Category: Growth

We Are God's Building Project

We Are God’s Building Project

Posted on by James

1 Corinthians 3:9

9 For we are laborers together with God: You are God’s vineyard; you are God’s building.

Bible Translation: Modern English Version (MEV)

Devotional

To erect a building, we would need at the very least tools that consisted of a hammer, saw, and measuring tape. We would then have to trim and cut our broads to size. If we did not have these tools we would not be able to trim trim a single board or attach a single board to build our house.

When it comes to God We are His building and if we are willing He will build us a little each day to become more and more like Him. God builds us for a godly life in this world and for eternal life in the world to come.

To do this, God must cut and saw and trim. We do not always think of it in this way. Because when God starts sawing and trimming things our of our life to make us more like Him. We will often times call it misfortune, hard luck, or trouble. Yet God is building us for time and eternity through pain and suffering, through sorrow and loss. God is the wise master builder, who never makes mistakes.

Though God builds through pain and loss, He is very near to us, to strengthen us and to encourage us through His Word when the going is hard. Are we worried? He takes us into His Word and invites us to cast all our care upon Him “because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Are we sick? He says: “I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). Are we troubled in conscience or guilt of sins? He promises: “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Are we facing death? He promises: “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, build us as You will, and grant us grace to understand and to praise you while you are building us to be more like You, Amen.

The Fear of the Lord

The Fear of the Lord

Posted on by James

Proverbs 8:13

Devotional

A diamond has many facets. A facet is those flat-polished surfaces that you see on a diamond that make it so beautiful and expensive. But a diamond is not “born” that way. In fact, a diamond is quite ugly when it is first mined. However, when a master craftsman gets hold of it, he turns it into something
beautiful. But one mistake can ruin that diamond, leaving it marred and not nearly as beautiful and wonderful as it could be. In fact, sometimes it can be left utterly useless, falling far short of what it could have been and worth no more than to be crushed and used for purposes it was never intended to be used for. Thus, causing not only dishonor to the diamond itself but also affecting all those who will not be able to see just how beautiful it could have become.

In the same way, God himself takes us as a raw diamond and transforms us into something beautiful. However, if we do not allow Him to work on us and mold us and change us because we refuse to follow His ways, then we become like that diamond disgraced diamond instead of the beautiful, invaluable piece of art that He wants to transform us into.

And just as many facets make that diamond beautiful, this is where one of the many facets concerning the fear of the Lord comes in. You see, when the fear of the Lord is absent in a person’s life, he loses out on the knowledge and wisdom God has provided. Likewise, an acceptance of evil and pride in a person’s life not only shows a lack of godly fear; it also opens the door to unwise choices and destructive behavior and causes our lives to become far less beautiful than they could have been.

You see, in this particular aspect of fearing God, it gives a person a reason to rejoice. Because when they understand this, they know they are protected by God’s wisdom. And, through the wisdom associated with this, they are able to avoid the devil’s evil traps set for their destruction.