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Build with Care

Written by Pastor Jeffrey Smith on September 01, 2019 | Found in: Blog

1 Corinthians 3:8-15

 

8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.



This verse establishes a few realities that we ought to live by. First, it establishes the fact that we’re all granted different types of responsibilities and callings. That’s evidenced by “the one who plants and the one who waters.” Your responsibilities aren’t the same from the people around you and that may be cause for celebration or cause for contempt, but it remains true. You are called to your path, and they are called to theirs. Furthermore, the verse establishes the fact that there are different types of rewards for different types of service. These “types of service” are likened to building materials. It’s no coincidence, then, that the verse says that we are all God’s building. A building in which the foundation is Christ, but every subsequent addition to the building is based on the materials you choose. With a foundation in Christ, salvation and heaven is in store for us, but the rewards experienced in heaven is a result of our building project. Every decision you make, every thought that runs through your head, is a visit to Home Depot to gather materials. Every time you pray, every time you forgive, every time you read your bible, every time you display maturity, you make the intentional decision to build with gold. Build with care.