Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
Can I EARN a relationship with God? s30e136 Psalm 127.
There is such a thing as laboring in vain. It means doing work, but having no lasting output. It is not that God is opposed to effort. God is opposed to earning.
The way to prevent efforts that END in the wrong place is to avoid efforts that start in the wrong place.
Join me for 7 minutes today, and tomorrow by subscribing to this channel so your efforts will not be in vain.
https://youtu.be/xgd9aVFvTVE
Can I EARN a relationship with God? s30e136 Psalm 127.
Unless the Lord Builds the House
127 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Unless the Lord Builds the House
127 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. .Solomon. son of David 950b.c. Had gift of wisdom.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain. .Ironic, Solomon actually DID built the house for the Lord. Here is the lightbulb for Him: there are bricks and mortar, but these are not the tools the Lord uses to establish His house, His kingdom, His people. We just finished Psalm 20 some trust in chariotsand some in horses, but we trust in the Lord our God.
Is there Labor for those in His Kingdom? Absolutely. Absolutely
It is not that there is NO LABOR, it is that you don’t want your labor to be in vain because the labor is based on the wrong thing.
This is not a call for “don’t work”, it is a call for don’t ONLY work
Don’t work with out that which makes you LABOR vainity
What is it that makes LABOR not pure vanity?
Trust in the Lord, dependence, submission, faith, desperation
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain. .Similarly, do not fail to watch over your city. Have a watchman. Do the diligence that is due with running a city or a family or a life. Practice the disciplines of the Lord.
Stay awake! Just don’t do it in vain.
Put the Lord in the equation. Put the Lord in charge of the watch.
Many things you could ask for His watch over:
Self: temptation. Keep you from evil. Guard your eyes, tongue, zipper, finances. Health
Family: favor, mercy, presence. Within reach when called upon.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep. .”God is not opposed to effort. He is opposed to earning” if only I did more I’d be acceptable to God.
Working for the Lord in service is not the way to earn God’s favor.
Because you could not earn God’s favor, but received grace, unmeritedfavor from God.
He gives to His beloved sleep. What strikes me is that He HAS a beloved from our side of the galaxy.
The toil of the Christian life is in response to the un-earned action of a good God towards you. Because I am beloved I what?We toil so that others can enjoy the unearned actions of God: teaching the children, serving the meals, extending the kindness to other humans that He extended towards us.
Clearly, the Lord does NOT want us eating the bread of anxious toil
He does want us to toil in grateful service in His kingdom
You know you are serving when it is exhausting and inconvenient and COSTS you something. It is expensive in some way.
He does not want us to rise early and go late to rest IN VAIN/
Warning shot here: we could be doing the effort wrong: in vain.
It means worthless. All the effort, NO VALUE. All the force exerted into futility.
Keep my eyes from worthless things Ps 119:36
KEEP MY HANDS FROM worthless things:
How do I keep my hands from futile exertions? Whose Endpoints go nowhere?
The way to prevent efforts that END in the wrong place is to avoid efforts that start in the wrong place
There are worthless activities even “spiritual”
Give me the eyes to see the motivation:
Submission: doing things for THE LORD’S SAKE
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to human institiutions: 1 peter2:13
You could do that wrong: right way is to be subject, but put the Lord in the starting block. Applies in our relationships in society, to government; in the home: children to parents: wives to husbands. In our churches toward other believers and leaders
YOU are beloved of the Lord. Act like it.
Can I EARN a relationship with God?
Build, toil, & watch but do it not to EARN the salvation & relationshiop of God.
Build ,toil and watch because of the salvation & relationship of God