As we finished up our Lives Under Construction series on Sunday, we were left with a few final thoughts. A few from the Apostle Paul and a few from me.

In case you missed Sunday, slept through it or just have a memory somewhere along the lines of a goldfish, I wanted to give you a little of my Final Thoughts on this series.

It's taken a lot of time (Aug 16 – Mar 21)

    Building a good house that will stand the test of time takes a long time to construct. You can't have just a good foundation OR a good structure, you have to have BOTH, and that takes not getting sloppy in the end. And the Psalmist says it "If the LORD doesn't build the house we labor in vain." Psalm 127:1.

The act of construction is only part of it

    Now with a structure up, let's use what we have. James 1:22 says to be doers of the Word not just hearers. We must use what God has built. Use it, or lose it! Building a house and not living in it is a waste of time, money, effort and is just sad. How much more catastrophic is it to not use the life that God has built for us?

Continue to learn how to use your life to the fullest

    Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 to fan into flames what God has given him. To not live with a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind. The three questions to ask yourself are:

    What has God built into me during this series?

    What has God spoken to me to be about?

    What am I doing about it?

Even if you haven't been a part of this series, these are good questions to ask yourself. Oh, yeah, and answer them honestly!

Don't stray

    This was by far the biggest topic Paul kept hitting on, sound doctrine. From the beginning of 1 Timothy to the end of 2 Timothy. Most Christians won't slide and start attending a satanic cult, but they will start blissfully walking just one degree off the path of sound doctrine. Many have been lost, even some from New Hope, just because something sounds better, easier or more popular than what is being taught. Sticking to sound doctrine is not always easy, but it's always best. We must protect ourselves, our families and our churches from false teaching. How do you do this? Study the Bible. Not some guy's book or internet teaching. Study the Bible. What is it that God is saying, and then stick to that.

God's Blessing on you

God blesses those who walk with Him. Thanks not why we do it, it's just a bonus that comes with obedience. Paul left Timothy with a blessing in verse 22 of chapter 4. I too leave us with a blessing. Not from me, but from God.

"The Lord  bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them." - Numbers 6:24-27

I pray that we continue to allow God to build us into what He wants, and then for us to respond through love for Him in obedience.