Revealed with Fire — The Crucible
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” — — 1 Corinthians 3:13
Believers welcome the revealing fire of God’s judgment with an odd sort of anticipation. Knowing that we have already passed from death unto life, we do not fear death, but embrace the joy of Heaven. We yearn to have the old dross of fleshly choices burned away so that what is of God can be refined for the enjoyment of eternity.
There is going to be some loss. And there will be some disappointment. But all that is lost will be worthless and the disappointment will be over the wasted time, energy, and emotion that were invested in the mess that was doomed for destruction.
There will be tears for Jesus to wipe from our eyes in Heaven. Some will be the tears of regret for what we could have been and done for the Master if we had been completely “sold out” to Him. There will be tears for misplaced priorities, unrealized visions that God gave us but we never pursued, and for words and deeds wrought in anger, lust, and greed.
There may be tears for those we could have told about Jesus’ love, but never did. Fear, apathy, selfishness, and pride kept us from rescuing the perishing and our hearts will be rightly broken when all is revealed and tested by fire.
Every motive and thought will be tried and we may not be happy with the results. But joy will follow when we are cleansed by the fire and all that is left is our true selves, purified and ready to meet God.
Why wait for eternity? God is ready to do His sanctifying work in your life even now. There are wonderful gains possible for us if we will invest in eternity. The fire within today can eliminate issues that ultimately must be burned away from without. Heaven is a wonderful mystery and fire is a necessary agent of sanctification. Let the fire burn in the altar of our hearts and let us bring everything we have and are to Him to be offered as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him.
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The Scripture — 1 Corinthians 3:10–23:
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.
If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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