Unless The Lord Build The House

Question: what are you building on and whom are you trusting in and how are you building?  Many people waste precious time trying to build their lives by their own strength and finances, but not accomplishing much.

This verse comes to my mind quite often, Psalms 127:1-2, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.”

Think about the Tower of Babel, that project was being built by man and for man and God wasn’t in it so it was being built in vain.  Read about it in Genesis 11:1-9, “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

This was a monument to the people themselves, rather than to God.  How many times do we build monuments to ourselves in the form of what we own and the things we buy, plus our finances?  It may not be wrong to have these things, but if we use these things to form our identity and self-worth, they end up taking God’s place in our lives.  We must be careful we don’t allow our things to take the place of God and not let the things that we possess become towers in our lives.

Now think of Solomon, King David’s son, when He built the Temple, it was a beautiful place because God was in the building of it and had chosen Solomon to build it.  He built it as a monument to God and a permanent place for the Ark of the Covenant.  It was a house of worship and a place where they sacrificed animals.  If you want to read about it, look in 1st Kings chapter 6, the whole chapter. God said He would dwell among the children of Israel and would not forsake His people Israel.

But there was a pre-requisite, and it was this, in 1 Kings 6:11-12, “Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: “Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David.”   

Jesus talked about building your house on either rock or sand, in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

In these verses Jesus talked about how and where you build your house.  If you build your house on the rock you will put into practice what you hear.  If you ignore Jesus’ teachings and just do your own thing, not putting your trust in Him, then you are building your house on the sand and it will eventually crumble.  So, what are you building your house, or life, on?

Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!

Are You Prepared

Are you prepared for the end time persecution or whatever comes your way in your faith walk?  Do you put on the whole armor of God each day?  We are in a battle every day, either winning or losing, depending on how we have prepared. 

When the Roman gladiators, or soldiers, went into war, or maybe just a contest in the Amphitheater for the King and the people’s entertainment, many times they fought to the death, it wasn’t just entertainment to them, it was for life; so they made sure they were prepared with all the armor on they needed to protect their head, their chest, their feet, shins, ankles and stomach.  They also used a sword and a shield and they kept them ready for whenever they needed to protect themselves.  These weapons could make the difference between living and dying.  Then there was what may have been the most important article and that was the belt, which held the other things in place, without it the soldier would have been in big trouble.  They also had to be in the best shape they could possibly be in, which took a lot of exercising and practice with other soldiers.

We as believers need to be ready also, putting on the helmet of salvation because much of the battle is in the mind.  We need the breastplate of righteousness to protect the chest and the heart.  Most of the things we allow into the mind eventually go down into the heart.  We also need the belt of truth, which comes from the sword of the spirit, and that is the Word of God which we need to be studying and meditating on.  We need our feet shod with the gospel of peace.  Another very important weapon is the shield of faith with which we can fight off the fiery darts of the evil one.  The shield was essential to the Roman soldier because it covered most of his body and shielded him from the fiery arrows shot at him from different angles and obscure places so that he was protected.  These shields were made of animal fur woven so tightly that the arrows could not penetrate it.  These shields were oiled every day so they would not get hard and brittle and fall apart, and they were also soaked in water to help put out the fire that was on the end of the arrows that we being shot at them.  In the same way we need the power of the Holy Spirit, which water represents at times in the Word of God and, like I mentioned, the shield of faith.  We need to be spending time with the Lord and His Word and prayer.

This is something else that is very important, read what it says in Hebrews 10:22-25, “…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

It is very important to get ourselves ready for whatever we may face, persecution is very real and will only get worse as time goes on, many people know what it means to be persecuted but many don’t.  If you want to read it, this is how Jesus prepared His disciples for persecution, read Matthew 10:1-42 the whole chapter:

“And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

I think much of this is self-explanatory. Paul said if you live a godly life you will be persecuted, so I hope you are preparing so that you will never shrink back when it happens.  Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may you be blessed!!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!

What You Say

Think about the words you say, or have said, over the years.  How many would you like to be able to take back?  Our words can be a blessing or a curse; they can heal or destroy, or bring life or death.

Read what it says about the tongue in James 3:5-10, “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

James put the tongue in the same class as fire and we know what a spark can do if not put out, it can destroy thousands of acres of land, burn down whole cities and much more; it is such a destructive force and the tongue is very destructive also and it can’t be completely tamed.  As believers, we need to strive to control our tongues because the uncontrolled tongue can do so much damage.  There are things that you and I have said that we can never take back and the destruction that we may have caused can never be corrected.

Read what it says about Esau in Genesis 25:27-34, “So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom.

But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’

And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’

Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Esau sold his birthright!  When this took place, Esau could never take it back although he sought it with tears.

Read what it says in Hebrews 12:16-17, “lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

You can find forgiveness through repentance for sins but sometimes the consequences never change and we will have to live with them.  I have heard it said, “sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me,” this is not true.  Words can definitely hurt you, and me, and can even destroy us psychologically and emotionally and can cause physical damage also.  Words spoken have been the cause of wars and they have also brought about peace.  Nations rise up against nations and are bent on destroying one another because of words and many people have lost their lives because of words spoken.

The tongue can be very useful, used in the right way.  Read what it says in Proverbs 15:1-4:

“A soft answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,

But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,

Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

So, remember what you say is very important, it can hurt you and also hurt others and bring about some terrible consequences.  Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!

           

Mercy and Forgiveness

Have you ever been angry because God is merciful?  I believe this can happen and has happened many times.  Think about your enemies, people you can’t stand and want to take revenge on or want nothing to do with.  Sometimes the Christian life doesn’t seem fair when you hear that you have to love your enemies and forgive them.  Many believers have a struggle with forgiveness, thinking they have a right to not forgive, but nothing is farther from the truth.

Some people, when it comes to forgiveness, want to use the Old Testament laws found in Exodus 21:22-27, “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.”

People read in the Psalms about revenge and the destruction of enemies and they like to use these things to justify their actions for not forgiving and hating their enemies in the days we live in, forgetting what Jesus said in the New Testament in Matthew 5:38-42, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”

Now read 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

When you are hurt or offended in some way you may respond in anger, and if not dealt with properly, you may become bitter and want to take revenge.  That is when it would be good to pray and ask the Lord to help you to love and forgive, from the heart, the offense.  Remember, the Lord could have taken revenge on you but He chose to show mercy, grace and forgiveness and you, and I, should do the same

Think of the story of Jonah and how God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn them of their destruction if they didn’t repent, and he tried to run away.  Jonah hated Nineveh, which was an Assyrian city, and he didn’t want them to repent because he knew the mercy and grace of God and he knew that if they repented, God would forgive them and he didn’t want that to happen.  That is exactly what happened and Jonah was not a happy camper, as you might say in our language today.  Even though Jonah knew from experience the mercy and forgiveness of God, having been in the belly of the big fish and coming out alive, he was not willing to share this same mercy and grace with these people who didn’t know their right hand from their left.  

Just like Jonah, if you are a believer, you have also experienced God’s love, mercy and grace and His forgiveness and we are commanded to share the same with others, even our enemies; so go and do likewise!!  Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  p.s. don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!

In The Beginning

I think at some point in everyone’s life, they wonder how the earth began.  There is more than one teaching on this subject, but I prefer the one that I believe is the right one, believing that God created it in six literal days.  

There are many that believe in the big bang, or evolution theory, where everything evolved over millions of years.  I have heard that we went from goo (nothingness) to the zoo (apes) then we became human beings (men).  There are many who call themselves believers that believe in the millions of years; my belief is that God can do all things and nothing is impossible with Him.  If He chose one day or six days to create the universe, that is up to Him and He would have no problem either way, but He chose, what I believe, were six literal days and rested on the seventh day.  You don’t have to agree, that’s up to you, I just want you to read what God’s Word says about this subject.

Read what it says in Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Now read what happened on the six days of creation in verses 3-30, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’

And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food’; and it was so.”

I know that was a lot of reading, but if you are truly looking for truth, you need to know more than one view.  You don’t have to take my word, but you should know both sides of the debate; evolution and creation.  Then make your choice with an open mind.  

You might want to check out John 1:1-3 also, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

There are people that know much more about this subject than I do, check them out.  One is Ken Ham from the Answers In Genesis Ministry.  If you really want to know the truth, do your homework like your life depends on it, because I believe it does.  Something to think about and have a super day and may God bless you and yours!!