From The Backwoods Pews

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FROM THE BACKWOODS PEW

The Old Homestead

The forester walking through the woods comes across many things: old stills, old wells, old fences and old graves, just to name a few. Often an old home site will be found with the evidence of the dwelling scattered throughout the woods. Maybe it is a part of a structure or some equipment. Often it is a trash dump. One of the first pieces of evidence will be a tree or bush that doesn’t belong or an abandoned orchard of pear trees, cedar trees or apple trees.

While strolling through a piece of Virginia Piedmont one winter afternoon, I came upon the remains of an old home site tucked in the middle of 200 acres of hardwood. The first site was nothing more than a rock chimney. It was made of old stones and rocks, picked out of a stream and from the local hillside. It had a mud clay mortar that had held up well over the years. Someone had replaced the upper part of the chimney with bricks and the discarded rocks lay in a pile. The old corners of the house could be made out. It had been a small building, no more than 20 feet wide. Trees, growing in what was once the living room, were close to 60 years old.

A second structure, 200 yards away, was much more pronounced; most of its two stories had fallen in with the roof, but the in sides show ed an old stairway. The porch was long gone. A third building, another 100 yards away, was made of logs and mud, with a partially intact tin roof. It had a porch and several windows, but trees and vines made it nearly impossible to approach.

What had happened? It had obviously been a populated area at one time, and someone had spent a great deal of time constructing these build ings. Had the inhabitants pass ed away with no heirs, or did they just let it all fall apart, little by little?

Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain des cend ed, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it. —Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus tells this parable of two

builders and two foundations. He compares the houses being built as a picture of our spiritual house, a snapshot of our relationship with God. There are two builders. One builds on a rock and survives the storms of life and in the end has a house that stands strong. The other builder constructed his house on sand. This house, though it might have looked good, could not stand the winds and storms of life, storms of health, disappointment and discouragement, storms that shake us, storms that scare us.

What are we building our house on? It all starts on the foundation. With a good foundation comes a good house, one that survives the storm.

In Joshua 24 the people of Israel have just completed a victorious military campaign. They have seen firsthand the power of God. They had witnessed miracles too marvelous for us to imagine as walls fell and planets stood still in the sky, water parted and foes were vanquished. It would seem that even the idea of abandoning God would be ridiculous. Yet Joshua warns them:

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river, and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord. And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”—Joshua 24:14, 15

He reminds them that they will be tempted to abandon the house, to let it fall into disrepair. So he gives them a challenge, and God through the same verse gives us a challenge. What is the status of our house? Is it on a good foundation? Is Jesus Christ our rock, our cornerstone? According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth on it. But let every man take heed how he buildeth upon it. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. —I Corinthians 3:10, 11

Make the commitment today, right now, to do something about it. If you have your house on the wrong foundation, the Bible tells us to call on the name of Jesus. Confess our sins and he is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us and make us whole. If you are still breathing while reading this, God has given you an open invitation to ask Jesus into your heart. If you have done that already, then how’s the house? Need any repair work? Don’t delay. If storms are not yet in your life, I as sure you they are coming. Don’t wait until it is too late.