January 15, 2015 PASSING THE TEST
1 Corinthians 3:12-14: “Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man works will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will tell the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.”
As we read this verse, we are forced to ask ourselves the question; am I building today with gold, silver, precious stone, or am I building with wood, hay, or straw? I know one thing for sure, and that is that wood, hay and straw do not survive fire. On the other hand, as I understand it, fire is used to purify gold and silver. How do we know if we are building with gold, silver, or precious stone or with wood, hay, and straw? A good question indeed and it deserves an answer. I think it has to do the lasting quality of our work. Whether we realize it or not, we are all in the process of building and what we are building will survive the fire or it will be burned up. If you have ever witnessed a house being destroyed by fire, it is a sad sight to behold for sure. It may have taken a long time to build the house and even longer to furnish and decorate and then build memories over many years; but then in just a few moments, a fire can destroy the house. The only lasting foundation to build on is that of truth; and truth comes only from God. In the written word of God we discover essential truths on which to build and we find direction for life. Building with gold, silver and precious stone begins by knowing that God is our Father; that Jesus was sacrificed on our behalf; that we have been made new; that we have the Holy Spirit living in us; that we have been called to represent God with our mortal bodies; and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. We find purpose in life when we realize that we have been equipped and we have been called to be “ambassadors for Christ”. When we are honoring our Father in all that we do, we are building with the right material and it will stand the test of fire. On the other hand, those who live for themselves are building on a faulty foundation that is bound to crumble when the test comes. Building with gold, silver and precious stone is a way of life-it’s not sporadic. Even in our leisure activities, we can build with the lasting material if we do what we do with thanksgiving to our Father. The scriptures teach that Jesus is the chief corner stone and thus we are to build on the foundation that He laid. The word of God is the truth, it does not change and it is clear in what it says, making it a sure and steadfast foundation on which to build. We live in a time when there are many voices and many false philosophies competing with the truth of God but none can even compare. Building with gold, silver and precious stone is not laborious, but a privilege and a blessing; and building with such will be rewarded. If we take the above verse to heart and put it into practice, we will one day hear those words that all believers want to hear: “well done thy good and faithful servant.” If there is any doubt about what building with gold, silver and precious stone looks like, then simply read the words of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament and you will see a clear picture of what it looks like. Building with the right material is both a privilege and a mandate for every believer. Our culture, as a rule, is one that places emphasis self and the here and now and does not focus on the long term. Building is an investment that takes time and resources and for the building to last and survive the storms, a proper foundation must be laid and the right materials must be used in the building. May we daily be about building with gold, silver and precious stone knowing that our work will survive the test and we will be rewarded.
Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Blessings,
Buddy
1 Corinthians 3:12-14: “Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man works will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will tell the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.”
As we read this verse, we are forced to ask ourselves the question; am I building today with gold, silver, precious stone, or am I building with wood, hay, or straw? I know one thing for sure, and that is that wood, hay and straw do not survive fire. On the other hand, as I understand it, fire is used to purify gold and silver. How do we know if we are building with gold, silver, or precious stone or with wood, hay, and straw? A good question indeed and it deserves an answer. I think it has to do the lasting quality of our work. Whether we realize it or not, we are all in the process of building and what we are building will survive the fire or it will be burned up. If you have ever witnessed a house being destroyed by fire, it is a sad sight to behold for sure. It may have taken a long time to build the house and even longer to furnish and decorate and then build memories over many years; but then in just a few moments, a fire can destroy the house. The only lasting foundation to build on is that of truth; and truth comes only from God. In the written word of God we discover essential truths on which to build and we find direction for life. Building with gold, silver and precious stone begins by knowing that God is our Father; that Jesus was sacrificed on our behalf; that we have been made new; that we have the Holy Spirit living in us; that we have been called to represent God with our mortal bodies; and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. We find purpose in life when we realize that we have been equipped and we have been called to be “ambassadors for Christ”. When we are honoring our Father in all that we do, we are building with the right material and it will stand the test of fire. On the other hand, those who live for themselves are building on a faulty foundation that is bound to crumble when the test comes. Building with gold, silver and precious stone is a way of life-it’s not sporadic. Even in our leisure activities, we can build with the lasting material if we do what we do with thanksgiving to our Father. The scriptures teach that Jesus is the chief corner stone and thus we are to build on the foundation that He laid. The word of God is the truth, it does not change and it is clear in what it says, making it a sure and steadfast foundation on which to build. We live in a time when there are many voices and many false philosophies competing with the truth of God but none can even compare. Building with gold, silver and precious stone is not laborious, but a privilege and a blessing; and building with such will be rewarded. If we take the above verse to heart and put it into practice, we will one day hear those words that all believers want to hear: “well done thy good and faithful servant.” If there is any doubt about what building with gold, silver and precious stone looks like, then simply read the words of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament and you will see a clear picture of what it looks like. Building with the right material is both a privilege and a mandate for every believer. Our culture, as a rule, is one that places emphasis self and the here and now and does not focus on the long term. Building is an investment that takes time and resources and for the building to last and survive the storms, a proper foundation must be laid and the right materials must be used in the building. May we daily be about building with gold, silver and precious stone knowing that our work will survive the test and we will be rewarded.
Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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