God does not live in buildings designed by humans minds and hands. Sadly, while every Christian will affirm this as a theological truth, far too many go about their daily lives as if God does indeed live in the church. And, the tragedy is, when they leave church on Sunday, God stays behind.
This attitude, which has become prevalent among many Christians, shows no real devotion to the Lord. The unbelieving however, will quickly darken the doors of the church to get married, dedicate their newborn, or bury their loved ones. For these people, the church building carries some sort of relevance, that God is there to witness these significant events in their lives and to bless them, yet they have no need of God from day to day.
I believe that it is significant to mention that many professed Christians, have fallen easily into the same trap. As if God has no relevance in our lives outside of the gathered worship service. On Monday, they proceed with their lives, dedicated to self gratification and sin rather than praise and worship our Savior. Christ plays no significant role in our family, in our employment, or our decision-making. He is all but forgotten as we weave our way through this broken and fallen world until visiting Him again on Sunday.
Psalm 127 says “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”
I submit to you that we should not be so foolish as to think we can live our lives apart from God. As Christians, it has become far too easy to make our plans, expecting God to fall in line behind them. It is easy to plan our lives as if we control our future and have unlimited authority, as if God does not exist.
I assure you, we do not control the present day. While we may be tempted to rely on our own wisdom, we must bear in mind that even our best efforts are subject to God’s grace and mercy. Unless God blesses our efforts, they will surely fail.
Secondly, allow me to remind you, that as carefully as we might plan for the future, we have not the ability to know what lies ahead. The future can quickly spin out of control, more rapidly than we can even imagine, only God knows what lies ahead.
Moreover, I caution you to remember, all of our plans are subject to God’s will.
Joshua 24:15 tells us “But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
May I suggest that our decision to choose worldly living is not displayed only by a disbelief in God, it is also apparent in the disregard of God as we plan our life.
Brian Monzón grew up attending church with his grandmother. Through her actions, she impressed upon him the power of the prayers of the righteous, as she herself spent many hours kneeling before God, praying for her family and the needs of others. Besides being a pastor, Brian has been studying and teaching the Word of God for many years. He has devoted his life to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, praying with and for others, especially the unsaved. Brian is also a proud father of four children. He challenges them to be their best and has strived to raise his family up in church and on the Word of God. To discover more about Brian and his ministry please visit Brian Monzón Ministries.
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