Have you sat back and wondered whether what you were doing is of any importance?
Ok, it pays the bills, gives you a little extra, but is God in it?
If you were to stop doing what you are doing, would it make any difference?
Ok, here is some straight-up honesty.
A frequent argument between my husband and myself occurs because I forget to ask him before I make plans. Usually, I make plans and then closer to the time, tell him about them. About 90% of the time, he likes the ideas or plans, but sometimes our schedules overlap or it's something that he doesn't agree with. I've always been a very independent person and an idea person, so when I get a new plan, I don't stop to ask, I just do. Many times, things work out great but God is not always in them and THIS is a problem.
So I struggle not only with asking my husband, but more importantly God.
God has a plan for my life and knows where I can be best used, but if I don't "with" His plan, then I am laboring in vain.
This HIT me hard recently when studying Psalms 127:
Vs. 1: 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.
Vs. 2: It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Solomon who wrote this Psalm also said in Ecclesiastes 2:1 "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."
Can you imagine working all your life and then finding out that it was all in vain? How painful that would be! In fact, that is a terrifying thought to me. I want to be ALL that God wants me to be. I would like to be intentionally spending every second of my life ONLY doing what God would have me to do. Anything less would be vanity.
Read Psalm 127:2 again. You know those hours that you have been burning late at night getting that project done? Well, what does the verse about that?
Friend, we need to get rest. We need to live on less. We need to be where God desires us to be. We need to spend every second doing what God has desired for us.
Now, that doesn't mean I can't work in a secular work environment. What it means is ask God where He wants you.
Ask Him how many hours He wants you to work.
Ask Him, "do I really need to do this extra work to get that extra __________?"
Is that extra item really going to bring God glory and honor?
Be intentional about labor and laboring for God. Don't get to the end of your life and realize that all you did was WORTHLESS.
To end, I want to share with you a statement from Benjamin Franklin. Many people believe that he wasn't a Christian, but you will see that even he knew that there was a God in control.
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel:
Vanity or Fruitfulness--what do we want our life work to be? - Rejoicing in the Present
A frequent argument between my husband and myself occurs because I forget to ask him before I make plans. Usually, I make plans and then closer to the time, tell him about them. About 90% of the time, he likes the ideas or plans, but sometimes our schedules overlap or it's something that he doesn't agree with. I've always been a very independent person and an idea person, so when I get a new plan, I don't stop to ask, I just do. Many times, things work out great but God is not always in them and THIS is a problem.
So I struggle not only with asking my husband, but more importantly God.
God has a plan for my life and knows where I can be best used, but if I don't "with" His plan, then I am laboring in vain.
This HIT me hard recently when studying Psalms 127:
Vs. 1: 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.
Vs. 2: It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Solomon who wrote this Psalm also said in Ecclesiastes 2:1 "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."
Can you imagine working all your life and then finding out that it was all in vain? How painful that would be! In fact, that is a terrifying thought to me. I want to be ALL that God wants me to be. I would like to be intentionally spending every second of my life ONLY doing what God would have me to do. Anything less would be vanity.
Read Psalm 127:2 again. You know those hours that you have been burning late at night getting that project done? Well, what does the verse about that?
Friend, we need to get rest. We need to live on less. We need to be where God desires us to be. We need to spend every second doing what God has desired for us.
Now, that doesn't mean I can't work in a secular work environment. What it means is ask God where He wants you.
Ask Him how many hours He wants you to work.
Ask Him, "do I really need to do this extra work to get that extra __________?"
Is that extra item really going to bring God glory and honor?
Be intentional about labor and laboring for God. Don't get to the end of your life and realize that all you did was WORTHLESS.
To end, I want to share with you a statement from Benjamin Franklin. Many people believe that he wasn't a Christian, but you will see that even he knew that there was a God in control.
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel:
Vanity or Fruitfulness--what do we want our life work to be? - Rejoicing in the Present
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