-

 1 Corinthians 3:1-10 - Builders

This chapter gives us more insight into what it is like to be in partnership with God.  I think of A.W. Tozer and C.S. Lewis when I read this chapter.  I believe they understood 3:18, “Stop deceiving yourselves.  If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.”  A Christian paradox.

        We are God’s workers.  We plant and water, but only God makes the seed grow (3:7).  As God’s workmen we build on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.  If we build well He will reward us on Judgment Day (3:8).  The good news is we do not create alone.  We are building with God, the Master Builder.  The Builder of a People.

The truth is God wants us to grow up.  He wants us to progress past infancy.  God wants us to be spiritual people ready for compelling discussions and heavy responsibilities.

But are we ready?  Are we controlled by the Holy Spirit, free from sin, and with ears to hear from God?

Or are we, like the Corinthians, still controlled by our sinful nature?  Here’s a test (for each of us):

  • Are you jealous of anyone?
  • Are you quarreling with anyone?
  • Are you living like the people of the world?
  • Are you in the camp of one leader with adherence to that camp?

        Be very careful in pledging allegiance to a particular leader.  Let God do the eternal judging.  Do not use the world’s standards.  Such boasting is evil.

        Lord help us for we indeed are prone to wander, like a car that pulls to the left.  We know we need an alignment, but are we willing to take the car into the shop?

        We are full of selfish ambition and worldly thoughts and actions.  Lord God, help us repent of our legalism, fights, and factions.  Help us to be mature servants, well aware of the pitfalls of this human nature and the rewards of faithfully sharing the Good News and following the Holy Spirit.  Let us repent today of our pride, boasting, jealousy, and worldly living.  Tragically, there is little difference between the way we live and the way the world lives.  Our Christian organizations are filled with acerbic control freaks.  If you are mean and rude you have no business teaching or leading anything.

Let’s be the workers God wants us to be.  Different.  Godly.  Unified.  Humble.  Hardworking.  Honest.  God does amazing things.  He always comes through.  He will not just help us mature and grow He will grow many other new creations in Christ through our work.  Let’s take the building work seriously.  Paul worked like an expert builder.  The foundation is and always must be Jesus Christ.  Only build on this firm foundation.  

Like any project, we have to start somewhere.  Start today.  For our days are numbered.

There will come a judgment day.  A day when God will reveal with refining fire the work we have done and he will show if we were fools, worldly fools, or expert builders.  Only people in the right relationship with God will survive, nothing else (2 Peter 3).  All that matters is God’s temple, his people, those people who know and trust Jesus.

God’s plan is incredible.  Lord God thank you for the opportunity to live and love and serve today.  Let’s get building.  Amen.

Our daughter, Meghan Grace, on her first day of college (2010).  Now she is a university professor and many other things (including a great mom).




Comments

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear your comments, and if you have questions email me at dcbell1111@gmail.com.

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
 2 Timothy 3 - Are You a Christian, Christian?           Early in my legal career (I'd been practicing about five years and about five years into my Christian walk) I had an interesting encounter with the CEO of one of our firm’s clients.  It was 2001 and technology companies were thriving.           My neighbors in S.W. Calgary were Lebanese immigrants and faithful members of their mosque.  They were some of the best neighbors we’ve ever had.  They owned a bakery that made Pita bread.  I’ll never forget the day we took possession of that house.  As they often would in the eleven years we lived there, they brought me a big bag of fresh bread.  We shared many good conversations with them over the years.  I love them and I pray God blesses them.           My neighbors had a friend from the mosque who was the CEO of Wi-LAN - a publicly listed tech company that held patents for technology that was key to the Blackberry - and later many other mobile phones.  Wi-LAN made many in the mosq
Read more
-
Image
 Hebrews 2:1-5 - Signs and Wonders - Miracles and Gifts I can shock myself at my inability to learn simple lessons.  They say just showing up is 90% of success.  Well, I’m confident inattentiveness, waffling, and ambivalence are keys to failure. In this passage, we hear yet again a warning to “listen very carefully” to God’s message or we run a real risk of total failure - drifting away from God (2:1).  With responsibility comes consequences.  Just ask any sentry, goaltender, place-kicker, or pilot.  You have a job to do - if you don’t do it well the results are clear.  So, let’s do it well. It’s the same as we develop and grow as Christians.  We have to make a decision to grow.  I've been reading about growthmindset lately and I think God is finally getting through to me.           It will not come as a shocker to any dad hooked on porn, a mom who has dabbled in an office romance, or the pastor who’s craftily swindled money from the church.  Christians can’t just casually li
Read more
-
Image
 Hebrews 6 - Faith and Endurance These next two chapters of Hebrews are incredibly encouraging for the Christian.  God gives us confidence and courage to do what we must.  When the whistle blows, be ready to go.  God in Heaven is developing your character; He’s preparing you to fight His battles.           We are responsible to grow.  We know that God repays people for the wrong they have done (Jeremiah 50:24).  And that God uses whomsoever He chooses as His instruments of justice (Jeremiah 50:20).  “For the LORD is a God who gives just punishment; he always repays in full” (Jeremiah 50:56). Thinking of God’s character is sobering, and good.  We know Jesus is the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.  In the next few chapters, we hear the truth about who Jesus is and our responsibilities to Him. Nearly 2,000 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of our King we are reminded that there are false teachers today - those leading people astray for power and greed - just as there
Read more