Life as a HouseTherefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” (Isaiah 28:16) When God calls us into a holy life set apart for His purpose, it is made up of four distinct stages like building a house. First, we must prepare to build the house by laying a foundation, and be concrete about it. That foundation is none other than the Word of God with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone. Any foundation other than the Rock of Ages simply will not stand. Secondly, as we begin a walk of faith with God, He allows each of us to experience trials, testings, and challenges in life that are designed to increase our faith and demonstrate His work in our life. Moses had his close encounter at the burning bush, Peter walked on water, David was on the lam, Joshua held back the sun and parted the Jordan River. The depth and width of our calling is directly proportional to the faith experiences God allows in each of our lives. We are to walk on with God, not U2. If God intends for you to have a global ministry to reap the harvest of souls, chances are you will experience more faith experiences than Irish rock star Bono, who is only trying to help Africa with debt relief. The third stage of the house deals with inner motives. “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits [motives]” (Proverbs 16:2). What is the motive behind my actions? Is it money accumulation or material gain? Is it power and control? Is it to create glory or a publicity ploy? Are you selflessly pro-bono or are you pro-Bono? The motive must be God’s leading you to take such an action. It must be obedience to God and His Word, and nothing else. Finally, we must be prepared to take action to put on the finishing touches of the house. We must ask, “Do we have the skill and ability to do this activity?” Many of us have not trained ourselves to be successful in our endeavor be it a fund manager, CFO or webmaster. You wouldn’t want anyone operating on your heart who had not been trained and board certified as a cardiac surgeon, would you? So before you begin your next project, ask God to be your architect, not Kevin Kline. Ask yourself the four questions. What foundation is this project based on? What experiences has God demonstrated in my life that indicate His involvement? What is my motive for entering this activity? Do I have the skill and ability to accomplish the task? The answer to these questions will determine you whether God will bless you or not. Copyright © 2002 Eddy Ministries. All rights reserved. Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
eddyn@earthlink.net |