A Wise Builder
Today's Verse:
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, ~Jude 20a
In many densely populated cities, the only way to make space for more housing is by building large high-rise residences. Contractors will buy any available lots and build as high as the city will permit. The spiritual life of every believer can only be successful if we are building up. That is, we are adding to our faith and increasing in strength and maturity. This morning, our Scripture encourages us to build up ourselves upon our most holy faith.
There is the mark in building our faith.
Paul states that the aim of the Christian life is Christlikeness. “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). The perfect man is attaining the fullness of Christ in every aspect of his life. Paul stated it again this way in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Our greatest achievement and success for the Christian life is to build our faith so that we are just like Jesus. There is no success in the Christian life unless the Lord Jesus Christ is the goal and mark for our lives. Becoming like Jesus is the driver that motivates and compels us to keep building. Becoming like Jesus gives us fortitude, fervency, and a faith that will not wither. Make Jesus the mark for building your faith.
There is the movement in building our faith.
We must build the structure of our lives one floor at a time. We are building up! There are spiritual increments that we build one floor at a time. I call these increments the essential movement of building the faith. Peter describes this movement in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” Christlikeness is evidenced when we love as God loves. We must move from faith in Christ to building our spirit in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of this entails challenges, conflicts, setbacks, suffering, and trials. A faith that is not tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. This movement means we will be given obstacles, openings, and opportunities. It is not an easy road, but it is an essential road.
There is the merchandise from building our faith.
When we are building our faith, there is a profitable by product. “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8). We have a guarantee from the Lord that when we are building and advancing one incremental floor at a time, we will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. First, the fruit of the Spirit is visibly active in our lives. Second, there will be consistent answers to prayers. Third, our faith in God’s power is greatly enlarged, and we seek to please Him through the exercise of more faith. Fourth, we are exercising godly compassion that results in the winning of lost souls. Fifth, God gives us grace with which to deal with difficult people. Sixth, we have learned to patiently wait for the coming of our Lord. Building up ourselves upon our most holy faith has great profitability.
Is your life stagnant, declining, or building? Stagnant and declining building projects are an eyesore and lose investment. Building projects that stay on schedule and are building upwards are sightly, stimulating, and successful. Let’s build upon our most holy faith!
Have a building-up God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 10-13
コメント