Build Something On It

My grandparents had three magnets on their refrigerator at their home in the Mississippi country. My grandfather, Buck, said that one for was for my sister, my brother, and for me. My sister’s said something like, “Always take time to stop and smell the roses”, and it had a picture of red roses. My brother’s said something like, “Do unto others and run”, and it was a picture of a guy with a baseball bat that had hit another guy and was running away. Mine was a picture of a city scape with high rise buildings and it said, “Whatever you lot is in life, build something on it.”

I’ve always been somewhat amazed at how prophetic these were.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is addressing Christians who are following teachers such as Apollos or himself. To paraphrase, he says some plant and some water but it is God who does the growing and the one who plants or waters is not important, only God who does the growing is important. Each person is God’s field or God’s building. He has laid a foundation of teaching and others build upon that teaching.

Starting with verse 10 and going to verse 15 we read, “10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

Jesus Christ is the foundation. But how the building of our life, our spiritual understanding, is built should be done with care. The foundation of salvation is established and even if all that we build is worldly and gain no wisdom or knowledge beyond salvation we will escape the “Day”, or judgment, “as one escaping through the flames”. We are saved but will have gained nothing else through our efforts of life. However, if we build on the foundation with Godly wisdom and an intentional effort to gain knowledge of more of Him every day, it will stand through the “Day” and there will be a reward. I have no idea of what the reward is, but I find the reward is in the wisdom and increasing knowledge of Him. Those revelations are life-giving and faith assuring and are their own reward.

As it stands today, my sister has unfortunately had to learn most of her lessons in life by making bad choices. She has a good heart, but can’t help herself sometimes. She is always willing to stop and be distracted, rather than stay focused on achievement. My brother has proven that he is more than willing to step on someone else, even those closest to him, to make sure he is perceived to not be in error. Hit and run forward and tell everyone how wrong they were for being in the way.

Myself, I’ve made ghastly mistakes. I am a walking error. But, God is the one who builds, if He is given preeminence. Even in the worst mistakes, He has built on it. There is much more to build and I pray that I can get out of the way and let Him work. His work will survive the “Day” and I will see more of Him in the process. The trials are real, but so is the construction. I can’t imagine surviving the trials and only having what I built the result of it. The only real thing in life is a new understanding of the depth of God’s faithfulness and grace. Every effort should be made to allow God to build on your life. Every conversation a testimony and every action a witness to who He is.

In Revelation, the scenes in heaven show that when people are present at the throne of God they worship and declare how great He is.  There is no time when people declare that some of what He says is true or that they don't believe all of it as real.  Every Word is true and real.  We should accept, declare and stand on no less today.  Let God build in your life today.