This passage in Paul’s letter is chock full of analogies. His rich and Spirit-led imagination conceives of the church as God’s servant farmers, God’s fellow workers, God’s field, God’s building, and God’s temple! You may wish to use this text as a point of departure for your own imagination. Take some time to reflect on each of Paul’s word pictures and draw out some of the implications of these parallels.
The word picture most fully drawn here is the image of God’s people as a building. Paul speaks first of the foundation. Every Christian and every community of believers is to be founded firmly in Jesus Christ. Considering that I’m writing from earthquake country, I am convinced that a solid foundation is critical. Google ‘Loma Prieta’ if you want some stunning visuals of what happens when your foundation turns to quicksand. (also, see “liquefaction”) This is why leading others to faith in Christ is so important. No other foundation for life is reliable – and certainly not permanent. Christ is the only rock that cannot be moved.
Upon that Rock, each Christian is privileged to build. But the structure and details of our lives will be put to the test one day and must prove to be of excellent quality. Paul contrasts building materials that are substandard and subject to destruction with those that are of great strength and value. Extending his analogy, I hear him saying that God is the Great Building Inspector. And what an inspection process – trial by fire! Now my imagination is really getting crazy. I see the Lord taking the building of my life, foundation and all, and setting it on this enormous conveyor belt. The belt jerks into motion and my life is transported into the mouth of God’s ‘house furnace.’ As its smoky glass windows begin to glow bright red, I wonder about the life I’ve built. Did I make designs, employ methods and materials, worthy of that fabulous foundation? Or did I throw up a cardboard lean-to on a mansion’s footprint? How well have you done with your 'life-house?'
The test won’t condemn you, Paul assures. You will be saved because that foundation of Christ WILL stand up to the flames. But some of us will smell heavily of smoke, singed hair, eyebrows, and all.
The Word says your Foundation is priceless and eternal, and you yourself are sacred. Make your life choices, build your legacy, with those realities in mind. Tear out the old wood, hay, and straw – or God will burn it out for you.
Pray: Heavenly Father, you have given me a matchless foundation for my life. You have called me Your Building, Your Temple. Help me to fashion a life that is consistent and worthy of these. To rise up on Christ, I must rise up as Christ. Help me to be like Jesus.
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