What are you building?
It's a strange question, I know. But every one of us is building something with our lives.
Paul used this allegory in his first letter to the church in Corinth. He says we all must be careful to build on the foundation that is Christ. He also says one day our work will be tested as though with fire. If we use cheap building materials or if our work is shoddy it will be lost in the fire. We will be saved but as one that escaped through the flames.
I'm not a fire and brimstone guy, really I'm not, but you have to think about what you are building with these precious few years we have to walk the earth.
Are we trying to build a comfortable life for ourselves? Are we working jobs we hate in order to buy more stuff that we don't need in order to make our lives more comfortable? More secure?
Are we building our own kingdoms? Proudly waving the flag of our religion but trying to build ourselves up. Trying to make ourselves look great, talented, in control. The ones to turn to. As a creative this is a terribly dangerous trap. The trap of building our own kingdoms. The buzzword around the blogging community is "build your own platform" so people will listen to what you have to say. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to check your motives. Check to see if your building your own kingdom...if you are it will not last.
Instead we should be building up the kingdom of God. Not just ourselves, not just our own churches but the entirety of the kingdom.
I have a friend who holds a very important position at a local ministry. The ministry is very far reaching and does great things for the poor in the local communities. I had lunch with him last week and he poured out frustrations and joys of working in such a field. We joked with each other and listened to each other's aggravations of the past few weeks when he said something remarkable to me.
"I just...I don't want this ministry to be be huge and important and well respected, y'know?"
"I really don't." I confided.
"No, it'll be great, but what I mean is that I want to build the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of this ministry. My dream is that the local churches pour so much into the poor communities and we just help, we just teach and equip."
What's beautiful about my friend's dream is that he wants to reach across the denominational divides. He dreams of reaching across our theological differences and build the kingdom of God. And that is what will last. That is what will stand long after we are gone. That is what will withstand the fire and tower long into eternity.
What are you building with your life? Where do your dreams lead you? What is the legacy left behind? It's never too late. I promise you.
It's a strange question, I know. But every one of us is building something with our lives.
Paul used this allegory in his first letter to the church in Corinth. He says we all must be careful to build on the foundation that is Christ. He also says one day our work will be tested as though with fire. If we use cheap building materials or if our work is shoddy it will be lost in the fire. We will be saved but as one that escaped through the flames.
I'm not a fire and brimstone guy, really I'm not, but you have to think about what you are building with these precious few years we have to walk the earth.
Are we trying to build a comfortable life for ourselves? Are we working jobs we hate in order to buy more stuff that we don't need in order to make our lives more comfortable? More secure?
Are we building our own kingdoms? Proudly waving the flag of our religion but trying to build ourselves up. Trying to make ourselves look great, talented, in control. The ones to turn to. As a creative this is a terribly dangerous trap. The trap of building our own kingdoms. The buzzword around the blogging community is "build your own platform" so people will listen to what you have to say. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to check your motives. Check to see if your building your own kingdom...if you are it will not last.
Instead we should be building up the kingdom of God. Not just ourselves, not just our own churches but the entirety of the kingdom.
I have a friend who holds a very important position at a local ministry. The ministry is very far reaching and does great things for the poor in the local communities. I had lunch with him last week and he poured out frustrations and joys of working in such a field. We joked with each other and listened to each other's aggravations of the past few weeks when he said something remarkable to me.
"I just...I don't want this ministry to be be huge and important and well respected, y'know?"
"I really don't." I confided.
"No, it'll be great, but what I mean is that I want to build the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of this ministry. My dream is that the local churches pour so much into the poor communities and we just help, we just teach and equip."
What's beautiful about my friend's dream is that he wants to reach across the denominational divides. He dreams of reaching across our theological differences and build the kingdom of God. And that is what will last. That is what will stand long after we are gone. That is what will withstand the fire and tower long into eternity.
What are you building with your life? Where do your dreams lead you? What is the legacy left behind? It's never too late. I promise you.
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