Skip to main content

Unless the Lord Builds the House


Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

 

        Two of the articles I read over the past couple days tell approximately the same story. One was about the Islamic refugees in Europe and the apparent lack of understanding of them on the part of Europeans and their governments. The second was about a picture taken near Detroit, MI, showing multiple ISIS flags being flown. Like the Europeans and their governments, Americans and the American government seem to have no idea why this is happening and they really have no better idea than Europe of what to do about it.
         The problem is (at least in part) that over the past hundred and fifty years religion has been systematically removed from Western culture. There are people who think this is a good thing. A new society is being built that has little or no room for such "folly" as God. This society has promised its citizens a utopia in which the government takes the place of God. Such a society has been built in vain. It has failed to live up to its promises. It has gone into financial and social debt. Society is calling for repayment of the social debt and when the government doesn't pay up because it never had anything with which to pay, the people are growing angry and desperate. They are looking elsewhere.
       Unfortunately, society has not been taught how to evaluate those who offer solutions. They have no idea how to build their own spiritual houses. They are angry. They feel betrayed, and so they respond to that which fuels their anger and feeds on their sense of betrayal.
        The solution to this problem is to turn to God, and ask Him to rebuild. Not to rebuild the nation or even to put Christians in political office, though those things are things for which we should pray. No, we need to be praying that God would build us as individuals and watch over us. As we are made over in the image of His Son, we will become the building blocks of the Church that He is building in our area, which will become the building blocks of the societies in which we live. It all starts with God building you. It's not easy being chiseled into the shape He wants for His building, but it is vital that it happens because if He does not build His Church, everything anyone else does is a waste. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On The Calendar Worm Moon

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Died as a Ransom

                 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)                  This is something I’d really rather not think about but here it is and it’s important. I was reading in Bold Love about seeking revenge.  The author wrote of seeking justice when a supposed Christian does something sinful, harmful, and/or horrific, like sexually abusing a daughter.  And the thought that came to mind was of God asking if Jesus’ death was sufficient payment to me for the sin committed against me.                I have no specific longing for revenge, vengeance, or justice. I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in my heart, but this wasn’t a response to one. It was more a question of principle. Jesus’ death was sufficient payment for to God for our sins.  That’s the standard Sunday Schoo
1 comment
Read more

Out of the Depths

  Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.   If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds . (Psalm 130)             I like Mr. Peterson’s interpretation of the first line. “The bottom has fallen out of my life!” Of course, the problem for some of us is the fact that we’re drama queens, and/or we’re weak. Any time anything happens that disturbs our sense of mastery and control, the bottom has fallen out of our lives. If the past couple of days have taught me anything, they’ve t
1 comment
Read more