S141P7 – More precious than gold: a strong building

1 Cor. 3:10-15

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it.  Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

We all have heard the story of the three little pigs.  Each built his house from a different material.  One built is house of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks.  For each pig, a time of testing would come for his structure.  A dangerous wolf who wanted to devour them was on the hunt.  If he could enter a pig’s house, he could get that pig.  The point of these structures was to protect these animals.  If the houses could not do that, they would be worthless.  The first two houses were blown down without issue, but the brick house created a problem for the wolf.  It was stable and secure, and the pigs were rewarded with safety.  That house actually served the purpose for which it was designed.
Christ has laid a foundation on which we are to build with our spiritual work.  If He laid a foundation, then we are making buildings.  These are not homes that protect us from the elements or even from spiritual death and eternal demise, but there is a purpose behind this construction.  We build for the purposes of God’s kingdom, but He has a reward for us as a result.  This scripture tells us that we will be rewarded based on the quality of our work.  Of course, the reward is there only for those whose work proves adequate.  This is all about the materials we use in this construction.  If we build with that which is righteous, good and holy, our structures will survive the proving fire. If not, they will burn, and we will suffer loss.

This scripture lists some materials we might use to try to build our spiritual houses, but they will be insufficient.  In all actuality, spiritual houses cannot be built by physical means.  It seems foolish and obvious, but many will try to do so.  They will take what impresses man and try to impress God with it to no avail.  This great thing they think they will present to the Lord will be consumed, and they will be shown to have built nothing at all.  Their structures will be not just insufficient but completely null and void.  Father, show us where we need to change the manner in which we build on your foundation, that we would please You with quality work and earn a great reward.