When the Lord Builds Our House
Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Matthew 7:24 (NLT)
A while ago, my husband was building a 3D puzzle of a cello. The puzzle had many small pieces, some of which were very fragile and needed to be handled with care. Some of them were mechanical pieces that needed to move themselves or move other parts to produce the pre-programmed music in the musical box. To put the pieces together, he needed to follow the instructions carefully. If any of the pieces were not placed correctly, the musical box would not produce any sound. When he finished the puzzle, he wound up the musical box to play the music. He was astounded to hear that the sound that wafted from the instrument was not music played on a cello, but on a piano! The 3D structure and what emanated from it was totally out of sync.
Building On the Rock
We are all in the process of building things in our lives - relationships, our identity, careers, financial security, reputation. How we build will affect the end-result. It will affect its success or failure. It will affect whether what we build is built for kingdom purposes or for ourselves. Solomon, in Psalm 127:1, says this,
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.”
These are wise words from a man who specifically asked God for wisdom and discernment so that he could govern God’s chosen people. These wise words are God’s invitation to us. It’s His request to give Him room so that He can guide us in every endeavour we embark on in life. So that we do not build in vain. So that our work is not wasted. God is inviting us to use the wisdom of Holy Spirit to know how to build. To know which building blocks we need as we build. To have the wisdom not to build on sand, but on the Eternal Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:24-28).
When we build our relationships with God's building blocks, we will not build out of self-interest. We will build our relationships with love and kindness. We will seek the good of others, not our own (1 Corinthians 10:24). When we build our careers, we will not do it with selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3). When we build our identities, we use the building blocks of the Word, who God says we are – His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). When we are building a financial kingdom for ourselves we build with His kingdom in mind (Matthew 6:33). Whether we are building for the long term or just for today, let us follow Holy Spirit’s instructions so that what we build will be in sync with God’s kingdom and His plan for mankind.
Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established. Proverbs 24:3 (NKJV)
Reflection:
Are you building your house on sand or on the Rock?
Prayer:
Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have built on sand instead of on You, my Eternal Rock. Lead me by Your Holy Spirit so that I can build my relationships, my career, my finances, my life in sync with Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.
