Building your spiritual house (Pt. 7)

 Pt. 7-Shoddy Materials 

“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.”-1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Paul tells us that you can build a foundation using a variety of materials. You can us gold, silver, and jewels or you can use wood, hay and straw. There is obviously a cost to building one or the other, which we will talk about next week, but this week I want to focus on quality. 

Let’s be honest, if you live alongside the ocean in Florida, you have to consider the possibility that eventually you are going to face a hurricane. With that in mind, you choose to frame your home with materials that are capable of helping you withstand the storms that will inevitably come. 

However, do we follow the same line of thought when it comes to building our spiritual lives? We are, for certain, going to face storms in this life. Are we framing our lives with that which will help us endure them?  Truss plates are not flashy. They don’t scream… “Look at me!”, but they do make sure that the roof stays on when the rain comes. Prayer, worship, fasting, studying God’s Word, serving others, and showing compassion are not the bling that cause people to “ooh” and “ahh” when they walk into your home. They are the hidden truss plates. In fact in Matthew 6:6, Jesus said when it comes to giving, prayer, and fasting that we are to go into your secret place, where no one can see us, and do these things. 

Few understood this better than James Orchard Halliwell. Halliwell was an English Shakespearian scholar. Believer it or not, you’ve been familiar with his work since you were a child. He authored the story of The Three Little Pigs. From childhood we have been taught the principles found in 1 Corinthians 3, just in fairy tale form. The wolf blowing and blowing represent the storms of this life. Each pig chose their building materials-straw, sticks, and bricks. Only one was able to withstand the wolf’s huffing and puffing. 

You can frame your life with money, popularity, power, or seeking self-interests, but how well will those things weather the storms of this life. How does being popular help you battle depression? How does a fat bank account help you navigate a failing marriage? How is that big promotion helping your manage cancer? 

Using the right materials is important, but it is also more labor intensive. Working with brick is harder than working with straw. This, unfortunately, causes people to cut corners and when you cut corners you put yourself at risk. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church