Building, Rebuilding

Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builder labours in vain.,,,useless to build a home or guard a city.
Or move home.
Or start something new.
No work can prosper without the Lord. We cannot create something, or try to protect something, without God's blessing and presence. Matthew Henry comments:
"Our care must be to keep ourselves in the love of God; then we may be easy, whether we have little or much of this world...The Lord will assuredly comfort and bless those who serve him."And so: "Use wisdom and understanding to establish your home; let good sense fill the rooms with priceless treasures." Proverbs 24:3 - 4

Brian Houston: (Release, Revive, Repair, Rebuild study) "Life is too short to live broken and beat up. Sadly, we live in a world full of brokenness often because of lives built on the wrong foundations. The foundation on which you build your life determines what is established, what is planted and immovable. Everyone is in the process of building their life - and builders require plans - so what plans, or 'whose' plans are you following?

God gave Ezra and his people a miraculous opportunity to rebuild the walls of His House and their future. The wonderful thing about God is that we can rebuild our lives when we follow His plan for us. God's Word is full of wise instruction on how to rebuild broken lives.

 One of the best commitments we can make is to build what Jesus said He would build - His Church. "To make the community livable again" we must rebuild lives through healthy, flourishing local churches whose teachings are firmly planted in the Word of God. When we do this, it brings our life in line with His will. One of the greatest decisions you can make is to choose to live a life dedicated to accomplishing and building something that will stand as a testimony or legacy for the generations to come.
Isaiah 58:9 - 12:
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,

If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,

Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.

You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again."
As with Ezra, God gives us new life to restore old ruins, revitalises us.
Brian Houston's questions:
What am I building that will stand the test of time? Is what I am building in line with what God is building?

Isaiah 61:3 reminds that God will renew and restore: he will "provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.

I am reminded that it is not about me, it is all about Him. That His glory was ruined on the cross but he rose from the ruins into glory. He is in the business of recreating ruined lives.

Wonderful thought. Paul says: "God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns."

"I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you and accept your worship." (Jeremiah 29:11 - 14)

Brian Houston (Day 8 of Release,Revive, Repair, Rebuild: "Ruins speak of former glory, of something that once was but is no longer - better days, glory days. Ruins represent failure - images of former battle, devestation, broken remains, abandonment.

In Old Testament times, God presenced Himself in a temple of stone. When that temple was in ruins, he sent Ezra and his people to rebuild it. Today, God dwells in the hearts of men and women when they receive Jesus. What is man-made can lay in ruins, but what God makes is eternal.

Personally, all our potential through failings weaknesses and mistakes could be left in ruins just like that temple. Perhaps right now you face financial ruin. Maybe you are on the edge of a ruined reputation or a relationship that is in ruins. Is there a dream you have abandoned because it lies in ruins? Because Jesus brings the ruins of your life, back to life!

It is amazing to me that God never leaves what belongs to Him in ruins. He is a God of life, of restoration and He is forever building our lives. It's a process where God releases us from bondage and repairs our brokenness. He revives us by His Holy Spirit and line upon line of His Word, He relentlessly rebuilds our life. We were created for glory and through Christ, we will be returned to glory.

Isaiah 61 declares this beautiful exchange:

Give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Rename them "Oaks of Righteousness" planted by GOD to display his glory. They'll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage.

They'll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new.

 Do not allow yourself to sit amongst ruins! Rise up in spirit and in stature, knowing that He has called you unto Himself, 'set apart for His glory'. Take courage in these verses today, knowing that whatever circumstances you find yourself in, what is ahead of you are glorious plans and purposes.

Living well under pressure

We’ve all been there: we’ve lost the car keys, can’t find a favourite scarf, the phone rings as we’re rushing out the door and then we get to work and realise we’ve left our lunch behind! The pressure builds as easily as a kettle on the boil and there’s no escaping it.

I had a day like that which began less than twelve hours after I jotted down this title. Computer glitches, covering lessons in my ‘catch up on marking and admin time’, misunderstandings with colleagues...the pressure piled up until I nearly burst into tears. Nothing, of course, like my friend Lisa in Tanzania whose journey home included a flat battery, crazy driving from other road users, a man who pretended he had been injured by their car, riot police at the border crossing and a forest fire near their home.  And nothing like the pressure that so many people endure daily all over the world: just the pressure of finding food for the day occupies the minds of many.

Still, it feels real and overwhelming to us.

Paul knew pressure well.

(2Corinthians 11:23 – 27 I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather.)

Finally, imprisoned in Rome, having suffered too many beatings and misfortunes to count, he handles the pressure so admirably that we would do well to pick up some tips from him.

So what does he do?

1.       He prays for others.

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. (Philippians 1:3 – 5)

2.       He looks for the benefits in his situation.

My imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah. (Philippians 1:12 – 14)

3.       He doesn’t worry about what other people are doing.

So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! (Philippians 1:18 – 21)

4.       He gives practical advice to those in his care.

Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ...Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. (Philippians 1:27 – 28)

5.       He keeps his focus.

As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here....

There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You’re involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.  (Philippians 1: 22 – 24, 29 – 30, The Message)

6.       He was humble.

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. (Philippians 2:1 – 5, The Message)

7.       He offers help.

Paul couldn’t help himself, but sent others to help. I plan (according to Jesus’ plan) to send Timothy to you very soon so he can bring back all the news of you he can gather. Oh, how that will do my heart good! I have no one quite like Timothy. He is loyal, and genuinely concerned for you. Most people around here are looking out for themselves, with little concern for the things of Jesus. But you know yourselves that Timothy’s the real thing. He’s been a devoted son to me as together we’ve delivered the Message. As soon as I see how things are going to fall out for me here, I plan to send him off. And then I’m hoping and praying to be right on his heels. But for right now, I’m dispatching Epaphroditus, my good friend and companion in my work. You sent him to help me out; now I’m sending him to help you out. He has been wanting in the worst way to get back with you. Especially since recovering from the illness you heard about, he’s been wanting to get back and reassure you that he is just fine. He nearly died, as you know, but God had mercy on him. And not only on him—he had mercy on me, too. His death would have been one huge grief piled on top of all the others. (Philippians 2:19 – 27)

So what about us?

Let us:

Pray; 

          look on the bright side; 

                    keep focused on Jesus, not worrying about what anyone else is or isn’t doing; 

                                give help and advice.

Practical ideas? Over to you!