Who Do You Work For?

“Unless the LORD builds the
house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm
127:1)

There are at
least three lessons in this text:

First, no
project can succeed unless it is the Lord’s will.  God is working out His plan for His creation,
and it does not matter how hard we strive to go our own way, we will not
succeed unless our way is God’s way.

Second, what
God intends to build will get built.  No
force in heaven or on earth can stop God from doing what He has planned.  His success is guaranteed.  When we first flew into Fairbanks, Alaska
eighteen years ago, we went prepared to survey a community for a possible new
church plant.  Before we even reached the
village of Nenana, sixty miles south of Fairbanks, people were telling us how
difficult the field was in the village.
And besides, if they felt Nenana needed a new church they would have
started it.  Thirty days later, by the
grace of God, a new church began. 

Third, God will
work with us to accomplish His will.  He
needs no human hands.  The One who spoke
worlds into existence can surely build a house on His own.  But by His grace He has purposed to do some of
His work through human laborers.  We had
only recently completed one church planting class at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and
we were feeling somewhat insecure about this church planting stuff.  Yet, we felt this was where God wanted us to
be.  We are not drifting through this
world to live lives of meaningless mediocrity. We were created to follow after
God, carrying out His will and working for His kingdom.

While we labor,
we do so with the assurances found in Psalm 127:1.  As the people of God, we strive to walk
according to His ways, avoiding irrelevant, unproductive tasks that do not
conform to His will while pursuing wholeheartedly the work He has called us to
do.  And as we labor for Him we know that
our labor is not in vain. 

God will
complete what He has begun, and the fruit of our work will span eternity.

“Therefore, my
dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully
to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in
vain.” (1 Corinthians
15:58)

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know
Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with God.