Today's Reading:
Job 31:1-33:33
Hebrews 9:1-10
Psalm 127:1-5
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Focus Verses: Psalm 127:1-2
1
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless
the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In
vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he
grants sleep to those he loves.
Insight:
As
the Israelites climbed the road to Jerusalem for feast days and sang
these songs, they remembered what it must have been like for the first
generation who returned to Jerusalem after the exile (Ps. 126). They
thought of how joyous and unbelievable it must have been for the
children of those who had seen Jerusalem destroyed to one day return and
rebuild it.
The returning exiles knew the consequences
of turning away from God. They had seen their houses destroyed, and
understood the futility of the things accomplished in their own
strength. Psalm 127 was the perfect song to sing after Psalm 126. Those who
know the futility and destruction of turning away from God can wisely
declare: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."
Response and Action:
I
want to begin today with a Psalm 126 perspective--to look back at the
foolish ambitions and efforts of my past, and to rejoice in the ways God
faithfully continues to lead me out of those failures into a joyful and
hopeful future.
I will give careful consideration to
the things I work on today. Am I building something that honors God? Am I
giving myself to the work and purpose and direction God is leading me
to do? Am I depending upon his guidance, strength, and provision, or am I
wearing myself out by doing things for my own reasons, in my own way,
and in my own strength?
I want my life to be a house
that God is building. I want to find rest and peace and satisfaction in
God's will and purpose. God is the builder of the life I want to live.
O
God, help me to live for you and through you in thought, word, and
deed. Help me to turn away from what is wrong, and to do what is right.
Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. By the
power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, build, provide, and sustain
my life. Help me to delight in your will, and to walk in your ways, to
the glory of your name. Through Christ, Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Luke 14:28-30
28 "Suppose
one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and
estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
Recommended Reading:
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
by Eugene Peterson
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