Building on a Firm Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

According to God’s grace that was given to me, as a skilled master builder I have laid a foundation and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, because no one can lay any other foundation that what has been laid – that is, Jesus Christ.

Foundations are extremely important to any structure. If the foundation isn’t stable, the rest of the building stands to fall apart. The foundation must be laid first because everything else rests upon it. If we try to build the roof before the floors are even laid, you’ll have nothing to hold the structure together while you finish the building. Walls and ceilings can’t just hang in mid-air with no foundation to support them. While this is common sense to most of us, some tend to forget these simple steps when building a church or ministry.

Paul explained to the church in Corinth that he had laid the foundation of their church by the grace God had given him. He had no merit on his own with which to build and nothing from his Jewish religious affiliation to credit for the foundation. He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they had responded. The foundation upon which the church at Corinth was built was Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected for their sins. With that foundation firm and in place, they could build upon the stability of the gospel to create a church fully functioning by the Holy Spirit. The church should not exist to extol anyone but Christ.

In building the church, however, the Corinthians must be careful to build upon the foundation Paul presented and not try to create a new foundation. Whatever is built upon the foundation of Christ must adhere to the gospel and not upon man’s opinions or ambitions. If Christ is not the center as you build forward, the whole building stands to crumble. While we can do good things in our churches and our ministries, our reason should be to draw people to Christ and to promote Him. How do we do this effectively? We build by the grace God has given us. We use whatever gifts God has given us to build our portion and glorify Jesus.

Have you found your place to build yet? Take a close look at where God is working in your life and where He seems to be using you to bless others. Keep building by blessing and serving in the areas you know you can represent Christ well. Be open to new opportunities to serve or to branch out into other areas while respecting your limits. God is interested in building you while you are building His kingdom. In fact, you will know your building is effective and built upon the right foundation when you find yourself growing in Christ. As the ministry grows, you will grow personally and spiritually. So, pick up your hammer, your saw, your paint brush, or whatever tool God has given you and begin to build upon the strong foundation of Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day!