July 27, 2009

• Except the LORD build the house

  Psalms 127:1-5  A Song of Ascents; of Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.  (2)  It is vain for you that ye rise early, and sit up late, ye that eat the bread of toil; so He giveth unto His beloved in sleep.  (3)  Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.  (4)  As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one’s youth.  (5)  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be put to shame, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

  Solomon had tried to find happiness in so many things, but he didn’t find fulfillment in anything apart from YHWH.
  He tried to find fulfillment by furthering his education; experimenting with sex, getting drunk, and getting more “stuff”. He concluded that the only thing that brought fulfillment was getting his life right with YHWH:

  Eccl 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

  Unless Adonai is the center of your family, your work is in vain. Do you realize that 80% of all violent crimes against children are committed in the home. That means it is 80% safer to be out in the streets! That also means that G-d needs to be the focus, for the house will crumble without Him.

  Luke 12:16-21 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: {17} And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? {18} And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. {19} And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. {20} But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? {21} So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

  Anxiety is a big problem today. People are fearful of all kinds of things. It doesn’t matter if you stay up late or rise up early in the morning, all that is in vain. You won’t have peace, you won’t have rest. And the enemy uses anxiety, fear to control our lives. What can we do about it? Give it to G-d and then have a good nights rest, and wake-up refreshed in the morning.

  Perhaps your children came at a time that wasn’t the most convenient. Perhaps you weren’t quite “ready” for having a family, but you got one anyway. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your kids are a burden you are stuck with.

  They are a pure treasure from G-d.

  Shalom uv’racha

  • 9:00 am
  • 2 Comments