The Apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 3:10(NKJV), “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.” We can learn a lot in this verse from the Apostle’s reference to carpenters. They build things by trade, and believers build things according to our destiny in Christ. A good carpenter achieves the distinction of being a master builder when he or she has demonstrated a history of building solid and useful structures. They know what it takes to make a building strong, sound, and secure. A builder that isn’t wise may have built many structures, but he or she used inadequate tools and materials. This is a foolish master builder, and when everything is said and done, they won’t have built anything that lasts. Needless to say, we should opt to be a wise master builder, and the way to become one is to renew our minds to the plans, instructions, and blueprint God has provided through Jesus Christ.
Insecurity is almost at an epidemic level in today’s society. Many people do not feel grounded within themselves, and because of this, they do not have a strong sense of self. The mistake that many individuals make is to look to the world for their identity. They choose to be defined by what they do instead of who they were created to be. God is our Creator, and He tells us in Romans 12:2(NIV), “Do not conform 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.” We should not look to society to make us feel whole and complete. God tells us to be transformed by His power and love. The way to accomplish this is to change the way we think.
The mind is where the battle of life exists. God tells us in Hosea 4:6 that His people are destroyed because they lack knowledge about Him, and in fact, many have refused to know Him through His Word. We become stuck in a mindset that is paralyzing to us spiritually and mentally. By clinging to the wrong information and the wrong sources of it, we allow ourselves to become locked-in and bound mentally. Choosing to mold our opinions and assumptions around what we think we know, we continue to be blind to the truth, and this is catastrophic. If we settle into a mindset that locks God out, the enemy will trap us and try to keep us in that mindset. 2Corinthians 4:4(NLT) tells us, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
We must be confident that we can come out of darkness through the Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father created us in His own likeness. He is Spirit, and He created us as His spiritual children. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around. Jesus Christ teaches us to do what we see our Father doing. As God’s spiritual children, Heavenly Father has made it clear that we must produce. We must be wise master builders that build our lives on the foundation that Jesus Christ laid for us.
When it comes to our lives, we are indeed in the process of renovation. God created us in such a way that our minds can keep us in the faith of Jesus Christ so we can live with his power, but if we don’t renew our minds to the Word of God, we will not be wise master builders. Instead, we will be conformed to this world, and use its tools and material, and they are corrupting and falling apart by the minute.
The example of Jesus Christ is our blueprint. It is the blueprint for humanity. Jesus Christ is everything that God intended human beings to be. Throughout human history, we have hardened our hearts against this truth and become very arrogant. Most have attempted to live life without acknowledging the One True God and the sacrifice He made to save us from darkness and destruction through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why they cannot make sense of their lives. They refuse to recognize that God has given us this life to make a stand for Him and His Word, and to claim our identity as His sons and daughters. Without accepting this knowledge, we can’t be wise master builders, and we will continue to try and build relationships and success on a foundation that cannot support them.
Our Master, Jesus Christ, instructs us in John 8:32(NLT), “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” When some people hear what Jesus Christ says in this verse, they immediately refute it in their minds. They don’t recognize they need to be freed from anything, and they can’t imagine that by changing their minds and digesting God’s truth, they can alter their lives. God’s Word declares that we can and should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. He has given every person the privilege of becoming a wise master builder of their lives by building them on the person of Jesus Christ. Through His Word, the example of Jesus Christ, and the leadership of His Holy Spirit, God has supplied us with all the tools and building material we need to be who He created us to be and to make a difference in the lives of others through His power and love. ■
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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.
“A Complete Renovation”, written for 4theChristianMan.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.