In 1Corinthians 3:10(NKJV), the Apostle Paul referred to himself as a wise master-builder. He said “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” This verse is pivotal to our success in life, because in it, God looks us square in the face and tells us that we’ve been empowered by Him! Just like the Apostle Paul, we are master builders too. We are building our lives on the foundation that was laid by Christ. We can do it masterfully because God has given us the tools of His Word and the example of Christ. Through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us, we are more than equipped. So, we have superior tools, top-notch material, and an expert teacher. Now all we need to do is to employ them for God’s glory.
God has poured an overwhelming amount of spiritual goodness and power in us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And it doesn’t stop there. Our cups run over! God’s has positioned us under the fountain of His continual overflow! Every time that you and I invest His goodness in the lives of others, we are continually and immediately filled with more. You might look at your life and determine that you’ve not experienced this. Well, I would like to assure you that you are well on your way, but I also want to warn you about the pitfalls that can easily gum up your pipeline to the next level of greater blessings.
Don’t forget the One with the plan
Nothing corrodes a life like arrogance and pride. These cause us to lean on our own understanding—on our own opinions and attitudes about things. We get ahead of God and think we can lead our own paths. Not true. God is the One with the plan for our lives, and if we allow ourselves to forget this, we’re going to be in trouble. Paul warns us about this in 1Corinthians 3:10. He tells us to be careful how we build on the foundation of Christ and think that we can do things our way.
Deuteronomy 8:18(NLT) sets the context for building on the foundation that Jesus Christ laid for us all. It reminds us to “Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful.” Paul makes it clear that God’s empowerment causes us to be successful in life, and this empowerment comes with responsibility. Carrying forth this responsibility is the key to being transported from one level of blessings to the next!
Don’t allow insecurities to detour you
A foundation is the structure that supports the weight and framework of a building. If the foundation is strong, then a person can be assured that the house or building will be equally strong; but if the foundation is poorly constructed, the house will not stand. A strong wind can tear it to pieces. The Apostle built his foundation on the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ, and if we look at Paul’s history, the fact that he was able to build anything is utterly amazing. He, at one time, persecuted God’s people, and he had great disdain for Jesus Christ, but he was converted on the road to Damascus, and this completely changed the direction of his life. He once used bad material and inadequate tools to construct the foundation of his life, but after he accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and experienced the love of God in the depths of his soul, he saw the light.
Paul began to build a foundation so strong that you and I are now following the same blueprint and equipment that he used. He was not perfect. Paul was a flawed human being, and so are we. Despite this, he went on to do some pretty amazing things through our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This should be motivation and inspiration to us, because just as the Lord worked through the Apostle Paul, he wants to do the same for us.
The fact that Paul called himself a wise master-builder gives us a very strong representation of our own ability through Christ. Many of us are allowing our lives to slip by because we’re insecure. We haven’t understood that we are empowered by Christ to build lives that are pleasing to God and incredibly fulfilling to us as well. We might feel inadequate and ill-equipped because of the things we’ve suffered and gone through. We might feel weak and don’t know how to pull ourselves out of that hole. Well, Christ is extending his hand to us, and all we need to do is take it. We all have insecurities, but God told Paul in 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
Don’t forget your keys
God commands us in Romans 12:2(NLT), “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” This verse makes it plain that God has designed our minds to transport us.
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 16:19 (NIV), “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” How do we bind stuff? Initially, we bind it with our minds. Your mind is a gateway for things to enter in and impact your soul. Your mind is also the tool that allows you to move from a dimension of darkness and despair to one of love and light. So many of us fail to comprehend the astounding brick-laying ability of the power of choice–the power of paying attention to what we allow into our minds.
Jesus Christ has given us the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. How did he deliver these keys? He delivered them to us through the scriptures. The knowledge of God’s Word is the key to every door worth entering in life. Without God’s Word in our minds, we live beneath our privilege, and that’s not what God wants. Through the keys that Jesus Christ supplied, we can have good judgement and make good decisions and choices.
Living a life beneath our privilege is a life where strong winds continually tear down what we’ve built. After a while, God expects that we will wake up and realize that we’re binding some stuff that isn’t so pretty. He has something for us to do, and it’s to allow Him to guide us as we study His Word. There’s a person whose life we’re meant to impact—a situation that we’re slated to change for the better, but if we keep thinking the same way we’re thinking and acting the same way we’re acting, we’ll keep making the same choices and decisions we’re making. We’ll keep going down the path that leads us away from all that God has in store.
So, the better choice is clear. We must remember that God is the One with the plan, and He has a purpose for our lives. Our faith must be at a point where nothing deters us from doing what He has placed us on this earth to do. He’s qualified and equipped us to soar like eagles and move from one level of blessings to the next. Use the keys that Jesus Christ has provided. Those keys make it possible to confess the promises of God over your life with the authority of Christ, and to never lose hope and faith. He is faithful to His Word and will continue to lift you higher when you obey and trust Him with all your heart.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
“Moving to Your Next Level”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.