Will it All Burn?

Last week, I went on a mission trip with RUF to Lagniappe Presbyterian Church in Bay St. Louis, MS. Our focus was rebuilding the Mississippi coast still ravaged by the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. During the week, we laid the foundation for a house as well as framed another one. But was there a point to rebuilding any of these houses or spending our group’s time and energy (we happened to have a lot of energy, by the way)? Won’t all the fruits of our labor be gone when the next hurricane goes through? Or if not then, won’t these houses be gone anyway in a hundred years or so? Even more, won’t they be destroyed at the coming of Christ when this world will burn? It seems we labored in van.

But of course, this is not the case. When we were down in Mississippi, or when we are doing anything for the name of Christ, we are about the business of building Christ’s kingdom. But we aren’t building a physical kingdom of houses for the unfortunate. We are in the business of building a spiritual kingdom of new believers in Christ, and one of the many ways of doing this is to provide these people with houses and basic necessities. Christ would have done the same. The miracles he preformed did meet many fundamental human needs like hunger and healing, but the miracles were never meant for just that. They were meant to point to the One who makes all things new again. In the same way, our works are to do the same.

So will it all burn? Yes it will all burn: the houses, the parks, the gospel tracts, the donated food, and the homeless shelters. But what will not burn is the imperishable inheritance of the Son of God that is awaiting us and all the converts in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). We would do well to remember that.