Be careful...

...how, what and why you build.

In 1 Cor 3:10, Paul said: "According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid [the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be careful how he builds upon it,"*

Of course we must be careful how we build because it will be tested by fire.** However, it's not enough to be careful how you build - you need to be careful about what and why you build because what you build could lead you up to higher ground or take you down.

3 examples in the Bible

Joseph though a "big-mouth" of sorts, was a very careful builder. In Genesis 39: 1-18, we see the Joseph was already a "highly-placed" slave. He could have easily settled for that "promotion" and accepted Mrs. Potiphar's proposition as a way of securing his position but he had his eyes on higher things and on the Highest One. He refused to build his future based on man's (or more like a woman's) desire - rather he focussed on what God had deposited in his heart.

Conversely, Haman in trying to get to destroy a people he hated, he took the time to build gallows in his home so he'd have the personal sataifaction of seeing Mordecai hang to death in his backyard. In Esther 7: 9-10, we see that others were not just watching how Haman was building, they took notice of the "what" and the "why" he was building. Eventually, he built to his own destruction.

Then we cannot forget the story in Genesis 11. It was the "why" they built not the "how" or "what" that was the issue. In their words, Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let’s make ourselves famous so we won’t be scattered here and there across the Earth.”*** That was where they missed it, building a city and tower would have been fine without that motive. Imagine, someone building a mega-church so they are famous, not so they can spread the gospel further. Of course God will "scatter" as in Acts.

We can extend those examples to how and what we build in life. People who cut corners in their relationships, careers or even in building a house ended up destroying themselves - so it was a direct result of how they built what they built. Likewise when one builds for the wrong reason, one can be set up for self-destruction.

May the Lord give you wisdom to carefully consider how and why you build what you build and may all you build stand the test of time to God's glory. AMEN!

References:
* Amplified, emphasis mine
** 1 Cor 3¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their 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. (NIV)
*** Gen 11:4 - Message