ODJ: lasting
October 19, 2011
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 (v.13).
READ: 1 Corinthians 3:12-23
One summer when I was in elementary school, some of the neighborhood kids built a fort out of scrap wood. Precariously balanced on the ground, it consisted of three levels with enough room for two small bodies on each level. My dad, upon seeing their creation, promptly prohibited me from climbing in it as he was convinced it was an accident waiting to happen. Dismayed, I obeyed. Dad knew that I had been ignoring the rusty protruding nails and splitting swaybacked boards, for I had been focused on what looked like fun. But the fort wasn’t built to last.
On any given day, we have a multitude of things clamoring for our attention. From the mundane to the monumental, life is a series of choices. It’s easy to respond to whatever conveniently crosses our path, commands our attention, or seems most pleasurable, but Scripture reminds us to be exceedingly deliberate. Philippians 1:10 says, “I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives.”
Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul taught that there is no other foundation than Jesus, because salvation comes only by accepting His life in exchange for ours. But Paul goes on to clarify that salvation is the foundation (beginning point) of our lives—and what we build from there depends on the choices we make each day.
We can be saved but choose to spend our lives in fruitless activity (1 Corinthians 3:15). On the other hand, we can understand our salvation to such a depth that every moment becomes an offering given back to God. Our works will not be tested by their appearances, our level of enjoyment, or others’ opinions. It’s the fire of God that will reveal if we have lived with this world or the next in mind. —Regina Franklin
How can ordinary things become eternal investments? Why shouldn’t we base the significance of our investments on the attention they garner? (Matthew 6:4).
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