Laying the Groundwork

"Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house."

Proverbs 24:27

The book of Proverbs has great stores of wisdom to live skillfully in this life and beyond, and this verse emphasises our need for priorities which have a long view in mind.  A man receiving an inheritance of land would be remiss to focus his efforts on building the house of his dreams when his field was neglected and wall was broken down.  A fit field was the means of providing an income and trade.  It takes much work to prepare a field for ploughing, sowing and harvesting, yet then the land will also work for you.  Laying the groundwork is not as impressive as an edifice of stone and cedar but is critical to the long-term success of the project.

I imagine an ambitious young man who received land would want very much to prove his mettle and skill in building an impressive house for himself and household.  Such a man is interested in spacious rooms and comfortable, practical living spaces--not digging wells, grading, efficient drainage, clearing stones and laying foundations.  Being guided by our current interests can sabotage our long-term plans when we do the equivalent of putting the cart before the horse or the horse on the rider.  It is fine and good to own property, but unless the property  in a city is connected to a water supply, sewerage or electricity a house erected will ultimately become an uninhabitable ruin.  To pour money into electronics and a home automation system without first submitting plans to the council for approval or leveling the land to build a foundation would be a gross waste.

While we do not live in an agricultural society in Sydney, the principle applies to our lives today.  Better to apply to jobs that have openings that will enable you to feed yourself and your future family than to chase a dream which may never be reality.  Secure a job or career and then pursue your goals at the same time, for growing in character and maturity while learning valuable skills will help direct your efforts to maximise their impact.  Do you aspire to being married someday?  Lay down the groundwork by being a man or woman of godly character.  Instead of being frustrated no one fits your preconceived ideas of your ideal spouse today, learn seek the LORD and trust He will supply your needs.  Secure a job and learn skills that will contribute to a healthy household by cooking, cleaning and maintaining a house inside and out before you own one.  Having money to buy a house is not as important as learning to keep a house well.

What is true and verified in the physical world also has a spiritual application.  It would be silly to focus on earthly wealth and prosperity without any thought of the eternal state.  Today is the day to lay groundwork by trusting God, reading and heeding His word and using the gifts and talents He has given us for His glory.  This earth and all that is in it will someday pass away; mansions worth millions and valuable business connections will be swallowed up and lost for eternity.  To put our focus on building ourselves an empire on earth without consideration of God and His glorious kingdom is a great waste that leads to destruction.  Each one of us is building a house (our lives), and it is important we build with materials that will endure.  Knowing there will someday be a reckoning before our Maker, we labour to prepare ourselves today by sanctifying ourselves and being fit for Him.

Living For Jesus

“Physical death is a separation of the person, the spirit, the soul, from the body…[Adam] died spiritually the moment he disobeyed; he was separated from God.  Death is separation.”

(J. Vernon McGee. Thru the Bible. Vol. 1. pg. 27)

It is common to say when someone dies that they are gone, that they have passed away.  Since God has put eternity in our hearts we almost intuitively sense a human being is more than a body, for the person we knew departs the body in death and is separated from us.  For a believer the bitterness of separation is sweetened by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life, for those who are in Christ by faith will never die.  We will meet again, and we will be together forever with God our Saviour.

When Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, he was instantly separated from God by his sin that brought death.  The spiritual, eternal component of Adam died that moment, and ultimately his body would die as well.  An illustration of what happened can be derived from the fig leaves he plucked from the tree to fashion into a covering to hide his nakedness.  The moment leaves are pulled off a tree they are cut off from their source of life.  Death is instant, but the symptoms of that death take hours and days to become apparent.  Green leaves begin to dull in colour and they become dry and brittle.  Before very long the leaf bears little resemblance to what it did previously when it can be crumbled into dust.

Adam's sin cut him off spiritually from God who was his source of life, and it would only be a matter of time before his body gave up the ghost.  A leaf pulled from the tree cannot be reattached, and Adam's sin lead to permanent, eternal death apart from God.  There was absolutely nothing Adam could do to remedy the situation, but praise the LORD for His redemptive plan to save mankind by sending His own Son Jesus Christ to provide atonement and impute righteousness to sinners through faith in Him.  Adam had no clue how lost he truly was, and we can miss how amazing the grace of God and the Gospel is too.  To think that God has destroyed death so we could have eternal life; the Son of God died and rose again so we could be adopted as children of God!

Being born of Adam who sinned is a guarantee of death, and being born again through Jesus Christ who provided atonement for sin gives assurance of forgiveness and eternal life.  This is great news, isn't it?  When we have good news we cannot wait to share it with others:  better than planning to tell others about Jesus someday, let us be living for Him right now.  Then we will be trusting Him, believing Him obeying Him, speaking of Him and glorifying Him as we ought now and forever by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

God Is Blessing

These days it seems one cannot speak or breathe without offending someone, and public figures are held to the highest scrutiny.  The Australian prime minister recently said something that drew the ire of recent Australians of the year and others when in conversation he said, "Jenny and I have been blessed, we've got two children that don't — that haven't had to go through that...And so, for parents with children who are disabled, I can only try and understand your aspirations for those children."  When Scott Morrison realised how his comments were offensive to many, he promptly apologised--and rightly so.

We cannot help how others interpret what we say and what we mean.  I do not believe the Australian Prime Minister meant in the slightest what people took him as meaning, that by saying he was blessed to have children without disabilities people who have them are cursed.  As a believer I am sure Mr. Morrison was saying he was blessed to have children whether they had disabilities or not.  Even if he had no children, our Prime Minister could rightly say he was blessed to be childless, for we are fully and most blessed in God alone.  It is on this point those who do not know God find themselves in the dark.  They have not tasted and seen that God is good and how His greatest blessings can take forms we never imagined they could.  It is faith in our good God that completely transforms the human perspective and sees blessing everywhere.

It is faith in the unwavering good God that provides understanding and gratitude toward God even in difficulties.  Consider the lyrics of Brenton Brown's song Our God is Mercy: "Our God is mercy, our God is mercy, if your heart is heavy, if your soul is thirsty; there is a refuge, a home for the lonely 'cause our God is near...you're blessed if you've been torn apart, you're blessed if you've a broken heart for hope is waiting at the door. Salvation's near."  No one likes the feelings of a heavy heart or thirsty soul; certainly no one enjoys feeling lonely, being torn apart or having a broken heart.  Surely these painful descriptions seem or feel much more a curse than a blessing!  Those who are God's redeemed have the capacity to continually bless His holy name because He is ever blessing us.

The reality of a good God Who demonstrates His love, is in Himself a refuge for us and is a Redeemer.  We can't understand the pain, sorrow or trials others have faced, and we cannot fully comprehend our own feelings at times.  But the immutable truth remains that God is good and He is a blessing to all who trust in Him.  His goodness, grace and mercy is complete and continual, and it is in realising our need we find an enduring hope and help in Him throughout all seasons of life.  God allows challenges, struggles, disappointments, dashed expectations and difficult conditions so we might rely upon Him more and discover comfort, rest and peace we never imagined possible when all seemed well.  What some people see as a curse can be redeemed as greatest blessing when we look to God in faith.

All Confidence in Our Good God

"There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD."

Proverbs 21:30

What confidence we have in God who is sovereign and supreme over all!  There is nothing that can be hidden from Him, no power to overrule Him or scheme to thwart His good purposes and plans.  Ultimately all things in heaven and earth must bow the knee before Him, for God rules and reigns over all.  He is so awesome and mighty nothing can be against Him, that is, to begin to present a challenge of any kind to Him.  Many have opposed God, been lifted up in pride against Him and sought to undermine or resist Him, but no one has ever done a thing to shift Him from His glorious position as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS Who was, is and is to come.

Wisdom could be described as "skill for life," and since God is the source of all life He enables those who trust in Him to live it to the full forever.  He has all knowledge and understanding of all things, and He needs no advice or counsel to know what He must do.  There is nothing He has not already considered fully, and an alternate plan is not necessary for the God who does everything.  Unlike people or their heroes, God has no weakness or limitation.  There will never be a reduction of his mental capacity or strength.  He is not like an old dog that sleeps a lot more now than he used to, preferring the shade over romping in the sun.  God is not like a man who is careless, forgetful or cannot remember what he said.  He is God without equal, good beyond all comprehension and any comparison. 

Undergirding the power and strength of the almighty, living God is His immutable goodness.  It would be an awful thing indeed if God had evil intent and there was no possible way to overcome it.  Knowing God loves sinners and cheers them on to repentance and righteous living by faith in Him moves us to rest in Him without fear.  Paul wrote in Romans 8:31-33, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."  God demonstrated His love for sinners by sending a Saviour Jesus Christ, so even when we were against Him His goodness was directed towards us.  Satan tried to overthrow Christ and God's intent was the death and resurrection of Jesus would provide eternal life for all who trust Him.  See?  There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the good LORD God.

Even when believers suffer many things, when enemies of God and His people rise up to thwart God's purposes and rob us of peace, we can rest confidently in the goodness of our God in the land of the living.  Romans 8:37-39 affirms, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Since nothing can separate us from God's love, nothing can deprive us of the joy, peace and rest found for our souls in Him.  As the song says, "No fear of death, nor scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand."  In our good God we can place all confidence.