Builders

There is an advertisement where two people walk into a hardware store and both of them want iron roofing sheets. One of them asks for a particular brand because of its quality and durability.

The other thinks it’s too expensive and so he goes for the cheapest roofing sheets that the store has in stock. Several months down the line, it’s the rainy season and the man who bought the cheap iron roofing sheets is really having it rough because his house is leaking and most of his roof has rusted.

His neighbour on the other hand is having a good time, his roof is still intact and he has no leaks because he was willing to pay the price for quality.

We are all builders and each one of us has the opportunity to choose the kind of material we shall build with. Building material comes in many shapes and forms and also different qualities. The more durable they are the more expensive.

When you think of these two gentlemen, who can you identify with? Each and every one of us has been given a foundation on which to build on, the foundation being Jesus Christ. We have the responsibility of choosing the kind of material we use to build with.

So will you go for gold and silver or wood and straw? Many people are not willing to pay the price to build with expensive material. Expensive material will mean maintaining your purity and keeping your boundaries when everyone else is not and the world seems to be ok with it.

It will mean not defiling yourself by sieving what you watch and where you go. Expensive material means letting go of some of the relationships that are pulling you behind.

It will mean being diligent faithful and consistent in studying the word and prayer. It will mean being involved in the house of God, sharing the gospel and being an example in word and deed.

Are you willing to pay the price of building with such material, or would you rather be shallow and use cheap material that may look appealing to others but it’s not durable?

Remember you are responsible for the kind of material you use to build you can not put that blame on someone else. Go for quality and pay the price because there is a fire that is coming to test what you have built and you don’t want to be left with a heap of ashes.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV)
 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. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,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.If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.