Humanity’s achievements are impressive. Even secular accomplishments are supported with astounding credentials that no man can fault.
Take the great skyscrapers that tower over Dubai, or the orbiting telescopes that let us see farther into space than early astronomers thought possible. In the medical field, we can now see inside the human body without slicing through the skin.
Automobiles can reach over 200 MPH and still get 30 MGP on a leisurely afternoon drive. How amazing is that? We feel we have to have the very best, or it isn’t sufficient, anymore.
Yet the Bible cautions us in Psalm 127:1:
“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.”
Sufficiency in Merriam-Webster’s is to have enough to meet one’s needs. If we read on, we find it also means modest but adequate.
Aaron Spelling was one of television’s greats. He produced sitcom hit after hit, and the money poured in. In 1988 he built Spelling Manor, a 56,000-square-foot home, the largest in Los Angeles, as his primary residence.
He could afford it. He had the money. No one (except his neighbors) faulted him for his expansive tastes. He lived there until he died in 2006. In 2011 it was sold to a 23-year-old heiress who ripped out much of the interior in a massive renovation.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain…”
This verse says God is our sufficiency. Whether a 56,000-square-foot house or a 560-square-foot abode, when we trust the Father to supply our needs, we will have enough to meet our daily requirement.
Arron Spelling had the money to afford his massive residence. It didn’t bankrupt him. Our duty is to be wise in what we reach for, so that what we own doesn’t bankrupt our relationship with God.
The second part of our verse says:
“Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
God protects what he begins. What he starts, he’s obligated to bring to completion. What we put into motion, no matter how grandiose, commendable, or right in the eyes of the world, is constructed without God’s building permit. God is not obligated to protect our projects when earthquakes try to bring them down.
Our strength comes in following Christ and living out his plan for our lives.
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Code: FGO.L.04.16b.vp.esv