Notre Dame de Paris, one of the first of the truly massive Gothic cathedrals, is “point zero” on the Paris map – the point from which all distances are calculated. To build such a huge building in the Middle Ages took literally generations. The work that a young stonemason would have began in 1163 on the cathedral continued for 182 years until the last modifications would have finally completed in 1345 – by his great great grandson. And along the way, each generation put their stamp on the project, adding innovations and stylistic flourishes that made Notre Dame the architectural wonder it is – without ever compromising the integrity of the building itself. And the construction was good: the building has withstood numerous invasions and wars, including a revolution that temporarily defaced the beauty of the church and transformed it into “the Temple of the Cult of Reason.” But it was restored to its place as a church, and has been in service almost continuously for the last 800 years.
The building – bigger than any single person building it – was made to last.
Wherever there have been humans, we’ve wanted to leave our mark – to build, to create – to prove we were here. I think this is part of what it means to be made “in the image of God.” Just as He created, so we feel the need to create, to build. This is what Paul is getting at in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
What were you made to do?
Maybe a better question: is what you’re building with your life made to last?
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes this building project that is our lives. But he brings to light an aspect of that that we often forget. It’s not just about what we’re building – it’s what we’re building it with:
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
In looking at the building project that our lives represent, it’s easy to get distracted and think that our lives don’t count unless we do something obviously dramatic like move to Africa to live in a mud hut and evangelize the lost. God may want you to do that – but Paul’s point to the Corinthians is that even moving to Africa to live in a mud hut as a missionary can be done in a way that makes it worthless – a substandard building that doesn’t stand the test.
So how do we – as Paul puts it – build with gold, silver and precious stones, instead of hay and straw?
Dwight Pentecost tells the story of a jeweler friend, who showed him a multi-million dollar diamond, and asked him what he thought. Pentecost said that he knew it was extremely valuabe, but he just honestly wasn’t that impressed. It just didn’t sparkle and wow him. The jeweler nodded knowingly, pulled out a black velvet cloth and set the diamond on it, and then adjusted a nearby desk lamp – and the diamond leaped to life! Every facet seemed to reflect light, dazzling the two observers.
Why do you do what you do? If you’re like me, there’s a fair amount of insecurity behind what you do. You want to impress others, to perform well so that others notice your skill and praise you for it. This is natural, but if that’s all there is to our motives, we’re building with straw. Like the diamond, you were meant to dazzle – but the diamond didn’t produce the light that dazzled. It merely reflected it.
Whatever you’re building, build it in such a way that it dazzles others with the reflected glory of God. That is how you build on Christ’s foundation. That is how you build something bigger than yourself… something eternal.
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