How Well Am I
Preparing Today?
If
anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay
or straw, their 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 person’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 (NIV)
A wealthy woman died one day and went to
heaven. An angel then took her to her heavenly abode, which was a plain old
ordinary building. Right next door to her was her gardener who had a palatial
mansion. She said, “How did my gardener get a mansion and I get a plain old
ordinary building?” The angel then said, “Well, we only build with the
materials you send us.” If you’re sending to heaven junk, junk is then what God
uses. He uses only what you send Him! Thus, the time to prepare for tomorrow is
today.
Timing is everything. We have heard this
phrase many times. There is a great deal of truth in that statement. The
difference between a good joke and a bad one is a person’s sense of timing. An
appropriate pause makes a joke and an inappropriate pause can kill the same
joke. Timing is essential when dealing with people.
Paul wants to emphasize the truth that the
builders of the Corinthian church will one day have their work (even their
secret or unknown activities) judged by Christ. As a result, each person will
be rewarded according to his or her efforts in building up the church. This day
of testing will take place at the judgment seat of Christ.
Many of us have ignored the command to
build carefully. As a result, we will lose out on the rewards that God has in
store for us. Now we may think, “Well, that’s okay for me, just as long as I
make it into heaven.” I can assure you that when we stand before Jesus Christ, we
will wish more than anything in this world that we had obeyed His command. The
time to prepare for tomorrow is today.
Personally, I don’t think I will ever be
asked by God, “How many people did you preach to each Sunday?” But I do expect
to be asked questions like, “How faithful were you to my Word? Did you preach
in the power of the Spirit rather than in your own power and intellect? Did you
live at home what you preached at church? And I think you will be asked similar
questions. Did you honor my name in your business? Did you teach your children
the truths of God’s Word? Did you love your spouse as Christ loved the church?”
The great reformer, Martin Luther, is
quoted as saying, “There are two days on my calendar: ‘Today’ and ‘That Day.’”
If we live like that, we can prepare for our eternal home.
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