Jesus Christ promised the faithful brethren in the ancient congregation of Philadelphia that they would be pillars in God’s future temple: "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more" (Revelation 3:12).

A pillar's function is to transmit the weight of the upper structure directly to the foundation of the building. They "pass on" the weight and provide stability for the structure.

To be able to fulfill this function a pillar has to be "perfect." It may not be bent or uneven at any point in its length. Why not? If the pillar is not as straight as the proverbial arrow – or perhaps we might say, as a pillar – it will not transmit the load it is supposed to carry directly to the foundation below. Instead, that load will be diverted sideways at the point of unevenness. Over time, this can lead to a crack in the pillar and even cause the pillar to break. If several pillar in a building have such imperfections, the collapse of the structure itself may be the result.

That's why construction engineers check pillars before they are placed to make sure that they do not have any such imperfections.

As future pillars in God's temple Christians are to learn to transmit their load to their foundation, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 5:6-7).

God tests His future pillars to see if they are able to fulfill their function, just like a construction engineer examines a pillar before it is put in its place: "Now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6-7).

The problems and trials of this life provide an answer to the question God is asking in allowing us to experience these things: Are we learning to trust in Jesus Christ and transmit the weight we carry to Him, as our foundation?

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!