21 Days of Prayer & Fasting
DAY SEVENTEEN: GOLD, SILVER, AND PRECIOUS STONES
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw… 1 Corinthians 3:12
In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul exhorted us to build our spiritual houses with Jesus Christ as its foundation; using gold, silver, and precious stones as building material. That way, on the Day of Judgment our work will endure and we will receive our reward. However, if we build with wood, hay, and straw, then fire will burn it and we will suffer loss, even though we will be saved in the end.
Gold, silver, and precious stones are all hidden underground. They are expensive, rare, usually come in small quantities, and are purified by fire. The life that Paul speaks of is more than just not sinning and living a busy, productive life. It is about paying the price of prioritizing our relationship with the Holy Spirit in private. It is about personal disciplines like fasting,
prayer, and sacrifice.
Gold represents prayer. In the book of Revelation, the Bible describes golden bowls full of incense as prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8). As gold, our
prayers are valuable.
Silver represents fasting. David says that God has tested us as silver is refined (Psalm 66:10). A time of fasting is a time of refining our motives and attitudes.
Precious stones represent sacrificial giving. God refers to His people as precious jewels (Malachi 3:16– 17; Zechariah 9:16). Sacrificial giving is not just giving a part of what we own; it is the giving of ourselves, since where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
When our life and ministry are built with these precious materials, they will endure the fire and please the Lord. These private spiritual disciplines are like those building materials that are found underground. They were subject to tremendous heat and pressure. They are costly, just as prayer, fasting, and giving are costly to us.
It is time to stop offering to the Lord that which costs us nothing. It is not about how great our life looks in the eyes of men; it is the fire of God that will judge our work. If our success isn’t built with materials that are fireproof, our work won’t last for eternity.
We will still be saved, but we will forfeit our reward. That is why it is essential to dedicate ourselves to much prayer, fasting, and giving.
Wood, hay, and straw are discovered on top of the ground, come in large quantities, are cheap, are very common, and can be destroyed by fire. This speaks of a life that is built on pride, carnality, and secret sin instead of a consecrated life built in the secret place.
These materials represent living a life of prayerlessness, busyness, and compromise. We are not called to be busy but to be fruitful.
Fruitfulness is only a result of intimacy and abiding in the Holy Spirit. People have become obsessed with becoming popular rather than being pure. It is easy to build with wood, hay, and straw and neglect our private life with God. With proper gifts and skills, we can build big things for God. But Christian life and ministry are different from a business—they flow out of a relationship with God and not from our own efforts. Real ministry is an overflow of the secret
place.
As you are fasting, you might find it hard to endure, but take courage; you are building with costly material. As you prioritize prayer and Scripture reading, you are building with rare and precious materials found underground. Don’t be discouraged with how big or small things are in your life today. Leave that in God’s hands. Your job is to build with excellent materials, and your task is to live a life that you will not be ashamed of on the Day of Judgment.
Prayer
God, thank You for the promise of eternal life. I am thankful that I have eternal rewards awaiting me. Help my mind to be fixed on the weight of eternity instead of the temporary trials and hardships I face. Develop in me a greater love for Your Word and for intimacy with You.
Ponder
What is something that has been on your heart today?
Scriptures to meditate on:
Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Samuel 24:24
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire
will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11–15
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:1–8
Fasting Tip
Aside from long-term brain health benefits, many people report clearer thinking, faster memory recall, and improved mood while fasting.
Día 17: La mejor decisión
El promedio de los adultos toma 35.000 decisiones al día. Desde el momento en que tu alarma suena, tu proceso de tomar decisiones comienza. Con tantas decisiones que tomar, puede ser difícil saber dónde pasar tu tiempo, pero el Apóstol Pablo provee información valiosa sobre el cumplimiento de la voluntad de Dios en nuestras vidas. Él nos dice que no paremos de orar jamás.
Cuando decidimos orar continuamente, realineamos nuestros pensamientos y prioridades de una forma en la que afecta directamente nuestra toma de decisiones. A Dios le importa cómo gastas tu tiempo y energía. El Salmista escribe en el Salmo 37:23 que, Dios se deleita en cada detalle de nuestras vidas –¡Él quiere involucrarse en todo! Así que, ya sea que vayas a una reunión o estés llevando a tus hijos a su próxima actividad –ora para que la presencia del Señor proceda cada uno de tus momentos.
En las 35.000 decisiones que tomarás hoy, haz una prioridad: orar e invitar la dirección de Dios en cada parte de tu día. Usa estos 21 días de ayuno y oración no solo para obtener lo que quieres de Dios, sino también para acercarte más a Él. Porque cuando estamos más cerca de Dios, ¡tenemos todo lo que necesitamos!
1 Tesalonicenses 5:16-18
16 Estén siempre contentos. 17 Oren en todo momento. 18 Den gracias a Dios en cualquier circunstancia. Esto es lo que Dios espera de ustedes, como cristianos que son.
Proverbios 16:9
El hombre planea su futuro,
pero Dios le marca el rumbo.