Mike
Scriptures:
Luke 6:46 – 49 1 Corinthians 3:10 Malachi 3:16 - Malachi 4:2
Proverbs 3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
Proverbs 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion
Have you visited Norfolk Island?
The island has a beautiful veneer, the scenery is captivating; but I think God gave me a glimpse at what was underneath the veneer.
In 1856 the descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers, resettled from the Pitcairn Islands and, while visiting Norfolk Island, I saw that the early history was built on absolute misery, mutiny, sadness and a very high rate of infant mortality.
Captain Cook was fooled by this island. In around 1774, he saw the Norfolk Pine as an ideal tree for masts for the wooden ocean going vessels as they were tall and straight. But, he was misled by what he saw; the branches of the Norfolk Pine cause knots that run right through the tree, which makes them weak and no good for masts of ocean going ships. He also thought that Norfolk Island’s flax was a perfect plant for making cloth, yet again he was misled. The flax from the island was not at all suitable for making cloth.
All this made me think that, as believers we must make sure that our lives are not just a veneer for our own exploits. We need to build our lives on Wisdom and Understanding, on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul had heard of the strife and division among the Corinthians, “one says I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos”. Paul corrects them by saying “who is Paul, who is Apollos but ministers by whom you believe. I have planted, Apollos watered; but it is God that gave the increase.”
Paul urges them to be careful about how they lived, and how they built their lives. All believers have the solid Rock of Jesus Christ under their lives, but what they build on top of that foundation is so very important. Paul teaches us that there are numerous building materials that can be used. We can use, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, but “every man's work shall be made manifest, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”
By using this illustration, Paul is confronting us with the question: How are you building your life?
What is each of us constructing on top of that foundation, are we taking our life seriously? Are we building carefully with materials that will last throughout our life and are strong enough to impact not only this present generation, but also the generations to come?
What is our personal commitment and the level of excellence that we demand of ourselves in different areas of our lives?
Are we building something with our life that will endure and bring forth fruit, or are we building so hastily and poorly that everything we have built could suddenly go up in a puff of smoke?
Are we using the Wisdom and Understanding of God when we make these decisions?
It is the individual responsibility of each of us to build the building. Nobody can actually do this for us we have to do this for ourselves, so let us do all we can to encourage each other as much as possible in our daily lives.
Prayer: Father, we commit our way to You each day as we seek Your Wisdom to understand how we live our lives to build with materials that will last and bring glory to Your Name.