ACCORDING TO PLAN
Kendra Intihar
Today’s Scripture: “But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:15, NLT
Theme: When we let Jesus perfect our faith, what's true will stand; everything else will be burned away.
HOW TO BUILD A MASTERPIECE
My eight-year-old loves getting new LEGO sets. We are drowning in LEGO pieces at our house. When he was a little younger, he had the terrible habit of looking at the picture on the box and attempting to build the set without looking at the instructions. If you’ve ever put together a LEGO set, you know what a tragic error this is. You absolutely cannot build a LEGO creation of any complexity without following the instructions – you’ll end up with a poorly constructed mess.
And he did. Every single time he followed his own plan to try to achieve the image on the box, he would end up disappointed and confused until I would sit down with him, help him deconstruct his poorly assembled LEGO creation, and reconstruct it using the designer’s intended manual. Nowadays, he’s an expert. He has learned that if he wants his masterpiece to look like the one on the box, he has to follow the instructions.
QUALITY WORK
When we are leading and teaching – helping others “build” their faith – whether our children, our Life Group, or an entire congregation, we have an obligation to leverage the incredible tools God has given us in Scripture in order to disciple those in our span of care. According to 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, in whatever way we disciple others, our 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 person’s work” (vv.13-14, NIV).
Whether we’re ministering to our children or to a room full of people, the work that we’re doing for the kingdom is important, holy, eternal work. Even though we may not get 100% of it right 100% of the time, God has given us a roadmap – a plan – to build our faith and to help disciple others on the solid foundation of Christ. He is the designer. When we are building our faith and discipling others based on His plan, then when the dross is burned away, we will still be left with quality work (1 Corinthians 3:14).
FOLLOW THE PLAN
The Bible says, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV). In becoming earnest students of the Word, our minds will be transformed, and we’ll be able to test and discern our will vs. God’s perfect plan. When we follow our own design, things fall apart, but when we follow God’s plan, people’s lives – including our own – are changed.
Make It Personal: Have you ever done something your own way, only to find out later that you’ve messed up and must start over? We are often so certain of our own rightness that we fail to test our plans against God’s and end up making a mess of it all. Commit to spending daily time in God’s Word so that you are building on the foundation of Christ with proper building materials (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).
Pray: Lord, I know the areas of my life where You have called me to lead. Thank You for equipping me with Your Word so that I can meditate on Your life-giving plans for building up my own faith and the faith of those who are under my care and teaching. Establish my faith in You so that when it is tested by fire, its solidity is proven. Burn away anything in me that doesn’t lead me – or others – to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: Psalm 139:23-24; Proverbs 28:26; 2 Corinthians 5:10
Weekly Memory Verse: “For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’” 1 Peter 2:6 (ESV)