unshakable Kingdom (see Hebrews 12:28-29).

Grow in Grace Ask the master builder, Jesus Christ, to show you how to build your life on the Rock.