27
Revealed by Fire
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 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. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Cor 3:12-15
A major hurdle in buying or selling a house is the inspection. A house inspector is trained to look for things that the common home buyer or seller usually doesn’t notice. They aren’t looking at paint color or the layout of furniture. In fact, the house inspector spends a lot of time in the room, which prospective buyers and current homeowners probably spend the least amount of time in - the basement. One of the main things the house inspector is looking closely at is the foundation of the house. Foundational problems, even small ones, can cause issues on every floor above it, from cracks in the walls to cracks in plumbing to a bathtub eventually falling through the floor.
The truth is, the foundation of a home, though it is not seen, is the most important part of the home. It is what everything else is built upon, and if the foundation fails, it doesn’t matter how great the rest of the house has been built or how stylish it was designed, it will all come crashing down.
The same is true of the foundations of our spiritual life. In today’s passage, Paul writes how the quality of each persons work will be tested, and the strength or flaws of that work will be revealed by fire. The fires of life are the experiences we all go through, whether good or bad; they are the things which test us and reveal what is underneath. We may be tested as much by getting the glamorous new job by losing it. We may be tested by receiving the big check as much as we are by receiving the big bill. We may be tested as much in starting a new relationship as we are in losing one. All of these experiences in life reveal what what underneath, and what our life has been built upon. It will be revealed that we either have a foundation which is built on Christ, the rock, or a foundation that was built on shifting sand.
One of the major components of durability with any building project is the question of what materials you used. Were strong, durable materials used or were cheap materials used which will not stand the test of time? The builder chooses the materials. Better quality materials come at a higher cost, but they are well worth it. It’s a sobering thought to really think about what your life has been built upon. That foundation laid will either stand the test of time and pass from generation to generation, or it will crumble and be exposed as a weak foundation, rooted in nothing but selfish and temporary desires.
The good news is that our reward in the next life will be determined by the durability of that which we have spent our lives building. For those who daily decide to follow Christ, this is truly great news. Throughout scripture, this coming judgment is very real and is known as the Judgement Seat of Christ, in which the major question all Christians will be asked is this: What did you do with what God gave you? Did you build something which will last from generation to generation and into eternity, or did you build something which collapses under the weight of the storms of life? Keep in mind that these people are Christians who have accepted Jesus as their lord and savior. Yet even among Christians, there are those who make foolish decisions to build their lives on things like talent, skill, reputation, possessions, and pursuits instead of walking everyday as a disciple of Jesus. The life Jesus has called you to is a life built upon Him!
Let’s be people who leave a legacy of building our lives on a Godly foundation!
The truth is, the foundation of a home, though it is not seen, is the most important part of the home. It is what everything else is built upon, and if the foundation fails, it doesn’t matter how great the rest of the house has been built or how stylish it was designed, it will all come crashing down.
The same is true of the foundations of our spiritual life. In today’s passage, Paul writes how the quality of each persons work will be tested, and the strength or flaws of that work will be revealed by fire. The fires of life are the experiences we all go through, whether good or bad; they are the things which test us and reveal what is underneath. We may be tested as much by getting the glamorous new job by losing it. We may be tested by receiving the big check as much as we are by receiving the big bill. We may be tested as much in starting a new relationship as we are in losing one. All of these experiences in life reveal what what underneath, and what our life has been built upon. It will be revealed that we either have a foundation which is built on Christ, the rock, or a foundation that was built on shifting sand.
One of the major components of durability with any building project is the question of what materials you used. Were strong, durable materials used or were cheap materials used which will not stand the test of time? The builder chooses the materials. Better quality materials come at a higher cost, but they are well worth it. It’s a sobering thought to really think about what your life has been built upon. That foundation laid will either stand the test of time and pass from generation to generation, or it will crumble and be exposed as a weak foundation, rooted in nothing but selfish and temporary desires.
The good news is that our reward in the next life will be determined by the durability of that which we have spent our lives building. For those who daily decide to follow Christ, this is truly great news. Throughout scripture, this coming judgment is very real and is known as the Judgement Seat of Christ, in which the major question all Christians will be asked is this: What did you do with what God gave you? Did you build something which will last from generation to generation and into eternity, or did you build something which collapses under the weight of the storms of life? Keep in mind that these people are Christians who have accepted Jesus as their lord and savior. Yet even among Christians, there are those who make foolish decisions to build their lives on things like talent, skill, reputation, possessions, and pursuits instead of walking everyday as a disciple of Jesus. The life Jesus has called you to is a life built upon Him!
Let’s be people who leave a legacy of building our lives on a Godly foundation!