1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, [d]precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test [e]the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Foundations are vital to building anything. A good foundation is necessary for the life of a building that has weight on it, because gravity is a reality. There is always pressure on the structure itself, so the foundation has to be strong and lasting, or the building, over time, will begin to crack and come apart. If we relate this to the ministry of the Lord’s church, we quickly see from Paul’s words to the church at Corinth that our foundation must be strong and lasting and the workers who build on that foundation must be faithful and built on God. Paul, like a master builder, laid the foundation and that foundation was to be good enough for another to build on it. What Paul built that foundation on was Jesus Christ alone. He warned against building that foundation on things that are temporal, like gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw. Because when the fire is put to that foundation it will need to withstand that fire. The test of it all will be when that fire is put to it and the quality of the work will be seen.
God’s Word says to build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ and that foundation will stand the test of fire and time. Jesus Christ is the only one who deserves praise for the quality of this foundation and He is the one we rely on. Paul wrote this after sharing with the church at Corinth that no matter who led them to Jesus, it was Jesus who gets the praise and He is the foundation. I have seen different men and women try to take credit for things God does and they get a “following” of people who think THEY are the ones who made it all happen. We are all important to God’s work, but Jesus is the foundation of all we do, so we must build our lives on Him alone. You are just as important in God’s work, and the ministry you do may not seem that significant, but with Jesus working through it all, things take a giant step up.
So, keep on doing what God has called you to do. Keep on doing it for God and trusting in Jesus Christ for the building of the foundation and all will be good. Of course, the opposite of this is taking credit for things God does and trying to build up ourselves instead of the Lord. Before long that foundation will crack and those who are following you will soon drift away because you aren’t Jesus. Wrong foundation!!
Jesus himself said in Matthew 7:24-27 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Anything built on any other foundation than Jesus Christ will crack and fall and the destruction will be great.
To build a great foundation means we must:
Get to know the master builder of our lives through God’s Word
Spend time with Him learning how to build a better life
When God uses us to do something great, we point those watching to Jesus
Learn to lean on God for strength, peace, and hope.
Jesus is our rock and our strength. 2 Samuel 22:47 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
The Pilgrimage continues…
David Warren
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