The Body of Christ has been deeply impacted by several ministries crumble due to several factors or circumstances. It is heartbreaking to see so many broken lives; may our Father’s love and grace heal and restore them.

 

The Bible instructs us to be careful how we build our lives. Storms of life and the fiery tests of time will reveal what kind of materials are being used to build our lives: marriages, families, finances, health, businesses, and our ministries. The following story highlights the importance of using high quality materials in our lives.

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An elderly carpenter was ready to retire and told his employer of his plans. His boss was disappointed as the carpenter had been a loyal and diligent worker for many years, so he was sad to see him go. He asked for one last favor, requesting that the carpenter could build just one more house before retiring. The carpenter said yes, but hesitantly. It was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He hurried to complete the house, then resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, his boss came to inspect the house. He handed the front door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it differently. Now he had to live in the shabby home he had constructed.

 

Our lives are a “Gift from God.” And even though we are ONE with the Spirit of God, we can still use our thoughts, wills, and emotions (our souls), to participate in the building and transformation process of our lives. Every day, we make choices to walk after the flesh or walk by the Spirit. We could submit to God or yield our members to sin.

 

The following scriptures remind us of who we are and how our choices impact our lives positively and negatively.

 

A HOUSE BUILT ON A STRONG FOUNDATION

 

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [outsiders without rights of citizenship], but you are fellow citizens with the saints (God’s people) and are [members] of God’s household,

 ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone,

²¹ in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues [to increase] growing into a Holy Temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. 

²² In Him [and in fellowship with one another], you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 Amplified

 

The foundation of our lives has been laid. Jesus Christ is the ROCK and Cornerstone which is holding our lives together, but we must be sensitive to His plans of how He wants to direct the building being erected in our lives. He wants to guide us in all areas.

 

A MASTER BUILDER

 

¹⁰According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a Skillful Master Builder, I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. BUT EACH ONE MUST BE CAREFUL HOW HE BUILDS. 

¹¹ For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 3:10-11 Amplified

 

The Apostle Paul called himself “A Skillful Master Builder.” According to Wikipedia, a “Master Builder’ is recognized as such, not only for his ability to rear a magnificent structure after plans prepared by the architect for his guidance but because of his ability to comprehend those plans. He skillfully weaves together the crude materials that make up the strength, harmony, beauty, and stateliness of the edifice that grows in his hands from a made foundation to a magnificent habitation.

 

USING INFERIOR MATERIALS

 

¹²But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work.

¹⁴ If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward.

¹⁵ But if any person’s work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.

 

The Apostle Paul described several materials used in building homes, structures, and temples in Biblical times.

 

Wood describes a building composed of cheap, temporary, perishable, burnable materials. You can quickly build such a building, but a house of wood is never made to last for ages. 

 

Hay should never have been used as a construction material because it was meant to be food that fed animals.

 

Stubble, another name for straw, was so inferior that even animals wouldn’t eat it. Yet, in the homes of enslaved people, it was used as a floor covering, insulation, and stuffing for beds.  It was cheap, disposable, and replaceable.

 

Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones (Marble and Granite) were the most expensive and the highest quality materials used in constructing a building in Apostle Paul’s day. These were durable, long-lasting, resilient materials. Gold and silver were used for decoration inside and outside.  These materials have gone through many adversities and tests, yet they are still standing. 

 

By this illustration, Apostle Paul is posing the question: How are we building our life?  Is it with temporary satisfaction in mind and with perishable materials, are we building hastily? Or are we prayerfully taking our life seriously, walking patiently with our Lord, and being sensitive to His heart?  And are we building carefully drawing from His grace and Life, the materials that will last forever? Drawing from Christ’s life moment by moment and saying no to the flesh and sin, our lives will withstand the tests of time.

 

 I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].
Philippians 1:6 Amplified

 

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Enjoy Christ, Enjoy (ZOE) Your Life!