Friday, August 23, 2013

Week 34 - Day 6

Ezekiel 30-32; Psalm 127

*Click here to read these passages:

Psalm 127 has a great reminder for believers who get caught up and overwhelmed in the “doing” and “working” for the church. 

“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 NIV)

And I love The Message translation for verse 2:

“It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?”

It does not say  - do not build, do not be a watchman, do not work – in fact, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)  But if in the building and working we forget who it is we’re working for and who it is that is really making things happen, it ends up being ineffective. 

The church I’m a part of is a church-planting network.  The first One Life Church launched on 10/10/10, then in August of 2012 we launched a second site, and we are currently preparing another site.  In the past few years of this journey it has been incredible to watch how God makes things happen.  It has also been great to see our leaders fully rely on God, trusting in His timing and provision, and checking every decision with whether or not it lines up with the vision God has given us.  We know that the moment we start thinking that we’re doing something great or the moment we start doing it on our own, our work becomes in vain.  It is God who is doing something amazing.   

Build, plant, work, protect … But do it for and with the Lord.  He’ll keep us rested and energized and show us what amazing things He can do. 


**Want to know more about One Life?  http://onelifechurch.org/ **

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