Building your spiritual house (Pt. 8)

Pt. 8. Cutting Corners  

“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 3:13-15 

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 it eventually catches up with you. 

Each new home that is built has to go through a variety of inspections to make sure it is up to code. If you used cheap or inferior materials, it will be found out. Things are no different with your spiritual house. There is going to be an inspection. Paul tells us that one day our spiritual house is going to be tested by fire to see the kind of work that’s been done. I really like how The Message paraphrase describes it:

“Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.”-1 Corinthians 3:9-15. 

Are you building your life with quality material? Typically, quality is best tested by adversity. Earthquakes test foundations. Strong winds test roofs. The Apostle Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 3:13, in regards to our spiritual houses, that on judgment day, fire will show the kind of work each builder has done. However, that is an unfortunate time to discover how the corners your cut are going to cost you. 

Cutting corners may save you time on the front end, but the end result cannot be calculated, until what you’ve built has been tested. The time to ask these questions is now:

Are you building your life with eternity in mind?

Are you using materials that will stand the test of time?

Are you building your life quickly and cheaply for today or in a way that will count forever. 

We are building a house for God! I want to build a spiritual house that God can be proud to call His dwelling place. 

Scott Burr 

Dayspring Community Church