The Rock

This world we live in offers so many attractive things to cling to. It beckons, promising love, power, security, peace, enlightenment ... seemingly all that we could desire to make our lives complete, and more fulfilling. We have perfected the art of promotion so that what which is offered to us has the full benefit of advertising and presentation. Countless options float through our lives on a daily basis, each promising something different. A man or woman trying to discern what is best to follow, where to place his or her faith, can have easily become confused. In fact, everything looks so good that it can be difficult to select wisely from the myriad of choices. Where should we place our trust, our faith? The bible is clear that the things of this world are, at best, temporary. Stuff wears out. Houses burn down. The stock market crashes. Even people, sadly enough, often come and go, regardless of their vows or commitment to one another. When we choose the things of this world for the foundations of our lives we run the risk of having all that we have built be swept away by the inevitable storms of life, like the proverbial man who built his house up on the sand. In contrast, those who build their lives on faith in Jesus Christ have a firm foundation which will stand through the storms of life. He is a rock whose strength can be counted upon. Furthermore, such a foundation will last beyond this life. When you find yourself adrift, with your faith and strength waning, don’t reach for the driftwood that this world has to offer. Rather, put your faith in Jesus. He is the rock.

The Rock
A host of debris and flotsam
Will float through each man's life
Which may seem to offer a hand hold
But are scattered in times of strife
For the angry seas of circumstance
Are merciless in their ways
Smiting even the stoutest timbers a man
Might cling to on stormy days
Only the rock can support him
When the ebbing tides rush in
Any other foundation is folly
Like spring ice, grown tired and thin
Only the rock can withstand the force
That this world will bring to bear
On the fools who plunge into the depths
And, so often, are caught unaware
But the man who stands firm upon the rock
Has a foundation both strong and sure
He shall not be swept away
And what he builds there will endure

By Frank Carpenter ©