What the Fire Reveals
What sort of work are you doing?
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.- 1 Corinthians 3:12-13
Today's reading reminds me of the story of the three pigs, each building a house tested by a force of nature, the wolf.
What that story revealed was the value of building with strength.
What Paul is talking about is how we live our lives. Whatever materials we use to build, all that will remain is the foundation, and that foundation is Christ.
In the West, homes are being leveled to the foundation by fire. All that is left is rubble and the foundation. For those who survive that devastation, all that has value is life itself.
If I can keep that in mind every day, imagine how much more meaningful each moment will be. Paul wants us to know we will be tested by fire. As silver is purified by the heat, so will we be made pure. But imagine how much richer our lives could be if we lived as though nothing else matters.
Why wait for the fire to burn away all that has cluttered our lives and souls? Why not shed all that stuff now and enjoy life?
This is our challenge. This is what Jesus meant when he told the rich man to give everything away. At some point, the fire will wipe out all we think is valuable in our lives. Why wait for that moment to realize how wealthy we are when we live in Christ?
It is the purity of our souls that the fire reveals, and if we are willing, we can share that with all we meet.
More to come...
Photo Credit: Brian Hickey/KCRA Valley Fire Destruction