If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward .... Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Cor. 3:14-16.

Our great Architect intends that under His control and direction, we shall build a living temple which is manifest to all. We are not to take for granted that Christ will do everything and that we need do nothing. There is no hour in the day, no day in the week, no week in the year, when we are not to build our lives according to His purpose and by His power. We are to take Christ into all our pursuits: business, daily duties, into our homes and pleasures, honoring and serving the Lord at all times. Let us not think that even the finished work of Christ that He accomplished when on the earth is enough without our acceptance of His pardon and power to live the new life.

To claim to be safe and saved because we have accepted Christ as our foundation with no comparable building going up is a delusion. All we have then is a religious profession without vitality, theory without reality. Christ calls for the most solid work under the Spirit's control. We must rear an edifice of faith, love, purity, and righteousness by the power of God.

Once we have accepted Christ as our foundation, God does not expect us to go the rest of the way on our own. Christian building requires cooperation with Christ. Having Christ as our foundation is one half. The other half is equally important—building our lives into a temple of God. Paul makes clear the great risk involved in building our lives on wood, hay, and stubble. His concern means that all of life counts a good deal more than we sometimes may think.

Wrecking companies have their place. But I am not keen for the kind of landscape they provide in the home or in the church. We have time and energy only for that which builds up and does not pull down. Are we building with the riches of heaven? Do we build with all the commitment of our strength and time? There is little else that will endure when Christ comes. Let us begin this day and say, "Today I am building with Christ. I will put into my life only that which will make it true and beautiful. I will make everything count for God."