Working Alongside God in His Field and Building His Building
Recently, we tore down our shed because it had deteriorated to the point where is was no longer stable. While we were tearing it down, I considered the prospect of leaving the foundation and frame up and rebuilding a structure to store our bikes.
However, upon further inspection, I realized that the foundation of the building had been corrupted by decay and was crumbling into the soil.
Our identity is Christ and in Him alone but so often we want to build our lives, our hopes and our dreams, on things other than Christ, which is the exact problem.
Our life is not our own!
Often times, we live our lives the way we want to and not giving our time and our talents to the work of building the church.
We forget that God's intention for our lives is not one of autonomy and independence but we are to be the family of God working together on the purposes of God.
Jesus is our cornerstone as Ephesians 2:19-22 depicts and we are to build our lives on the lives that have gone before us in the work of the gospel.
We are called to be the building of God's people for God's glory. We are being built together in order to be a dwelling place for God.
God wants His manifest presence to reside with His people. It is His desire that we long to be in His presence.
We have access to the Shekinah glory that came down from heaven when the people prayed!
Often times, we live our lives the way we want to and not giving our time and our talents to the work of building the church.
We forget that God's intention for our lives is not one of autonomy and independence but we are to be the family of God working together on the purposes of God.
Jesus is our cornerstone as Ephesians 2:19-22 depicts and we are to build our lives on the lives that have gone before us in the work of the gospel.
We are called to be the building of God's people for God's glory. We are being built together in order to be a dwelling place for God.
God wants His manifest presence to reside with His people. It is His desire that we long to be in His presence.
We have access to the Shekinah glory that came down from heaven when the people prayed!
If we try to instruct the building our own house, with our own ideas and our own intentions for our life, surely our work will be wasted.
Although there is work to be done in our own lives we can rest in the provision that Lord provided through the finished work of the cross.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us that we are a work in progress but that Jesus does the necessary work to prepare us for His return. He is so good to us!
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.(NLT)
We can gain strength and confidence in knowing that He who began the good work in us will complete it!
The church plays and active role in our growth and development as noted in I Corinthians 3:6-9
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
We are co-laborers with Christ.
I Corinthians 3:9 (HCSB)
For we are God's coworkers. You are God's field, God's building.
Let us join together with the people of God in doing the hard work of rooting out the misplaced passions and desires and see what He will accomplish through His workers in our hearts and lives that are really His fields and buildings!
I am so very thankful for the people of God who commit to work alongside me as we are coming out exile until the return of our King.
It reminds me of this old African American spiritual, "Working On A Building"
Comments
Post a Comment