“… the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:13).
Our work will be rested. We as God’s servants must know how to labour in the spirit. What we do in the flesh will be burnt up. What we do for our glory will be burnt up. Whatever we do which is not according to the Scriptures will also be burnt up. It is for this reason the apostle Paul says so emphatically in 1 Cor. 3:12, 13; “…if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is”. The same thought is brought out In Hebrews 12:27, 28. God says there is going to be a “removing” and a “shaking” as of a fruit tree. God will shake everything. Even the heavens and the stars will be removed. Why shall he shake the heavens? It is in order to bring into existence His unshakable, unchanging, everlasting kingdom. There are many great kingdoms and many great kings in times gone by. But now they have all disappeared and gone. The lord Jesus Christ will establish a kingdom which cannot be shaken. In the same way, the Lord is going to test our work. Whatever is not suitable for eternity will be rejected. Whatever is not a part of God’s House will be shaken severely and removed.
The Government had spent crores of rupees in building a dam near the city of Pune. It was an earthen dam, and should have been allowed to stand and settle for at least six months before it was used. But because of the common opinion that it was good and strong they began to use it for water supply before the lapse of the period. This was the mistake of the engineers. When the rains started in 1962 they noticed a small breach on one side of the dam. It was no an ordinary breach; but foolishly they struggled all night with iron sheets and cement bags to stop it. Yet it became wider and wider. It was midday on July 12, and the workers had just gone out for a cup of tea, when the dam collapsed. Just imagine that huge wall of water about 30 feet high, moving at a speed of 47 miles an hour! Huge stone boulders were carried away like straw. No one knows exactly how many lives were lost, carried away by the force of that mighty flood. It was because of the carelessness and negligence of a few engineers.
If God’s servants fail, the result is very serious, because it brings loss to the work of God. That is why God wants us in His word, “Take heed how ye build thereupon”. We cannot just go on preaching Gospel without taking any responsibility for the souls who are saved thereby. Most people will not understand the full meaning of this warning. But preachers and teachers of God’s Word will understand and they should take heed. We should be prepared for everything. The Scripture also give us warning in Rev. 12:12 “…the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”. How careful we should be to know God’s plan for building His work.