1 Corinthians 3:10-17

So I've continued to wrestle out decisions and indecision, knowing what God says and wants of me and what I choose to do instead. When I choose to say I believe in God and the Bible but then choose to act otherwise, how does that affect those around me? What is the idea or view they are getting about Christianity? What kind of foundation are we laying for non-Christians when we fail to live out what we claim to believe in?

A few thoughts floating through my head are that we give off an inaccurate, incorrect definition of what being a Christian really means and what it stands for. Some may get the idea that God is a wish granting genie instead of the God he truly is. Why obey one teaching in the Bible (like reading it) if we blatantly disobey in other areas (like drunkenness)? It may come off as making God who we want God to be instead of becoming the person God wants us to be. We are attempting to put him in a box in our life instead of putting our life in the God box. In a sense it would seem as if we were leading some astray... not even laying a firm foundation or laying one that will crumble easily.

While we ourselves believe in Christ and may have accepted the gift of salvation from our Heavenly Father, those watching us closely may not understand that because of how we live our lives, what we do, how we act, and what we say. A lot of people claim to be Christian but you may not necessarily be able to tell... there are times I am sure somebody has questioned my actions or words. To go back to what I wrote yesterday, would it not be better, not just for us, but for those around us if we simply went with God in all our decisions instead of what we want? Regardless of how difficult the decision to choose against what we want may be, God has never led us astray and the authority of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the correct way to go. It leads me to wonder what kind of foundation I am laying. Will that foundation withstand flame, fire, and storm?
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"Because of God's grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have -- Jesus Christ.

Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials -- gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

~*1 Corinthians 3:10-17 (NLT)*~