We all know the story of the three little pigs, don’t we? One little pig puts in the hard work and builds a house out of bricks. The other two cut corners and settle for houses made of wood or straw. They seem to be having an easier time of things until the Big Bad Wolf turns up – then their corner cutting is exposed as their houses collapse around them.
It’s a story for children, but Paul actually uses a strikingly similar illustration in our passage today. When building God’s temple, the church, you can choose to use gold, silver and costly stones (which represent the wisdom of the Cross) or wood, hay and straw (which represent the wisdom of the world). (1 Cor 3:12) Rather than the Big Bad Wolf, however, what we are building has to stand up to God’s scrutiny. On the day of judgement, our ministry will be put to the test, and only what comes from the wisdom of the cross will survive. We’re all involved in the building work, let’s take care over the wisdom we build with.
Ed