Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
"But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames."
Observations:
Paul's instructions to the Christians in Corinth addressed some of their misconceptions about their relationship with Christ. They were playing favorites and taking sides, which was causing unnecessary division in the church. He reminded them that it was their individual and collective responsibility as followers of Jesus to evaluate their actions and attitudes towards one another. He illustrated it with this building analogy- just as the most important part of a building is it's foundation, so the most important part of the Church is Christ. The second most important part of a building is the quality of it materials. In the same way, every believer's actions and attitudes are either contributing to or taking away from the corporate quality of the Church. In the same way the quality of a building is evaluated by it's strength, so every believer's life will ultimately be evaluated by Christ according to how it was lived and by the degree it contributed to and detracted from the overall quality of the single entity on earth capable of building God's eternal Kingdom.
Application:
Who doesn't like being rewarded for a job well done? Nobody. God is all about the rewards and is looking for every opportunity to affirm us for our service. But one thing God doesn't do is dish out rewards we haven't earned because He promises "to give to each person according to what he has done" (Romans 2:6). According to Paul, as believers we each have a huge responsibility. Not a few of us- ALL of us. There may be a handful of key leaders that God puts in place to oversee our mission, but every Christian has been given a sacred trust- the stewardship of Christ's Church. What we do does matter because our actions or inactions all carry eternal consequences. Our church is only as healthy and strong as the individual members. When those members serve faithfully, live Christ centered lives, and love each other deeply, God's Kingdom is soundly built and we will each rewarded accordingly. But the moment faithful service begins to wane, people start taking sides, and Christ is no longer the central focus of our existence, not only do we each forfeit our rewards, ultimately it's God's Kingdom suffers. As those who whom Jesus paid such a terrible price, how can we adequately express our gratitude giving Him anything less than our very best? At the very least we owe Him that, but the fact that He then offers to reward us for serving His Church with His gifts in His power is a pretty awesome bonus.
Prayer:
Father, we commit again to giving You our very best and to the full stewardship of Your Church with all the excellence You deserve. Help us to faithfully serve, love others, and keep Christ at the center of all we say and do. Amen.
"But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames."
Observations:
Paul's instructions to the Christians in Corinth addressed some of their misconceptions about their relationship with Christ. They were playing favorites and taking sides, which was causing unnecessary division in the church. He reminded them that it was their individual and collective responsibility as followers of Jesus to evaluate their actions and attitudes towards one another. He illustrated it with this building analogy- just as the most important part of a building is it's foundation, so the most important part of the Church is Christ. The second most important part of a building is the quality of it materials. In the same way, every believer's actions and attitudes are either contributing to or taking away from the corporate quality of the Church. In the same way the quality of a building is evaluated by it's strength, so every believer's life will ultimately be evaluated by Christ according to how it was lived and by the degree it contributed to and detracted from the overall quality of the single entity on earth capable of building God's eternal Kingdom.
Application:
Who doesn't like being rewarded for a job well done? Nobody. God is all about the rewards and is looking for every opportunity to affirm us for our service. But one thing God doesn't do is dish out rewards we haven't earned because He promises "to give to each person according to what he has done" (Romans 2:6). According to Paul, as believers we each have a huge responsibility. Not a few of us- ALL of us. There may be a handful of key leaders that God puts in place to oversee our mission, but every Christian has been given a sacred trust- the stewardship of Christ's Church. What we do does matter because our actions or inactions all carry eternal consequences. Our church is only as healthy and strong as the individual members. When those members serve faithfully, live Christ centered lives, and love each other deeply, God's Kingdom is soundly built and we will each rewarded accordingly. But the moment faithful service begins to wane, people start taking sides, and Christ is no longer the central focus of our existence, not only do we each forfeit our rewards, ultimately it's God's Kingdom suffers. As those who whom Jesus paid such a terrible price, how can we adequately express our gratitude giving Him anything less than our very best? At the very least we owe Him that, but the fact that He then offers to reward us for serving His Church with His gifts in His power is a pretty awesome bonus.
Prayer:
Father, we commit again to giving You our very best and to the full stewardship of Your Church with all the excellence You deserve. Help us to faithfully serve, love others, and keep Christ at the center of all we say and do. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment