Unless the
Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches
over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early
and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for He grants sleep to those
he loves. (Psalm 127:1-2, NIV) Here we go again - get up, get a shower, get
dressed, eat breakfast on the run, park in the traffic lot, work all day,
get back in the traffic lot, get home, eat dinner, chill out on the couch,
then go to bed. Our lives sometimes become a blur in the midst of this
activity. When we have successes at work, our tendency is to want an "Attaboy."
When we have failures at work, we may want to point the finger of blame
to someone else.
But these two verses ascribed to Solomon clearly teach
us that it is God's hand that builds your house. This is not to imply that
your own work is unimportant or not needed. The point is that we are totally
dependent on God for our skills and abilities that allow us to work. He
can take them away from us any time He needs to do so. Our response is
a humble attitude which seeks His guidance in every endeavor and always
giving credit and the glory to God. "Remember
the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth..."(Deut
8:18, NIV).
Along with a humble attitude, we need to develop a winning attitude.
In Christ, the victory over sin has been won. In God's Word, we have revelation
of the end times and the ultimate restoration of God's creation. He will
make all things new. We have this future hope assured. We also know that
"All
the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came
to be" (Psalm 139:16b, NIV). We can walk with absolute
assurance that God is going to be there with us day by day, moment by moment.
Indeed, whatever task we face we rest in the assurance that
"...the
Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave
you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged" (Deut 31:8,
NIV). So our attitude towards life should be one of confidence in
God's provision for our life.
A few weeks ago, a relatively unknown quarterback
for the Buffalo Bills was called into action. The first string quarterback
was injured and the team was in the thick of the playoffs. The Bills were
down by more than 30 points. The game looked hopeless. Unbeknownst to the
other team, this unknown quarterback was known by the Author of Life, our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As he knelt to pray before going in, he asked
the team chaplain if it was proper to pray for victory. The chaplain thought
it was proper if he gave God the glory. I do not know what this young man
prayed, but oh what a victory it was!
The Bills came back from the largest deficit
ever in playoff history to win the game and advance to the semifinals.
At the post-game conference, the young quarterback was being exalted for
a great win. This young man was true to his faith and praised the living
Lord Jesus for the abilities he had given the whole team and the outcome
that had resulted. Consider for a moment how many men, women, and youth
were impacted by the dramatic glory given to God in this national event.
Let this be indicative of our own lives
which are, perhaps, less public, but nonetheless able to impact those in
our sphere of influence just as much as this young quarterback. In fact,
our lives may have an even greater impact on those around us as they see
us each day facing the mundane, the victories, and the crises with the
same confident assurance in the blessed hope that awaits us in Christ Jesus.
For the
Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness
continues through all generations.
(Psalm 100:5, NIV)
Copyright 1999, Randy Lariscy.
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