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.” There’s an endless amount of practical wisdom in this verse. It begs us to take the time to unpack  a little of it, so we can consume every morsel possible from its truth. It shows us that Paul knew that because of God’s grace, his life had been spared, and he had been handpicked by God for a special mission. He knew God’s grace has allowed him the privilege to stake a claim to his destiny in God’s Will. It permitted Paul to fulfill the purpose Heavenly Father etched in stone for him before he had entered his mother’s womb. Nothing compares to the level of satisfaction and fulfillment a person receives when they are confident that they’ve achieved the purpose God has ordained for their lives.

There was a grace that was extended to Paul, and God extends this same grace to us. Being an unskilled laborer is not the goal. God’s goal is that we pursue His wisdom so that we become wise master builders. We are made in His image, and He packed us with everything we need to become all that He desires us to be. He’s given us His matchless Word, the example of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that indwells us. Heavenly Father’s expectation is that we will learn to walk by the Spirit, so we can masterfully build upon the foundation that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has laid; for Jesus is indeed that foundation. Paul said in 1Corinthians 3:11(NLT), “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.”

What an extraordinary privilege Heavenly Father has given us. Each of us can build upon the work our Master has begun, but Paul gives us a warning with this. He said, “But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” This tells us straightaway that HOW we build is very important to God. It’s an aspect of our Christian walk that many of us have underestimated and overlooked. 1Peter 2:9(NLT) tells us, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” We are chosen by God. We were called out of darkness and into the light of Christ, and we have a work to do for His Kingdom, but many of us proceed in our call from God in a way that disconnects from His purpose. Jesus Christ told the disciples in Matthew 9:37(NLT), “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” This is still the case today. From our global perspective, there is an enormous amount of work to do for the Kingdom, but Jesus Christ gave us the instruction for how to approach things in Matthew 9:38. He said we are to pray to the Lord that is in charge of the harvest, and ask HIM to send more workers into HIS fields.

The harvest doesn’t belong to you and me. It belongs to the Lord. He’s in charge of it, and He really doesn’t need any of our help to do what needs to be done. It is because of His grace that we can be a blessing and continue the work of Jesus Christ. This is how we grow spiritually, it’s how we become the people that God predestined us to be. The work of the Kingdom stretches our faith and makes us pliable to God’s Will, but His process requires humility and obedience. It requires that we listen to His voice and move according to His directives.

We must remember that there was great need even when Jesus Christ walked the earth, but he did not attend to every need. God is the One with the plan. He knows what we should do, how we should do it, and when we should do it. So, the foundation must be built upon by using the blueprint that God specifically lays out for us through our patience and diligence to seek Him.

Romans 12:3(NLT) will keep us focused on God by assuring we continually take a check-up from the neck-up. It says, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” We must be increasingly careful never to get ahead of the Holy Spirit, because many have taken advantage of God’s grace and used it to indulge the sin of arrogance. They have considered themselves overly righteous and wise. The walk as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ is too precious to be used as an excuse for attitudes of superiority. We are privileged to be a part of God’s Kingdom, and we must serve in the way He has ordained.

It doesn’t matter what others think of us or how they view the mission God has given us. What matters is that we please Him, and we walk with the confidence of knowing we are doing exactly what He wants. 1Corinthians 7:17(NLT) tells us, “Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.” Heavenly Father doesn’t make a mistake. He strategically positions His people and makes sure that we bloom and blossom where we are. Whatever situation we’re in, we are to live out our calling in that place if or until the Lord directs us otherwise. 2Peter 3:9 assures us that He’s not slack concerning His promises. When our earnest desire is to be obedient and please Him, God will take care of all the details. All we need to do is to continue studying His Word, listen to His voice, and have faith that as we are diligent, He will lead and guide us to fulfill our call.■

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. 

“Fulfilling Your Call”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.