1 Corinthians 3: 10 – 15
I used to work as a safety officer for a construction company that specialized in building and repairing power plants and paper mills up and down the east coast and Puerto Rico.
It was my job to enforce OSHA regulations on the jobsite to reduce injuries and keep the job running. On every job there was always a mixed bag of workers; there were electricians, pipe fitters, carpenters, laborers, and boilermakers. Each craft had their specific job to do build on the work of the other workers that at first seemed to be totally unrelated to each other until, at the end, the job came together and the plant worked properly.
Each man had to do his job the right way then his work had to pass inspection that would sometimes involve pressure and other times x-rays before it would either pass inspection or, if it failed, be ripped out and the job started again. This process is called zero tolerance testing, and is necessary for the plant to operate correctly. The job would continue until it was finished, and the employees who failed would not be fired, just placed with a more experienced worker until he learned more and was able to do the job better.
Paul uses this type of imagery when he was talking to the church in Corinth.
10 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.
11 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 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.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Zero tolerance testing can be tough to go through but it is necessary.
Maybe it seems as if you are surrounded by the open waters of relationship problems, or money woes, or simply an inability to put your life in order. Perhaps you feel as if you are drowning in a sea of trials and trouble. May I suggest two things? First, find a fellow Christian or two who can come beside you and hold you up, pray for you, talk with you, and remind you that you are not alone. Then rest your feet on the only solid foundation in life: Jesus Christ Life’s troubles are too tough to take on alone. Get some help and find in Jesus a place to stand.
I used to work as a safety officer for a construction company that specialized in building and repairing power plants and paper mills up and down the east coast and Puerto Rico.
It was my job to enforce OSHA regulations on the jobsite to reduce injuries and keep the job running. On every job there was always a mixed bag of workers; there were electricians, pipe fitters, carpenters, laborers, and boilermakers. Each craft had their specific job to do build on the work of the other workers that at first seemed to be totally unrelated to each other until, at the end, the job came together and the plant worked properly.
Each man had to do his job the right way then his work had to pass inspection that would sometimes involve pressure and other times x-rays before it would either pass inspection or, if it failed, be ripped out and the job started again. This process is called zero tolerance testing, and is necessary for the plant to operate correctly. The job would continue until it was finished, and the employees who failed would not be fired, just placed with a more experienced worker until he learned more and was able to do the job better.
Paul uses this type of imagery when he was talking to the church in Corinth.
10 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.
11 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 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.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Zero tolerance testing can be tough to go through but it is necessary.
Maybe it seems as if you are surrounded by the open waters of relationship problems, or money woes, or simply an inability to put your life in order. Perhaps you feel as if you are drowning in a sea of trials and trouble. May I suggest two things? First, find a fellow Christian or two who can come beside you and hold you up, pray for you, talk with you, and remind you that you are not alone. Then rest your feet on the only solid foundation in life: Jesus Christ Life’s troubles are too tough to take on alone. Get some help and find in Jesus a place to stand.
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