1You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience. 3We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; 8for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, that no one would boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
11Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision” (in the flesh, made by hands), 12that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation, 15having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace, 16and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 18For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, 20being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; 21in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
Tested by Fire
Burning Logs Inscribed With Words
It is a sobering thought that we are only given one life to live. If we are still enough to be contemplative, the questions that plague us are "what am I doing with this life? Why am I here? What should I be doing? Will I make a difference?" These questions send men and women in all sorts of directions. We go to school. We plan our careers. We wrestle with whether or not we are doing the "right thing". These are all great questions, and we should indeed ask ourselves these things. But we should make sure the answers we receive are biblical. There is a great temptation to try to fill our basic needs with what we do. And in time, that which we do can dangerously become who we think we are. What do I mean by that?
Within each of us are three basic needs. We all have the need to be loved and accepted. Secondly, we need to feel valued and worthy, and we all want to fit in. We want to have an identity. Anytime we try to fill any of those three needs with a person, a possession, or an accomplishment, it will always end in frustration and conflict. It is important that we remember that at the end of time, we will be held accountable not only for what we did but for the motivation behind doing it. The Lord is interested in both. I think He will want us to see how He intended for us to live our lives, compared to how we ended up living them. Don't worry. Don't feel panicked. I think we will all fall short of His expectations for us.
But the reality is that, however we've built our lives, whether it be on a foundation of "gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw," it will be put to the test by fire. If what we do was part of what He planned for us to do from the foundations of the world (Eph 2:10), and if our motivation was pure because of our love for Him and what He did for us, then when that work passes through the fire, it will remain. It is permanent. It is godly work. Today, as you live your life, ask God to show you where your efforts need to be directed. Is there something you don't need to be doing at present? Put it away. Is there something you need to be doing? Pick that up and do it. Paul tells us that if we've done a lot in the flesh instead of in the Spirit, we should never fear that we've somehow lost the gift of salvation. If all that you did was all about you, then it will all be burned up, but you'll still be saved "as through fire". God's mercies are new every morning. He is faithful, and He is just. May we each pray that our motivations would be pure and that our works would be permanent.