Here's the hammer
Spent a couple hours in the workshop this morning making a project for my BFF. It wasn't anything fancy or particularly hard - she needed a large frame for a photo booth. Even the small projects make me very relaxed and I so enjoy building this stuff! I wonder how many times we think we are building "good stuff" in our lives, only to look back and see how little we actually "built" - maybe we would be surprised at how many times we'd say what was "built" was little more than a scrap heap. We always seem to think the endeavors of our lives are totally worthwhile - but in retrospect, how many of them really produced what we originally believed possible? The most amazing thing happens though when we set out on an endeavor with God - usually MORE than we believed possible on our own!
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (Psalm 127:1-2)
I have certainly done my share of "shack building" - producing little more than what some may label a 'scrap heap'. I am not a skilled builder, by any means. I can drive a nail, even cut some wood, but I don't understand the "principles" of architecture that actually help a building to be secure against shifting earth and heavy wind! In terms of erecting a "building", I'd defer to those who have actually studied how it is to be done! Yes, I can follow their plans, but I am not the architect of the project!
The same principle holds true in terms of our Christian walk. We are all able to take baby steps on occasion, but are we able to lay a solid foundation of principled values, honorable choices, or rock-solid emotions? I am thinking the answer to this question may be "not so much", and definitely "not with much consistency". We lack the "principles" of building these into our lives - they are ideals, but we don't know how to actualize them without the "plans". This is why we need to get into the Word. We need to "study" how it is done in order to understand how we are involved in the building!
God actually is the builder and the architect - he looks to us to "relinquish" the control of our "building projects" to him. He is like the general contractor on a building site. He oversees each and every task undertaken that will ensure a great finish to the project. If he has a "rogue" builder out there on the site, just building away, oblivious to the plans for the building, who knows what will be produced! I have seen some pretty weird "building projects" in my life. I have observed some very "amateur" attempts at adding a new room, or remodeling an existing room. I have installed a few ceiling fans, crawling through the attic and "tapping into" wiring in order to accomplish the task. I guess since the house never burnt down, I did an "okay" job! But...I am not an electrician. I don't proclaim to be "comfortable" with the schematics of how the "load" of each wire in the house was planned. This is where I need the assist of the architect, contractor, and builder.
In terms of my family life, or my Christian development, I definitely need someone who knows the "schematics" of how this all works! I don't have it all down yet - despite what some may see on the outside, the inside is still a mess - so I need the "general contractor" of my life to have full control. God desires nothing more than to be given this control. How about you? Has there been some "rogue" building being done in your life? If so, it is not too late - relinquish control to the Lord and see just what he has planned. A little "de-constructing" may be necessary, but in the end, the finished product will be a whole lot more secure than anything you could put together on your own! So, God - build on in our lives! We are watching what you are constructing! Just watchin!
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (Psalm 127:1-2)
I have certainly done my share of "shack building" - producing little more than what some may label a 'scrap heap'. I am not a skilled builder, by any means. I can drive a nail, even cut some wood, but I don't understand the "principles" of architecture that actually help a building to be secure against shifting earth and heavy wind! In terms of erecting a "building", I'd defer to those who have actually studied how it is to be done! Yes, I can follow their plans, but I am not the architect of the project!
The same principle holds true in terms of our Christian walk. We are all able to take baby steps on occasion, but are we able to lay a solid foundation of principled values, honorable choices, or rock-solid emotions? I am thinking the answer to this question may be "not so much", and definitely "not with much consistency". We lack the "principles" of building these into our lives - they are ideals, but we don't know how to actualize them without the "plans". This is why we need to get into the Word. We need to "study" how it is done in order to understand how we are involved in the building!
God actually is the builder and the architect - he looks to us to "relinquish" the control of our "building projects" to him. He is like the general contractor on a building site. He oversees each and every task undertaken that will ensure a great finish to the project. If he has a "rogue" builder out there on the site, just building away, oblivious to the plans for the building, who knows what will be produced! I have seen some pretty weird "building projects" in my life. I have observed some very "amateur" attempts at adding a new room, or remodeling an existing room. I have installed a few ceiling fans, crawling through the attic and "tapping into" wiring in order to accomplish the task. I guess since the house never burnt down, I did an "okay" job! But...I am not an electrician. I don't proclaim to be "comfortable" with the schematics of how the "load" of each wire in the house was planned. This is where I need the assist of the architect, contractor, and builder.
In terms of my family life, or my Christian development, I definitely need someone who knows the "schematics" of how this all works! I don't have it all down yet - despite what some may see on the outside, the inside is still a mess - so I need the "general contractor" of my life to have full control. God desires nothing more than to be given this control. How about you? Has there been some "rogue" building being done in your life? If so, it is not too late - relinquish control to the Lord and see just what he has planned. A little "de-constructing" may be necessary, but in the end, the finished product will be a whole lot more secure than anything you could put together on your own! So, God - build on in our lives! We are watching what you are constructing! Just watchin!
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