Some people think that it takes away from God’s majesty and glory to say that we are in partnership with Him. Our Heavenly Father is perfect and intelligent beyond our comprehension. Romans 8:16-17(NKJV) says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” There is no tighter, more unified relationship than that of parent and child. God has demonstrated this through His relationship with Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. God is our Father, and we are His heirs through Jesus Christ, our Lord! We are not taking anything from God by proclaiming the greatness of all that He has bestowed upon us. We are the very demonstration of His love.
God created us to reign. To reign means to exercise authority and dominion. He gave us all the power that we need to govern masterfully over our own lives. He’s provided everything that we need to build a life that is pleasing to Him. 2 Peter 1:3(NLT) tells us, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” In verse 4, God tells us that we’ve been given exceedingly great and precious promises so that we, you and I, can be partakers or participants of His divine nature. That’s absolutely amazing!
God has given us all that we need to have His very nature, and His nature has good stuff like love, peace, mercy, grace, kindness, strength, self-control, and power. This is how He intends us to be, think, and live; according to His nature. These are the building blocks for a life lived the way God wants. It’s a life that is built by continuously loving and giving, of receiving a blessing and being a blessing to others. This is truly abundant living, but many of us today are being tricked out of living with this kind of Christ-authority and dominion. We are listening to what the world says rather than what our Heavenly Father says.
In 1Corinthians 3:10 (KJV), the Apostle Paul said “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” God is no respecter of persons. He doesn’t favor one individual over another individual. He’s a Father with no favorites. He loves us all just the same. Paul made the statement that because of God’s grace, he is a master builder; and not just a master builder, but a wise one. No doubt, you and I can gather from this that it is entirely possible to be a foolish master builder. What does this look like?
Well, a foolish master builder is a person that doesn’t use good blueprints and plans, doesn’t use the right tools, and lacks knowledge about when to use what tool and how. That’s a person that you wouldn’t want to build your home, your children’s homes, or any place else where human beings need to carry on activities and business. You wouldn’t want this person building any foundation, because you know it is not going to be sturdy and strong. In fact, it will probably collapse when used repeatedly, causing danger and injury to others.
The Apostle Paul tells that through His grace, God made him a WISE master builder, a person that uses the best blueprints available, and we know that the Word of God fits that requirement overwhelmingly. The psalmist said in Psalm 119:105(NKJV), “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” God’s Word has given us everything we need to build a quality life. God’s Word is a light that will guide us on the path that God has destined us to walk. Some people don’t want to believe that they have the power to construct their lives in a way that is both pleasing to God and fulfilling to them. They make excuses for not thinking, speaking, and living the way God instructs, but if we take the Lord’s blueprint, and use it to build ourselves up, we’ll have a life that is a foundation not just for us, but for others we love as well.
Is it always easy? No. Life can be very challenging, but God has equipped us with His Word, the example of Jesus Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 6:10-11, He tells us to be strong in His strength and power, and put on all the spiritual armor He’s provided so that we will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. Jesus Christ warned us that we will have struggles, temptations, and tribulations. He also said that we shouldn’t worry ourselves with that, because he has already overcome the world, and if we walk in his footsteps, we will overcome it too.
Romans 8:37 tells us that we’re more than conquerors in Christ, and overwhelming victory is ours. We can use the tools that God has provided to build a wonderful life. It pleases God when we use what He’s given us to be confident and claim His promises. We can’t afford to listen to the negativity in the world. Our focus must be on God. We should seek to please Him through Christ, and become wise master builders who are determined to build upon the strong foundation that our Lord and Savior has given each of us.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Building A Strong Life through Christ” written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.