Psalm 127:1
A song of ascents.
Of Solomon.
Unless the Lord
builds the house,
its builders
labor in vain.
Unless the Lord
watches over the city,
the watchmen
stand guard in vain.
We
have been working on adding a garage and office to our new house. We began by
engaging an architect to draw up detailed plans. With that accomplished we have
embarked on the task of finding a builder. Finding the right builder is essential.
We want someone who will do the job right at a fair price. We are also looking
for someone who can do this job this summer. So far, we have not yet been able
to secure such a builder.
This
week in my devotions I have been reading Psalm 127. It is a timely reminder
that just like it is important to have the right builder for our addition, it
is essential to have the right builder for my life. In essence, Solomon is
saying that unless God is the architect of my life, I build in vain. I can put
in all of the hard work, but if the design is flawed the result will be flawed
as well.
Jesus
taught the same thing when he shared the parable of the wise and foolish
builders.
"Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a
wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it
had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and
does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on
sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)
Jesus
is the architect and the master builder of our lives. He knows what is best for
us down to the most intimate detail. If we will follow His plans as we build
our lives, we will be able to withstand all of the storms of life. If we choose
to ignore His plans and do it our own way, when the storms of life come our
house will collapse.
As I
look at what is happening in our world today, I can see this being graphically
acted out. As a society, we have turned our backs on God’s architectural plans
for us. We have decided that we can build our lives according to our own plans.
The outcome is that our house is beginning to crumble. The very fabric of our
society is frayed and tearing. Instead of genuine peace, we have turmoil.
Instead of community, we have disunity. Instead of trust, we have mistrust.
Instead of love, we have hatred. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders
labor in vain.”
When
the Church was birthed at Pentecost, they were a small group with no real power
or influence, at least from a worldly point of view. But within a very short
period of time, they turned their world upside down. The only thing that can turn
our current world upside down is if each individual believer in Christ lives
his life according to Christ’s design. As each of us builds on the foundation
of God’s Word, we can construct a house that will withstand the storms of life.
The question
we each have to ask ourselves is, who is the architect of our lives? Is it
Christ or is it our own desires? Christ has laid a solid foundation. It is up
to each of us to build on that foundation. What we build will be tested. Will
our house stand or fall?
1 Corinthians
3:10-13
By the grace
God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is
building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can
lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If
any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay
or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it
to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of
each man's work.
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