“For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work.”
—1 Corinthians 3:11–13
Jesus is the only foundation beneath our lives that will result in anything that has eternal meaning and value.
If we try to work according to the world’s wisdom, societal norms, or what other people think we should do, if we try to copy some other person’s life, or if we attempt work according to our own personal talents without consulting the Lord, all of that work will have no lasting impact. It will be destroyed.
Only where we build on Jesus and abide in him will our work have any meaningful, lasting effect. “And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory [in martyrdom], but do not have love, it does me no good” (1 Corinthians 13:3). Grand actions like giving away all our possessions to the poor or being willing to die for Christ would look wonderfully sacrificial to others and may bring lots of human praise, but if the love of Jesus is not in them, they are nothing.
It’s comforting that the opposite is also true. All things we build on the foundation of Christ and do in service to him will pass the test of fire in eternity no matter how small or menial—all our chores, duties, jobs, and hobbies can be built on him.
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