So when we do something, when we start to apply ourselves, whether it's some part of building the church, some part of doing something for extending the kingdom, in that environment God can grow us. We all need to be committed to personal growth. No one is beyond a group because when in groups the best growth takes place, but it doesn't take place just in a group. Somehow it works out in your day to day life. You've got to be doing something, so tomorrow if you do the same things you did today, probably you won't grow.
Think about it. Think about it. It's really quite important so He said each one's work will become clear, so right now you've got no idea how good a job I'm doing, and I have no idea how effective you are for what God has given you to do. But it says that day will make it clear, so I'm not called to judge you for what you're doing. I'm called to inspire you to go further. See, so it says the day will declare everyone's work but it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one's work, what kind of work it is. So now we begin to get an insight - it's not just that you're busy doing something. There's certain sorts of work actually God will acknowledge and we're going to see in a moment some sorts of work He doesn't acknowledge at all.
But everyone's work will pass through testing, so you can fool me and fool someone else part of the time but you can't fool Heaven who sees every - God sees everything. So He's looking at all that you do and why you do it and how you do it. See, we can't always see why you do things and we can't always see how you've done it. We can't even tell whether you did your best or did a half job. No one really knows. We can't even tell whether you're doing all the things that God called you to do, because this is part of your personal walk with God. But what we can say definitively is this; that God will test everyone's work and then - it doesn't matter what you think - He will have a good look over what you've done and He will be able to test out your work.
And the Bible says if your work be wood, hay, stubble, it'll all go up in smoke. There it is - and it says but, if the work endures you'll receive a reward. Anyone's work is burnt, then you'll suffer loss. But He'll be saved it even by fire, and so it says you can build gold, silver, precious stone; wood, hay, straw. So what He's saying is that in our life we build our life personally and also we're involved, engaged in the serving of God. Doesn't matter where you are, there's no such thing as part time service for God. Everyone has a full time call. Everyone has a full time call. You are a full time minister of God, see, and so what you do with your life to build your life with God and then to work to advance His cause, to reach people, influence people, touch people, that is your work.
Your work involves what you do with your life. So for some it'll partly involve a marriage, it'll partly involve a family, it'll partly involve their workplace. For some it'll partly involve the community. Every one of us has got a work that God has got us to put our hand to and it varies from person to person as we'll see a little in another session. Now God will evaluate how you did the work and what work you did and why you did the work, so He says you can build it with wood, hay, stubble. It'll all go up in smoke - or gold, silver, precious stones. Gold, silver, precious stones tend to be the things which God has formed in the earth under heat and pressure, and the other - wood, hay, stubble - is the stuff that grows in the earth that doesn't abide anything. It just goes up in smoke.
It always speaks of humanity, human motivations and whatever and so it says - notice what it tells us then; if you work abide. In other words, when God scans your life to have a look at you, He is able to penetrate everything you've done and why you did it and how you did it. He saw everything no one saw and He says I see what you've done in secret. Welcome, well done. Enter the joy of the Lord, enter into reward. Isn't that fantastic?