Photo courtesy of Ron Cogswell.

We hope you enjoy this re-post from March 30, 2013. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it… – Psalm 127:1, Amplified Bible

There are examples galore of Christian workers, both in the secular world and in the sacred, who’ve “burned out” in their service to the King. They’ve toiled and striven diligently, but they’ve not been able to build their businesses or their practices or their ministries, no matter how hard they have tried. Worn out and dejected, they move on to other endeavors, plagued forever by thoughts of what might have been.

Christians may fail in their efforts for a number of reasons, but one possible reason often overlooked is that they’ve missed the truth of Psalm 127:1. No matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you strive, and no matter how hard you pray, you will not be able to build a house that God doesn’t want you to build. This was true for King David (see 2 Samuel 7), and this is true for me and for you. If you are trying to build a business and God wants you to build a ministry (or vice versa, for that matter), He will remove every nail you drive, block every permit you apply for, and fail every inspection for the building you are trying to construct. God has a purpose for your life, and if you live in avoidance of His purpose and in pursuit of your own, the house you are building will be a house of cards. God will blow it down again and again until you finally get the picture that His house is the only one that will stand.

If you rise up early, take rest late, and constantly eat the bread of anxious toil to no avail (Psalm 127:2a), then odds are you are pursuing a path that God never intended for you to follow. You will find no success on that road, but if you take the road shown you by God, He’ll bless your steps even in your sleep (Psalm 127:2b).

If you feel like God is opposing you every step of the way, He probably is. And, He probably is because you are building the wrong house. Fall on your knees before Jesus, ask Him to show you the blueprint for the house He wants you to build, and lift your hammer in construction of His home, not yours.