Beneath the Surface

Paul is one of the preachers in the Bible who specialised in using analogies to explain spiritual truths. He gives us a beautiful analogy in 1 Corinthians 3, where he compares us to someone who builds God's building with precious stones. Paul confidently says that he is an expert builder who lays a firm foundation. And in the next verse (verse 11), he says, "For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid."

A foundation is something that holds us together. The following verses talk about gold, silver, and precious stones as materials for building upon the foundation with the best work. And most importantly, he says that fire will test what we build. A foundation is also something beneath the surface. In Tamil, there is a proverb that says, "Agaththin alagu mugaththil theriyum," meaning what is inside you will be reflected in your face as well. What you are building your life upon will be revealed when you go through fire. Beneath our face level, what are we building ourselves as people upon? Our own wishes? Dreams? Our moral values? Our love life? Our family? Friendships? Our own understanding of the world? Think, my friend.

In general, what does fire mean? Although Paul uses fire here to describe the testing of our work, fire is also associated with God's presence in other passages of Scripture. As in the incident of the burning bush, it represents the presence of God. I just loved it when I heard that fire is Jesus Himself (His presence). Whenever we go through tests of fire, we usually wonder, "Where is God?" But this verse clearly puts us in the best position even when we go through fire. When a Christian goes through fire, it says that he is with Jesus. Jesus is in the midst of your fiery test. How assuring is that! This literally happened with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego too.

Hey friend, may God give us wisdom to stand on Christ as our only foundation. May we never build ourselves with things that will burn. May we never be assured of our life's stability by depending on our wealth, job, property, or worldly knowledge. The Bible says that on the day of judgement, only mercy can speak for us. Whatever we do for the kingdom of God alone can stand.

Dear God, may we never be distracted or wander away from You, but stand firm on Christ as our foundation. May we learn to avoid leading our lives on a poor foundation. May we rest in You in every test of fire, as You are in our midst when we go through such a test.

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.