Immersing ourselves in Scripture is one of the best ways to nourish our souls. Therefore, each month I invite you to return and share a new devotional thought with me. I pray that God will use it to bless your life and feed your spirit.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
~Psalm 34:8~

Caution: Faith Under Construction

The apostle Paul used many metaphors to describe the Christian's journey to spiritual maturity. He likened it to an endurance race that we are called to run with perseverance. He compared it to a child graduating from a diet of milk to solid food. But my favorite example equates building our faith with building a temple.

Before undertaking any major construction project, a builder must first have a plan. Thankfully, we have a Master Carpenter who has given us a perfect architectural design to follow. But he offers us more than blueprints. He is willing to partner with us on our project. And because the foundation of any structure is the key to its success, he pours the concrete himself. Once it is hard as stone, he invites us to begin building. Only a fool would choose sandy ground over this perfect Rock.

Now that we have our foundation in place, it is time for us to go to work. Hear how Paul describes our responsibilities in this construction process:

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his 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 man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:10-17).

What an awesome responsibility—creating a home for the Holy Spirit on the sacred foundation of Christ. The first challenge we face in this process is choosing our materials. Paul has given us several options. Straw, hay, and wood are easy to find, inexpensive, and quick to throw together. They don't require much sacrifice on our part or much time. The people who choose these materials are looking for easy Christianity. They don't want to change too much or spend too much time building their spiritual house. There are too many other things going on in their life that demand their attention. A wood house is good enough, right?

However, Paul warns that a time of fire is coming. Those who do not make building their faith a top priority will suffer. When hard times come, they will feel lost, confused, betrayed. Their only hope will be to cling to the foundation while the walls burn and crumble around them.

Instead of looking for the quick fix, let's listen to the owner to see what he recommends. As soon as our foundation is laid, the Holy Spirit moves on-site to oversee the project. He encourages us to take our time and to use top-quality supplies. Gold, silver, and costly stones require great sacrifice on our part. They are expensive and rare. We must put aside our selfish desires and commit ourselves fully to searching them out. After all, Jesus laid himself down for our foundation. Nothing short of our best will do.

So we work … and work … and work. We study the best methods of faith building. Communicate with the Spirit Owner and the Master Carpenter on a regular basis. Ask for help from other builders who are struggling beside us. Lend our help in return. Offer shelter to weary travelers who pass our way. Gradually the walls go up. We make mistakes, and often have to tear things out and rebuild, but the walls go up. We submit to the Spirit's recommendations and joyfully build to his specifications.

Fiery times will fall on us, too. Yet because our house is solid, and because we have such a strong relationship with the Owner, our temple will endure. The heat may scorch us, but our faith will stay strong. We may develop painful scars, but our soul will retain its beauty and our heart will rejoice.

It takes time, commitment, sacrifice, and submission to build a successful Christian life, but if we listen to the Spirit and lean on Christ, our temple will stand forever.

And will the great eternal God
On earth establish His abode?
And will He, from His radiant throne,
Accept our temple for His own?

These walls we to Thy honor raise;
Long may they echo with Thy praise;
And thou, descending, fill the place
With choicest tokens of Thy grace.

~Philip Doddridge (1755)~