Practical Living

Becoming a Builder

I’ve been involved in a few building projects over the years. Each one was unique. They all had their individual challenges, surprises and satisfactions.

Whether new construction or renovations, building is a process that requires vision, planning, investment and time. To build effectively, you must first have a vision of what is to be built, prepare plans for building it, make the necessary investment of resources, and then patiently stay the course until completion.

One of the things we learn about God in the Bible is that He is a builder. All through the pages of Scripture we read about holy building projects.

Here are a few examples:

• In creation, God constructed the world.
• God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle of worship while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness.
• God assigned Solomon the task of building the first temple of worship in Jerusalem.
• The Lord released the Jews from Babylonian captivity and sent them back to Jerusalem for the rebuilding of the temple that had been destroyed.
• God called Nehemiah to restore the ruined walls of Jerusalem.
• Jesus presented Himself to us as the builder of the church.
• Jesus is coming back again and will build a new heaven and new earth.

God is a builder, and if we want to be godly, we too must become builders.

What are we called to build?

Here are three areas of construction every believer has been assigned by God:

• We are called to build up ourselves, spiritually.

“But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit …” — Jude 1:20 (Msg)

• We are called to build up the church.

” … Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.” — 1 Corinthians 14:12 (NIV)

• We are called to build up one another.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” — Ephesians 4:29(NLT)

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up …” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

Are you fulfilling your responsibility as a builder? Do you have a vision and have you developed a spiritual plan for building? Are you patiently making the necessary investment in building up your own spiritual strength, building up Jesus’ church, and building up the people God has placed in your life?

Hear the call, and follow God’s example. Be a builder!

Dale O'Shields

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