How Do We Build?

But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
Jude 1:20‭-‬21 HCSB

This little book or letter from Jude mainly deals with a warning about ungodly people who had crept into the church and were trying to defile Gods people with unclean behaviour. Jude is encouraging the true believers to stay pure and build their faith.

Jesus Himself told us that we all build, we build on foundation that is rock solid or sand. The storms of life prove our building and show us if our foundations are good:

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great! ”
Matthew 7:24‭-‬27

The apostle Paul tells us about what to build with:
According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:10‭-‬13

The fire is the trials of life. These are good for us because then we can choose precious metals and stones to build rather than hastily constructed shacks of straw and sticks. The precious things are the lessons learned in godliness. We can trust our God for these. Amen!