Faithfulness to God's call is not about doing more for God. It's about walking with God. God already knows that someone's heart is prepared when He tells you to call him. Then you call. God already knows the spiritual battle someone is fighting when He tells you to pray for her. Then you pray. The most effective building we can do is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and using God's materials, following God's plans (Scripture and His Spirit).
If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:14-15 NIV)
Sometimes we plant good seed but we don't see growth. Jesus uses the parable of the sower and the seed (Luke 8:5ff) to explain this phenomena. We "built" using "good materials" but the condition of their heart affected the growth. We did our part faithfully, but their heart was not ready.
Other times, however, the lack of growth has to do with our part. We plant bad seed. We use poor building materials. People accept what we say and even put it into practice, but in the end it was of no use. We are responsible for the building not surviving or the seed not growing.
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV)
How about you? Do you build people up or tear them down? Do you use good materials to build them up? Are you planting good seed? Is God showing you growth as a result of your planting and building?
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