Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday October 12, 2011

A twist on an old line about building a great cathedral has it that a well-dressed man walked by a construction project and asked the worker what he was doing. The worker replied with deep emotion, "I am building a cathedral." The worker ended up getting fired because he was supposed to be building a gas station.

The point being that in the building trades it is of utmost importance to know what you're supposed to be building and then completing your part of the project according to specifications and schedule.

The principle holds true in life. Jesus talks about this as does Paul and others. Jesus told the story of two builders. One built his house on a rock solid foundation and the other on sand. In life it is not whether or not storms will come, but when and sure enough the storm came. The house on a solid foundation withstood the storm while the sandy one caved. Life is like the story.

You are building a life and you have choices as to the kind of life you want. Most everyone says they want a life that will withstand the sometimes harsh ebb and flow. Yet they use building material that is not conducive to surviving the high water times that come with life.

One major and glaring mistake made and continuing to be made by my generation and the one following is the erroneous thinking that we can build a strong spiritual life using carnal ideas. Our inner house, the one we really live in, must be constructed on solid spiritual principles else we cave in times of trouble.

We are living in and through a time of national, even world-wide panic related to economic pressures and during this panic men and women are running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. I remember watching this as a child and it is not a pretty sight. Jesus foretold of the unsightly activity in Luke 21:26 "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." I have heard that heart related ailments are the number one killer of men. Hearts failing for fear of things here and to come are a sure sign of deep spiritual unrest.

Tragically many folks who have wrapped their life with pretty ribbons around boxes full of entertainment, sports as participant or spectator so much so that little or no time remains for prayer, attendance to spirit building activities is lessoned or curtailed altogether and you soon have a comical yet tragic scene of such statements as "I'm building a cathedral" when in fact about the only result is fast becoming a beachcombers grass hut that will be among the first structures to disintegrate when the storms of life begin to blow.

Are you building a life that is cathedral like or a mere grass hut? Do you even know?

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with credit

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